Hello all, I've been going through the forum today, and I've found some very interesting articles, and I thought I'd try and add one more to that list. For some time now I've been wanting to get a decent sized boat for relaxing and generally having a nice time on the water. My sailing background has been racing, from small 11ft boats right up to 20ft+, but since then I've stopped racing competively, and would rather do it casually and a little slower. I'll be finishing College soon, and would like to do something special before Uni, something like sailing to a few different countries such as France, Spain etc. I'll be doing some training beforehand to get back into the swing of things, and making sure I'm up for the things I may encounter. What I'd like to know is, what size boat would I need to do this kinda thing? I'd like one around the 24ft size anyway, would that be fine? I'd have other crew with me for the trips, for help and for company. Has anyone got any recommendations on a good seaworthy vessel in this range? I've been saving up my pennies and will continue to save up to the time where I need to buy the boat, so I should have plenty of money for it. It will be a boat I intend to keep for many years, so it will be a worthwhile investment in my opinion. All answers are greatly appreciated, Chris.
A vessel's seaworthiness is more important than its size as proven by some incredibly small boats that have crossed the pond. That said, remember the old addage about fish and houseguests stinking after 3 days. The boat will shrink every day and more so with a wrong crewmember. With that I say that if you're considering a 24' you might want to look at 27'. Even on a 27 I'd have to be in love to spend more than a few days and I wouldn't expect that love to last more than a couple of weeks.
If you want the wisdom of experience look at this website and in particular this article. The gentleman referred to here has spent more than a decade voyaging in small boats, most of them in a 28' Pearson Triton. 24' is a very small boat, and though there are some sturdy little 24 footers, Nycap's suggestion that a little larger is necessary if you will share at all is quite sound. (Anything is possible in the short term though, my wife and I lived on a 25' sailboat for 6 months. http://www.atomvoyages.com/articles/boatlist.htm
Spending time on a small boat isn't much simpler than this silly old fart's life (and family friend of 40 years) http://www.street-iolaire.com/
