rhys wrote:
Stephen Trapani wrote:

I have a Hunter 33', stronger than a MacGregor, but I would
never venture out into the ocean with it. On the other hand,
I crewed numerous times on a Blanchard 33' in very heavy
seas and felt as safe as a bug in a rug.

There's a Hunter 33 down the dock from me, and while it looks
roomy as hell below, with all that windage and the high boom,
it gets slapped around on windy days on Lake Ontario.

These days not all boats are designed to be seaworthy, but
rather "daysail in 15 knots max."-worthy. There's no harm in
that, if that's what you want.

And most people do.

Ocean-going boats, for reasons of stability, safety and
comfort, are frequently narrow and occasionally dark below...
the expectation is that you'll be on deck most of the time,
anyway. There's exceptions to this, of course, but we can't
all afford Moody and Swan models.

As for the original poster, I smell troll. A good way to get
sailors to pitch fits in type is to suggest first a Bayliner and
then a MacGregor 26 as ocean-crossing boats. What's next,
a C&C Mega?

I'm not the original poster and I only brought up the MacGregor
for the purpose of comparing it to the Bayliner.

However, now I'm getting more curious because the consensus
seems to be that the length of the boat is not an issue.

So please tell me if you know of any trailerable bluewater or
ocean-going sailboat (under 30' LOA and 8.5' beam) that has
a water ballast and a retractable keel.

Or do you think it's not possible to build one because a heavier
ballast or keel is needed for stability ?

In article . net,
says...



So please tell me if you know of any trailerable bluewater or
ocean-going sailboat (under 30' LOA and 8.5' beam) that has
a water ballast and a retractable keel.

Dawson 26, if you can find one. Trailer boat. Swing keel. Inboard
engine. Aft cabin. Sloop or ketch confignuration. Has crossed both
Atlantic and Pacific and weathered hurricanes.

rhys wrote:
.... What's next,
a C&C Mega?


heh heh heh and why not?

wrote:
I'm not the original poster and I only brought up the MacGregor
for the purpose of comparing it to the Bayliner.

However, now I'm getting more curious because the consensus
seems to be that the length of the boat is not an issue.


No, it isn't. AFAIK the smallest boat to circumnavigate was 17' and it's
been done in an open 19' boat. The issue is partly the stores load,
and partly the ability to make distance good in a wide variety of weather.


So please tell me if you know of any trailerable bluewater or
ocean-going sailboat (under 30' LOA and 8.5' beam) that has
a water ballast and a retractable keel.


Well, I guess it depends on what you define as "bluewater." Personally,
I think that is a marketing term designed to appeal to the
baggywrinkle-and-corncob-pipe crowd, who want to pretend they're sailing
clipper ships around Cape Horn while they're actually daysailing a
fiberglass one-design around an inland lake.

Or do you think it's not possible to build one because a heavier
ballast or keel is needed for stability ?


I not only think it's possible, I've sailed a water ballast 19'
trailerable cruiser (sort of a racer-cruiser, but AFAIK very few were
ever raced) in fairly heavy weather (40+ knot winds). Maybe I know a
little about it, maybe not.

My wife & I shopped for a trailerable cruiser for quite some time, and
wanted to emphasize the practicality of it for trailering. Many people
are content to spend an hour or more getting the rig set up when
launching, we preferred to get on the water & go. We looked at about 100
boats over a year and a half. The boat we picked (after rejecting it in
the first round) was a Hunter 19, no longer made. It's not built any
better than the average Hunter, maybe worse, but it's a small simple
boat. No plumbing and very little wiring for them to f#%# up!

It stood up quite well to ten years of fairly hard use, although we
always took great care of it. The current owner is quite proud of it,
enjoys it a lot, and says he still gets compliments on his "new" boat.

