Are You a Good Match for a Smaller Sailboat? Take this Reality Check!
In today's hot used sailboat economy, how do you find the best small cruising sailboat that matches you? That's right--You. Most books talk about high quality, blue water capability, and great accommodations below. But are you physically and mentally prepared to "go small"?
Why a smaller sailboat? Smaller means you save lots of money in outfitting, hauling, docking, sailing gear, sails, and repairs. So why can you go down to any marina today and find sailboats tied up in their slips like worn-out, rundown racing thoroughbreds, put out to pasture?
Rotting away and abandoned by owners who once had dreams like all of us--to get away one day. As a former liveaboard on a 27 foot sloop, I understand how to make things work aboard a small sailboat. But this small of a sailboat isn't for everyone.
Small to one person could mean tiny or huge to another. But I can almost guarantee one thing--you will carry aboard the shoreside lifestyle that you are used to onto a boat. Now, you'll find lots of articles on this site about what to look for in quality, blue water capability, and inspections.
But my intentions for this report are to show you some of those vital things many folks forget all about in their excitement about chucking it all and heading for the horizons. Use this guide to get you started on the path to satisfaction, and avoid a multi-thousand dollar mistake and disappointment too.
1. Standing and Sitting Headroom.
Go simple, go modest, go small.
from 'Self Sufficient Sailor'
On a trip offshore several years ago, one of my fellow crew members was 6'4" tall. That's super tall on any boat. He has to be extra careful to find a boat that fits him. He said that few boats under 45 feet would provide enough headroom for him to be comfortable.
Smaller craft may be limited in headroom, but at the minimum, you'll often want to stand upright in the galley cooking area of the cabin. But that's not all...
I believe sitting comfort rises to the top of "must have" requirements on small sailboats. You need to have good, comfortable sitting headroom and sitting back support in at least 1/3 of the area below--or in the main cabin/settee area.
I've passed up some great little cruisers because the designer blew it on the sitting room part of the blueprints. The back support was okay, but they forgot the neck and head. Who wants to get conked by a shelf or liner when you lean back? Cut me a break!
Let's put this into "test mode" on a small cruiser.
Sit on the bunk with your butt all the way outboard against the side. Lean back. Comfortable? If not, leave now. Smaller craft need a second test. Raise both feet and brace yourself against the settee on the opposite side. This ability makes sitting safer when underway, and more comfortable to stretch out when dockside or at anchor.
2. Social Interaction and Being Alone
Do you like lots of space or are you so bitten by the cruising/sailing bug that you'd be willing to cope without? It goes without saying that if you cruise with another person, room can get tighter than a can of sardines. Remember that you may be around another person 24 hours a day, each and every day.
For the singlehander, life aboard a small boat need not be about being alone all the time. Cruising and liveaboard folks are some of the friendliest on the planet, so social interaction can help "expand" the smallest space in a big way. For example...
Cruising couples and singlehanders sail together in cruising rallies from one point to another. Several years ago, I wrote about sailing offshore on a passage from New England to the Caribbean. That was part of a rally called the N.A.R.C., or North American Rally to the Caribbean.
Another fun thing to do is raft up alongside one another at anchor. Everyone tells their favorite "sea tales" (like fish tales, sea tales tend to expand with time--like those 30' seas you just surfed down to get to the anchorage...), share some grub, and your favorite beverage. Seek and ye shall find lots of ways to socialize at little cost--guaranteed!
3. Heat, Air, Pressure Water, and Cold Stores?
Could you tolerate going without forced air--heat during winter or a/c during summer? Portable hatch-size a/c units are available, but that's for dockside living. When cruising, you will spend more than 80% of the time at anchor.
In the hot months, nylon spinnaker material wind-scoops can catch light breezes to drive air below decks for ventilation and cooling. Again, this means being more creative--but isn't that what it's all about?
In the cold months, small boats might use a small electric space heater at the dock or a bulkhead mounted heater that runs off of diesel or kerosene. At anchor, I found that a lighted stove burner took the chill off in no time.
If you must have refrigeration and freezer accommodations, then you will need a larger vessel. These are complex systems that need to be kept charged to maintain temperature.
4. Mindset of the Sailing Skipper
So many of us are in such a hurry these days. You've read enough of my material by now to figure that I love sailing under sail--not motoring. Engines are wonderful devices, but there must be a reason they're called "auxiliaries". Sounds to me like second fiddle, at least for the sailing skipper not in a hurry.
In my mind, if you are going to sail small, you must develop the passion to learn the art of sailing seamanship. This involves sailing, navigation, rope work, basic boat maintenance, close-quarters maneuvering, anchoring, weather interpretation, and cruise planning.
