cruising costs, maintenance and price of the boat (sailboats versus motorboats)

Since the drift of your post is a cost effective cursing machine , I think that while Flicka is a quality built little vessel there in lies it's problem,it's just too dam small. It would not be my choice as a cruising sailboat. For approx. the same purchase price there are larger quality built craft out there in the 30 foot range, which I personally consider the minimum size for 1 to 2 people on extended trips. I realize there are people cursing the world in 24 footers but this is by far not the average sailors vision of cursing. If we really get serious about cost effective cursing i'd go one step further and buy used which would, in todays buyers market put Flicka even further down the choice line in terms of costs and size.

 

Cruising vessel size

I agree with you Viking. I used the Flicka simply as an example. I sailed our 40 foot schooner from New York to our home in Florida, and our 30 foot S2 Center cockpit from Annapolis to Florida with no problems and part of the trip with the schooner was in hurricane Bertha.

The key questions in any offshire cruising is, is the boat built sufficiently strong to withstand heavy seas and is the crew educated and experienced enough to be able to cruise safely. By educated I mean, can they still navigate without any modern electronics if they have to? Despite having GPS, radar and all of the latest nav aids, I still carry and frequently use my updated paper charts and sextant.

I admire William Beebe and otheer designers of motorized cruising boats, but would never leave shore without at least one mast and a good sail inventory. Sitting out there in foul weather with a dead engine is a terrible feeling and dangerous situation.

 

"The key questions in any offshore cruising is, is the boat built sufficiently strong to withstand heavy seas and is the crew educated and experienced enough to be able to cruise safely"

The scantlings of the hull and robustness of the rig need to be matched with a functioning offshore interior.

Double bunks , no hand rails , and a dockside interior can be as dangerous as a weak inshore build or window shade reefing..