Sea worthy vessel

[Fonda]

I am inquiring as to what size, hull design, power boat would be necessary to travel from New York to Cozumel/Cancun Mexico safely. It is a retirement dream/option I am considering as opposed to buying permeanent residences in both locations. I would appreciate any assistance/advice on the matter. I am a novice to boating (currently learning on a 25 foot Formula cabin cruiser on a large inland lake). My retirement is 6 - 10 years away. I would like this information to ascertain the practical and financial feasibility of accomplishing this objective. I would appreciate any assistance. Thanks. Fonda.

[SailDesign]

Would that be non-stop, or with fueling stops? Do you want to be there yesterday, or is next week good enough? Do you want comfortable, spacious accommodation, or is just being able to sleep on the boat fine?
And finally - Low cost, high speed, comfort. Pick any two.
Steve "doesn't want to be a spoilsport, but we need more info....."

[Fonda]

Just in case my last message got lost in the shuffle. Responses are:
Fueling stops, next week is good enough, sleep on the boat fine although the boat, in all likelyhood, would be more or less my permeanent residence. Finally, low cost and comfort. I would be retired so I wouldn't be in a hurry to get anywhere. Thanks Steve. Pat (Fonda).

[tspeer]

I would go with a cruising catamaran. It will be stable and comfortable as a live-aboard. Efficient under power even if you don't sail it much. Shallow draft allows you to go more places and not have to worry as much about the depth.

The downside is it's harder to find mooring space at marinas and the initial cost may be high.

[Fonda]

Tom, If I were more inclined to utilize a sport or cabin cruiser what would the minimum size and approximate costs be? Speed would not be a high priority. Thanks for your help. Pat.

[betelgeuserdude]

More than a few homebuilt vessels have made the trip across the 'Stream from Cuba. Recently, a few classic American automobiles have proven seaworthy for the task.

You're not being specific Fonda.

What speed? What fuel consumption per hour of operation do you want (fuel next week is not good enough)? What type of creature comforts do you require? Here, I'm talking about laundry facilities, air conditioning, deep freeze, galley equipment, navigation equipment, desalination, etc, etc... Do you anticipate entertaining? How much money will you spend on the construction? How much for maintenance? What kind of haul out facilities are available? Are materials available locally? Will you do the work, or hire out? What type of use will the boat see, aside from the obvious transit to Mexico? Do you anticipate living on the hook, or are you a marina dweller?

My wife and I lived comfortably aboard a 20' canoe yawl for close to a year, before we moved aboard our "big" boat of 32'. This 32' boat would be considered extremely small by today's standards, but we lived aboard and sailed between British Columbia and Central America for near ten years.

Several seaworthy boats have crossed the Atlantic, the smallest vessel to last make the attempt (stopped in the Azores for repairs) was one inch shy of 4 feet long. Though many would call this sailor a nut-job, crossing the Atlantic in tiny boats was nothing unusual for him.

You may be better off to jump on a plane, and buy a panga and a condo when you get there. Besides the financial advantage, this would be less hassle, better accomodations, no maintenence, and a fantastic local fishing boat.

What exactly are your goals? What is your vision? Besides the very nebulous notion of "seaworthiness", what else do you require?

DC

[SailDesign]

Other thoughts to ponder.
You will need to average 10 knots to get to Cancun from NY in a week (that's a "total" average, not just the cruising part) so let's assume 11 knots on the water.
That menas an waterline length of about 67-70 feet if you go the "slow but steady" route hull-wise. Other than that, you are looking at a semi-dosplacement boat at the least.
If you take 2 weeks, you are looking at 6 knots roughly, and maybe should allow time to go slowly due to bad weather, so make it an 8-knot boat. That would be about a 35-40 foot boat.
All that being said, the next ugly question is "What floats your boat style-wise?" The Grand Banks boats would certainly be up for the trip, aor a Maine-style lobster yacht, or many of the so-called "trawler-style" yachts. Be warned - some of these look very "salty" but are not "seaworthy" in real weather.
Do some thinking, and let us know what you come up with. There are definite "phases" in the decision process.


Steve

[Fonda]

Two weeks is quicker than I planned. I also learned I could utilize the "inland" passage to get to Florida (and beyond). I believe the 35 - 40 feet range is financially feasible (when the time comes), and is a length I believe I could be very comfortable with (as I gather experience over the next few years). I will research the different boat styles to ascertain which I prefer. I will keep you posted on my "metamorphisis". Of the responses I have received your's has been the most helpful. Thank you again. Pat.

