[SailingJackson]

I've been thinking about moving up from the Beneteau, Bavaria, Catalina, Jeanneau sort of world and moving into the Sabre, Hallberg-Rassy, Morris, Alden sort of world. As I look around everyone advises me that, as long as I'm switching boats, I should also get a bigger boat. The added storage, dock fees, and other incrementally larger costs are not much of a problem, but I wonder about going too big. If I'm willing to trust (big IF here) the functionality of bow thruster, windless, and power winches, should I have no concern about getting into a 42' to 45' boat? Anyone care to share their regrets for having too much boat? My current boat is 36'. The 40' boats don't scare me, but 45' is starting to look pretty big.

GTJ

 

[TQA]

Well I am 67 and my boat is fairly lightweight 44ft. I am happy single handing her but think that she is as big as I would want to go.

I do see couples with bigger boats and they clearly are struggling if anything goes wrong. They finish up waiting for the most benign of conditions and using only the headsail often with the motor running.

 

[Yorksailor]

I am 66 and my wife 60, we sail a Tayana 55 and we are about to cross the Pacific...We plan to get roller reefing on the main when I am 80!

My wife and I sail her easily in heavy weather but the day after Christmas we did 90nm in the shipping lanes into the Panama Canal under emergency steering interacting with over 30 big ships and it was a hard 36 hours.

Seriously I think that 45 is as big as you need to go.

Phil

 

[capecodda]

IF as you say, you are willing to rely on systems, and you don't mind fixing them in exotic locations, everything else is upside. It's faster, it's more comfortable to live on, it's generally better in a sea way.

We had a 52 for 10 years, it was good living. The above IF's got to be too much work so we downsized to 38 and are quite happy with the decision. But, you said to ignore this objection...in which case, buy yourself one a big boat, live in luxury, and don't say I didn't warn you that the objection you have decided to ignore may become important to you

And also, to be honest, if it was that awful a decision, how do I explain 10 years of my sailing life

If I had to choose a single length, the answer is 42, just like "hitchhiker's guide" says.

 

[miatapaul]

Seems it really depends on your use. If you are just day sailing and local cruising then I think you could rely more on the systems. Say you cruse the coast up to Maine in the summer and even down to Florida (using the inter-coastal) in the winter, then you will never be far from someone who could help you get back out there. But if you were thinking of going to the Islands, you may want to maintain a bit more self sufficiency.

 

[Don L]

If I'm willing to trust (big IF here) the functionality of bow thruster, windless, and power winches, should I have no concern about getting into a 42' to 45' boat? Anyone care to share their regrets for having too much boat? My current boat is 36'. The 40' boats don't scare me, but 45' is starting to look pretty big.

GTJ

45' isn't big, stop worrying about it and get the boat that has what you want!

 

[Minnewaska]

No regrets. If I went smaller, what would I do with the ice maker?

My wife does complain that the fenders are too big and heavy. Sailing her is a breeze and we've dealt with plenty that has gone wrong, without undue effort. Even dropping sails on the deck. No easy, for sure, but typically not necessary.

 

[nigos]

We went through a similar process and settled upon a Sabre426 that we equipped with power. winches, Leisurefurl and self tending jib to allow us to sail the next decade into our 80s. We also equipped the boat with a normal genoa adjustable genoa cars. Of all the things we selected, the only really important decision was to go with the self tending jib. Everything else was unnecessary for handling this wonderful boat.

 

[SloopJonB]

Charter a big boat and try it - all the loads go up quickly. Just humping a sail on deck on a 45' is a heavy job. On a 55' it has to be winched on a halyard up a hatch.

Just for example.

Things like power winches should be luxuries or conveniences, not necessities - whatcha gonna do when they break?

Try before you buy.

 

[Sailormon6]

If most of your sailing will be in a bay or local, where you'll be raising and lowering the sails every day and tacking often, a smaller boat won't work you so hard. If most of your sailing will be long distance passage making, where you'll be sailing on the same tack all day and you might have to tuck in or shake out a reef, or roll up a little jib, then a big boat will be a better choice.

