The "perfect boat", does one exist?

[AdriftAtSea]

IIRC, the J28 was a fairly limited production run though...and as such is a relatively rare boat. ;)

[Captain Smollett]

keg hung rudders. 

Hmmm, you might be on to something there.  THAT, good sir, is a marketing gold mine.

[AdriftAtSea]

But Capn' Smollett...how do you get the tap in to the keg??? And do you have to pay a keg deposit?

[Captain Smollett]

But Capn' Smollett...how do you get the tap in to the keg???

Why, through the tiller of course.  Makes perfect sense to me....

[AdriftAtSea]

I take it you have a pipe tiller...rather than a less useful but more traditional laminated wooden one... ;)

[Norm]

Keg hung rudders!  I said that?  For a guy who forbids drinking while under way that's an accomplishment. 

Sailors say the darnest things...

There were 71 J28s built.  I know of one hull that was declared a constructive total loss after a NE storm.  The boats are expensive but worth it 100%.

During today's long drive up to Portland I mused about this thread.  I wonder if our boats ever discuss "the perfect owner?"

Best regards, Norman

[CapnK]

During today's long drive up to Portland I mused about this thread.  I wonder if our boats ever discuss "the perfect owner?"

I'm fairly certain that the CrewDogs have had that discussion... :D

[Joe Pyrat]

During today's long drive up to Portland I mused about this thread.  I wonder if our boats ever discuss "the perfect owner?"

First off, I think we need to determine exactly who owns who...   ;)

[Norm]

Yes, it is a good question, "who owns whom?"  I posit that when the boat picks you out, it is the perfect boat. 

(I wonder if... after reading all this stuff... a headshrinker might wonder about the sanity of sailors?)

Continuing on the topic of perfect boats... in practical terms:  we have a thought that headroom may be overrated.  Anyone have experience with low-headroom boats?  Some of our thinking revolves around reaching handholds while heeling, the fact that so much time is spent on deck, and making adjustments to the interior that render the one stand-up task, cooking, more comfortable.

In my youth, my parents had an Irwin 27 that made the Florida to Maine round trip twice.  We never noticed the 5ft 8in headroom... as being short... while under way.  That was a live-aboard situation.  Now, E and I are thinking lustful thoughts about a 33 foot Aphrodite 101.  We like the high performance and fairly deep, narrow hull.

Our Beneteau adventure put us off wide shallow hulls forever.

Any feedback from Team SailFar?

Norm
Boston

[CharlieJ]

Tehani now has 5'9" headroom in the main cabin. She originally had a bit less but when we rebuilt her interior I lowered the sole 1 inch. We are both shorter than that so it suits us just fine.

Our previous sailboat did NOT have stand up headroom anywhere. We found we could go about 2 weeks or thereabouts and we'd begin to feel the need to STAND UP.Of course it isn't really NEEDED but it's a huge psychological boost to be able to stand.

One of the BEST additions we made to the interior was a set of grabs on the underside of the cabin, each side of the companionway. We found that offshore those grabs were invaluable. I plan to install at least one and possibly two more somewhere around the main bulkhead leading to the fore cabin. Hand holds are VERY important in any kind of seaway. Without something solid to grab, you can get injured quite badly being flung around inside. Of course you can't get flung as far aboard Tehani as on some of the show room "marina queens" I see in boat shows which look to be horrible offshore.

[AdriftAtSea]

Norm-

I hope you're just talking about wide, flat-bottomed monohulls... seeing how my boat is 18' wide and very shallow...my opinion may be a bit biased. 

However, that said, I'm not a big fan of the modern, beamy, shallow designs... they're not comfortable in heavy seas.  A multihull has a very different motion, even though it is wide and shallow draft, as it doesn't have the inertia that a Beneteau has, as it has no heavy keel.

Headroom is nice...and one of the reasons I went with the Telstar, rather than the Corsair F28, which has less than 4' 8" of headroom IIRC.  Most of the people who sail with me and crew for me are over 6' tall...

BTW, is this the model that you're talking about?  If so, I can see why you like her—she's a very pretty boat... and looks quite seaworthy as well.

[LauraG]

I could enjoy traveling on our boat that did not have standing headroom for about ten days. Cooking and cleaning up afterwards is not as comfortable sitting down but that really didn't bother me. I got tired of feeling like I was living in a pup tent.  I wanted to STAND UP to pull my britches up. ;D

[Dougcan]

Head room is a must for me!  I'm so tired of standing up with my head sideway!

Hmm  that leads to a question, but I'll start a new post on it later.

[s/v Faith]

Yes, it is a good question, "who owns whom?" .....

  ....... I was seduced.













;D

[Ol' Coot]

[Now, E and I are thinking lustful thoughts about a 33 foot Aphrodite 101. We like the high performance and fairly deep, narrow hull.]

Norm,

The 101 is a beautiful boat indeed.  If you can get past the lack of standing head room, you may have picked a great cruiser. 

Kevin


BTW- -Not the boat in the picture posted by Adrift.  The 101 makes the 33 look a bit like a floating heifer.

[CapnK]

Norm - my ex-boat was Com-Pac 23D, and she lacked headroom for my towering 5' 9" of height. ;)

My input on low headroom is that if you are going to spend any appreciable time aboard, make sure you can stand up straight, somewhere inside the cabin. It makes a *world* of difference!

Standing room is not at all overrated, even if it's only in a small area, like on my current boat (6' x 2' of sole with headroom, perhaps).

[AdriftAtSea]

Thanks for clarifying that.. ;)

[Ol' Coot]

The Aphrodite 33 is not a bad looking boat, but compared to the 101...

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/photoGallery.jsp?type=%28Sail%29&sm=3&toLength=34&cit=true&currencyid=100&luom=126&fromLength=32&man=aphrodite&slim=quick&is=false&back=/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp;jsessionid=coPApgJZmN2-&boat_id=1569538

... it just doesn't have the lines.  Those beautiful sleek lines do come at the cost of cabin accomodations however.

[Iceman]

The Voyager 26 is pretty close to perfect

There was one on ebay last week

Iceman

[Iceman]

I didnt remember how to post a link

It didnt meet reserve price..I saved it in my ebay..if anyone is interested

Ice :)