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Amuse me, sailing small boat offshore.

16K views 83 replies 36 participants last post by  northoceanbeach 
#1 ·
Hi there, I have always wanted to cross the ocean, someday I will. I've been reading offshore cruising books in my spare time, and I have a pretty decent idea of what boat I would need.

However at the same time, I like the go small, go now approach. Well, because of the go now really, ;). The go small part I could go either way on.

So at my current marina, there is a guy on a 20 footer, and he went fom Hawai'i to Tahiti, Tahiti to Hawai'i, and Hawai'i to Seattle. I also have a movie I am about to watch called the Dove about a 16 year old on a Cal 24 that circumnavigated. So it can be done.

Now, this is not my plan for this summer, I have a plan for this summer, but I just want to know HOW to do it on a small, inexpensive boat. I understand that obviously there are going to be more risks, and it is less comfortable, and probably less likely to make it. But I don't understand some of the finer points.

I have a Ranger 23. It is in very good shape. I would say for boats this size not specifically designed for bluewater(Flicka, Pacific Seacraft), it's about as good as you would get. It's very beefy, I used to have a Catalina 22 and if you look at them side my side. THings like the spars, the Ranger has big, solid looking spars, it looks like a fat mast, where the Catalina, no offense to Cats, I had a great time on it, the mast looked like, well, much flimmsier. The chainplates were connected to the deck with a nice aluminum backing plate. On the Ranger, they got almost 2 feet down into the fibreglass bulkhead with big fat bolts, and the stays wrap over the bow and stern and bolt along there. Everything, the tiller, feels stronger...you get my point.

Of course I have to singlehand, for me that's the dream.

So I can sit around and dream, ands in case maybe next summer I don't get a bigger boat and keep this one, what would I have to:

1. Do to the boat.

2.Learn myself.

3.What supplies are essential for a small ocean crosser.

1. For the boat I need some way to self steer. Those windvane's look like the way to go, but do any work on my boat? Are they too heavy? Can they hook to a small transom? Where does the motor go? I have a 6hp four stroke mounted in the center of the stern. I've got to sleep, is it possible to go without one? Don't kill me for asking, but can you just take the sails down and float while you sleep? Heave to? I've found threads about sleeping and keeping watch singlehanded, but not the steering issue.

I would replace the standing rigging, if so, should it go up a size? I have heard from some that is a good idea, and some say not to, and to go with the size the boat was designed with. The designer knows more than I do, and if I put stronger rigging on there, it may put too much strain on the chainplates and the mast can't bend like it was designed to.

What else would I need to do, what do I nee to learn. It sounds awfully hard to take a small boat alone, 2400 miles from Washington to Hawai'i say, and make it.
 
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#4 ·
FYI the boat in the movie is a Ranger23. I spoke with Robin about his trip and I think he may advise you against it. The lamest trip I have heard about is a guy sailing his 14' wwp to Hawaii. I'm just curious, what are you going to do once you get there? sell the boat and go back to your cubicle or continue on. I would say Columbia 25 would be a great cheap boat to do this in. I would say follow your dream but get some experience first, long solo passages blow chunks! Above all you might want to sail out the straights at night in a gale before you commit to Hawaii :)
 
#49 ·
FYI the boat in the movie is a Ranger23. I spoke with Robin about his trip and I think he may advise you against it. The lamest trip I have heard about is a guy sailing his 14' wwp to Hawaii. :)
As an armchair fan of big passages in small boats I'd like to add my .02.

The wwp was a 19 not a 14 small but big difference. He sailed it there then shipped it back. He sailed to Hawaii recently on a J30 I think, he would not repeat the wwp experience.

Just because you own your current boat that is kinda/ sorta /might be capable does not mean its a good start for such a trip. People who sail long voyages in small ships usually don't do it with the boat off the shelf or 30 year old rigging they bought it with. The Catalina 27 that circumnavigated had lots of structural upgrades. By the time your Ranger was ready you would have to pour a lot of money into it, that you'd be better off starting with a different boat with a little more capacity.
 
#6 ·
In complete honesty everything depends on how much risk willing to take to come back alive if things go less than perfect

How you feel about something like bring a basic Liferaft or EPIRBS or and SSB


Or do as others have and take the risk
 
#7 ·
According to what I have "learned" here is that you should NOT go, unless you have a 35' double-ender with a full keel with no thru-hulls. (If you HAVE to have thru-hulls you must change them to uranium-types with titanium pipes)

The thing is, it is always safer not to go (or is it?), but then you would wind up in an IKEA sofa, being "safe".

No matter what you do you will encounter trouble, but it's a part of the deal. From what I have seen from your posts here, you have the right spirit, and the need to be at sea.
A "small" boat is just as safe as a big one, as long as the basics are covered.

Someone once said that the most dangerous thing to a boat is land. Go!
 
#8 ·
There is comfort in going out on a long trip in a boat that you know really well, and which can take a lot of pounding when out on the sea. There is risk in everything we do, like our every day commute to work, and there is our personal risk tolerance factor. Ranger 23 is a very solid boat but my concern would be room to stow all the stuff you are going to need on such a trip. It is not a roomy boat by any means. And I would take with me a decent life raft for sure.
 
