On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:56:57 +0000, Iain Hibbert
wrote:

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..

By contrast, my 34' 1973 GRP cruiser-racer is 4.5 tonnes. I check it
in the slings at haulout, because too much weight affects my trim. 6.5
tonnes for a 31' steel boat is, to my mind, pretty light. Of course, a
31' foot cruiser in steel is pretty rare in itself.

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.

Out of curiosity, what are your interior hull coatings and how have
they held up and/or been maintained? I am always interested in hearing
how various coatings fair with heavy usage.

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.

No, I am actually implying that certain steel boats in the
"motorsailer" category are somewhat undercanvassed in that they
sometimes don't move effectively in the light airs typical of coastal
work, the Great Lakes, etc. Conversely, give them 20 knots and they'll
move smartly. The debate between "fast, light cruiser derived from
racing notions to get out of the way of weather" versus "heavy,
spacious full-keeler that can heave to and endure" is informative and
I have no particular axe...or metal...to grind. Currently, I favour
safety, comfort and that abstract quality of "sea-kindliness" over
pure zip, like you find in, say, the larger J-Boats marketed as
cruisers.

But that's because if I have to save for a larger J-Boat, I'll never
go a-voyaging. G

R.