Help-Schooner or no schooner?

[musicmanontheseas]

I hope to get started sailing soon and saw a 33' schooner with a fiberglass hull for sail.
Is this a good sailing vessel?
Can it be sailed with one person if line controls are run to the cockpit?
Is it easy or hard to sail?

How might it handle in light winds?

Thanks
Tom

[deniseO30]

The most important lines to have back to the cockpit are the main, and boom vang. in my opinion. Also I have the traveler lines and main sheet long enough to handle from behind the wheel.

I've single handed a hunter 33 a little, and my Oday 30 is easy to SH too.

You didn't say what boat your talking about Tom. it would help to know.

[CapTim]

Wait.. schooner as in double or tripple masted, with the rear-most mast being the tallest?

[puddinlegs]

Well, there's really no way to know any of the above without more information. Kind of like pointing at a ball and saying, "will this make a good bowling ball?" Link to pictures or more info?

[musicmanontheseas]

Hello Denise, Thanks for responding. The ad just describes the vessel as a custom schooner 33' long. I was wondering if the setup as a schooner type of sailor is more difficult and/or not as good of a sailor as the typical day-sailor with a main and jib.

Tom

[musicmanontheseas]

Yes this schooner has two masts. One jib sails in front of the forward mast, one large sail aft of the forward mast and a sail aft of the rear mast which is in the cockpit area.

[deniseO30]

Tom, your welcome A schooner of 33ft doesn't sound very large.. I wonder if the owner really means it's a ketch? Just the same, anything other then a sloop rig will require moving around the boat more to raise and lower sails adjust booms etc. Maybe some ketch owners could chime in with more input. Good luck!

[deniseO30]

tom, it sounds like a allied sea princess! That would be a ketch I think!

[musicmanontheseas]

Both Masts look large. I attached a picture that is similar to the one I am looking at. IT has a raised and covered cabin at the aft.
Tom

[dhays]

Originally Posted by musicmanontheseas

Both Masts look large. I attached a picture that is similar to the one I am looking at. IT has a raised and covered cabin at the aft.
Tom

Looking at the picture you gave as an example, while the masts are roughly the same height, the aft sail is larger so this would be considered a schooner. If the mainsail on the forward mast was larger, then it would be considered a ketch.

Here is an example of a yawl, where the mizzen mast is behind the rudder post. This was my Grandfather's boat.


One thing I notice about the picture you gave, is that is a gaff rigged schooner. That would not be a very friendly rig for single handing IMO. Do you have a photo of the boat you are looking at?

Dave