If you want to go fast or are in a hurry, you will need a larger boat with a longer waterline and lots of sail area. And when the wind dies, you'll need a bigger engine with lots of fuel tankage. On the other hand...
Save tons of dollars with a small, super reliable diesel or outboard. Use it just to maneuver in or out of a slip or transit inland waterways when you are unable to make way under sail. My Cape Dory 27 had a tiny one-cylinder Yanmar diesel that ran like a top all the years I owned her. Simple, reliable, and dirt cheap to operate.
5. Life Without the Big Screens.
Can you live without big screen computers, big screen TVs, or big screen movie theaters? A good laptop can provide all of these luxuries, will operate off of batteries for 2-5 hours, fits in a compact space, and can provide income if you learn how to run an Internet business.
If you are anything like me, a certified movie and documentary nut, did you know you can pick these up for free at any library? Many libraries let you check out two or three movies at a time for a period of one week or more.
6. Only Reading Addicts Need Apply!
Do you love to read for hours on end? That seems like a silly question unless you consider that based on the latest statistics, the average college grad reads one book a year after graduation. So, if you are a reading addict of fiction or non-fiction, you will do quite well aboard any vessel--small or large.
Most long term cruisers are voracious readers and trade paperbacks. Many marinas have cruiser swap-shop libraries. No cost. Just bring a book to drop off and pick up a new one.
7. Fitness Means Less Health Issues.
Smaller sailboats require more physical abilities. The more in shape you are the better. Part of my daily routine involves working on specific stretching and muscle group exercises that help produce strength, flexibility, and coordination for better sailing.
Like any sport, the more fit you are, the less prone you will be to serious injury. Fitness and strength becomes more important on smaller vessels without luxuries like electric winches, in-mast furling, or an electric anchor windlass.
On smaller sailboats, you may need to:
- Anchor or weigh anchor by hand.
- Sail the boat single handed (steer, hoist, haul down, grind, reef, change headsails).
- Dock or undock the boat shorthanded (warp the boat, handle lines).
- Row a loaded dinghy for long distances under oars alone.
- Lift heavy loads alone, such as an outboard, provisions, sailing gear.
All of these require you to be in better shape than crew on larger cruising sailboats. Again, you do not need to be athletic, but you do need to stay physically fit to prevent injury. Remember, here we are talking about extended cruising, not day sailing--so fitness takes on a whole new priority.
8. Compact Cooking Means Simplicity.
Are you happy with a simple one-pot meal whipped up on a small two burner stove top or do you enjoy oven cooked meals. No oven means less complexity, less propane fuel, and you can use alcohol or kerosene as a cooking fuel to save even more space.
9. Storage Space at a Premium.
Smaller vessels have less storage lockers. And, the locker space they have often gets used for provisions. Could you handle a smaller wardrobe with less clothes for living aboard or going ashore? You may need to whittle down your threads from dozens of pants, shirts, skirts, blouses, and shoes to two or three of each.
10. Try Before You Buy!
Unless you take the time and effort to go try it out, you just will not know for sure--it will be all speculation. Forget the brochures and advertisements. You need to go offshore and see if it's for you--because it very well might not be. That need not discourage you, but it will give you a reality check that no book, brochure, or video can.
Just remember that there are all kinds of sailing that cruising folks do--and most of it involves inland waters or short coastal hops to get to the good cruising grounds. I prefer inland cruising for the challenge and sailing from anchorage to anchorage.
So how can you "test before you buy"? And this means test yourself and the boat? Crew positions are available, and I've written a lot about this. But when you are in the market to buy there's an even better way...
Charter a boat for one week. Choose one with the same or similar size and design that interests you. Provision her with one weeks' worth of food, fuel, and fresh water.
Once underway, anchor at night instead of docking at a marina. Eat and sleep aboard (no restaurants or socializing). Just you or you and your partner. 6-7 days simulates the average maximum time underway without shoreside conveniences (passages often average three days or less).
Stay in this "cruising mode" until you return at the end of the week. This small exercise could save you thousands of dollars and years of disappointment!
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Use these ten sailing tips to help you on your way to find the best small cruising sailboat that's the right fit for you. Make sound decisions now to enjoy sailboat cruising at its fullest---wherever in the world you choose to cruise!
Captain John lived aboard his Cape Dory 27, 'Winged Victory', for almost five years and sailed her singlehanded year-round in Chesapeake Bay. He is the author of Seamanship Secrets, from McGraw-Hill, and has written 20 other eBooks on seamanship, navigation and small boat docking techniques. His articles on navigation and seamanship have been published by Blue Water Sailing, Good Old Boat, UK Halsey Sailmakers, and Marui Pro Sailing.