How to Choose a Sailboat - Coastal Cruising Sailboat

Here are some things to think about if you are going to choose a sailboat for coastal cruising or for sailing larger inland waters like doing Great Lakes cruising.

Compared to a trailerable sailboat, which we talked about in a previous post, coastal cruisers need to be more robustly constructed, more heavily ballasted, with more strongly stayed rigging. The systems also tend to be more complex and more expensive.

As with buying any boat, look at a variety of types and styles before you decide, have the boat surveyed before you buy, and, if possible, take it for a test sail.

There are huge varieties of hull and keel/rudder types in this class of boat, ranging from heavily displaced cruisers to light and nimble racer/cruisers. You've got to decide in advance, based on your intended use and the type of cruising you prefer, what sort of hull design you're looking for.

There are also rig types to consider- sloop, ketch, yawl, cutter, cat, for example - each with its own selling points.

And then there are construction materials to consider - wood, fiberglass, steel, aluminum, or (less common these days) ferro-cement, for example - again each with its advantages and drawbacks.

I've owned and sailed quite a variety of the above, (a fiberglass trailerable sloop, a fiberglass full keel sloop, a wooden ketch, and a steel ketch with the ability to run two head sails), so I'll give you a brief rundown on my opinions on the above. We'll probably cover the various rig and hull types in more detail in dedicated posts for them.

As a single-handed sailor (even when sailing with company or family, I'm generally the only experienced sailor and the only one who knows how to handle the boat, so I still treat it as though I'm sailing solo) who isn't interested in racing, I've become partial to heavier boats with either full keels/keel-hung rudders, or very long fin keels with a "Brewer Bite", and heavily constructed sked-hung rudders.

That sort of boat won't accelerate as fast or point as close to the wind as lighter, more nimble, fin keel/spade rudder designs, but they are structurally much stronger, can take a grounding with a much better chance of getting away with no damage, and are more directionally stable, making it easier for a solo sailor to let go of the wheel or tiller for a while to adjust sails, make lunch, etc.

I've always liked the ketch rig. I like the aesthetics of it as well as the ease of sail handling and vast number of sail-carrying options that it provides for balancing the boat on all points of sail and wind conditions. It is also a powerful rig for sailing off the wind, especially if you have a mizzen staysail.

Of course, with a second mast (A Ketch has two masts, the forward one being the larger "Main Mast" and the smaller, aft mast, is stepped forward of the rudder post and is called the "Mizzen Mast". A Yawl, incidentally, has the same definition as a ketch with the difference being that the mizzen is stepped Behind the rudder post.) there is additional weight aloft, additional rigging to maintain, and more individual sails to raise/lower and trim.

The sloop rig is probably the simplest in terms of rigging and maintenance and is the most efficient for sailing upwind. If windward performance is important to you, all things being equal, a sloop will outperform the other rig types.

The Cutter rig is a good compromise between expense and sail choice versatility. The Cutter rig has a single mast similar to a sloop, but the mast is generally stepped further aft than a sloop's. It runs two head sails - the sail further forward is called a jib and the inner foresail, a staysail.

With the two head sails, particularly if they're set up with roller furling, the sail plan can be quickly and easily adjusted for sail balance and wind strength. The main drawback is the difficulty that can occur trying to tack the boat, particularly if running a large genoa foresail, and getting the foresail to pass smoothly through the gap between the staysail stay and the jib stay. It can be a pain to handle in tight quarters. For long distance sailing, though, the cutter rig is a popular choice.

Choice of hull construction materials is also important. There is quite a variety of possibilities, but, by far, the most common material used today is fiberglass.

Fiberglass hulls are strong, relatively light, and relatively inexpensive for volume construction (it can be used for one-off or home building as well, but it is costly and labour intensive in that a mold has to be built first - it's almost like building two hulls in order to get one final product), has a long service life and is easy to maintain.

Some things to be aware of when looking at fiberglass boats are:

- Do they use balsa or other core materials, and what condition are they in?

- Are there any hull blisters that may indicate osmosis problems (often referred to as "Boat Pox")?

- Has the hull been properly sealed and painted to prevent osmosis problems?

- Is the deck hardware properly through-bolted, bedded, and fitted with appropriately-sized backing plates?

- Are there any "spider" cracks or any other signs of weak points or point loading in the gel coat?

- What is the overall condition of the hull?

These are all questions that a marine surveyor will be able to answer for you.

Wooden Hulls - Nothing beats the look of a classic wooden sailboat. For aesthetics, you can't go far wrong; however, be prepared to spend lots of time sanding and varnishing, keeping ahead of rot, and being careful not to bang or drop anything on the deck or against the hull which might mar the finish.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not against wooden boats at all - I owned one myself for a number of years, loved it, and was fairly heartbroken when I eventually sold it. You just have to be prepared to take good care of it and put in the needed time and effort for upkeep.

Steel Hulls - There really isn't anything as rugged as a steel hull. They tend not to be production boats, built in large volume, but they are well-suited to one-off construction or for home building. In smaller boats, steel can make for a heavier (therefore slower) hull than in some other materials, but for boats in the 40+ range, the weight penalty is quite reasonable, and the durability and strength that comes with steel is a big plus.

