Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under 38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do, even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount -- convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and 12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

I believe most of the comments, observation and recommendations are right
on.

I had a good boat in my Cheoy Lee Clipper 33. Very easy to single hand even
though it wasn't well suited for a wind vane (ketch) I single handed it for
the 6 years I owned it for coastal sailing and in close quarters.

The only reason I built my Ingrid was because I had moved aboard and
realized that I couldn't spend the rest of my life living in such a small
compact accomodtions..

Now I have the room that I need but when I started building I was in my late
50s, now I'm in my mid 60s.. I have lost a lot of my strength from lighter
activities.. Winches compensate for lack of strength and I expect that I
will eventually regain my upper body strength..

However, in my observation, in the limited time I have been singlehanding my
Ingrid 38 cutter in and around the Pac.NW. The most difficult task for me is
dealing with the larger sail area (volume) and the weight of the sail
cloth.. Big difference between old limp rags on my Cheoy Lee and the
crisp(stiff) sail cloth of a 38 ft'er. Fortunately I have full batten main
with a Dutchman system (may change back to lazy jacks though). I expect the
head sails will be my biggest challenge when it comes time to change to a
different size in the roller furler (I don't consider it a reefing option in
the long haul). I ended up with 3 different head sail sizes. I expect I will
end up using the 110% most of the time..

Getting into too much detail here.

My point. I have two considerations. Liveaboard comfort since I want to make
my boat my permanent home and boat I can singlehand when a crew doesn't
materialize. Now the third consideration, is it too much boat as I get
older..

Will I end up sitting at the dock or in an anchorage because it is too much
work to get the boat ready for a weekend sail??

Must my thoughts, FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

I believe most of the comments, observation and recommendations are right
on.

I had a good boat in my Cheoy Lee Clipper 33. Very easy to single hand even
though it wasn't well suited for a wind vane (ketch) I single handed it for
the 6 years I owned it for coastal sailing and in close quarters.

The only reason I built my Ingrid was because I had moved aboard and
realized that I couldn't spend the rest of my life living in such a small
compact accomodtions..

Now I have the room that I need but when I started building I was in my late
50s, now I'm in my mid 60s.. I have lost a lot of my strength from lighter
activities.. Winches compensate for lack of strength and I expect that I
will eventually regain my upper body strength..

However, in my observation, in the limited time I have been singlehanding my
Ingrid 38 cutter in and around the Pac.NW. The most difficult task for me is
dealing with the larger sail area (volume) and the weight of the sail
cloth.. Big difference between old limp rags on my Cheoy Lee and the
crisp(stiff) sail cloth of a 38 ft'er. Fortunately I have full batten main
with a Dutchman system (may change back to lazy jacks though). I expect the
head sails will be my biggest challenge when it comes time to change to a
different size in the roller furler (I don't consider it a reefing option in
the long haul). I ended up with 3 different head sail sizes. I expect I will
end up using the 110% most of the time..

Getting into too much detail here.

My point. I have two considerations. Liveaboard comfort since I want to make
my boat my permanent home and boat I can singlehand when a crew doesn't
materialize. Now the third consideration, is it too much boat as I get
older..

Will I end up sitting at the dock or in an anchorage because it is too much
work to get the boat ready for a weekend sail??

Must my thoughts, FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

lost a lot of my strength from lighter
activities.

suggestion? do *serious* isometric exercises (what women call "yoga", but
without the spiritual stuff, just the serious muscle tensing). Works and works
well, AND you don't have to go the gym. Not much good for endurance training
(it doesn't much raise the heart rate), but sure is good for muscle
toning/strength.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

lost a lot of my strength from lighter
activities.

suggestion? do *serious* isometric exercises (what women call "yoga", but
without the spiritual stuff, just the serious muscle tensing). Works and works
well, AND you don't have to go the gym. Not much good for endurance training
(it doesn't much raise the heart rate), but sure is good for muscle
toning/strength.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure size is the only factor in this case. How well balanced
is the boat becomes a big factor. If it has a strong inherent weather
helm,
you will have to be at the tiller constantly, or have a good
self-steering
system to handle it. Hull shape is important for a boat keeping on
course. The longer full length keels will tend to keep a boat on a
straighter course without much steerage correction. Having a sail plan
which is broken up into distributed masts translates into smaller
individual sails, easier for one person to handle. Having motorized
winches helps in certain cases. Self tending jibs can keep you off the
foredeck when you are needed elsewhere. A reliable engine could be
valuable, if rough weather is encountered. I could go on and on, but
I'm
sure you get the idea about looking into other factors.

