How big of a sailboat would I need to sail down the coast from New England to Florida or the Caribbean?

Question

Any recomendations for a specific kind of boat? Something that I could operate with one other person.

Answer 1

Hello,

My son and I are heading up coast in a Centaur this summer from NYC to northern maine. We will report on this adventure.

There are some very sturdy smaller boats and some larger ones that are less so.

We chose the Centaur because we knew we wanted something that had a substantial inboard motor, enclosed head and twin keel. We knew it would only need to sustain two for cruising, but might have up to 5-6 for a day sail.

In terms of other conveniences we enjoy backpack type camping so a small stove, limited galley and no AC seemed like easy trade offs.

All this said, if a distant uncle passes and leaves me a fortune I would jump into the mid 30's range in a heartbeat.

John

Answer 2

I read a book last year about a New Zealander who sailed a 16 Wayfarer dinghy from Key West to New York via the intercoastal.  The title was "The biggest Boat I could Afford"

The author was Lee Hughes.

Answer 3

I sailed up the InterCoastal from Ft. Lauderdale to Philadelphia in a 24 foot trimaran.  My crew had minimal experience but was a good companion.  All the previous replys had excellent advice and I can only add to it.  I went in the spring and the winds were southeast and east.  This meant for very favorable direction.  You will want to watch for hurricane season.  When in doubt, stay in a safe marina until the weather passes.  While I sailed over 85% of the way, you will still want to have an easy-to-start reliable engine.  Get plenty of experience before you go ...Enjoy

Answer 4

With the advent of furling sails and power winches, it is now possible to sail very large boats with a limited crew.  With the right craft , ocean sailing is possible with very small boats, predicated they are designed properly.

A few, very sea worthy craft that come to mind that are also easy to single/double handed sail would include:

Nonsuch 30 (cat rigged and pretty roomy for a boat of its size)

Pacific Seacraft 34 (Crealock design) are very well regarded for both their construction, comfort and sailing ability.

Lastly, there are several racer/cruiser designs that if rigged properly would be very easy to sail by two people.  I would look at Tartan, J Boats, C&C, Baltic, Swan, etc....depending on your budget

Answer 5

check this out!

http://www.cherubiniyachts.com/

These Sailboats are very Nice!

Best of Luck Ray

Answer 6

Coastal cruising in the U.S. can be done quite modestly.  Entering a foreign port opens up a whole bag of legal issues and advance planning.  Stick to the U.S. until you have more experience and time to research the international legalities.

An acquaintance of mine cruised from Padre Island, Texas to Florida and back with his wife in a 21 ft. Catalina.  They had a whole summer and cruised pretty much bare bones.  They used a piece of plywood to span the cockpit and cooked there on a camp stove, putting into port every few days to do laundry, replenish provisions, dump trash, top off the water tank, and pump the waste from the holding tank.

I met a family at my marina in League City, Texas who had cruised from Oregon in a Watkins 27 ft. sloop.  It was a couple with a teenage daughter who had sailed down and traversed the Panama Canal.  He was ex-Coast Guard and carried 3 anchors and an extra 300 ft. coil of line.  They would stop for periods up to 3 months, get jobs, the daughter would enroll in school and then move on.  His canvas completely enclosed the cockpit for safety and additional living  and storage space.

My advice is to get a sailboat you can afford and then get enough experience and listen to your marina neighbor's stories that you don't need to go online to ask your question.  Having the money to purchase a boat doesn't make you a good, safe sailor and I can guarantee you that it won't be your last expense.

During my 4 year stint as a Coast Guard radioman, I was amazed at the lack of safety planning (and sometimes common sense) of new mariners...mostly powerboaters.  Know you limits and stay within them.

See you on the water.....

Answer 7

For two people living aboard, I suggest an absolute minimum of 26 feet - preferably 30 - and best yet 36 feet (or more). Several 26 and 28 footers have sailed the world but the bigger, and "heaver displacement" vessel will give you much more comfort and minimal movement to avoid sea sickness.  In addition to length, it is imperative you get the right "kind" of boat as well... one built for blue-water sailing and making an ocean passage..  If you are headed to Bimini and or the Caribbean, you will have to cross the gulf stream... and this can be rather scary in the smaller boats for those that have never done it... in fact, it turns back many novice sailors...

Answer 8

ozz gives good advice.the trip down to FLA is via the Intercostal Waterway and can be done in something as Small as 26 feet....the trip over form Florida is longer, with 50-60 mile jumps so you'll want 30-35 foot to be big enough for living space, food fuel and water but not too big that one or two cant handle it....

good waterways guides available at Pilothouse Books in Philly or Landfall Navigation in Conn; likewise Bruce van Sandts The Thorn-less Path to Windward " telling how to get form FLA to islands without losing your crew/sense of humor/sense of adventure

Answer 9

A few thoughts to consider:

Frank Dye sailed north on the intercoastal.  Had a terrible time.  Sounded worse than his sail (also in a Wayfarer) from Iceland to England.

Moral, watch your weather, have lots of time so you can stay in port if it goes sour.  Eventually the weather will improve and you can continue.

Before heading into the Caribean, get lots of experience with short cruises in all sorts of weather.  

People have sunk  very large, well found boats, for lack of experience, or lack of luck.  There have been amazing cruises actually enjoyed by sailors who knew their boats and sailing.

Many small and oddly chosen boats sail the intercoastal.  Two single handed Penguins sailed (with escort) to the Bahamas.  

Don't sail a boat too big for you to handle the gear, especially the anchor.  Power assists are fine, but are known to fail.

Answer 10

Most cruisers doing that trip like to take the intercoastal route most of the way down to FL, it's almost totally protected.  

Your destination in the caribbean from FL will determine if your friend is still your friend at the end. ;)  

The path from FL to islands such as the VI, St. Maarten...  are directly into the trade winds, so it's a beat the whole way.  Directly into the wind and waves; it can get old quick especially in a smaller boat.  The easiest way to get to those islands is via Bermuda, but that is an ocean passage...

Is this friend someone you're intimate with or do you have a problem sleeping with your friends feet in your face?

Anything 30' + would be ok as long as you have the correct safety equipment and ensured all your gear is ready for any type of trip.  

How long can you tread water?