I would sail that boat to the Bahamas, or across short stretches of open
water, but I'd pick my weather pretty carefully. One reason why it's
suitable for cruising is that it has a fairly well-shaped hull for
carrying a load of stores. For a TransAtlantic crossing, I'd want
something with a bit more room to stretch out, and a sturdier set of
hatches. Is water ballast an issue? You might consider a boat like a
Bolger Micro (there's a 19' Long Micro). In any case, the skipper makes
a lot more difference than the boat.

An excellent book on this subject is "Tinkerbelle" by Robert Manry.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

No, it isn't. AFAIK the smallest boat to circumnavigate was 17' and it's
been done in an open 19' boat. The issue is partly the stores load, and
partly the ability to make distance good in a wide variety of weather.

Sorry...
Record is 13' 8" L.O.A.
And that was 12' boat plus 1'8" bowsprit...
http://www.smallsailboats.co.uk/ding...files/serg.htm

No, it isn't. AFAIK the smallest boat to circumnavigate was 17' and it's
been done in an open 19' boat. The issue is partly the stores load, and
partly the ability to make distance good in a wide variety of weather.


DavidG wrote:
Sorry...
Record is 13' 8" L.O.A.
And that was 12' boat plus 1'8" bowsprit...
http://www.smallsailboats.co.uk/ding...files/serg.htm


OK I stand corrected... good thing I never claimed to know everthing!

IIRC there have been some tiny boats, like 6' LOA, that crossed the
Atlantic, but they are very specialized custom-built jobs. A man named
Bombigher (sp?) sailed across the Atlantic in an inflatable life raft,
with no food & water, to prove it was possible to survive on the open sea.

DSK

wrote:

However, now I'm getting more curious because the consensus
seems to be that the length of the boat is not an issue.

it isn't
google for Tania Aebi and Contessa 26
no water ballast...
but why the hell would you want it?

prodigal1 wrote:
wrote:

However, now I'm getting more curious because the consensus
seems to be that the length of the boat is not an issue.


it isn't
google for Tania Aebi and Contessa 26
no water ballast...
but why the hell would you want it?

Just for fun, say there's a MacGregor 26 off to the East
a Contessa 26 to the West, and it's not Popeye's day.

http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/lighthousewashout.jpg

North:
http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/Over.jpg

South:
http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/pampero.jpg

Which way's he gonna swim?

LM wrote:
prodigal1 wrote:

wrote:

Just for fun, say there's a MacGregor 26 off to the East
a Contessa 26 to the West, and it's not Popeye's day.

http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/lighthousewashout.jpg

North:
http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/Over.jpg

South:
http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/pampero.jpg

Which way's he gonna swim?


Maybe he should take a look here at what he may expect.
I can only think these guys are trolls - or have never, ever, been to
sea on anything but a calm day.

http://tv-antenna.com/heavy-seas/5/

Best, BrianH.

Maybe he should take a look here at what he may expect.
I can only think these guys are trolls - or have never, ever, been to sea
on anything but a calm day.

http://tv-antenna.com/heavy-seas/5/

Best, BrianH.

You obviously don`t understand the master plan- they intend to pick a calm
day to cross the Atlantic ;-))
Bob Larder

prodigal1 wrote:
wrote:

However, now I'm getting more curious because the consensus
seems to be that the length of the boat is not an issue.

it isn't
google for Tania Aebi and Contessa 26
no water ballast...
but why the hell would you want it?

Thanks prodigal. I've found a few Contessa 26 at yachtworld.com
all of which are over 20 years old.

With a water ballast you can let the water out to reduce the
weight of the boat so you can tow it with a car or small SUV.

Another idea is to build a trailerable boat with a water ballast
tank and put a bag inside this tank for storing up to 150 gallons
of diesel (in addition to 20 gallons in the standard fuel tank).
Sea water can be added to the ballast tank as fuel is drawn out
without seriously affecting the weight distribution of the boat.

How far do you think a 26' boat can travel on 170 gallons of
diesel without using the sails ?