Cross Indian ocean in 4 meters dinghy sailboat

If you are open to the opinion of experienced people, this is the first thing you should do: get on a small boat and go sailing in a strong breeze. If you don't puke and/or get too scared, there is a chance for you. Your plans for close compartments, etc. is unrealistic for a boat that size. It doesn't have the volume to spare. Last time I did a cruise solo was about 6 years ago. It was a 25 footer and in the southern Caribbean I was in about the same spot for three days trying to beat into a strong gale. The waves were steep and about 30 footers. I made no headway, and rolled over once. I enjoy it, but few people do.

 

Thank you for the videos, i have seen it all. Despite that those are big ships, heavy which makes stronger impact with the sea, they are heading opposite to the waves. They did well.

I believe that the relation of very small boats, big boats and larger ships are different with the sea. As example, making a tanker with plywood by fact we know they could bend and break due the weight. Same also the relation with the sea.

Im aware of such dangers in the sea, especially now with the climate change, the weather can become very unpredictable.

We can discuss however, what could happen to a very small boat in such waves? My thoughts are that a small boat such the one i describe, that will have enough sealed spaces that even the whole boat take water, still will flow. So in that kind of waves the boat probably can bump and bump and roll all over again and again, can self-right and even roll over again. What i would thinking the most is if the waves throw the boat far away and the impact is huge, that might break the boat apart and with this thought i asked the previous question regarding the hull.

Place all the information down and describe all the possible scenarios is more likely we find solutions or we find that there is no possible solution. Thats something very positive either way.

What else can go wrong in the middle of the ocean related to the boat strength, or other issues?

I can think of collide with a container, which a steel hull can offer some protection.

 

You can be run over by one of the ships you are dismissing. The acceleration of a small hull in a storm will be damaging to your internal organs. Further, your insistence on sealed spaces is unrealistic. The boat will have no volume left for supplies if you enclose spaces. Also, a tanker can be built with plywood if designed for that material; it won't bend and break. However, steel is cheaper and simpler. The weight would most likely be less with steel though. The first question is why do you put a restriction on length? Rather than theorizing from the comfort of your home, get on a small boat and then come back to the forum with real life stories. Few people can stand the bruising punishment of a storm in a small boat. Have you ever broken bones or damaged joints in your body?

 

@gonzo i ll get your advise and do that. When i said i haven't any "sailing" experience, i meant that i have never sail on a sail boat. But i have done enough sailing with small motorized speed boats near to shore. I have been to a strong breeze and waves and i had never puke. Actually i enjoy, since a kid. But if you ask me now, i definitely recognize the danger.

Regarding the volume and the air tight compartments you might be right, probably you are, but i need to do the calculations. Yet remember i mention that i was planning to have outriggers in the sides, one for air compartments and two for increasing the width (beam) for more stability. But im thinking if outriggers will be sustainable in a long trip or they gonna break.

 

Outriggers mean you are thinking of a trimaran, which will have less volume than a monohull. Also, you mention storms where the boat will flip over and be tossed around. Multihulls will flip over and stay flipped.

 

Sailing between capsizes, it's called. The story Anthony Steward - Around alone in an open boat http://www.dixdesign.com/steward.htm and the video:

 

@gonzo thats a good point can run over by one these ships. The acceleration is a very serious point that i haven't think of.

Yes agree in a large ship, steel hull can be lighter in the total. However that not apply in small boats i think.

The reason i put a limit to the size is because this is what i can construct responsibly. Bigger sailboat will be a more complicated task that i do not have that skills. I believe is better starting with a small boat. To see how it works, the strength and while i ll set all the features, i might do such crossing.

I have been in small boats, only in small boats. But i never been to a boat with sails.

 

@gonzo yes i mean trimaran like. However it will be a normal sailboat, a small one, with outriggers so the volume will be same plus the outriggers.

Yes trimarans when flipped stay flipped, however i have a solution about it for a small boat, and has to do with extended bulb keel, and for stability but for capsizing reasons too. Plus an air compartment within a pipe on top. A small boat will have low weight and this is a key for such system im designing and thinking of. Yet a complete project and test can tell the real results. But im very interested with the acceleration of human body in small hulls in such conditions.

@Rumars thank you for the video, actually i was watching this yesterday. Im getting a lot of information from these videos, i pay attention to details. Wish they were filming more. An unknown part to me is how the waves looks like and the force they having. I can think that waves in open ocean can be more mild in good weather as they span in longer periods, yet whats happening in storms in an open ocean? A yet for either i could not know, beside my near to shore cruising.

 

A few people have crossed the Atlantic in yachts shorter than their own length, meaning they had to sit in them the whole time as there was no room to lie down, but this is mad unless you're trying to break the record for the shortest yacht to make a crossing. What it does show though is that what you seek to do may be possible and might even be sane, just so long as you do your research first and become an expert. Don't set out until you are an expert, and don't rush into designing your boat either until you have a proper idea of what it needs to be like. If you keep posting your designs here, people will tell you when they think you've got the boat right, and when they think you've got something that they would be prepared to risk the trip in, that might be the time to think about building it.