Sherwin Dubren

JAXAshby wrote:

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under 38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do, even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount -- convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and 12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure size is the only factor in this case. How well balanced
is the boat becomes a big factor. If it has a strong inherent weather
helm,
you will have to be at the tiller constantly, or have a good
self-steering
system to handle it. Hull shape is important for a boat keeping on
course. The longer full length keels will tend to keep a boat on a
straighter course without much steerage correction. Having a sail plan
which is broken up into distributed masts translates into smaller
individual sails, easier for one person to handle. Having motorized
winches helps in certain cases. Self tending jibs can keep you off the
foredeck when you are needed elsewhere. A reliable engine could be
valuable, if rough weather is encountered. I could go on and on, but
I'm
sure you get the idea about looking into other factors.

Sherwin Dubren

JAXAshby wrote:

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under 38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do, even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount -- convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and 12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Sherwin, I think in the end there is a dicotomy. Bigger boats are more
liveaboard friendly, and smaller boats are more eaily sailed by singlehanded
(or even double handed) crew. Large sailboats are soooooooooo much effort to
sail that owners regularly report that even on long passages they find they are
motoring over 50% of the time. As I got into my 50s, I noticed a lot of men
getting out of their 50's were unloading their 36 foot to 40 foots to get
something else, and unloading their 40+ foot boats to get out of sailing
altogether. Sailboat brokers are right now complaining that they are losing
the sales of larger sailboats to trawlers.

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure size is the only factor in this case. How well balanced
is the boat becomes a big factor. If it has a strong inherent weather
helm,
you will have to be at the tiller constantly, or have a good
self-steering
system to handle it. Hull shape is important for a boat keeping on
course. The longer full length keels will tend to keep a boat on a
straighter course without much steerage correction. Having a sail plan
which is broken up into distributed masts translates into smaller
individual sails, easier for one person to handle. Having motorized
winches helps in certain cases. Self tending jibs can keep you off the
foredeck when you are needed elsewhere. A reliable engine could be
valuable, if rough weather is encountered. I could go on and on, but
I'm
sure you get the idea about looking into other factors.

Sherwin Dubren

JAXAshby wrote:

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me
and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a
boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under
38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most
guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do,
even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to
handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to
an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be
better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount --
convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short
order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in
anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and
12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an
Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the
coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in
the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot
boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to
Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her
if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she
didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her
grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Sherwin, I think in the end there is a dicotomy. Bigger boats are more
liveaboard friendly, and smaller boats are more eaily sailed by singlehanded
(or even double handed) crew. Large sailboats are soooooooooo much effort to
sail that owners regularly report that even on long passages they find they are
motoring over 50% of the time. As I got into my 50s, I noticed a lot of men
getting out of their 50's were unloading their 36 foot to 40 foots to get
something else, and unloading their 40+ foot boats to get out of sailing
altogether. Sailboat brokers are right now complaining that they are losing
the sales of larger sailboats to trawlers.

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure size is the only factor in this case. How well balanced
is the boat becomes a big factor. If it has a strong inherent weather
helm,
you will have to be at the tiller constantly, or have a good
self-steering
system to handle it. Hull shape is important for a boat keeping on
course. The longer full length keels will tend to keep a boat on a
straighter course without much steerage correction. Having a sail plan
which is broken up into distributed masts translates into smaller
individual sails, easier for one person to handle. Having motorized
winches helps in certain cases. Self tending jibs can keep you off the
foredeck when you are needed elsewhere. A reliable engine could be
valuable, if rough weather is encountered. I could go on and on, but
I'm
sure you get the idea about looking into other factors.

