Bigger is Better - or The Simple Life?

[Wilma Ham]

Hi Murielle, great reply and I loved reading your points. I agree that more space and a bigger boat or house doesn't neccessarily mean better living spaces. I even believe that with bigger spaces people become less intelligent in thinking about how to use the space.
I also hate to lift up haevy mattresses and seats to get at things. One production boat had a seat opposite the sink that you could lift up to put stuff under, but you had to be a weightlifter to lift the seat up. When I looked what was in it, there were tools and beer in it because only the man could use it. If you look where people sit most of the time it is always in the same place and the rest of the boat is underused, so why have that space?
Keeping the boat dry I find important too and if that means an extra space to keep the wet gear away from the main living area, THAT is good use of space and is not added to impresse the neighbours.
Wilma

[Wilma Ham]

Thanks Mike and de groeten aan jouw Wilma. Is she originally from Holland too?
I am aware that a boat is very complex and that the size and beam all are dictated by seaworthiness etc. However now reinforced glass is available I would love to see more and bigger windows.
My question is? If the boat spaces are better designed and give more a sense of space and light would most people not rather have a smaller boat than a bigger one. If a smaller boat could have a pilot house to sit in with big windows, I would prefer a smaller boat. Less antifouling to do and easier to manouver and find a mooring for. And sitting on top of the pilot house when in port could mean a smaller deck space and smaller boat. Even clothes these days are made of modern light weight material and take up less space.

[MikeJohns]

Wilma
Wilma is a Dutch/NZ citizen (nee Vlaardingerbroek).

Large sloping windows in armor-plate glass (I have had them) tend to fry you in the tropics and terrify you in a storm and are hard to achieve good privacy in crowded areas. They are also very heavy and still break from impacts. Good skylights are a useful way of getting light and air into the boat. I prefer smaller windows.

To your question ?

It depends…….. what follows is my view both as a designer and as a longtime sailor.

One of the immediate compromises is between available funds and the cost of the desired vessel.

Size has advantages, it gives speed, comfort under way, more room and privacy. Size allows a decent usable well placed toilet/shower, it allows some separate cabins, a decent galley and a dedicated dining living area.

I think the richer you are, and with experience as a live-aboard the more likely you will choose a boat in the 50-60 foot range. With furlers and a split rig (ketch or schooner) two people can easily sail a 60 footer these days, but above all it allows others to live with you for long periods………how much nicer it is to stand a watch every 8 hours and be able to accommodate another couple as crew and companionship. The big enjoyment on a passage is the companionship and camaraderie of other people and you make some lifelong friends from temporary crew.

Usable size depends on beam and displacement to length and how much you can fit into that space. If you are not dependant on marinas then a long narrower boat will give many advantages for distance voyaging.

Underway at sea the front third of the boat will often be untenable for sleeping and the off-watch will need dark and comfortable accommodation since they are inevitably either asleep or in the cockpit (outside in the fresh air). Coastal sailing and sheltered water work is different and people often do things below but in the ocean fresh air is the antidote to seasickness so you need a safe comfortable sheltered cockpit in the tropics it needs to be shaded as well with a good strong tight awning.

The downside of size is greater initial expense, maintenance and higher marina/hardstand fees, usually this is in a linear relationship to size and from experience a 55 foot boat finishes the remaining 1/2 of the pot of deck paint that the 45 footer didn’t use. But takes one extra can of anti-fouling. IMO that is not so significant once a year. You can get savings in other ways..

A bigger boat is usually far more self-sufficient and more comfortable at anchor meaning that you can anchor out rather than paying marina fees. When it comes to power consumption the bigger boat may have very similar power requirements but has far more options for deploying the solar cells and wind generators sensibly. A bigger boat can carry an everlasting hard dinghy on the foredeck and a second on the aft deck again facilitating life at anchor. Marina fees very quickly eat into your voyaging fund far more than any other factor and often the boats are there for shore-power, showers, and because they can’t be bothered inflating the dinghy.

Cost benefit analysis gives better value for larger boats and much of the mechanical gear can be commercial which is better value and more reliable than the hobby-boat market . Doubling the waterline for example gives around 8 times the usable volume for only 4 times the sail area. Large areas can be left as simple storage and fitted out as demand dictates. But these sorts of options are only appealing to the do it your-selfers.

Cheers

[djwkd]

im probably in the middle of all 3!

[djwkd]

talking of going to sea..........what standards are there for going to sea (hullwise) and is 17'shanty ok (obviously i will have to have quite a deep hull and quite a bit showing,the hull height is 1.5 m)
cheers.

[MikeJohns]

djwk
Start a new thread on this and be a bit more specific please.

[Ari]

I’m very happy with M&M Ovenden Murielle and Mike Johns comments. Positive to real life needs and matured.
Playing 'transformers' do really needed you to have big muscle. That’s what my wife didn't have and I’m a sick man that has two stent in my heart and just had a mild stroke attack last two months. We plan to have hydraulic winch to pull the heavy junk sail up. The older sail version that used pandanus mat is real heavy when it is wet..! We used thick sailcloth. For us the journey is the most important part..Not the destination it self..destination is just a reason..We have got no intention to berth at any marina, we will utilize anchorage, the boat must be able to self-sustained for long journey. Big boats need crews, we have three. Indonesian sea gypsy crews are quite cheap, I'am part a sea Gypsy myself..no problem there..! For extended journey our crews are husband and wife.No point in depriving any crew of their natural biological needs.
Smaller boat is very good for weekly coastal sail. Much more enjoyful than big behemoth of a floating and moving appartment. Light racing type boat are best utilized for what they are designed for..to race..they are the best.Bottom line to all this is how much are you willing and can afford to spend? The way I do it is by determining roughly our needs and hunt around our region for builders, discussed our needs with them, their pro and cons, their cost, total cost, to the extent of asking them to quote their prices, compare them and choose the best that suit our needs and financial constraint.

[djwkd]

Originally Posted by MikeJohns

djwk
Start a new thread on this and be a bit more specific please.

i already have one,its named 'the sea serpent' or 'sea serpent'make sure you look on the 2nd page.