HI,
New to Sailnet (and new to sailing as well). My wife and I are getting ready to get our basic keelboat certification on a Catalina 22 in September. We’re very excited about making the transition from about 15 years in various power boats (25-33 size).
One of the things we’d like to get back into is weekend cruising (Southeast Florida local inshore initially), and overnight anchorages (which we used to do a lot of in our old 33 Sea Ray). As familiar with various power cruisers as I am, I’m completely ignorant of similar sizes of sailboats, other than to say that without the need for a large engine room, you get a lot more room down below in a sailboat of the same size.
I know this forum has tons of info to sift through, but I’m hoping someone here can get me started in the right direction with some possible recommendations of smaller cruisers (between say 28-32). I realize that’s a broad request, so I’ll list a few things we’d like to have in such a boat. This will be a family boat (more weekender than live aboard). Not limited to....
Preferably @1990 or newer (but not older than 1980).
Basic berths for family of 4.
“Diesel” (not gas) motor for intracoastal and marina maneuvering.
Enclosed head (flushable w/pump out holding tank), and wash/shower.
Shore power for AC electrical and charging.
Roomy enough cockpit area (relative to boat size) for passenger comfort.
Single handed friendly.
Good balance of performance vs. accommodations (the need for “some” speed and handling without fighting things like weather helm, etc.).
Bonus features:
Small galley
Air conditioning (is there such a thing on boats of this size?).
Swimming accessibility (ease of in/out).
Shroud locations that permit easier moving fwd and aft topside.
Okay, I probably should have just asked for somebody to recommend the “perfect boat” between 28-32 and saved myself the typing! Well like I said, I am starting from scratch on sailboat knowledge, and these are the things we’d eventually like to have. As far as performance, I realize its a tradeoff sometimes between creature comforts and capabilities. I’m certainly not looking for a racer (although local club racing might eventually appeal to us as a fun thing to do), but we do want to “feel” the wind and the boat while getting some headway, not to just let it push us around if that makes any sense.
Thanks in advance for getting me started!
Cheers and happy sailing!
Chris
New to Sailnet (and new to sailing as well). My wife and I are getting ready to get our basic keelboat certification on a Catalina 22 in September. We’re very excited about making the transition from about 15 years in various power boats (25-33 size).
One of the things we’d like to get back into is weekend cruising (Southeast Florida local inshore initially), and overnight anchorages (which we used to do a lot of in our old 33 Sea Ray). As familiar with various power cruisers as I am, I’m completely ignorant of similar sizes of sailboats, other than to say that without the need for a large engine room, you get a lot more room down below in a sailboat of the same size.
I know this forum has tons of info to sift through, but I’m hoping someone here can get me started in the right direction with some possible recommendations of smaller cruisers (between say 28-32). I realize that’s a broad request, so I’ll list a few things we’d like to have in such a boat. This will be a family boat (more weekender than live aboard). Not limited to....
Preferably @1990 or newer (but not older than 1980).
Basic berths for family of 4.
“Diesel” (not gas) motor for intracoastal and marina maneuvering.
Enclosed head (flushable w/pump out holding tank), and wash/shower.
Shore power for AC electrical and charging.
Roomy enough cockpit area (relative to boat size) for passenger comfort.
Single handed friendly.
Good balance of performance vs. accommodations (the need for “some” speed and handling without fighting things like weather helm, etc.).
Bonus features:
Small galley
Air conditioning (is there such a thing on boats of this size?).
Swimming accessibility (ease of in/out).
Shroud locations that permit easier moving fwd and aft topside.
Okay, I probably should have just asked for somebody to recommend the “perfect boat” between 28-32 and saved myself the typing! Well like I said, I am starting from scratch on sailboat knowledge, and these are the things we’d eventually like to have. As far as performance, I realize its a tradeoff sometimes between creature comforts and capabilities. I’m certainly not looking for a racer (although local club racing might eventually appeal to us as a fun thing to do), but we do want to “feel” the wind and the boat while getting some headway, not to just let it push us around if that makes any sense.
Thanks in advance for getting me started!
Cheers and happy sailing!
Chris