Sherwin Dubren

JAXAshby wrote:

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me
and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a
boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under
38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most
guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do,
even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to
handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to
an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be
better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount --
convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short
order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in
anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and
12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an
Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the
coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in
the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot
boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to
Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her
if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she
didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her
grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure about the age factor. In my years of cruising, I would
pass by large boats with young looking crews motoring in beautiful sail
conditions (even with following winds!). These people probably should
have never gotten into sailing in the first place. The day I can't get
off my keester to put up sails (I'm a senior), I'm giving up going to
sea.
Motor sailors have their place, but the tendency there is to be lazy and
fall back on the engine, maybe using the sails to stabilize the boat.
Boating can be a very sedentary sport, so why encourage it? My boat is
a
22 foot marconi rig, which for the reasons given earlier, is not the
easiest boat to control, but the sailplan is still small enough to give
me
the option to singlehandle, is I so chose. I have a nice quiet 4 stroke
outboard, which I only turn on when I have to.

Sherwin D.

JAXAshby wrote:

Sherwin, I think in the end there is a dicotomy. Bigger boats are more
liveaboard friendly, and smaller boats are more eaily sailed by singlehanded
(or even double handed) crew. Large sailboats are soooooooooo much effort to
sail that owners regularly report that even on long passages they find they are
motoring over 50% of the time. As I got into my 50s, I noticed a lot of men
getting out of their 50's were unloading their 36 foot to 40 foots to get
something else, and unloading their 40+ foot boats to get out of sailing
altogether. Sailboat brokers are right now complaining that they are losing
the sales of larger sailboats to trawlers.

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure size is the only factor in this case. How well balanced
is the boat becomes a big factor. If it has a strong inherent weather
helm,
you will have to be at the tiller constantly, or have a good
self-steering
system to handle it. Hull shape is important for a boat keeping on
course. The longer full length keels will tend to keep a boat on a
straighter course without much steerage correction. Having a sail plan
which is broken up into distributed masts translates into smaller
individual sails, easier for one person to handle. Having motorized
winches helps in certain cases. Self tending jibs can keep you off the
foredeck when you are needed elsewhere. A reliable engine could be
valuable, if rough weather is encountered. I could go on and on, but
I'm
sure you get the idea about looking into other factors.

Sherwin Dubren

JAXAshby wrote:

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me
and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a
boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under
38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most
guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do,
even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to
handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to
an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be
better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount --
convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short
order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in
anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and
12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an
Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the
coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in
the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot
boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to
Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her
if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she
didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her
grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure about the age factor. In my years of cruising, I would
pass by large boats with young looking crews motoring in beautiful sail
conditions (even with following winds!). These people probably should
have never gotten into sailing in the first place. The day I can't get
off my keester to put up sails (I'm a senior), I'm giving up going to
sea.
Motor sailors have their place, but the tendency there is to be lazy and
fall back on the engine, maybe using the sails to stabilize the boat.
Boating can be a very sedentary sport, so why encourage it? My boat is
a
22 foot marconi rig, which for the reasons given earlier, is not the
easiest boat to control, but the sailplan is still small enough to give
me
the option to singlehandle, is I so chose. I have a nice quiet 4 stroke
outboard, which I only turn on when I have to.

Sherwin D.

JAXAshby wrote:

Sherwin, I think in the end there is a dicotomy. Bigger boats are more
liveaboard friendly, and smaller boats are more eaily sailed by singlehanded
(or even double handed) crew. Large sailboats are soooooooooo much effort to
sail that owners regularly report that even on long passages they find they are
motoring over 50% of the time. As I got into my 50s, I noticed a lot of men
getting out of their 50's were unloading their 36 foot to 40 foots to get
something else, and unloading their 40+ foot boats to get out of sailing
altogether. Sailboat brokers are right now complaining that they are losing
the sales of larger sailboats to trawlers.

Hi Jax,
I'm not sure size is the only factor in this case. How well balanced
is the boat becomes a big factor. If it has a strong inherent weather
helm,
you will have to be at the tiller constantly, or have a good
self-steering
system to handle it. Hull shape is important for a boat keeping on
course. The longer full length keels will tend to keep a boat on a
straighter course without much steerage correction. Having a sail plan
which is broken up into distributed masts translates into smaller
individual sails, easier for one person to handle. Having motorized
winches helps in certain cases. Self tending jibs can keep you off the
foredeck when you are needed elsewhere. A reliable engine could be
valuable, if rough weather is encountered. I could go on and on, but
I'm
sure you get the idea about looking into other factors.

