I was having breakfast with Mitch Neff, then president of Sparkman and Stevens and one of the most experienced and knowledgeable offshore sailors of his day, or any day for that matter—twenty Bermuda races and countless other passages teach you a thing or two about boats, and hanging around with the Stephens brothers (Olin and Rod) for a few decades doesn’t hurt either.
Mitch had just shown me a boat as a possible replacement for the first Morgan’s Cloud, an ill-starred Fastnet 45, and he was now patiently listening to all the reasons I didn’t like either boat, as well as my plans for the new boat: living aboard and fairly aggressive cruising.
When I finally ran down he said:
John, you need a boat that’s about 10 feet longer than you think you need, and you need a boat with a basement.
There’s huge wisdom in that sentence. Let me explain:
Hi John,
Nice article.
All, or most, of your arguments for a larger boat were what attracted me to a Dashew sailboat, the Sundeer series back in the day (80s): longer waterline for higher boat speeds, narrow easily driven hull with a small-ish sail plan, separation of accommodations from systems allowing good access etc. For various reasons it was not to be, but I still think those arguments hold, as you demonstrate.
That said, we have made our 40-foot hull work for 17 years now, 12 of them full time live aboard (and nothing would have worked had we not been able to sell home and vehicles and concentrate expenses on living and the boat). I would support your observations, but I would probably more strongly emphasize the importance of having the room to adequately address chores, maintenance and repairs. I would suggest that my work is about 30% more time consuming, much of that the un-gratifying work of unpacking lockers for access, getting out tools from their various hidey-holes and making sure that my “work” areas minimally impact the “living” areas that get taken over in the process.
That is about my only ongoing irritation of being on a smaller boat, the rest have been merely compromises (such as shorter day hops when coastal cruising to ensure getting to anchorages in daylight).
Another consideration for those buying a cruising boat at around the age of retirement pushing for a larger boat. My 40-foot hull is getting more challenging for a soon to be 70 yo to wiggle into (and lever myself out of) the various nooks and crannies that occasionally need access. Larger boats mean fewer gymnastic contortions and less recovery time for the strains that accrue in the process (and some of these nooks should not be ignored and benefit from regular inspection such as the steering quadrant).
As an aside, it is my casual observation that the appeal of some of the “labor savings” devices on a boat are to those who have never experienced a well set up boat. Furling mainsails, for ex., have far more appeal to those who have never sailed with “slippery” sail track, whose turning blocks are old and the lead serpentine. The difference in ease of use, reefing etc. is night and day between a well set up main and one using 20+yo ideas and equipment. (And the down-side of these “labor saving” devices to a bit of in-attention or an in-experienced crew is profound.)
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Hi Dick,
Great analysis and expansion on my piece. I totally agree on all of it.
One thing that’s interesting is the trade off between access and handling ease as boats scale and we age. You and I are about the same age and you are finding access on a 40 foot boat a challenge as you age. I don’t have that problem. But on the other hand, you will be able to easily grind in the genoa on your boat long after I will not be able to do so on mine. And commissioning and decommissioning your boat is way easier than mine.
It’s all tradeoffs.
Thanks for a great comment.
I wish I had met someone like Mitch Neff when we were boat shopping. I have been lusting over a Valiant 42 for years and coming from trailer sailor boats they seemed plenty big. I was finally able to retire and purchase our Valiant 3 years ago and although I think she is a great blue water boat, space has become an issue. We have considered a bigger boat but it seems a daunting task to sell this one and find the next, not to mention time off the water to do so. Given the time and money we have spent to get her up to our standards for offshore sailing, I think we will be satisfied with the space we have and be vigilant about not loading on more “stuff.”
Hi Ed,
Yes, I was very fortunate to benefit from Mitch’s wisdom. He was a rare boat broker that told customers what the needed to hear rather than just what they wanted to hear.
And I totally hear you on the daunting prospect of changing boats since I’m going through exactly the same thing, only the other way around.
Hi Ed,
Having lived aboard a V-42 and wandered widely for almost 2 decades, I know of what you speak. And a Valiant makes fewer compromises to its blue water heritage resulting in far less internal volume than most modern 40-foot hulls. For example, I was once rafted off a similarly sized HR (I believe) and was struck by the need to step up about 18 inches to achieve their deck height from my deck. That 18 inches, spread out over the whole boat, makes a huge difference in interior volume.
It took/takes discipline to not turn the aft cabin into a garage and generally overload the boat. For ex., one continuing regret is not carrying bicycles which shortens our on-land range. The plus side is it is easier to “sniff the roses”, chat with neighbors and notice the nuances at the slower speed of walking.
That said, there are not too many times I have held onto the wish for a larger boat for very long. I wanted a boat that was much stronger and smarter than I am and which forgives a multitude of errors: The V-42 has fit that description. And counting my blessings just being “out there, doing that” usually softens passing regrets over the compromises pretty quickly.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
The solution to the “too much stuff problem.” From a woman friend who emigrated from East Germany and has since risen to a senior executive position while living in one of the most expensive locations in the US. “Once a year I put everything I own in a pile in the middle of the room. If it hasn’t been used in the past 12 months I throw it out.”
Hi Richard,
Sounds like Phyllis. I get nervous any time she says “I’m just going to tidy up a bit”.
The last time I moved house, we found a box labelled “Assorted Random Crap”…. still sealed with the packing tape from the previous move 4 years earlier.
It is *really* easy to collect stuff that serves no useful function, brings no joy, and just rots in a closet somewhere. That leads to bad situations on shore, but worse – even dangerous – ones aboard ship.
Hi Matt,
Don’t be sad, at least your were honest when you labeled it. Most of us delude ourselves.
We are one of the fortunates to have a Dashew Sundeer 60.. Great boat; access is excellent; it’s most redeeming feature however is that it is actually much easier to sail at sea than either the previous 43ft or 54ft boats. We have now had her for 10 years and appreciate her more every time we sail or work on her.
Brett
Hi Brett,
Yes, a lot to like about the Sundeers and they were also incredible value when they were new and have held that value well.
have you thought of these … https://boatdeck.com.au/adam-radford-55/
Thank you for mentioning your YouTube channel. I just discovered it and downloaded several videos for my next flight.
And thanks for the encouragement, I’d rather get a sensible boat than pinching pennies.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the kind words.
We don’t do a lot on YouTube, but sometimes a short clip can help illustrate a point.