On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 01:33:03 -0500, rhys wrote:

The break point of steel in term of "too heavy" is around 40 feet for a
cruiser, but you can get a "leisurely" sailer that is pretty bulletproof
in that range if you are willing to wield a chipping hammer and stay on
top of the paint schedule.

I would contest this slightly, I have a 31' steel boat that weighs in at
(allegedly - I never checked) 6,5 tonnes, which is not really any more
than a similar sized cruiser of other materials. There are certainly much
heavier wooden and plastic boats out there..

My hull is mostly 3mm I think, multi-chine with plenty of framing and
after 20 years and 2 atlantic crossings the external plates are not
significantly buckled except in a couple of places under the waterline
where I think the hard stuff has been in contact.

In your comment, you seem to be implying that a cruiser and a leisureley
sailor would be different things? If so then maybe a steel yacht under 40'
would be too leisurely for you, but I find fast boats are uncomfortable
and noisy when I'm trying to sleep.

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