How big does a boat have to be to go across an ocean comfortably?

Question

A sailboat? and with only one other person..

Also. does anyone know where i can find beginners information on sailboats and such? Thank you.

Answer 1

My wife and I sailed across the Pacific and lived aboard a Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 for 5 years. We met many people along the way that were in boats down to 28 feet. Everyone of them regardless of size was "happy". Comfort is a term relative to your expectations and financial ability. We have often joked that every year spent on the boat was equal to 7 living ashore in terms of time spent together because you are always together, mostly 24 hours a day. While we were comfortable then, now I would buy a bigger boat. I know I can speak for my wife when I say we wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Answer 2

I did a circumnavagaton in Jan/Feb. on a 600 foot car ship and it was kinda small for my likes.   Car decks were too packed to ride my bike around and the weather deck was crowded with piping and stuff unlike a container ship.    

A sailboat can  get to be too big believe it or not.   Enough room for all the supplies you need and a little room to live in would be enough.   I wouldn't want to go with anything much larger than 45 feet.

Answer 3

The above answers are absolutely correct, you have to determine what is comfortable to you.

My Dad served on an aircraft carrier in the Navy, he said there were people sick on it every time they put to sea so for some people no boat in the world is big enough.

Then there is a wonderful little book published years ago called Tinkerbelle about a guy sailed across the Atlantic solo in a 13' (4 meter) sailboat and thought he was reasonably comfortable.

Answer 4

As the above answers have indicated, comfort is a very relative term.   I'm aware of two people who solo -circumnavigated in Contessa 26s.  (In my mind there is nothing "comfortable" about solo ocean crossing in any size boat)

The important thing your question doesn't quite address however, is that size is only one factor when it comes to comfort.    Some boats are designed more for speed and others more to be sea-kindly but this is usually a the trade-off of being slower, pointing less well and turning slower.    These things of course are not as important if you are in the middle of the ocean.

Also important are the boat systems and creature comforts.   A boat that can be sailed in bad weather with controls from the cockpit is more comfortable than one requiring you to go forward.    Roller furling a headsail is more comfortable than going forward in bad weather to change a sail,  unless of course the roller furling jams.....    Bunks that are centrally located and parallel to the center of the boat are more comfortable than sleeping in a v-birth or in a settee birth that is not parallel to the center line. etc....

Things like refridgeration, pressurized water, hot water, lots of power, etc can make a boat "comfortable", but dealing with the breakdowns of such systems can be anything but comfortable.

I think the idea of what size boat is needed to cross an ocean has been steadily increasing over the years.  Unfortunatley, I think this is due to marketing more than anything real.   One needs to remember that the bigger the boat, the stronger the forces acting on it.    As a boat gets bigger, the things one person could easily do may require two or more and properly working mechanical devices become more important.    Larry and Lynn   Pardy have written about how larger boats often end up in more trouble when bad conditions hit, because their crew are less able to deal with the forces involved.  Their books are all practical, excellent and I recommend them all.

The other big factor of course, is how many people who wish to sail with.   The size of boat needed to sail solo comfortably will vary greatly from that needed for a compliment of six.

Beware of pat answers - everything depends on everything else.

As for beginner information on sailing and sailboats.  I think the basic American Sailing Association books on learning to sail are very good.    

As far as selecting an ocean cruising sailboat some of the best, straight-forward information I've ever seen gain be gotten for free here:

http://www.mahina.com/article.html

Answer 5

Comfortably is the operative word.  To be truly comfortable it must be large enough to provide safety and COMFORT.  That means space to exercise, a large enough galley and stowage to provide a varied and interesting diet.  It can get pretty boring without enough room to change your mind while eating MREs.  Spend a couple weeks alone in a small area and see how you do.  Find out what your limits are before you head offshore.

Answer 6

That really depends upon your tolerance for pain.

Records have been set for the smallest boat to cross the atlantic and pacific.  A 28' boat comes to mind, but I know there are ones even smaller.

For me.  something about 36 - 40'. is comfortable for 3 people min.  (I like 4 hour watches and 8hrs of sleep).

also this size is sufficient for all the food and supplies for 3 people.

Now if you only have 2 persons on board, the watches are long.  this additional person better be fit and a capable seaman.

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