Of course, you do need to maintain the paint to a high level (both inside and out) to prevent rust, but compared to the abuse they can take without sustaining damage, many find it well worth it. My current boat is a 41' steel ketch, and I've been very happy with it.

Other hull materials choices are aluminum, ferro-cement, and cold-molded wood/epoxy, but the most common tyrpes are the above-mentioned. If anyone has questions about construction materials, just leave a comment and I'll try to respond.

In terms of mechanical systems on a cruising boat, things to consider in a coastal cruiser are:

- Diesel Engine - Well maintained, with at least two fuel filters/water separators. Diesel engines are fuel-efficient, use fuel that is easily obtained worldwide, use fuel that (unlike gasoline) doesn't have heavier-than-air vapours that can cause explosions, doesn't need an electrical system to run (so they'll run even when wet);

- Self steering of some sort - Electronic auto pilot, wind vane, or both;

- Sail Reefing - Have lots of reefing points in the sails and an efficient way of reefing;

- Lines led to the cockpit - Some people like to have all their sail control and mast lines to run aft to the safety of the cockpit so you don't need to go forward onto a heaving deck in order to host/drop/reef a sail. None of my boats have been configured this way, but it would be a handy feature;

- Roller furling - It's become a fairly standard feature on sailboats these days. None of my boats have had it, but it's one of the first upgrades that I'd consider - especially for a single-handed sailor, being able to reef or drop a jib by rolling it from the cockpit would be a huge improvement to having to manhandle the jib while sailing;

- Safety equipment- Of course, you'll need the standard minimum of flares, heaving lines, etc., that your local area requires by law, but that is a very bare minimum. You'll want to go well above that both in quantity and quality of equipment. I also include marine VHF radio as a basic safety tool, and since they are so inexpensive these days, you should have a backup as well. Also consider how you'd get an overboard crew back on board in adverse conditions - likely a boarding ladder will be dangerous or impossible to use. It would be wise to consider a hoisting system such as Lifesling;

- Navigation equipment - GPS is very handy, and even a cheap handheld unit works fine. Radar is also a good option if budget allows. Of course, all the standard paper charts and basic navigation tools are a must. I'd also consider a depth sounder and knot meter to be indispensable tools - they aren't terribly expensive and really add to peace of mind when underway. The reason I'm mentioning them under navigation equipment is because the knot meter can be invaluable in calculating/updating your DR (dead reckoning) plot (we'll have a separate post for coastal navigation techniques, I think), and your depth sounder can help confirm your position, or at least your distance off a danger point by matching the recorded depth to the depth markings on the chart;

- Tankage - You'll want the boat to have an adequate ability to carry stores - food and water;

- Spare Parts - Be sure to carry an adequate supply of mechanical spare parts so that you can fix things that go wrong;

Most of the above will apply to long distance, blue water, cruisers as well - the main difference between a blue water cruiser and a coastal crusing sail boat will be its systems and equipment, which have to be more robust and more comprehensive (particularly for self-steering and safety/emergency gear), some aspects of hull design such as capsize screening numbers, and the stores and equipment spares that are carried.

I'll discuss blue water cruisers specifically in another post.

The main thing with a coastal cruiser is that you choose a boat that suits your sailing style and aesthetic tastes, choose one that is well-equipped with safety gear and has well-maintained mechanical systems, and is robustly constructed. Even near-shore sailing can expose you to storms and challenging conditions, so you'll want a boat that is up to the challenge. When the wind starts to howl and the waves to build, you'll want to be secure in the knowledge that your boat is built to take it!

I hope this (somewhat rambling) discussion on how to choose a coastal cruising sailboat has given you something to consider - if you have any questions or anything to add, please leave a comment.

DSM

How to Choose a Sailboat - Trailerable Boats

Here are some things to think about if you are going to choose a sailboat of the trailerable variety (commonly referred to as a trailer-sailer), and some of the advantages of them:

Click here to read our first post on choosing a sailboat.

Trailerable sailboats are great for a number of reasons:
-You can quickly move to new cruising grounds by car and have fresh sailing adventures;
-They can be stored in your driveway and can therefore save you marina fees ;
-They are generally lightly built and therefore quick and responsive - fun to sail;
-The mast/rigging can generally easily be lowered and raised, so passing under bridges to get to new areas can be done;
-They often have centerboards or keels that are retractable and rudders that kick up, so they can be sailed in very shallow water or even beached for a shore picnic or camping.

The above are really good reasons to get yourself into a trailerable sailboat, and if you choose the right boat and/or don't need palatial accommodations to get along and have a good time, they can be decent for cruising as well.

My first boat was a Sandpiper 565 - a 17.5' trailer-sailer with a retractable fin keel and kick-up rudder, and I happily lived aboard her (by myself) for three months one summer and cruised and crossed several of the Great Lakes in her.

You'll need to find out how much weight your vehicle can tow, or be willing to buy a vehicle capable of towing the boat you wind up buying.

