Bill, with respect to Jeff, I disagree that there are NO small boats capable of big voyages. Usually, any absolute is wide of the mark when talking about boats. You might look at the examples I offered in the thread about the 29 footer an Aussie wants to do some extended cruising in.
Just to offer a few additional examples, there are many, many transocean passages having been completed by Albin Vegas and Ballads, including some circles without noticeable problems. The Vega has a bulkhead support problem that is easily addressed, it''s very basic, small, light and will be uncomfortable when compared to other boats out there which are bigger...but it''s inherently no less safe.
Hallberg Rassys have built a series of 28-29'' boats that are doing circles right now; they appear to handle the heavy lifting well altho'' they are a bit more comfy than a Vega would be.
A friend is currently taking a Tartan 27 around, after already having done two Atlantic crossings and a Pacific run. I initially thought that fit into Jeff''s point that ''anything can make it'' until I saw the boat. Lots of heavy use but no structural problems, a very functional layout, good strong gear, and of course a savvy seaman sailing it, which is always an important prerequisite.
You''ll notice I haven''t mentioned the Pardeys, altho'' they offer two examples of justified trust in smaller boats...but as with Guzzwell''s TREKKA |(which did a circle and was 20'' LOD), the boats were built to take the heavy use. A Vancouver 27 (now 28) is another excellent example in the production boat category. And I''m really just scraping the surface, writing this off the top of my head.
OTOH I should mention you apparently are falling into a trap that Jeff usually catches first: you''re thinking ''length'' when what really counts is displacement. If you were to restate your question as ''What are some well-built 5,000# boats for sailing around the world'', you''d find a thinner set of answers. Or said another way, I was always amazed at how the Hiscocks could make several lengthy circles on their ''little'' 30'' Wanderer class sloop until I saw one of those - it was beefy, big and had one hell of a physical presence in all respects except length.
I believe that my response was that no 27 or 28 footer is ideal for a circumnavigation. I still stand behind that opinion. It can be done in a 27 to 28 footer but as the early 27-28 footers are getting pretty long in the tooth and newer purpose build 27-28 foot distance cruisers are getting wildly expensive for what they offer, I still believe that a person would do better in a longer boat of the same displacement. Of course like so many things in sailing I am not sure that there is one right answer here. Its like trying to say that vanilla ice cream is universally better than strawberry.
I think that you are mistaken although I really don''t have a definitive source for that opinion. In the mid 1960''s it was considered an amazinf feat that a 31 footer had made a circumnavigation. While some very small boats had sailed around the world, most long distance voyagers that I encountered were sailing 32-38 footers. As I have mentioned before, the typically published ''conventional'' wisdom was that somewhere between 2 1/2 to 5 long tons per person was an ideal displacement for long distance cruising. Most cruisers of that era were in the middle to top of that displacement range. In other words they typical distance cruiser was a roughly 17,000 to 22,000 lb 35-38 footer. Boats like the Ingrids and Tayana 37''s and the Valiant 40 to a lesser extent seemed to be the prototypical couple''s cruisers of the late 1970''s.
Boat sized seemed to change somewhere in the early 1970s and by the early 1980''s long distance cruisers had become longer (40-43 feet) but not all that much heavier. Better boat building methods, improvement in sails and sail handling hardware, the need for ''all of the comforts of home'', etc seemed to push the size and weight of distance cruisers upwards.
That is my take but I have no scientific evidence and so could be way off here.
Bill, is there something special about 27-28 feet? I found the lengths of all boats that did solo circumnavigations from Joshua Slocum to the ''80''s (I think)-- the boats are not modern, but they were clustering at about 33 feet. Not scientific, but something to think about
Boy some on this board make it windy enough to sail the way they take over a thread. Anyway, I have been sailing my Island Packet 32 for six years. Having sailed most every size (as a delivery skipper) myself and having a very good friend who single-hands his 27 to Bermuda every year. Not my first choice but I would not hesitate to set off in a IP-27 to circumnavigate the globe.
Fair winds & calm seas,
"There is no such thing as a 27 to 28 foot boat that is good for sailing around the world." is a bit of a different statement than "...no 27 or 28 footer is ideal for a circumnavigation."
I agree with your latter statement altho'' NOT becuase a smaller boat is inherently less safe, which I think you initially implied. The critical issue is where does one store the water, food, sails, spares, and heavy weather gear that a Pacific run will require. But having said that, in reality many crews have addressed these issues and been both well prepared and have had great times while making long passages on small boats.
Why do you want a boat thats only 27-28 feet for circumnavigation?
Do you care about displacement?
How many people on the voyage?
What route are you taking? Is it a transpac and trans atlantic crossing with a whole lot of coastal and near offshore, or do you need a boat for taking capes
Whats your budget?
Whats your timeline?
What is your favorite color?
What is the airspeed velocity of a laden swallow?
If the original posters still here I''d be curious to find out.
Then perhaps I could give some usefull feedback.
disclaimer: I have not yet successfully circumnavigated, although my last attempt made it over 3nm before turning back. =)
I''m in the same situation as Bill.....I need a "go around" boat that can be "short"
handed. Crew of 1 to 2 (mostly 1)...and while a 50ft can be rigged to be short handed I want simple rigging.... the less to go wrong the better . It appears the Bristol Channel Cutter 28 (BCC28) meets the displacment requirements with 14000lbs 26ft L.O.W and 600sqft sail area. .....but...expensive....
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