General Question Re: Performance Cruisers

[ath]

Something else to consider. I have been surprised to learn that many opt to go without insurance. I read an article about the Dashews while researching ...

Sundeer's bottom planking is 2 1/2 times thicker, and about 15 times stiffer than the American Bureau of Shipping's recommendations for offshore yachts. The Dashew's carry no insurance, and they cruise as a family. Is 2 1/2 times thicker, thick enough?

Is this common? I know insurance can be very expensive while many people cruising are trying to do so on a very tight and controlled budget. But with a family? The Martin family http://www.setsail.com/s_logs/martin/martin.html sail without insurance and even gave birth to one of their 3 children on a Cal 25!

[MikeJohns]

I would say that the majority of long term cruisers have no insurance. Which is a very good reason for hull materials with in-built insurance, in other-words able to take a hullspeed collision with a reef or coral head, or bounce around on a rocky lee shore and still be able to be dragged or kedged off afloat hours later.

When it comes to performance you have to consider the operating parameters, coastal, offshore, trade winds, high lattitudes, light air performance.

Big light boats can have just as high a workload and attendant forces as a big heavy boat, also if the wind is blowing (eg tradewinds) the LWL is more important than the SAD since you'll be using smaller working sails anyway.
Remember that your rig stresses are related to RM not to D. Rig stresses can actually be lower on a higher inertia vessel of the same RM.

The heavier boat will have more insurance and will be nicer to live on and keep your feet on the foredeck (and below).

All hinges on the design of course, you can have a miserable performer in any guise.

Cheers

[Paul Scott]

Why not the big WylieCat?

Paul