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30 footer too small?

12K views 46 replies 36 participants last post by  tdw 
#1 ·
l thought so
 
#3 ·
Depends on the 30 footer. Also depends on the personality of the person too. I would have no problem living on a nice Kirie 30 for example, but would find a 30 foot cape dory a bit small and cramped. I live on a 32' and have no wants. Anything more would simply be extra for me.
 
#5 ·
Size matters?

No, 30' is not too small, with the right kind of boat. If you are looking for a large aft double birth and two heads, forget it. If you are looking for comfortable accommodations, with small but appropriate amenities, there are several boats out there that will work. When I look at the people living on 30' or smaller boats, they are usually very happy, but have done what most of us will not do, which is to get rid of the extras that make life easier (and usually more complicated). This is getting way to philosophical, and I've not had enough beer for that....

I would be very happy on a 30' boat, unfortunately my wife is unlikely to be very happy on anything less than 40' (particularly after she saw the Hanse and Tartans at Strictly Sail in Chicago - really stupid mistake letting her on those boats). Be patient, find the "right" boat, and get rid of everything you don't need.
 
#6 ·
I lived on a Pearson 367 for 2 years and it was more than enough room for me and also my father who was with me. I'm on the hunt for a 30' footer to liveaboard stateside. Probably gonna end up with something along the lines of a Catalina 30 or Hunter 30. I don't intend it to be offshore and it's there also more boat for your money.
 
#7 ·
All depends on you and where you are. I lived on my Pearson 30 for about a year, including a Michigan winter. It was like camping. Alcohol stove. Foot pump water. Trudging through the snow to take a shower and then coming back wet wasn't nice. Same for going to the toilet in the middle of the night. Water from Jugs. Don't use the head at the dock. Not real nice. Sitting at the dock with a cold drink on a summer evening. Socializing with dock neighbors. Great! All in all, I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I don't think I would want to do it now. If you need air conditioning, pressure water, a real kitchen, like my wife, out 41 footer is just about right, although in fairness, I must admit she survived a month down the ICW on the Pearson.

Dick Plta
AEGEA
Nassau, Bahamas
 
#9 ·
When I decided I was going to run away & live on a sailboat.....the first & most importent thing I did was lose the 4000 sq ft house & all possessions until everything I owned fit in my Ford Explorer . I don't even think about all that now & I don't have the words to express how happy I am . So my thought is that the size of the boat is secondary to what you're willing to pare down to .
 
#10 ·
to me one thing i see is a major difference between land people and boat people is the way they shop. It affects you more than you think if you have a house you don't give much thought to it but on a boat it is major. and i do mean major even a magazine isn't much but what about 30 or a hundred. you have enough paper in a house to sink a lot of 30 footers. if you can plan your life that good then any size boat would work. Lynn and Larry Pardey have never lived on a boat bigger than 32' i think and they have over 350000 miles at sea. its all in how well you can plan your life.
 
#11 ·
I don't think 30 feet is too small either. I currently have two boats, a Westerly Pageant; a 23 foot english pocket crusier. I've lived in it for going on two years. It is small, but it's plenty of room for me. I can cruise for a week with my girlfriend and daughter.
There are some pictures in here: Flickr: endeavor_64's Photostream
I just bought a 30 footer a few weeks ago, a yankee 30. I was looking for something a little bigger, the enclosed head is nice. But the main feature was speed. The Westerly is a little sluggish.
You can see the interior of the Yankee here: Winterhawk Restoration
I think there is a lot to the go small, go now. And the best part is small boats can be had for cheap, and systems/maintenence tend to cost less.
 
#12 ·
It really depends on what your priorities are. Strathgowan was a blog about a couple who lived aboard an Alberg 30 with their toddler son. IIRC, they've since moved up in size, since they've now got two or three children, but it was doable for them—because it was their priority.
 
#13 ·
Like a lot of people have said, it depends almost entirely on a combination of your personality, where you are in life, and your ability to draw a distinction between the stuff you need and the stuff you want.

If you're able to part with the things most people insist on surrounded themselves with, you'll be golden (and, I suspect, life will be simpler).

I know a married couple who spent their honeymoon on a 24' (I believe it was a Bristol, I could be wrong), and liked it so much, they bought one and lived on it together for two years. They moved ashore after their second kid, but it was exactly right for them during that time in their life.
 
#14 ·
Is a 30 footer too small? For what? for how many? What is your expectations ? what are you willing to give up? what do you hope to gain?
Not a simple question.
As far as I am concerned a 30 footer is not too small .I lived on a 27 footer for 2 years with my husband and a small dog spending that time in the Keys and the Bahamas and mainly at anchor and with no shower and no refridgeration and very little money.We have no horror stories to tell and had a great deal of fun.
What do you want?
 