Sailing a big boat locally will be easier if you raise a smaller jib, or use a furling jib, and perhaps sail with a single reef in the mainsail.

I haven't found it any more difficult to dock a 45 foot boat singlehanded than a 35 footer. If I'm singlehanding and the conditions are too boisterous to be able to safely put it in a slip singlehanded, I'll anchor outside the marina or pick up a mooring and relax until the conditions abate. Conditions haven't been that bad very often. It might be windy as you approach a marina, but many marinas are sheltered enough to let you dock safely even when it's blowing outside.

 

[HeartsContent]

Larger boat typically means more draft and air draft. Depending on where you intend to sail, these can be quite limiting.

 

[Rockter]

My Polaris 36 ft is as big as I want to go, alone.
I would not want to go bigger.

 

[Minnewaska]

Charter a big boat and try it - all the loads go up quickly. Just humping a sail on deck on a 45' is a heavy job. On a 55' it has to be winched on a halyard up a hatch.

Just for example.

Things like power winches should be luxuries or conveniences, not necessities - whatcha gonna do when they break?

True, but a bit misleading. Almost all 50+ foot boats will have a furling headsail and many will have a furling main too. Our mainsail could be hauled above deck without a winch, but you're right on about the 135 genny. It must weigh well over 100 lbs. However, we just don't need to regularly hump it around.

As for winches, the 66s we have for mains work just fine, without power. It's just mechanical leverage. But you are right, many larger boats have undersized winches and rely on power.

 

[Hudsonian]

My wife insists on being able to single-hand any boat we cruise, which I believe is reasonable. Therefore, our limit is not what I can handle but what she can handle. She thinks that she can handle a 35' sloop. When we chartered a 42" sloop she found it too much to handle.

 

[ChristinaM]

What do you want a bigger boat for (not being snarky, just thinking that bigger for the sake of bigger might not make you happier)? My HR 34 has a ton more storage than a lot of 34s and still has 2 comfy double cabins and a salon that seats 6 comfortably.

I'd take a look at 40-42's and seriously consider what you're using it for before going bigger. But if you take a good look and still want a bigger boat, 45 isn't that big. The couples I see motoring everywhere are usually on 50+ and it's not so much that they can't do it but that it's a lot of work to raise the main, reef, etc so why bother for a few hours of sailing.

In the end, be honest with yourself. If you're going to get 2-footitis, now is the time to do it, not after you've bought the boat.

 

[MikeOReilly]

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gener...ted/138258-smallest-boat-you-can-live-14.html

 

[Donna_F]

...As I look around everyone advises me that, as long as I'm switching boats, I should also get a bigger boat. ...

GTJ

My opinion only: that's a dumb reason for buying a larger boat.

Get a larger boat because it makes sense for the type of sailing you will be doing or because you aren't comfortable in the size you have now. Not just because you're buying another boat.

We're planning on our next boat and have decided on the make. In deciding the length we considered among other things where we want to sail, how much storage we need to sail there, and how comfortable either of us would feel operating it alone in an emergency. With all of that, it won't be obscenely larger than what we have now, but built for different conditions.

 

[Minnewaska]

I want a Discovery 67. It was singlehanded around the world, afterall.

 

[rgp]

We've made the move from lasers to a santna 2023, to a waterline 46, to a waterline 55 over the span of 12 years. Each move made in fear of the bigger boat. I think we're done now, but who knows. It's hard to beat the longer waterline and more displacement for comfortable and fast ride, the extra deck space, water, fuel, room for systems that you can get to and work on more easily.
For us each move to bigger has been better.

 

[misfits]

There comes a time in every boat owners life that they'd like to have a bigger boat & it's called boatitis. My theory, never buy any boat that's bigger than you can handle by yourself. I've been down this road, leaving the dock or mooring is the easy part. Coming back in alone, different story. But I've always kept my boats on a tidal river...

Bob