Boat Design/Selection

John just returned from the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. Here’s a report on the boats that caught his eye, along with some thoughts on getting “out there” in an affordable way.

So is it possible to get a real offshore cruising boat for around US$100,000, ready to go? John suggests a possibility for those willing to go smaller and older.

John and Phyllis want to buy a 40-foot sailboat. There are thousands of second-hand boats for sale, but most of them are not fit to go offshore. So how do we weed through all the junk to find a decent and safe boat at a fair price? And what about refitting an older boat? This is the first of a series of articles to answer those two questions.

John links to a must-read article on hull design for heavy weather and highlights a couple of really important things he learned from it.

A thought on yacht design that will help us end up with a better boat.

The debate is incessant in the cruising community: what is the best cruising boat? John comes up with an answer that may surprise you.

Meeting up with Steve and Linda Dashew is always both fun and fascinating, with a lot to learn about offshore voyaging in boats of any size, even though their designs are way beyond the reach of most of us. John shares two of those lessons.

Mick and Bee have cruised for 15 years and over 70,000 miles on less than US$250,000 all told, including the purchase price of their gaffer, “Hannah”. And they have numerous northern high latitude cruises under their belt. Mick writes about what it takes to make live-aboard cruising possible on a tight budget.

If you are looking to buy a new or used boat, you need to read this book, because it will save you a lot of heart ache.

Colin’s in-depth review of the English built Rustler 37.

The first in Colin’s two part report on his visit to English boatbuilder Rustler Yachts.

I rarely attend major boat shows these days, and sincerely don’t regret it. In the past I spent many a day on stands for whoever it was that I was working for, or supporting, at that time, generally in the foul aired mausoleum that housed the late, lamented (?) London Boat Show at Earl’s Court. Not [...]

Every time I post about structural issues or refits the subject of poor surveys of used boats comes up. Now I’m sure there are many reputable surveyors out there striving to do the best job they can, but on the other hand I am hearing a distressing number of stories about surveys that were sketchy at [...]

Some time ago I posted here with my views on the suitability of spade rudders for offshore cruising. Having lost a spade rudder that looked to be in A1 condition, naturally my thoughts at the time were coloured by that disaster. Despite the fact that I had up until that time owned three yachts that had [...]