Some designs, like the McGregor 26', have a water ballast tank built into the bottom that is flooded when sailing, and emptied when trailing, in order to reduce the amount of weight your car needs to pull. Others use a swing keel, or, like the Sandpiper, a retractable keel that you crank up and down.

Accommodations will, of course, vary significantly by boat size - my Sandpiper was small for living aboard and cruising with. I built a custom cabinet in to the forward Vee area that housed a small water tank, stowage for my pots/pans/dishes, and a fold-out stove. On that boat, I cooked, slept, and had the head (toilet) virtually all in the same place. Not everyone will want to live that spartanly, but it worked fine for me.

With larger boats like the Sirius 21 or the McGregor 26, life aboard is much more comfortable, of course.

Just look at a number of different boats before you buy so you'll be able to compare features and decide on what you need in terms of amenities.

Functionally, you'll want to make sure the boat is strongly enough constructed for the type of sailing you'll be doing, is light enough for your vehicle to tow, has a rig that is easy enough for you to raise and lower (usually the mast will step onto a pivot and is raised with a line running from it, through a bow roller, and back to a winch).

For keel and ballast types, I was happy with my Sandpiper in that with the keel being raised/lowered by manually cranking a huge bronze screw, I could set it to whatever depth I wanted (deeper for sailing close-hauled, partially or fully raised for off-wind or downwind sailing), and I knew it would stay put. And the ballast (300lbs. of lead in the keel) is as efficiently (deeply) placed as possible.

The main disadvantages are that the ballast has to be pulled by your car as it isn't removable like a water ballast tank, and if you hit bottom, the keel won't retract like a swing keel (until you dive below and frantically turn the screw to raise it manually), so the boat will take an impact similarly to a fixed-keel boat.

With swing keels, you have the advantage of having a gentler impact when you hit something if you don't have the keel locked into position - the impact on the keel will cause it to swing up and ride over the obstruction. The disadvantage is that it can flop around a bit while sailing in rough conditions, and in the event of the boat's capsizing, it can fall into its slot and become much less effective at righting the boat than if it were to stay fully-extended.

Water ballast with a swinging fin is the easiest on your car for pulling since you empty the tank and lighten the boat considerably when it's on the trailer. The disadvantage is that the ballast weight is not placed nearly as deeply as iron or lead in the bottom of a fin keel and so you need a good deal more water weight to provide the same amount of righting force. This makes the boat somewhat heavier than it would otherwise need to be.

I really enjoyed my trailer-sailer and got lots of good use out of it on the Great Lakes and some Northern Ontario Lakes. I only moved on to other boat types when my cruising ambitions and space requirements increased beyond the capabilities of most trailerable boats.

I hope this gives you some ideas and things to think about when you go to choose your trailerable sailboat. Thanks for visiting the "How To" Sailboat Cruise Site!

DSM

How To Choose a Sailboat

Let's talk about how to choose a sailboat that is right for you.

This is a big subject and there will be lots of follow-up posts on it, but I think it's the place to start - for our new blog and for you, if you're a beginner sailboat cruiser or are thinking about getting into boating.

First off, there really is no one answer to the question "Which boat is right for me?". The way to go about choosing a boat is to ask yourself (and be completely honest and rational here!) "What do I intend to use the boat for?".

If your answer is "I don't know" - that's perfectly fine! Much better that than kidding yourself. If that's the case, you're probably best to start by taking some Learn How to Sail or Sailboat Cruising Basics courses that will give you a taste of the lifestyle and let you get some experience with different types of boats, bug your friends to let you join them on theirs, or volunteer as crew (many yacht clubs will have a list of volunteer crews for race nights in case some yachts are short-handed).

Do you want to day-sail in protected waters?

Do you intend to cruise your sailboat for only a few weeks a year?

Are you planning on Great Lakes or Ocean sailing?

If you're ocean sailing, will you be doing coastal cruising, or will you be heading off over the horizon for several years?

Do you want to live aboard year 'round?

Do you have a need for speed, or is ease-of-handling and seakindliness more important to you?

Are you a singlehander, or will you have a crew, or have your spouse and kids along?

Do you want to be able to trailer your boat?

What is your budget?

These are just a few questions that you need to ask yourself. The main point is to first determine, as best you can (plans have a way of changing!), how you intend to use your boat. Only then can you start researching what sort of cruising sailboat might suit your needs.

In future posts, we'll look in more detail at what to consider when choosing a boat for some of the following assumptions:

1. True blue-water long distance cruising with a short-handed crew (typically a couple);
2. Short-term (several weeks' duration) cruising plans, once or twice a year in coastal or larger inland waters;
3. Trailer-Sailer sailboats capable of being quickly moved to new and interesting cruising grounds and of avoiding marina storage fees;
4. Boats for Liveaboards where most of the time is spent tied up in marinas but still manage to get out on the water from time to time.

Once you've answered the first (and probably most important) question about what sort of use and what type of cruising you expect to get out of your boat, please continue reading for more ideas on "How to choose a sailboat" and more "How to" sailboat cruising ideas and tips.

DSM.