Small blue water boat?

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by sumpa, Jan 13, 2011.

  1. cedric
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    cedric Sports product Designer

    Wow there is definitely a clash of ideas with the Americans. In France it's mostly about the philosophy of high performance = high security, well maybe not all the time... but mostly.
     
  2. souljour2000
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    souljour2000 Senior Member

    If they only could have gotten some better performance from the Maginot line the allies could have at least avoided Dunkirk ;)...Seriously..I think the fast Beneteaus and other French performance cruisers seem better suited for offshore in the Med or island -hopping the Carib but getting across the pond they would not be my choice for bluewater boat....
     
  3. Milan
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    Milan Senior Member

    Opinions and tastes differ a lot. A lot of choices are subjective.

    However, fact is that long French coast has plenty of places with a very rough sailing conditions, especially on the Atlantic coast. (Places as a Bay of Biscay e.c.t).

    As we all know, French have no shortage of excellent sailors, yacht designers and builders. They know the sea … Plenty of very successfull (offshore) French boats, traditional and modern.
     
  4. souljour2000
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    souljour2000 Senior Member

    I would certainly agree with that...With your excellent post in mind though I just see alot of French and "Franco- derived" offerings seemingly aimed at providing huge salons that look more like condos ...and also massive sun-deck cockpits and it makes one wonder how good those boats are in foul weather...just makes me wonder...the French seafaring tradition is indeed long and reknowned so go figure...there are all kinds of boats and sailors on the ocean sea is probably the best summation.
     
  5. gilberj
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    gilberj Junior Member

    Near Coastal sailing, even short-hop offshore passages say a few hundred miles, allow the crew to pick a weather window and be reasonably safe and comfortable. A trans-ocean passage, extending more than a few days, must take whatever weather they encounter. The odds are that in Tropical and Subtropical waters the odds of a real gale or storm conditions, is relatively small, unless you find yourself in the path of a Tropical Revolving Storm. In temperate and higher latitude sailing, the odds of real weather events increases to the point of being likely, or even certain during certain seasons.
    Most manufactured boats are not designed or built for offshore work. They require upgrading or modification to be adequate...
     
  6. cedric
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    cedric Sports product Designer

  7. souljour2000
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    souljour2000 Senior Member

    That looks like a corporate and yet still valid version of a Chris Morejohn boat...Chris's boats for his family's use look very similar really...interesting...I always thought he was onto something special with his designs...though he in turn owes a debt to many I am sure....certainly including the late great Bolger..the cabin is not to my liking though...admittedly...it's not very Feng shui comfortable at all..
     
  8. souljour2000
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    souljour2000 Senior Member

    small bluewater boats

    Here is one photo of Chris Morejohn's larger cruiser...but it's over 40 feet..He had an earlier similar design around 30 feet when his family used to be docked across from us
     

    Attached Files:

  9. cedric
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    cedric Sports product Designer

    lol, it's nothing like it!
    Try Ovni (Alubat) aluminium boats, not self build, but remarkable ocean going production boats.
     
  10. souljour2000
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    souljour2000 Senior Member

    IMHO a nice boat but why 6 berths on a 30-footer I wonder? 4 berths should be the norm for a passage-making 30-footer... sounds like 1980's thinking all over again...not practical...

    Interior looks like a modern row or two of church pews...it is well-lit though with those big windows...outside is more interesting and rig looks simple and uncluttered and fairly strong but I dont like the open transom...looks fast though..overall, it ain't my cup of tea but this boat should definitely be on the "interesting boats thread though...
     
  11. benjy1966
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    benjy1966 Junior Member

    Small boat for cruising

    Ahoy All,

    Some interesting opinions here about cruising in small boats but a couple of points have been forgotten. I suggested the Flicka as a world girdling yacht but I appear to be in a minority. Obviously any small boat is going to have a hard time coping in 11' seas (or 12' seas for that matter!) but lets face it these situations are rare and any small boat sailor knows this and avoids bad weather like the plague.

    With modern weather forecasting and electronics these days the money saved buying a small boat could be spent on a decent routing system, even if this meant calling by sat phone your 'weather man' wherever he (or she) may be. The worst of the weather can easily be avoided and even used to your advantage.

    Another point not mentioned is the one about preparation. If we suspect bad weather is coming we prepare for it. We lash stuff down and check the boat but more importantly, we get into dry warm clothes and cook up food that can be heated up (or eaten cold) easily no matter how bad the weather.

    There are also things you can do to minimise discomfort in bad weather no matter what size your boat is such as deploying a sea anchor or even putting out oil to help the crests to break before they get to the boat. And don't forget that 11' seas in the middle of an ocean are nothing like as vicious as the same height wave near a coast or in a tidal area.

    The bottom line is that small boats such as the Flicka are perfectly capable of surviving in extremely bad weather as the hundreds of tales of boats that have done it prove. With forethought and preparation anything is possible and frankly all this talk of big boats is fine but if you can't afford one then it is entirely academic!

    Fair winds. (preferably)
     
  12. michael pierzga
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    michael pierzga Senior Member

    And remember its the seamanship and resilience of the sailor which dictates the best small boat for ocean work. Many small craft are technically ocean capable. I regularly come across small plastic production boats happily cruising across oceans.
     
  13. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    The problem with small craft in deep water work isn't boat design or seamanship. It's fatigue. A small craft will spend a lot longer in a hard slosh, wearing the crew down. The generally more violent motion also extracts more from them faster then a larger craft, so they eventually become too exhausted to battle the conditions. World cruising in a Flica is a career, not an adventure.
     
  14. BATAAN
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    BATAAN Senior Member

    Have to agree with PAR. The boat will take more than the crew usually. Most voyages that end early are canceled because the participants get worn out, not because the boat breaks.
     

  15. gilberj
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    gilberj Junior Member

    Where did the 11 foot seas come from? In my experience 20 and 30 foot seas are reasonably common in a open sea gale. Flicka's are fat enough they sometimes have to take several tries to get over the same wave. I'd still rather that than getting slapped around in some ultralight dish. What about John Welsfords Sundowner, or Swaggie??
     
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