On the spectrum of light vs heavy boats, the Westsail 32 is certainly
out towards the heavy end of things. Many derisively refer to them as
the "Westsnail". On the other hand, many of them have been successively
cruised. Some friends of ours, were in New Zealand last I heard (they
started 5 years ago in N. Calif) and love their boat. My wife and I
think the ideal is out toward the ehavy end, but not quite that far out.
Our Tayana weighs in at about 22,500 lb.s (dry) and is 37' on deck
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG.

For sailing around S. Calif, light winds are not uncommon and you may
find yourself motoring more than you now anticipate in such a heavy boat.

You also speak to a desire of "a few creature comforts". While many
(including me) find the motion of a heavier boat more pleasant (and much
less tiring) than that of lighter weight ones, the bottom line is that
there's not a whole lot of room for those creature comforts in a 32'
boat. Our last boat was a Catalina 30 and we did a lot with it,
includeing taking it down to the Sea of Cortez, but we REALLY appreciate
the extra tankage, storage and living space the bigger boat brings.

You've stated a $50K budget and a desire to cross oceans (to Hawaii &
Alaska). This seems like a reasonable budget for a good quality, low
end cruising boat to me. you can certainly spend a lot more, but you
don't have to. If you're willing to limit your cruising range to San
Francisco down to Mexico, you can get by a lot cheaper ( $20K). A
quick search for Westsails on yachtworld.com shows a number of them in
the $40K - $50K range. There is even one listed in Alameda (SF Bay
area) for $27.5K. Don't forget, while you'll probably buy it for less
than the asking price, you'll also have to pay Calif. sales tax on it
and put anywhere from 10% - 30% of the initial cost into it to get it
ready.

- Dan - T minus 29 days (but whose counting?)

jds wrote:

hi all. i am currently in rersearch mode looking for a cruising sailboat.
have read some, have a lot more to read and learn. most of the web sites
and forums i have gone to seem to be primarily east coast stuff. i will be
on west coast, southern california. my plans are to cruise up and down the
coast, possibly alaska, possibly hawaii. im 57 and a few creature comforts
are more important than speed. i dont want a boat that will beat me up, and
i dont want a boat that if the wind kicks up a bit i have to fold my tent
and go home.

ok, on many forums they talk about how heavy and slow cruisers are. does
that mean you have to have heavy winds to sail in them?? i dont want to be
sitting in the marina/mooring , whatever, while a bunch of lighter boats are
out on the water. how much wind does it take to move one of these boats??
right now, im very interested in a westsail 32. i have about 50k to spend.
so far the only thing bad i have read about these boats is they are slow.
not an issue with me as long as you dont need a hurricane to get them
moving.

i have also read that all boats are a comprimise. i can understand that. are
there any good solid boats that are maybe a happy medium?? comfort that will
still sail in light winds?? we dont have a lot of heavy wind in this area,
but you never know when you may run into some. safety and strength are more
important than speed to me.

i plan on living aboard a great deal of the time. i have a house in socal i
can go to if i want to, but i let my mother and sister live there, and a
little bit of both of them is enough for me for several weeks/months/years.
but can live there if i have to. point being, i want something with at least
some creature comforts. hot water, nice head with shower, and a galley thats
usable. comfortable bed.

anyway, seems like the more i read the more confused i become. some insight
from you old salts would be greatly appreciated. by the way, anyone ever
hear of a yorktown?? apparently a well made boat, but havnt seen too much
about them even on a google search. thanks for any input here. regards, j.d.



--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean"
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG

thanks for the reply dan. nice boat by the way. advice noted and
appreciated. another question: how much larger is a 37' boat than a 32'
boat? as a complete fng, 5 feet doesnt seem that much longer. how much more
living space is gained by the additional footage?

would you consider your boat medium displacement?? medium heavy??? does it
sail ok in light winds??

i dont think i want to limit myself to the bay area south as i have friends
and family in seattle and coos bay oregon. would like to visit them and the
only time i was in alaska was in an airport on the way to se asia. would
like to go there again and spend some time fishing.