#9 ·
Thank you, the spirit is there. This summer I am learning alot, I'm leaving in a matter of days for my first big cruise in the Beautiful Pacific Northwest. I will learn alot that will help me make a long passage one day.

I don't know where that cubicle thing came from, seemed insulting since I have never been in a cubicle, but once in Hawai'i, I am currently on the waiting list for a slip in the Ala Wai, as is my best friend, so I would now have a boat and live in Hawai'i and get ready for about a year to go to the South Pacific.

I've been looking at boats in Hawai'i and there aren't any cheap ones these days, actually, if you go on craigslist there is a yellow and white Catalina 22 that I used to own, that if you saw it in person would probably sell for $2000 most places, and they want $4200. The boats in Hawai'i are either "yachts", well loved sailboats that the owner's don't sell, or barnacle encrusted, jerry rigged "fun" boats that get passed around year to year.

What if I bond with my boat? What if I get really good this summer and think come August or September..."I can do this" It would be nice to think I could go. I know while I'm in Wash/CAN, I'm going to be rocking at anchor, thinking of what it would be like to cross. I would love to have this boat in Hawai'i, it would be sooooo much fun, island hopping, racing friday nights, and just sailing in front of Waikiki.

I realize that it's not always super fun. I think I have a good grasp on this. I would imagine the best moment of my life would happen one night, when there was a light wind blowing, and I could see every star in the sky, and feel just total peace and perfect solitude, but...half of the time I would probably be scared or bored.

My risk tolerance is an 8 out of 10. But understand my risk tolerance may be high, but my care and planning is equally high. I would not just say F it, and go without a reasonable belief that I could make it.
 
#10 ·
"The Dove" movie was shot with a Ranger 23. "The Dove" book and true story were done with a Cal 24. The trip was finished on something larger, he didn't do the whole circumnavigation on a Cal 24.

I think the primary problems with increasing standing rigging size would be:
1) Drilling out chainplates to allow for larger clevis pins would weaken them.
2) You couldn't tension to the max safe limit for the new standing rigging, you'd probably want to stick with the max tension of the old. The chainplates and other parts of the rig probably wouldn't be designed for the higher tension.

There are a few 27' boats (Pearson Tritons and similar) at Shilshole marina with windvane steering systems. An easy one to find photos of is "Darwind" aka "The Pink Boat" which is setting off for an around the world trip soon. Some have outboards. It should be possible fabricate or model one for a smaller boat. The Triton only has 4" more beam than your Ranger, and the transom may actually be narrower, but it doesn't share the transom hung rudder.

I think you could find a boat that has proven around the world trips, like the Pearson Triton or Albin Vega, for not much more than you can sell the Ranger 23 for. The extra 4' of length would provide a lot more storage room for essentials like water. It would also have much better carrying capacity.
 
#11 ·
I don't get the "amuse me" bit in the title. Death amuses you?

I also agree with Morild, one can go the other silly extreme. You have to find the way in between death, shear terror, money and enjoyment. And only YOU can determain that. But death ain't fun, and is usually terminal.


Mark
 
#27 ·
I'd like to see it. Reading about Robin Graham and "Dove" in my grandmother's National Georgraphic, along with the story about "Finnistere" cruising the Caribbean is what made me into a sailor. :D
 
#15 ·
Yes, self-steering is an absolute must have on such a solo trip. And mounting it on your Ranger might be a bit tricky, having it way out there behind the rudder, making it a real B to adjust when the sea gets rough.
 
#17 ·
The second "Dove" was called Return of Dove and was an Allied Luders 33. The first was a 24 foot Lapworth, not certain it was a stock 'Cal' or not...

I imagine John Guzzwell would have felt pure luxury had he had a Ranger 23 over the tiny 20' Trekka...
 
#18 ·
Yeah, not to rain on your dreams, but as just pointed out, Robin Graham finished his trip on that much heavier Allied Luders 33. My dad was a yacht broker up East in the '70s and we sold more than one of those based on that reputation, it was a good solid boat and reasonably fast too. Why did Robin ditch the Cal 24? Because she wouldn't reliably make any money to windward at sea when the wind was over 20 knots (meaning half the time, roughly). The Luders would go to windward in up to 40 knots. What a difference. Take a look:

Allied Luders

Now the Ranger 23 might indeed make a long ocean passage if you have above-average luck with the weather, and are content to ride out or reach out the headwinds instead of knocking out all your fillings beating into the big seas for days on end. But let's say the boat can take it, can you? My old man used to say (when we were out bad weather, "kid, the boat's tougher than you are", and it's true. It will take more of a pounding than you can, because it doesnt need to digest food and sleep, while you do. Many Coast Guard rescues are of sick, beat-up, exhausted sailors from otherwise seaworthy boats.

