On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 04:56:54 +0000, CARSON AXTELL wrote:

Aloha!

Now that I've posted my first ever question to a Newsgroup, a monster has
been created...

In the spirit of the hypothetical best boat for the Great Lakes, I'd like to
hear some constructive (or cautionary) ideas on the best small homebuilt
sailboat for inter-island cruising in Hawaiian waters... What have you
heard? What's worked for you in similar or even harsher environments? I'm
snip
The anticipated summer trip would be about two weeks long, probably solo,
but possibly with one other person. The longest openwater leg would be the
initial one between Oahu and Molokai--a point-to-point distance of about 28
miles straight into the prevailing tradewinds, so more than twice that with
beating to windward.

Twice? That's means you expect to get no closer than 60 degrees from
the true wind or do you have a hefty adverse current there?

snip

As an example, my latest prospect boat is the Adelie 16 listed on the
Mertens-Gossens website:
http://boatplans-online.com/proddetail.php?prod=AD16. Most safety concerns

Aha, now I see :-)

snip
overwhelming the basic simplicity of the design. Being a trailerable
"backyard boat" is important, as is the estimated minimum finished price of
$2,500. Navigation questions need consideration, but all sailing should be
done within sight of land and, as noted above, in good weather.

Any thoughts? Feasible? Realistic? I'd love to hear from anyone who's
built the boat or her sister, the Adelie 14, or anything similar... Or
who's tried anything similar...

Well, people have crossed the Atlantic on 'sailboards' and Hobies so
why not? A little more reasonable - I think - would be something
like John Marples' Seaclipper 28:
http://www.boatshop.com.ph/portfolio/SeaCLipper.html
It's a rather basic design with a modest sail plan but it sails
well. You shouldn't expect rocket-ship performance a la racing
multihulls but it also means you get away with much simpler (=cheaper)
gear and more relaxed sailing. I have only sailed one for four
hours out of Marina del rey in L.A. so I can't comment on its
behaviour in rough conditions. I do know, however, that even this
small Seaclipper has been taken considerable distances offshore.

John Marples on internet: http://www.searunner.com/

Cheers,

/Martin