Sherwin Dubren

JAXAshby wrote:

One boatshow when I was standing inside a very nice 45 foot boat, just me
and
the salesman who didn't have a clew whether I wanted to spend $12 or $12
million, I made casual mention to the fact that I wanted to singlehand a
boat,
and had some serious thoughts of doing so offshore. The salesman (who gets
paid more commission for selling me more boat) immediately told me that I
didn't want a boat that size, and I should be looking for something under
38
feet, maaaaaaaaybe 40 feet at the outside. He said I just wouldn't like a
larger boat sailing offshore, as a larger boat is one hell of a lot more
physical effort. I made quick note of this, for I am stronger than most
guys
(at the time I was lifting heavy weights for exercise).

For some period of time afterwards, I took care to ask brokers one after
another to recommend a size boat for me, knowing only what I wanted to do,
even
as I mentioned my athletic background. Virtually to the man, to the woman,
every broker told me 38 feet was my upper limit, maaaaaaaybe 40 feet if I
watched the weather, but if they personally were going to go offshore
singlehanded 34 feet was probably better, for 34 feet was not too big to
handle
without eccessive effort and still had some room to live in once you got to
an
anchorage. Strictly for passagemaking, something even smaller might be
better,
assuming the boat was up to the effort as a passagemaker.

As I started doing crewing on boats (some clown -- who it turns out was
terrified of bluewater herself, though she had done a fair amount --
convinced
me I needed more offshore experience. She was wrong.), I noticed in short
order
that sailors needing crew had boats over 40 feet long, and boats in
anchorages
having come from distant places without extra crew were the smaller boats.
Indeed, one guy I know personally circled the Atlantic (starting north to
Ireland in late fall one year) in a 27 foot boat with a Honda outboard and
12
gallons of fuel (later 19 once he got to Europe). Note that the boat had a
wind vane, weather cloths, a wood fired heater, excellent sails and an
Origo
stove. Prior, he had taken that same boat out the St Lawrence, down the
coast
to the Caribbean and then returned north, saying it was too goddem hot in
the
Caribbean.

Not long ago an American grandmother in her 50's finished a solo
circumnavigation in a 31 foot Southern Cross. About 10 years ago a 79
great-grandmother crossed solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a 30 foot
boat.
(The USCG wouldn't let her depart from a US port, so she sailed first to
Nwfl
and then on to Europe) When she got to Ireland, a young reporter asked her
if
she realized that not only was she the oldest woman to solo cross the North
Atlantic, but she was also the oldest person. The sailor said, no she
didn't
know that and she didn't care. One of her sons and two of her
grandchildren
sailed the boat back.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short without
crew.
..
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short without
crew.
..
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

sherwin, a friend of mine was 86 years old when he switched from powerboats to
sailboats. But he bought a 25 foot sailboat and as a young man he player in
the NFL for 15 years, and even into his late 80's he he was lifting heavy
weights for exercise.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

sherwin, a friend of mine was 86 years old when he switched from powerboats to
sailboats. But he bought a 25 foot sailboat and as a young man he player in
the NFL for 15 years, and even into his late 80's he he was lifting heavy
weights for exercise.

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

yes, of course. That's because it takes absolutely no physical effort
whatsoever to sail a boat, no matter what size it is, no matter what the winds
are.

Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

yes, of course. That's because it takes absolutely no physical effort
whatsoever to sail a boat, no matter what size it is, no matter what the winds
are.

Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

no bb, a larger boat takes more effort unless every last thing is electric, and
then only until the electric stuff breaks. Put all that electric stuff on a
boat and you no longer have a sailboat, you have a motorboat with sticks, and
typically a LARGE motorboat with sticks, what with all the 200 amp alternators,
800 amps of batteries, a large wind generator, a large genset, 300 watts of
solar power, a fifty pound windlass, 500 pounds of anchor chain on two 50 pound
anchors, 150# of dinghy davits, 50# of jib/staysail furling, 40# of mainsail
furling, 50# of electric winches on each side of the cockpit, and 1,500# of
extra diesel fuel to run all that that stuff plus motor more often because the
boat is way down on its lines.

Pile all the electric stuff on a boat under 50 feet, let alone under 40 feet,
and you might as well buy a trawler and get a full size refridgerator to go
with it.

Bigger boats, properly equipped, often require less physical ability to
manage.
You won't find a 30 foot boat with hydraulic winches, roller main, and other
assistive equipment very often.

