"JohnM" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your input Ric. I must admit a 39 footer would be tempting. I'd
change one of the aft cabins into a workshop and the extra LWL would give
me
more comfort.
Some of these posts have pointed out the difficulty of docking with a
larger
boat but I have found Beneteaus, Hunters. etc. very manoeuvreable. No
doubt
to do with the fin keel.

"Cap'n Ric" wrote in message
news:CZLeh.994$e26.857@trndny04...
I have a 2003 Beneteau 473 2 cabin and I single hand the boat all the
time.
With or without non-sailing passengers. If the boat is rigged for single
handed sailing 47 feet is not difficult to hande.

I'm a liveaboard with a dog so a Beneteau 35 would be cutting it close as
far as space goes. I'd look at the Beneteau 393 before I bought the
Beneteau 35. It is only a couple of feet longer and has a much kinder
interior design for staying on board for long periods of time.

Cap'n Ric
S/V Sezaneh




One point that seems to have been overlooked (either by previous replies or
simply me, in missing it) is: "What's the largest boat you can comfortably
maintain?" Larger boat means larger sails, bigger engine, more paint, more
brightwork (possibly)...all in all, it's quite a bit easier for a
single-hander to do the maintenance on a smaller boat than a larger one.