[tspeer]

Originally Posted by Fonda

Tom, If I were more inclined to utilize a sport or cabin cruiser what would the minimum size and approximate costs be? Speed would not be a high priority. Thanks for your help. Pat.

Wide variation. Check the ads in the back of Multihulls mag. A catamaran will be a lot more expensive than a cabin cruiser.

There are a lot of fishing trawlers for sail cheap these days because guys are going out of business. Converting one of them might be the way to go, too. But even though the boat is cheap, the operating costs may be high.

[Willallison]

Based on the info you've given so far, I'd be going for something along these lines http://www.yachtworld.com/core/uk/li...toPrice=&cint=

- A displacement 'trawler'. There are any number for sale at reasonable cost, so you can choose one that best suits your needs. They are slow, but comfortable, econmical to operate and own (or at least as economical as any boat can be! ).
I'd forget all about any sports cruiser's - quite apart from the fact that they are expensive to operate, they have far less room for living on - and rarely have decent size windows (imagine living in your house with the blinds always closed...)
The catamaran option is a good one if you can afford it.

[Portager]

I agree with Will, a displacement Trawler sounds like what you want.

Many people make the trip you’re talking about in full or semi-displacement "Trawler" type boats. Most go for economy and travel at displacement speeds of 6 to 8 knots, depending on length. You can take the inter-coastal water (ICW) and take your time. 8 to 10 hours a day will get you 40 to 80 miles, which is enough to travel from one cheep anchorage to another without using much gas.

The cheapest boats are old Taiwanese trawlers, but watch out for old Taiwanese iron fuel tanks. They tend to rust through at around 20 years +/- 10 and that can be an expensive repair job.

You'll save a lot of money if you find one that is just big enough to meet your needs and in good shape. Take your time and wait for a good one. Remember, nothing works on an old boat except the owner. Try and wait for one that had a loving owner and not too much differed maintenance. For every differed maintenance item you find there will be three more hiding somewhere.

Regards;
Mike Schooley

[PAR]

Fonda, what you really need to do is gain some experience on boats of all sorts and configurations. Don't just splash about for a couple of hours on a Saturday morning, but spend some real time on them, over night, several nights in fact, many times

After a year or two of testing the waters you'll have pretty demanding needs, wishes and desires for the retirement craft you're hoping for. You'll have learned why we cuss gen. sets in crowded anchorages, helm layouts that work better then others, why the galley is the MOST IMPORTANT place on the boat while at sea and a host of other things you are slightly or not even aware of now.

Most folks whom have cruised or lived aboard have very defined ideas of THEIR perfect boat and you can rest assured it will not be near the same as yours.

I've lived aboard many times in my life, in a host of different craft from a 28' no engine sailer to a 63' teak ketch I ran a charter from in the Bahamas and I can tell you, the needs, requirements and issues demanding attention changed as I gained experience, wives, pets, equipment and dept.

I've found there have been no exceptions to this rule.

I use to think small cockpits with just a footwell on a sailboat was the only safe design to own if heading of to sea. I puttered around without an engine in more then one boat, patting myself on the back for my boat handling skills, rather then fix or repower the iron beast in the bilge, which I was more then capable of doing. I was young, full of spit and fresh from Army Airborne (really pissed off my dad, who was Navy all the way) I'm now 50 and big fat cockpits are nice to lounge about in (the boat is on the hook or dock 95% of the time anyway) as are pilothouses (they mess up pure sailing qualities a bit, but a must in the tropics) and big, noisy engines rest their well shined valve covers in the bilge, hoping I'll call on them to crank up and huff along.

My views on electronics, plumbing, spares, boat handling, safety, seaworthiness, design, etc. have all evolved quite a bunch as I look back at it all now. I think of what I didn't know and wonder how I got through without injuring anyone. I started out with a lot of experience on boats, I was born on one, raised on an island and was on the water as soon as I could hold an oar. I'd crossed the Atlantic before I was 18 and was ready to take off and discover the rest of the world. All these things in my life molded my needs, requirements and desires for the perfect boat for me.

How are you going to mold those abstract ideas into something you can tell a designer? Climb aboard, visit the shows, make friends with a yacht broker(s), take barefoot cruises, beg and plead with friends whom have boats in the style, size range and accommodations your after (a case of wine buys a weekend) and I'll bet when you get back to this subject in a few years you'll have a much more refined idea of your retirement vessel.

[SailDesign]

See what happens when you don't check in every day? People come bounding in to post sensible stuff.
Will, Mike and PAR are all right. (They're probably alright, too )
Steve

[Willallison]

Aww...shucks!!