BB


Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help
and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect
any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

no bb, a larger boat takes more effort unless every last thing is electric, and
then only until the electric stuff breaks. Put all that electric stuff on a
boat and you no longer have a sailboat, you have a motorboat with sticks, and
typically a LARGE motorboat with sticks, what with all the 200 amp alternators,
800 amps of batteries, a large wind generator, a large genset, 300 watts of
solar power, a fifty pound windlass, 500 pounds of anchor chain on two 50 pound
anchors, 150# of dinghy davits, 50# of jib/staysail furling, 40# of mainsail
furling, 50# of electric winches on each side of the cockpit, and 1,500# of
extra diesel fuel to run all that that stuff plus motor more often because the
boat is way down on its lines.

Pile all the electric stuff on a boat under 50 feet, let alone under 40 feet,
and you might as well buy a trawler and get a full size refridgerator to go
with it.

Bigger boats, properly equipped, often require less physical ability to
manage.
You won't find a 30 foot boat with hydraulic winches, roller main, and other
assistive equipment very often.

BB


Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help
and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect
any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

now, billie bob, that wasn't a nice thing to say. Did I insult the size of
your pee-pee? That was not my intention. I was merely saying that a total
electric boat only works as long as he total electrics work.

billie bob, very nearly ALL the crewing positions I have been on or have been
offered were for boats over 40 feet in length. Why? Well on one a boat nearly
50 feet, it took two of us (both strong, and both in good physical condition)
ten minutes or more to crank up the mainsail (even then it was a two-part
halyard to make the effort doable), with me cranking until I got tired, then
the other guy cranking until he got tired, then me cranking until Igot tired,
then he cranking and maybe me cranking again. That was the main sail.

As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

(JAXAshby) wrote:

no bb, a larger boat takes more effort unless every last thing is electric,
and
then only until the electric stuff breaks. Put all that electric stuff on a
boat and you no longer have a sailboat, you have a motorboat with sticks,
and
typically a LARGE motorboat with sticks, what with all the 200 amp
alternators,
800 amps of batteries, a large wind generator, a large genset, 300 watts of
solar power, a fifty pound windlass, 500 pounds of anchor chain on two 50
pound
anchors, 150# of dinghy davits, 50# of jib/staysail furling, 40# of mainsail
furling, 50# of electric winches on each side of the cockpit, and 1,500# of
extra diesel fuel to run all that that stuff plus motor more often because
the
boat is way down on its lines.

Pile all the electric stuff on a boat under 50 feet, let alone under 40
feet,
and you might as well buy a trawler and get a full size refridgerator to go
with it.


As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

Bigger boats, properly equipped, often require less physical ability to
manage.
You won't find a 30 foot boat with hydraulic winches, roller main, and
other
assistive equipment very often.

BB


Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has
almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for
the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the
South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward
his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring
or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short
without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help
and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and
main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the
longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and
waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect
any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

now, billie bob, that wasn't a nice thing to say. Did I insult the size of
your pee-pee? That was not my intention. I was merely saying that a total
electric boat only works as long as he total electrics work.

billie bob, very nearly ALL the crewing positions I have been on or have been
offered were for boats over 40 feet in length. Why? Well on one a boat nearly
50 feet, it took two of us (both strong, and both in good physical condition)
ten minutes or more to crank up the mainsail (even then it was a two-part
halyard to make the effort doable), with me cranking until I got tired, then
the other guy cranking until he got tired, then me cranking until Igot tired,
then he cranking and maybe me cranking again. That was the main sail.

As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

(JAXAshby) wrote:

no bb, a larger boat takes more effort unless every last thing is electric,
and
then only until the electric stuff breaks. Put all that electric stuff on a
boat and you no longer have a sailboat, you have a motorboat with sticks,
and
typically a LARGE motorboat with sticks, what with all the 200 amp
alternators,
800 amps of batteries, a large wind generator, a large genset, 300 watts of
solar power, a fifty pound windlass, 500 pounds of anchor chain on two 50
pound
anchors, 150# of dinghy davits, 50# of jib/staysail furling, 40# of mainsail
furling, 50# of electric winches on each side of the cockpit, and 1,500# of
extra diesel fuel to run all that that stuff plus motor more often because
the
boat is way down on its lines.

