Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

[bowman316]

Just wondering what that smallest sail boat you would be comfortable with taking offshore for an extended period of time?
Something that could be self sufficent for weeks at a time.

 

[dkfwa]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

My vote would be for something like a Flicka at 20', if you're going strictly for the smallest size. Heavy, full keel and built like a tank; surprising amount of room down below for a 20 footer... -DK

 

[bowman316]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

can you still trailer a sail boat that size? Or would you have to have a slip for it?

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

You can, but the issue comes down to weight and keel length. It's not a lot of fun pulling something out of the water with a fixed keel, but of course they sail better. More of a 'pull it in the winter thing' rather than wanting to do it all the time.

If you look at swing keels and centerboards it's much easier, but does reduce the offshore capability. Then again that always depends on what you mean by offshore.

The Flicka is a bullet proof tank of a boat that would take you about anywhere.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

What exactly are your plans. Are we huggin' the coast, bahamas, bermuda, headin' to england. How many people? Do you have offshore experience, can you navigate? Do you have sailing experience?

 

[bowman316]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

I have sailed a few times, but not much experince. I was thinking about sailing down the east coast. Maybe possible going to South america, or the Carrabian.

I Think the intercostal waterway only goes up to VA.

If I ever had a big sailboat, I would sail down the chesapeke, then maybe down the the intercostal. But I would hug land.

 

[ghamby]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

To the Delaware River via the C&D canal. Met a guy once sailed a Kittywake
25 from Morehead to Bermuda. It was an early '60s make, laid up real thick.

 

[wpageabc]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

35'

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

We lived aboard a Bristol 27 for 3 years. Took delivery at the factory in Bristol RI. First winter we did the Keys, 2nd winter the Bahamas, 3rd winter the Caribbean with at least 6 trips up and down the entire ICW.

Full keel, keel hung rudder, 10HP single cyl hand startable diesel.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

how hard is it to remove your mast?
I thought that was anchored pretty well into the keel?

And those trips you took sound like my dream. I guess you were retired, or just rich?

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

Some masts are 'keel' stepped, meaning they go through the coach roof. Ours was stepped on deck. We could remove and replace the mast with only sailboat hardware and 3 people. It wasn't fun, but it is possible.

We weren't retired, just adventurous. We both worked odd jobs during the hurricane season (June thru November) and spent the rest of the year traveling. On average we spent about $175/mo. When a sailor sees something for the first time, he is usually thinking, "I wonder if you can eat that?" Seriously, you can catch/find almost all your food if you have a mind and the wind is free; we always anchored instead of tying up at a marina.

And by the way, we did launch and retrieve at the lake with the rig in the picture (4WD), but on most occasions we would have the boat lifted on/off the trailer.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

So did you sail 24 hours a day? would one sleep while one was on watch? You would think that if sailing in the ocean, next to shore, you could just lock the wheel, and then you would be able to leave the helm for a short time.

but in the ICW you have to be a lot more carful, i would assume.

did you tow a row boat behind you the whole way? would towing a boat slow you down much?

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

So did you sail 24 hours a day? would one sleep while one was on watch? You would think that if sailing in the ocean, next to shore, you could just lock the wheel, and then you would be able to leave the helm for a short time.

but in the ICW you have to be a lot more carful, i would assume.

did you tow a row boat behind you the whole way? would towing a boat slow you down much?

Offshore you have little choice but to sail 24/day. It takes about 20 minutes to get run down by a freighter, so a good look around every 15 minutes was our rule of thumb. One of us would sleep and the other would set a timer to go off every 15 minutes. We had self steering so staying on course wasn't an issue.

There is commercial traffic on the ICW, but because someone is always at the helm it's not a problem. Worst case you just get over into shallow water and let them pass, or wait for a wide spot to get around them.

We carried several inflatable dinghies so we seldom towed anything. Towing a dinghy with a sailboat won't noticably slow you down because chances are your best speed would only be 6 or 7 mph to begin with.

 

[rosser1]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

25-30 i would say.

 

[fiberformmark]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

they race Catalina 27's from BC to Hawaii every year

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

it really depends on the boat and how heavily its built. i wouldnt take a catalina 25' out on the ocean but a pacific seacraft 25' i would have no problem with. thats a big pretty trip for a novice to sailing. i would get some more experience before attempting to do that.
i have a hunter 33' and taking that boat down to south america would be do-able just need to time the weather right.
i say 25' and up solidly built full keel boat.
robin lee grahm sailed around the world in his 24' footer

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

it really depends on the boat and how heavily its built. i wouldnt take a catalina 25' out on the ocean but a pacific seacraft 25' i would have no problem with. thats a big pretty trip for a novice to sailing. i would get some more experience before attempting to do that.
i have a hunter 33' and taking that boat down to south america would be do-able just need to time the weather right.
i say 25' and up solidly built full keel boat.
robin lee grahm sailed around the world in his 24' footer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Lee_Graham

 

[bowman316]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

i have a 26 ft grampain, with a full keel

 

[Cap'n_Half-hitch]

Re: Smallest sail boat you would take offshore?

An excellent book on the topic is John Vigor's "20 Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere." http://www.johnvigor.com/Bookstore.html

My copy is dog-eared and worn from many hours of armchair sailing. It's not an exhaustive list of seaworthy small boats, but it does review some of the more common ones, and gives many insights about what makes a boat seaworthy. One useful measure is the positive stability curve, which you should be able to find for any sailboat. It basically tells you how much force it takes for a boat to get knocked down, and how quickly it can get back up.

There are many factors that go into the seaworthiness of a boat, not just the weight and length and where the mast is stepped. For example those 60' Vendee Challenge solo circumnavigators are screamers, but they are so overcanvassed and lightly built that a good proportion of them break up before they complete the race. Alternately, a 20' Flicka will only travel at about 5 kts, but will most likely keep you safe through a hurricane. A Folkboat is very seaworthy (and beautiful), but so wet and cramped that you may be sleep-deprived and more likely to make poor decisions. Ultimately, the best sailboat for offshore work is one with beefy and well-maintained rigging and an experienced and cautious captain.