So, you might want to go just a "little" larger than that 3000-pound Ranger? Maybe a 5000 lb Albin Vega 27?? (look up Matt Rutherford's recent circumnavigation of the Western hemisphere on one, and even that is kinda dicey in terms of comfort and endurance). Think about a used Pearson Triton, solid little Alberg design and a little heavier yet. You could go up to say 30 feet and about 8000-10000 pounds?

Or dare I say it, look for a nice used Luders 33? (12000 pounds)
 
#19 ·
Check out trans pac and pac cup, lots of tiny boats using auto pilot, I would't waste 6k on a vane for a 25 day trip. You can also use sheet to tiller but you must have your trim spot on for it to work. Maybe a good set of twin 90 steering sails would work. Goodle sailiing super shrimp for a free download, one of the best sailing books ever written. Also look to the solo sailors society, lots of good info.
 
#21 ·
Thanks! Already alot of great information!

To clarify two points, my boat has a spade rudder, not a transom mounted rudder, only the outboard is mounted there.

By amuse me, I mean, when I am daydreaming on my boat this summer, give me info like you are doing, because you never know, and to me, half the fun is the dreaming and planning part of the trip. Heck, like you said, crossing an ocean is hard, I may very well have more fun thinking about than actually doing it!

I also don't believe that most people that make the attempt, die. Otherwise, there just wouldn't be an boat in Tahiti, they're not made there, they had to get there somehow, and if half the people that tried died well....
 
#23 · (Edited)
That John Vigor book is really good, and could save anybody's life on any size boat. Making your boat (hopefully) un-sinkable and protect from de-masting, and determining if any boat has enough Bulkheads, strong joint for the deck to hull, and on and on. Sealing and closing areas into floating Boxes.
....Having plan A, B, C in case of hitting a Tsunami pile of submerged Junk or ?
..What about Standing headroom ?- small water maker, solar to run st1000 autopilot, life raft, satellite communications, satellite weather, entertainment ? I like your Title to thread.
 
#25 ·
I'm not an expert, and I haven't crossed an ocean by sail yet, so take this for what its worth.

You've got 3 large variables here, the design of the boat, the condition of the boat, and the experience of the skipper. The design has to be strong enough for the conditions, and it has to be conducive to the necessary equipment and storage needs. The condition of the boat is just as important. A boat designed for very rough conditions can fail horribly if the condition isn't maintained. Then the experience of the skipper in knowing how to outfit the boat, how to handle it in all conditions, and how to fix anything that breaks. Having a boat that was designed to handle the expected conditions, in very good condition with an experienced skipper increases the odds of a safe and successful voyage, but doesn't guarantee it. For a couple of examples of what can go wrong:

Boat not designed for offshore, in medium condition, somewhat experienced crew: EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE (tm) - Lessons Learned: Sailing to Hawaii...The First Attempt by Arnold Rowe

Boat designed for offshore, very experienced single-hander, but apparently the standing rigging was not in good condition (dismasted): Chile navy locates solo US sailor in South Pacific

Boat designed for coast cruising, in poor condition, inexperienced crew: What to do When Your Boat is De-masted - Navigate the Sea

It sounds like you don't have much experience, your current boat wasn't designed for offshore, and you're unsure of the condition and if it can be equipped properly. That's 3 pretty big strikes against success. However, that shouldn't stop you from daydreaming! I sit on my Com-Pac 23 and dream about crossing oceans too, but if I were seriously going to do it now, I would be looking for a different boat that was designed for offshore conditions and I would be looking for some offshore crewing experience on other (more experienced) people's boats first.
 
#28 ·
So....my question remains, what is the best self steering system for long passages on a small boat?

I've been reading about windvanes, I'm not sure any would work on my small transom. I don't know how the new autopilots work, I should look into those next, but I was reading they use them single handed on the single handed transpac. I don't think I would be able to get enough power to one though.

That leaves jerry rigged systems like um..thinking...sheet to tiller?
 
#35 ·
I've been reading about windvanes, I'm not sure any would work on my small transom. I don't know how the new autopilots work, I should look into those next, but I was reading they use them single handed on the single handed transpac. I don't think I would be able to get enough power to one though.
A decent sized solar panel should keep a Raymarine ST2000 (more robust than the ST1000 for barely more money) running nicely all of the time. A windvane system is likely a lot easier to repair though, a nice feature if it breaks while you are on the water. Of course you could carry two Raymarine-style autopilots, they aren't very big.

They are quite simple. Normally they just follow a compass direction and will steer to keep you on that direction. If you have wind instrumentation that can tell the autopilot computer the apparent wind angle then they will steer to a wind course, which is safer if there is a wind shift (better to go off course then to accidentally jibe).

Installing one (without the wind instrumentation) takes a couple of hours. You to install a pin on the tiller and a mounting point into the edge of the cockpit. Power is just 12V DC. The tiller plugs into power and bridges the tiller and cockpit edge. I hid the power plug in a cockpit coming box, where it is out of the weather. There are photos here:
Raymarine ST2000+ Installation - AlexAndChristine's Photos | SmugMug

Average power consumption is pretty low if you have the sails well trimmed and are just using it to hold a course.

alex
 
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