Pile all the electric stuff on a boat under 50 feet, let alone under 40
feet,
and you might as well buy a trawler and get a full size refridgerator to go
with it.


As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

Bigger boats, properly equipped, often require less physical ability to
manage.
You won't find a 30 foot boat with hydraulic winches, roller main, and
other
assistive equipment very often.

BB


Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is 62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has
almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for
the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still 67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the
South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward
his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring
or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short
without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to help
and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and
main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the
longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and
waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to expect
any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

12 inches, bb? about 4 strokes?

seems so.

now, go back to your dreams of getting laid by a 20 year old girl because you
own a 48 foot boat and your belly is too big to crank in a mainsail without an
electric winch.

geesh, dude. take up exercise and loss that belly. Then you won't have to be
considering a boat that if the electrics break when you are at sea and and 28
knots winds come along might kill you.

Or buy a Corvette, a gold Rolex and aligator shoes and go trolling for
chickies.

Thanks for positively re-confirming that you are an idiot.

BB

now, billie bob, that wasn't a nice thing to say. Did I insult the size of
your pee-pee? That was not my intention. I was merely saying that a total
electric boat only works as long as he total electrics work.

billie bob, very nearly ALL the crewing positions I have been on or have
been
offered were for boats over 40 feet in length. Why? Well on one a boat
nearly
50 feet, it took two of us (both strong, and both in good physical
condition)
ten minutes or more to crank up the mainsail (even then it was a two-part
halyard to make the effort doable), with me cranking until I got tired, then
the other guy cranking until he got tired, then me cranking until Igot
tired,
then he cranking and maybe me cranking again. That was the main sail.



Thanks for positively re-confirming that you are an idiot.

BB

As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

(JAXAshby) wrote:

no bb, a larger boat takes more effort unless every last thing is
electric,
and
then only until the electric stuff breaks. Put all that electric stuff on
a
boat and you no longer have a sailboat, you have a motorboat with sticks,
and
typically a LARGE motorboat with sticks, what with all the 200 amp
alternators,
800 amps of batteries, a large wind generator, a large genset, 300 watts
of
solar power, a fifty pound windlass, 500 pounds of anchor chain on two 50
pound
anchors, 150# of dinghy davits, 50# of jib/staysail furling, 40# of
mainsail
furling, 50# of electric winches on each side of the cockpit, and 1,500#
of
extra diesel fuel to run all that that stuff plus motor more often because
the
boat is way down on its lines.

Pile all the electric stuff on a boat under 50 feet, let alone under 40
feet,
and you might as well buy a trawler and get a full size refridgerator to
go
with it.


As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

Bigger boats, properly equipped, often require less physical ability to
manage.
You won't find a 30 foot boat with hydraulic winches, roller main, and
other
assistive equipment very often.

BB


Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is
62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves
it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has
almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for
the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still
67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the
South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring
his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward
his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring
or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring
or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short
without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to
help
and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and
main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with
a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the
longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and
waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to
expect
any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for singlehandling
 

12 inches, bb? about 4 strokes?

seems so.

now, go back to your dreams of getting laid by a 20 year old girl because you
own a 48 foot boat and your belly is too big to crank in a mainsail without an
electric winch.

geesh, dude. take up exercise and loss that belly. Then you won't have to be
considering a boat that if the electrics break when you are at sea and and 28
knots winds come along might kill you.

Or buy a Corvette, a gold Rolex and aligator shoes and go trolling for
chickies.

Thanks for positively re-confirming that you are an idiot.

BB

now, billie bob, that wasn't a nice thing to say. Did I insult the size of
your pee-pee? That was not my intention. I was merely saying that a total
electric boat only works as long as he total electrics work.

billie bob, very nearly ALL the crewing positions I have been on or have
been
offered were for boats over 40 feet in length. Why? Well on one a boat
nearly
50 feet, it took two of us (both strong, and both in good physical
condition)
ten minutes or more to crank up the mainsail (even then it was a two-part
halyard to make the effort doable), with me cranking until I got tired, then
the other guy cranking until he got tired, then me cranking until Igot
tired,
then he cranking and maybe me cranking again. That was the main sail.



Thanks for positively re-confirming that you are an idiot.