50k is what i have budgeted for the boat itself, i understand there will be
additional costs. do you think i would be better off buying one already
equiped for cruising?? one that has been cruised and refitted over one i
have to fit myself?? thanks again for the advise and take god care. regards,
j.d.

oh, as a ps. i talked to a broker in socal and he said if you go to mexico
for 91 days, you dont have to pay calif sales tax. i guess if i had to (g) i
could spend some time there doing whatever. probably end up spending more
than the sales tax, but at least would get something in return. thanks
again, j.d.

On Fri, 3 Sep 2004 04:57:29 -0700, "jds" wrote:
thanks for the reply dan. nice boat by the way. advice noted and
appreciated. another question: how much larger is a 37' boat than a 32'
boat? as a complete fng, 5 feet doesnt seem that much longer. how much more
living space is gained by the additional footage?

==========================================

As a general rule the size of a boat increases in proportion to the
cube of its length. In other words a 48 foot boat is about 8 times
larger than a 24 foot boat. That may seem extreme but try looking at
both a 24 and a 48 and you'll see for yourself. The rationale is that
not only does the length increase but also the depth and width. Since
a 37 foot boat is 1.15 times as long as a 32, and 1.15 cubed is 1.52,
you can infer that the 37 will have about 50% more usable space.

jds wrote:
how much larger is a 37' boat than a 32'
boat? as a complete fng, 5 feet doesnt seem that much longer. how much more
living space is gained by the additional footage?

As Wayne pointed out, volume increases as the cube of the length, but
it's even more than that because there are some areas that are
relatively fixed in size: Cockpit, galley, head, chain locker, etc.. So
the bulk of the added volume goes directly into the living and storage
areas. BTW, if you're going to be living aboard, the importance of
readily available storage (drawers and lockers) can't be stressed
enough. A major downfall just about all of the smaller boats and most
of the coastal cruisers (Hunter, Catalina, Benateau, etc.) is their lack
in this area (tankage is another).

would you consider your boat medium displacement?? medium heavy??? does it
sail ok in light winds??

I think just about everybody would consider the Tayana a heavy
displacement cruiser. It's got a pretty generous sail plan though so it
moves right along. We were pleasantly surprised at its' performance,
especially in light airs. We were expecting it to be something of a
pig. We did add an asymmetrical spinnaker for light wind sailing and
are VERY pleased with it http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/SPIN3.jpg.


i dont think i want to limit myself to the bay area south...

No reason why you should, it was just an option I threw out. You should
note however that going north from San Francisco up to Washington can be
a very rough trip. Heck, coming down is a rough one for a lot of people
and going upwind and into the waves is much worse. We also plan on
spending a season in Alaska, but will be getting there via Hawaii.


50k is what i have budgeted for the boat itself, i understand there will be
additional costs. do you think i would be better off buying one already
equiped for cruising??

In general, it's more cost effective to buy gear with the boat than
purchasing and installing it yourself. You have to put up with the PO
(Previous Owner) idiosyncrasies (I refer to my PO as "electrically
challenged" and have replaced ALL of the non-factory installed wiring
that was in the boat), but costwise it's usually a bunch cheaper.

oh, as a ps. i talked to a broker in socal and he said if you go to mexico
for 91 days, you dont have to pay calif sales tax.

I don't know the details here, but it's my understanding that this law
is in the process of changing. Be very careful here as we're talking
about thousands of dollars.

One last piece of advice. Get out and start looking at some boats.
Contact some brokers and get aboard and poke your nose into LOTS of
different boats. You'll get a feel for not only the many different
styles of boats, but they're general market value. It's a buyers market
and has been for some time, so there are a lot of boats out there and
they stay on the market for a long time. Take your time looking. If
one your interested in sells before you make an offer on it, no big
deal, There are lots more to choose from. The time to fall in love
with a boat is AFTER it's yours, not while you're trying to buy it.

Good luck - Dan

--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean"
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG

again, thank you for the advice and information, dan, wayne. in 2 weeks im
going to socal and spend a couple days looking at various boats. will know
more then. i live in las vegas, and although the lake we have here is quite
large, not many boats over 30 feet or so and all day sailer type craft.
o'day, etc. i have not seen a serious boat at any of the marinas. which of
course is quite natural, as that is what they are used for. one very nice
pearson. dont know how seaworthy they are but it is a very nice boat for the
lake. once again, thanks for the advice. it is appreciated and well taken.
best regards, j.d.