ketch- schooner- sloop, advantages vs disadvantages

Good day- rookie to sailing yet old to boating can some veterens discuss pros & cons of these rig choices? Have an oppertunity to get into a cece norris designed sampson boatyard built ferrous- cement 65' ketch- talk to me...

 

Do yourself a big favor and talk to your insurance company about the ferro built yacht. Most will just hang up the phone, which should give you an indication of what they think about ferro cement builds, especially anything with the name Samson attached. They are all but imposable to ell in the USA, though this is less a problem in other countries.

There are lots of basic sailing texts on line as well as books, you may want to investigate. Listing all the pros and cons of the various rigs available, is going to be encyclopedic. Simply put, all design decisions in yacht design, are a series of compromises and concessions to the requirements of the commission. Rig choices, how many cup holders in the head, etc., literally every aspect is forced into a set of conflicting guidelines and eventually extruded out, hopefully meeting the design goals established early in the design process.

A novice sailor shouldn't even think about a 65' yacht. Go down to the local yacht club and get a ride on some boats. They'll need suckers, I mean crew, to race or practice with. You'll get some sea time and a clue about what's going on (for free). Next get rides on bigger boats, say 22' to 26' and see what you think. A bare boat rental of a 35' - 40' yacht will give you an idea of the "big boat" feel, which is quite different from the little puppies. It's takes a pretty skilled skipper to handle a 65' ketch, especially short handed or solo.

 

Ferrous hull comments aside, below is a good write-up on the pros & cons of sloops & ketches.

http://sailing.about.com/od/typesofsailboats/ss/Buying-A-Sailboat-Sloop-Vs-Ketch_4.htm

With a 65ft boat, you will no doubt need some help hoisting & winching up both the main & foresails (jib, staysail). For a boat of this size they will very likely be too heavy for one person to hoist. Moreover, you'll need a physically fit, well trained crew to handle it well in various sea conditions.

The only exception is if you rig out the boat for single handed sailing. If you had all lines routed to the cockpit and some high quality 3 speed winches, that would make life easier, but only for a sloop rig with a self-furling jib. All other rigs would require you leave the cockpit to tend to business.

If I were you I would take Pars advice and start with a smaller boat. I would suggest a sloop in the size range of 25 to 40ft. The larger the boat & corresponding sail area, the more difficult to hoist/winch.

Fair winds

 

take PARs and Josephs advice... 40 ft is definitely long enough to start with...

i just came back from a trip around mallorca and menorca on an oceanis 393.
we were 2 handed (with 2 passengers in form of our girlfriend/wife ) and i still feel some of my muscles i do not use that often sitting the whole day in front of a computer... it was really hard work specifically in stronger wind...
although this charter boat had a mast furling main which are easier to hoist - i loath those thingys nontheless...