BB

As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

(JAXAshby) wrote:

no bb, a larger boat takes more effort unless every last thing is
electric,
and
then only until the electric stuff breaks. Put all that electric stuff on
a
boat and you no longer have a sailboat, you have a motorboat with sticks,
and
typically a LARGE motorboat with sticks, what with all the 200 amp
alternators,
800 amps of batteries, a large wind generator, a large genset, 300 watts
of
solar power, a fifty pound windlass, 500 pounds of anchor chain on two 50
pound
anchors, 150# of dinghy davits, 50# of jib/staysail furling, 40# of
mainsail
furling, 50# of electric winches on each side of the cockpit, and 1,500#
of
extra diesel fuel to run all that that stuff plus motor more often because
the
boat is way down on its lines.

Pile all the electric stuff on a boat under 50 feet, let alone under 40
feet,
and you might as well buy a trawler and get a full size refridgerator to
go
with it.


As usual, you are an idiot.

BB

Bigger boats, properly equipped, often require less physical ability to
manage.
You won't find a 30 foot boat with hydraulic winches, roller main, and
other
assistive equipment very often.

BB


Hi all,

A friend singlehands his boat, a 64 footer, ex-rescue boat, and he is
62
years old. He just brought it down from Seattle to San Diego and moves
it
around the bay by himself. He has had it for about 7 years. It has
almost
no equipment upgrades to help.
Another friend brought his boat down from Vancouver and sail Mexico for
the
season. It is a newer schooner, has every gadget to help but it still
67
feet on deck and 74 feet overall.
And another person (not really a friend but a good sailor) sails his 62
footer all over the place by himself including multiple trips to the
South
Pacific and does it well when he is sober. I have watched him bring
his
boat into the slip with 10 knots of wind on his beam blowing him toward
his
slipmate and never appear to be out of control.
Each of the three above can singlehandly take their boat off a mooring
or
out of a dock, spend the day sailing the bay, and return to the mooring
or
dock without help. Each of them have made passages long and short
without
crew.
.
I singlehand my boat, a 46 footer. I have upgraded my equipment to
help
and
have everything ran to the cockpit. I have roller furling on jib and
main.
Electric primary winches. And I am looking into the Hoyt jib boom with
a
staysail/sayer rig to ease the work a bit more. With this boat the
longest
I have been a sea is about 24 hours, a nasty jaunt against wind and
waves.
The ride was easier than my smaller boat, and I have no reason to
expect
any
more trouble with singlehanding this boat than a 30 footer.

Mike

Optimum boat size for single handling
 

Optimum is a fuzzy concept.. Optimum for what ?

Day-sailing vs passage making different optima apply.

The fatigue that you have in a small light boat in a seaway may impact your
ability to concentrate, and the compromise on size vs speed is still pretty
much as given in a conventional design. Perhaps the Tri and cat sailors have
something in the speed that allows them to sail in bursts. The Round the
world single handers do seem to have gone to the type specific fast light
boats but I would not want to own one...

I have a 20,000lb 40 ft boat with long keel and centerboard, with a 29 ft
waterline and a yawl rig with low aspect ratio (hoist 37 boom 17) main,
rating PHRF 174. The genoa sheet loads max in the 2000 lb range based on the
Harken calculations (http://www.harken.com/blocks/loads.pdf) and the winches
need to be sized for that. If I was going to seriously singlehand, I would
probably go for a Cutter/yawl for most flexibility of rig and redundancy.


With a two speed Mainsheet (4:1 and 16:1) I can trim everything with modest
strength (I am 6' 220lbs) and more important my theoretically 105 lb girl
friend can as well. (current women friends are a bit more robust S)

The heaviest job on board is hauling the 55lb anchor and 50ft of chain, but
the windlass does that nicely, backed up by the cockpit winches if needed.

--
Sheldon Haynie
Texas Instruments
50 Phillipe Cote
Manchester, NH 03101
603 222 8652

Optimum boat size for single handling
 

Optimum is a fuzzy concept.. Optimum for what ?

Day-sailing vs passage making different optima apply.

The fatigue that you have in a small light boat in a seaway may impact your
ability to concentrate, and the compromise on size vs speed is still pretty
much as given in a conventional design. Perhaps the Tri and cat sailors have
something in the speed that allows them to sail in bursts. The Round the
world single handers do seem to have gone to the type specific fast light
boats but I would not want to own one...

