Choosing a boat

[Jim_ME]

Cutters tend to have shorter masts for a given LOA.
The upshot of these two observations is that if vertical clearance is a criterion you must meet, and yet you want as large as practical hull-wise, older is more likely to fit your needs than newer and a cutter rig might solve a lot of problems for you as well.
In other words...a Westsail 32 sounds like a solid fit.   ;D

I agree, and was going to write something similar last night, but it was very late.

From the Westsail specifications page it gives the rig "I" dimension (from the point at the deck [not gunwhale top] sheer line that a line at the forward edge of the mast would extend to meet) as 44.00'. Eyeballing the keel draft (which is 5 feet) and comparing to the freeboard height at the mast looks to meet that "I" point on the deck scales at  about 3 feet. So the mast (excluding any antennas, etc.) height shown in this drawing is less than 48 feet. (appears to be about 47, but all this would be good to verify on each particular boat, especially with Westsail boats, since there were a lot of custom builds/completions. 

The cutter rig is not only shorter (as John writes), but it breaks the working sail area up into three parts, so each sail is smaller and easier to handle than a sloop rig (which would only divide it among two sails). Many of the jibs at the bowsprit have roller furling so its easy to reduce or furl it to shorten sail. A self-tending staysail makes tacking more convenient, especially short handed, and can be setup to reef down to its boom like a mainsail does, which is a lot more convenient than changing the headsail as the wind picks up.

A ketch rig has many of the same features, but some mizzen sail/booms extend over the stern into the space that the self-steering wind vane occupies, whereas cutter rigs do not. The two masts of the ketch adds a fair amount of complexity, and parts to maintain and replace, etc., too--yet are beautiful and popular rigs for many classic larger boats, although boats such as the Cheoy Lee Offshore 31 and Allied Seawind 31/32 are mid-sized that also have ketch rigs and are highly regarded. (Again, the Seawind 32, at 15000 pounds, is a larger boat, and hence has more working sail area than its length number would suggest).

I've sailed on a friend's Cape Dory 30 which had the cutter rig/boom-footed staysail/roller furl jib and it seemed like an ideal setup, especially for a couple cruising where one person would be sailing along while the other was off watch below. It is wonderful when you are in a solo situation where you are beating up a channel or into an anchorage, where you may need to make a series of quick tacks, and don't want to be distracted by tending sheets/winches for a headsail.

[Mario G]

While you are shopping take a look at a Island Packet 27 very nice boats.

I beat it would be a lot like our boat and with the wifes MS she does well aboard ours.


There was a 33' Glander Tavanua on ebay that just went for 3 k  it looked just as ready as my bout to cruise.  I have seen great deals on ebay. 

   

[Kettlewell]

I wouldn't get too caught up in looking for the exact boat you want with the exact rig you want, as you don't know what you don't know, in a good way of course! It is easy to wander the forums like you are doing and listen to all of our "advice" and start to form an opinion when in reality at this stage you need a boat that is big enough, cheap enough, shallow enough, not too tall, and nearby. After that almost everything is a possible consideration, but not worth focusing on until the you find the boats that meet the "good enough" criteria. I've known a few people who spent a lot of time and money finding or building the "perfect" boat, or so they thought, and then discovered something basic was wrong with the whole picture, like the boat that has the perfect interior doesn't sail very well, or they hate the rig all the pundits touted. For example, I always wanted a cutter rig until I owned, used, and lived with a cutter rig for years--the gains under certain limited circumstances were not enough (for me!) to compensate for the losses much more of the time. Also, I never wanted to even try a ketch, and then the best boat I could find that met other criteria happened to be a ketch. Now that I've owned and sailed a ketch for nine years I appreciate them much more, and I might go for another, though they do have certain drawbacks.

[Jim_ME]

Jim, where there is a will, there is a way.  Maybe even a handrail would work.  

The Westsail 32 (and similar designs) may more than make up for any inconvenience of its additional elevation change at the companionway, by being exceptionally steady and stable while the crew is negotiating those steps.