#36 ·
I lived on a 27 footer for 2 years with my husband and a small dog spending that time in the Keys and the Bahamas and mainly at anchor and with no shower and no refridgeration and very little money.
To each their own, but that arrangement sounds like a nightmare to me.

The first thing I would toss would be the yappie "small dog". Those sort of rodents would never have evolved but for the intervention of man with Natural Selection. At the first sign of a dog "mess" on board, over he'd go. There's no way the Captain is going clean-up after little Poopsy on my boat.

The second thing to go would be the wife. "No shower and no refrigeration" pretty much eliminates both reasons for keeping a wife around in the first place: cooking during the day and companionship at night. Next port, she's gone, too.

Having paired things down to just me and the 27-footer, the situation would then seem livable to me.
 
#16 · (Edited)
My Yankee 30 and a Catalina 30 (for example), are two very different boats. While a foot more beam in the Catalina doesn't seem like much on paper, the actual difference down below is startling. On the other hand, the difference in performance is equally noticeable. I know of a couple that live quite happily on a Yankee, though two people seems tight for me. Also "living aboard" while cruising is very different than doing it while working in the "real world". As already mentioned, a mild climate makes things a lot easier.
 
#18 ·
L124C has a great point- here in Hawaii it's much easier to live aboard a small boat as the weather usually gives you all that additional deck space to be on- my neighbors across the dock have 3 kids under the age of 6 and live aboard a 30 ft custom gaff rigged wooden sail boat-They're experienced sailors and feel they have plenty of room now (of course when those boys get to be teenagers all bets are off lol!)
When my husband and I were looking for our boat I was overly concerned with length and over the years came to realize that it has nothing really to do with whether the boat is a great liveaboard or not.
(I used to be like the guy in "Jaws"... "We need a bigger boat...")
Look in a range and don't rule out those 27 footers...
 
#20 ·
It depends on the couple and the number of children! My wife and I moved aboard a 30' sloop than we bought in 1971. By 1973 we moved to a 33' boat, but when our two chidren were 7 and 9 years old we went ot a 41' boat. We could go back to the 30' and do well, but we're spoiled by the 41'. Our kids have long since moved away and the aft cabin is largely empty. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew
 
#24 ·
I've not lived on a boat before, but it is in the plans. I will be retiring in the next few years and am looking forward to cruising. My dream yacht is an Alberg 30, however I am not sure that I will be able to fit everything my wife and I psychologically believe we need on board. We were aboard a friends Bayfield 32C and found that it was far too large for us. We felt like we were in an auditorium. I guess there has to be some middle ground. Perhaps I am too simple, but I can't see how a couple could possibly live in a 40 footer, they're positively huge. Along the same lines, how does a couple justify a 3000 sq ft house? If I can squeeze a shower and stove with oven into an Alberg 30, thats where we'll be. Cozy beside our little wood burning stove. Too much?
 
#25 ·
I raced a Heritage One Ton (38 ft)for many years with a mixed crew of 6 to 8. It was a croud. We often talked about cruising that boat but with the IOR nipped in stern and long narrow bow it would have been like camping. there was a 41 footer near us with a hard chine and about 6" of cabin height. The hard chine stretched the flat part of the cabin floor a lot. the transom was broad and the inside of the boat was a palace. I am really impressed with the volume and comfortable space in the modern smaller boats with the wide transoms and beamy interiors. Some of the recent 30's hold way more space than a lot of the older 40's. There are many people cruising boats smaller than 30. There are many options here and what you intend to do with the boat makes a great difference. Will you day-sail? coast-wise cruise? island hop? circumnavigate? How much fuel and water will you need to carry? How much pantry and refrigerated space is enough?

We intend to cruise extensively off shore so we went for space and mass. Our Camper is 58 feet and displaces 55,000. It has a full keel with swing centerboard and skeg mounted rudder. It is packed with amenities but it was fitted out to be crewed by one or two. We plan to have our kids and grandchildren join us part of the time. When we decided to retire it was either a large place in Naples or this reltively tiny little boat.
 
#26 ·
I have no idea if 30' is big enough buy that isn't stopping me from buying a 31' sloop and moving aboard. I have already sold my harley and the volvo is next, then goes the piano and the guitars minus my fav. I fig I spent two of the last 3 years in iraq so no matter how small a sailboat it will be an improvement over sand!!!! The sloop has an icebox, propane stovetop, porti potty toilet, and no shower so it will be roughing it so to speak but def worth it for the traveling. Once I get used to living on it I'll come back and let you know if its too small for me!!!
 
#27 ·
I managed well on my 30ft. boat. Did some cruising on it too. Lived on the boat for years alone. It was more like camping with no Fridge, or freezer, but it wasn't hardship. That was at 40 yrs of age.

The only way I could do that again at 58 is if I lost everything, and had to massively downsize. If needed I would do that in a heartbeat. It would be a whole lot better than living on dirt......i2f
 
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