I have a 20,000lb 40 ft boat with long keel and centerboard, with a 29 ft
waterline and a yawl rig with low aspect ratio (hoist 37 boom 17) main,
rating PHRF 174. The genoa sheet loads max in the 2000 lb range based on the
Harken calculations (http://www.harken.com/blocks/loads.pdf) and the winches
need to be sized for that. If I was going to seriously singlehand, I would
probably go for a Cutter/yawl for most flexibility of rig and redundancy.


With a two speed Mainsheet (4:1 and 16:1) I can trim everything with modest
strength (I am 6' 220lbs) and more important my theoretically 105 lb girl
friend can as well. (current women friends are a bit more robust S)

The heaviest job on board is hauling the 55lb anchor and 50ft of chain, but
the windlass does that nicely, backed up by the cockpit winches if needed.

--
Sheldon Haynie
Texas Instruments
50 Phillipe Cote
Manchester, NH 03101
603 222 8652

Optimum boat size for single handling
 

"single-handed" was the definition, as was "off-shore". Tacit to the question
asked of the brokers was an an adult man is better than average physical
condition and greater than average strength, but also not a young, endurance
athlete/racer into the game for the glory and/or money.

Optimum is a fuzzy concept.. Optimum for what ?

Day-sailing vs passage making different optima apply.

The fatigue that you have in a small light boat in a seaway may impact your
ability to concentrate, and the compromise on size vs speed is still pretty
much as given in a conventional design. Perhaps the Tri and cat sailors have
something in the speed that allows them to sail in bursts. The Round the
world single handers do seem to have gone to the type specific fast light
boats but I would not want to own one...

I have a 20,000lb 40 ft boat with long keel and centerboard, with a 29 ft
waterline and a yawl rig with low aspect ratio (hoist 37 boom 17) main,
rating PHRF 174. The genoa sheet loads max in the 2000 lb range based on the
Harken calculations (http://www.harken.com/blocks/loads.pdf) and the winches
need to be sized for that. If I was going to seriously singlehand, I would
probably go for a Cutter/yawl for most flexibility of rig and redundancy.


With a two speed Mainsheet (4:1 and 16:1) I can trim everything with modest
strength (I am 6' 220lbs) and more important my theoretically 105 lb girl
friend can as well. (current women friends are a bit more robust )

The heaviest job on board is hauling the 55lb anchor and 50ft of chain, but
the windlass does that nicely, backed up by the cockpit winches if needed.

--
Sheldon Haynie
Texas Instruments
50 Phillipe Cote
Manchester, NH 03101
603 222 8652

Optimum boat size for single handling
 

"single-handed" was the definition, as was "off-shore". Tacit to the question
asked of the brokers was an an adult man is better than average physical
condition and greater than average strength, but also not a young, endurance
athlete/racer into the game for the glory and/or money.

Optimum is a fuzzy concept.. Optimum for what ?

Day-sailing vs passage making different optima apply.

The fatigue that you have in a small light boat in a seaway may impact your
ability to concentrate, and the compromise on size vs speed is still pretty
much as given in a conventional design. Perhaps the Tri and cat sailors have
something in the speed that allows them to sail in bursts. The Round the
world single handers do seem to have gone to the type specific fast light
boats but I would not want to own one...

I have a 20,000lb 40 ft boat with long keel and centerboard, with a 29 ft
waterline and a yawl rig with low aspect ratio (hoist 37 boom 17) main,
rating PHRF 174. The genoa sheet loads max in the 2000 lb range based on the
Harken calculations (http://www.harken.com/blocks/loads.pdf) and the winches
need to be sized for that. If I was going to seriously singlehand, I would
probably go for a Cutter/yawl for most flexibility of rig and redundancy.


With a two speed Mainsheet (4:1 and 16:1) I can trim everything with modest
strength (I am 6' 220lbs) and more important my theoretically 105 lb girl
friend can as well. (current women friends are a bit more robust )

The heaviest job on board is hauling the 55lb anchor and 50ft of chain, but
the windlass does that nicely, backed up by the cockpit winches if needed.

--
Sheldon Haynie
Texas Instruments
50 Phillipe Cote
Manchester, NH 03101
603 222 8652