For comparison, the Bill Tripp designed Hinkley Bermuda 40 (again, of similar size by displacement) also with a conservative bridge deck/raised companionway design, and targeted to mature/affluent owners (and with a pretty adequate level of interior quality), also has several steps (see photos).

[Kettlewell]

I'm sure you've been perusing the local CL, where you will find better deals (caveat emptor) than through yacht brokers. Here are a few from your area that caught my eye:

http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/4373649412.html
http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/4371422723.html
http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/4393292808.html
http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/4381261186.html

[CharlieJ]

While you are shopping take a look at a Island Packet 27 very nice boats.

I beat it would be a lot like our boat and with the wifes MS she does well aboard ours.


There was a 33' Glander Tavanua on ebay that just went for 3 k  it looked just as ready as my bout to cruise.  I have seen great deals on ebay. 

   

I met Dooley Glander back in 1975. Drove down to the keys to look at a Glander 33. Nice boat, but quite small-no bilge at all- boat bottom is cabin bottom other than floor boards. Very well built hulls though. Have to be careful of other parts- most were owner finished.

[Cyric30]

:) Skylark has been posting boats for sale in the boat dis. section for the last few days, hes come up with some gems, (more than i can ever find) you might look at them and see if any are intresting to you.

[PattyLee]

Wow, so much info.  Ok, sent an email to find out bridge clearance on the Westsail 32..we really want to be able to go through the Okeechobee waterway. I'm hoping it will work, but wonder if it will be big enough..the Hunter 30 was way too small. I didn't like anything about it really. Glad we looked at it to get an idea of what we don't want.
I realize the larger you go, the deeper the draft, the higher the mast. So, we will spend some time looking for a good fit.  We are fortunate that we don't have to decide right away, that we do have lots of time.
Catamarans are out of our price range.
Thank you all for your suggestions.  We will definitely look into as many as we can. Will keep you posted on our
progress. This is harder than buying a house!!  :-\

[Grime]

Have you thought about center cockpit boats? 

[PattyLee]

Grime, we are looking at just about anything with a sail between 30 and 35 feet.
I'm kind of fussy..first I have to like what I see. Then look to see if the draft is 5 ft or less, bridge clearance is less than 48 ft. If size is good, May overlook curb appeal.  :)
The westsail 32 has been sold.   :(
I find we tend to look at the same boats over and over as they are listed in many different ways.  The best way I have found is by brand. I really like the looks of the ketches, and those with taller cabins with a wider walk around.  I'm sure I will need to sacrifice some of the things I would really like to have, like shade, dinghy Davit, place for the dog(that's a complication in and of itself), place for solar panels, am I asking too much here?  Also, some of the boats on the internet were sold over 2 years ago. Oh well..we are having fun looking. ;D

[Grime]

Patty,
I know of a Westsail 32 that has been on the hard and for sale for a couple of years. I know the owner. He's a over the road trucker and I'm not sure how to get in touch with him. The boat was listed with a broker. Bad thing is its over here in Texas and not in Fla.

I do know it needs to thing besides a good cleaning. One is a bottom job and the other is a thru hull fitting. He re cored the forward deck before putting it on the hard and going back to work.

If interested I'll see if I can get a number for him. I wouldn't go through the broker if possible.

David

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?&units=Feet&id=2225695&lang=en&slim=broker&&hosturl=mustangyts&&ywo=mustangyts&

[Kettlewell]

I wouldn't go through the broker if possible.

If you can avoid the broker it will likely save you money, and in my experience the owners are often more forthcoming about the boat's real condition and more willing to deal. The broker is always trying to maximize the price. There are some great brokers that will help you find the right boat, but they are few. Even if you do have to start with the broker by all means try to talk to the owner directly at some point without the broker there--you often learn interesting things and you get a much better sense of what type of deal they are looking for.

[PattyLee]

Grime, thanks for the offer, really appreciate it.  Think we'll stick with boats here in state..there are plenty to choose from.
Also appreciate knowing about avoiding brokers. They only care about making a commission.
We can deal with the cosmetic kind of repairs, anything major at this point and we would have to pay someone else to do it. So, that is where we are today.  We have a lot to learn.