What makes tend to sail "flat"?

[huckleberry]

A couple questions...

1. In the 32'-34' cruiser class, what makes/models are designed to sail flat?

2. What are some of the largest cruisers designed to be sailed single-handed?

Thanks.

[svHyLyte]

It "ain't" the make of the yacht old son, it's the skill of the sailor(s). Most "modern" yachts are "in the groove" from 10º to 15º. Learning how to keep the yacht there, regardless of the wind, is the skill part. A yacht on it's ear is slow and sets to leeward at a rather remarkable rate (drift). That serves no useful purpose; tires the crew; and, generally pisses off the cook.

FWIW...

[therapy23]

Originally Posted by huckleberry

A couple questions...

1. In the 32'-34' cruiser class, what makes/models are designed to sail flat?




Thanks.

Catamarans.

[chrisncate]

....

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by huckleberry

A couple questions...


2. What are some of the largest cruisers designed to be sailed single-handed?

Thanks.

Not to sound harsh, but if you have to ask, you're a long way from looking for/sailing what's possible at the larger realm of the spectrum, maybe even the smaller. It largely depends on how the boat and sail handling systems are rigged even within the same general design. Done properly, with the 'right' boat, and a skilled, strong (mind and body) sailor, 45-50'. On a light wind day, of course it's much less work, but in more typical good sailing conditions (15-25kts), larger boats can be a handful. It also depends on the venue as well. If you're sailing in a bay or small lake requiring a lot of manuvering, 45-50' even with the appropriate skills, etc... wouldn't be fun. A better size to think about would be 30-40' (bearing in mind that a 40' boat is MUCH larger than even a 35' boat and so on down the line...)


For fun, look up the 'Open 60' class of racing mono hulls. These are the extreme end of performance for athletic and highly skilled single handers. Most of the men and women that sail these are professionals. They aren't for the inexperienced, weak of muscle, or faint of heart, but incredibly fast. Many of the sail handling ideas developed in these type of boats eventually find their way into the next generation of 'everyman/woman' cruisers.

[sailingdog]

Unfortunately, your two questions are very open ended. A few things that would help answer them are:

What is your budget?
What kind of cruising are you planning on doing?

For instance, the Gemini 105Mc will sail very flat, since it is a catamaran. So will a Catalac 9M or 10M. They're catamarans.

As for boats designed to be cruised short handed...many designs are purpose built for this. Chris White's Atlantic series of catamarans are designed for short-handed cruising and range in size from 42' up to past 55'.

Originally Posted by huckleberry

A couple questions...

1. In the 32'-34' cruiser class, what makes/models are designed to sail flat?

2. What are some of the largest cruisers designed to be sailed single-handed?

Thanks.