 

No thread about this subject would be complete without Welcome to Yrvind´s website http://www.yrvind.com
This passages are about mental preparation as much as physical proveness and technical aspects.
My advice is to learn sailing first, than something about sailboat construction. I don't believe you can do it if you ask questions about epoxy and fiberglass or the g forces in a storm. Forget about designing your own boat, just use a proven design.

 

Any build needs to be realistic within the budget, so what's the budget for this boat . . ?

Below how Roger Taylor did it . . . .​

Yachting Monthly - Solo voyager Roger Taylor and his boat Mingming II - January 10, 2013

↑ The Making of Mingming II - the other parts​

Yachting Monthly - Ocean-going yacht for under £ 6 K - January 17, 2014 - (US $)

​

↓ highly recommended​

Yachting Monthly - Ocean sailor finishes his new boat - February 26, 2014

Junk Ming - YouTube​

Mingming II - YouTube​

Yachting Monthly* had an interview with Roger about the purchase, rebuild and modifications of his ‘‘new’’ boat Mingming II.

* March 2014 issue, page 3 & 72 to 75.​

see bottom right corner ↑​

 

@David Cooper Definitely not trying to break any record. The length will be about 4 meters (13.1 ft) which im revising to probably 5.5 meters (18 ft). Im not going to set out in the open sea until i get all the information i need and get enough experience on sails. However once i get all the information, could build a boat and see how it works. This is the reason im asking any kind of information from everyone here.

@Rumars Nice to here your opinion which i consider as every piece of information. I believe that asking information about epoxy and fiber glass is very crucial for the strength of the boat. To make the trip, mental preparation and so on, is something im for it. However safety first. While in the ocean i will rely on the strength of the boat when conditions are not good. So technical information are very important. Im not willing to do it in a small boat of anyone's design except mine which i will have consider or the possible parameters and scenarios. Using a "proven" design can never be proven, unless talking for specific conditions, while yet we make no progress in sailing if we are not willing to make new things. Im not about breaking any record, but definitely im about making a capable small sailboat that can cross an ocean. Once i made it, then i will evaluate the safety and i will share it with everyone else. And indeed the forces in a storm and our body is including in safety, will mean the same in any others design either. Indeed do not understand me wrong. I respect others designs, some of which im studying to get any extra information and is my starting source for information on constructing my own sailing boat.

 

This my reply to another thread - the wish to re-incent the wheel, magically save major portion of money required, exotic self (amateur) invented solutions are the common denominator. Also the extreme shortcut: I have no experience in sailing, have never been locked in bad weather and my plan is to cross an ocean.
It is like me saying that I have never tried sportsX but my plan is to go into olympics - without trying whether I enjoy the sport at all, let alone in context of pro-level training that can be all but fun.

Note that having a 40-50 self designed boat as first build is equally common 1st post as plans of icean crossings in absurdly under specced boats. It is not a rare idea.

Trust me on this:
Sailing on 4 meter boat can be awful lot of fun. Buy cheap one used and start getting experience. In a few years you can evaluate what kind of long term dreams you actually would like and you will be 1000x better equipped to estimate the feasibility of your dreams.

 

@Angélique i haven't think about the budget but here what im planning of.

A small marine plywood boat with epoxy and fiber glass. Compact design, probably timber frame or steel where the outriggers and mast will be attached, the bulb keel either.

Will have a trolling motor, solar panels and batteries and might an extra pedal system just in any case the boat to not be left drifting. GPS and a tiller autopilot. Yet thinking for a system that would not cost much and i could receive weather updates or grib files. A portable desalination equipment will be a big plus also.

I believe all these could cost less than 6k

 

@kerosene Thank you for sharing that thoughts and your older reply to some other thread.

My design start from the frame and it's main features such outriggers for stability, bulb keel and self-righting, yet buoyancy. I had move to navigation and hull design regarding the needs. So definitely is not about how it looks like. It is safety first then hull performance. Yes it is build cheap kind of plan, but not compromising over safety.

Because you might did not read it, i do not have experience sailing with sails, but i have lot of experience with cruising in small boats and i had seen kind of bad weather.

Indeed i agree with the last line, experience can give you a much better perspective. However here we are and this is what this thread is for, to exchange information.

And indeed i could say that we talked a lot for what if and what people think and so on. Im wondering why not we enter to the point of the topic such, technical things, parameters and systems that can increase safety and so on. Contributing our ideas we can make sailing better and safer. People made better and better boats because they tried and along the technology develops gave also new materials and techniques. If we stayed to the proven plans we ll made no advancement and still sailing in very dangerous boats.