Single handing CD36
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Dick Spangler
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Dec 5th, '06, 10:58
- Location: CD31 Tillandsia
Single handing CD36
Can anyone share any thoughts/experience with single handing a CD36? I currently have a CD31 (my 2nd CD, previoulsy owned a CD28) which I mostly sail singlehandedly on Lake Lanier in GA. I am thinking that I "need" to get a larger boat for future coastal cruising.
Dick Spangler
s/v Tillandsia
CD31 No. 63 1984
s/v Tillandsia
CD31 No. 63 1984
Re: Single handing CD36
Its not much of a problem, I have put a few thousand miles on my CD36 singlehanded. Sure there have been many times I wish she was smaller, but also times when I realize I could easily single hand something larger.Dick Spangler wrote:Can anyone share any thoughts/experience with single handing a CD36? I currently have a CD31 (my 2nd CD, previoulsy owned a CD28) which I mostly sail singlehandedly on Lake Lanier in GA. I am thinking that I "need" to get a larger boat for future coastal cruising.
Docking is a pain in any kind of wind, but I do not dock often and in bad conditions its a pain even with crew.
Good self steering is essential since the winches cannot be reached from the helm.
A CD31 would be absolutely fine for coastal cruising though, as well as offshore passagemaking.
Russell
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
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mike ritenour
- Posts: 564
- Joined: Jun 19th, '07, 12:47
- Location: " Lavida" - CD33 /"Dorothy" - Open Cockpit Typhoon
- Contact:
Handling and the case for a bow thruster
After I moved up from LaVida at 33' to EOS at 44', I installed a set of oversized winches (made electric by a Milwaukee right angle drill and a winch bit), a 8" bow thruster and an upgraded electric anchor winch with drum.
Granted, one never wants to rely on electrical stuff
, but the gear was a boon for me solo sailing her.
I think there is a case to support a bow thruster in almost any single screw vessel. (Hell I would like to fit one to LaVida at 33' but there is little room to install one).
Our thruster really came into play when we were cruising, from helping to set/retrieve an anchor, to countering a suprise tidal rip, it made life a whole lot easier, especially when encountering a strange dock. It was even better helping me get off a nasty dock, when I was set on by a foul wind and no one was about to help me off.
The most important thing I keep reminding my feeble brain when I'm on the boat..... Plan ahead so I can go ahead.
Rit
Rit
Granted, one never wants to rely on electrical stuff
, but the gear was a boon for me solo sailing her. I think there is a case to support a bow thruster in almost any single screw vessel. (Hell I would like to fit one to LaVida at 33' but there is little room to install one).
Our thruster really came into play when we were cruising, from helping to set/retrieve an anchor, to countering a suprise tidal rip, it made life a whole lot easier, especially when encountering a strange dock. It was even better helping me get off a nasty dock, when I was set on by a foul wind and no one was about to help me off.
The most important thing I keep reminding my feeble brain when I'm on the boat..... Plan ahead so I can go ahead.
Rit
Rit
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Thomas Kyasky
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Jan 28th, '06, 23:00
- Location: CD 31, KYKY, Westerly, RI
- Contact:
Single handed
My husband single handed his Colvic Victor 40 across the atlantic at the age of 68.
Single handing a 36.
Single handing a 36 is certainly possible. You just have to plan ahead and arrange things so you can do as much as possible from the cockpit.
If your crew goes below, you ARE single handing, you know.. Slocum's SPRAY was in th same size range as the CD36. ( roughly!)
________
FERRARI TIPO 500 SPECIFICATIONS
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Honda Zoomer history
If your crew goes below, you ARE single handing, you know.. Slocum's SPRAY was in th same size range as the CD36. ( roughly!)
________
FERRARI TIPO 500 SPECIFICATIONS
________
Honda Zoomer history
Last edited by Bob Luby on Feb 14th, '11, 10:35, edited 2 times in total.
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The Patriot
- Posts: 380
- Joined: Mar 14th, '05, 09:14
Re: Single handing CD36
One way to approach this question is to list the 5 things you will be able to do when single-handing a CD 36 on a coastal cruise that you cannot do now with your current CD 31. Alternatively, you may want to list the 5 most annoying aspects of single-handing the CD 31 that can be solved with the CD 36.Dick Spangler wrote:Can anyone share any thoughts/experience with single handing a CD36? I currently have a CD31 (my 2nd CD, previoulsy owned a CD28) which I mostly sail singlehandedly on Lake Lanier in GA. I am thinking that I "need" to get a larger boat for future coastal cruising.
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Steve Laume
- Posts: 4127
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 20:40
- Location: Raven1984 Cape Dory 30C Hull #309Noank, CT
- Contact:
Coming from a CD-30 perspective, I don't think it is a question of weather you can handle one boat or the other. I may be nieve but I don't think handling the CD-36 would be that much harder than a CD-31. It might even be easier when things start to bounce around as there would be a bit less bouncing with the CD-36. If things went horribly wrong, it might be a different story.
I have considered a bigger boat, because I am human after all. I would not change unless I did a lot more extended cruising. The CD-30 makes a great day sailor and is fine for limited duration trips. It is especially good when I am solo. I know what I have and realize it would cost me a great deal of money and energy to set up another and especially a bigger boat the way I would want it.
The desire for a bigger boat, would be to have room for more stuff. There is no place for a hard dinghy on a CD-30. My stern is beginning to sink and yet there is lots more stuff that would like to live there. Solar panels, and outboard motor, watermaker, more ground tackle, diving gear, bicycles, computers, more books, extra sails, life raft and a host of other stuff could all be added to a bigger boat.
For now I have plenty to take care of with what I've got but it would be nice to have more space. Now if money didn't enter into it...
If I had a CD-31 I would cruise it for a few years and see if what I wanted to have aboard would fit. Then evaluate weather I could live without what didn't. Pretty much what I am doing now. Humm, that bigger boat really does sound good. Now for the money issue, Steve.
I have considered a bigger boat, because I am human after all. I would not change unless I did a lot more extended cruising. The CD-30 makes a great day sailor and is fine for limited duration trips. It is especially good when I am solo. I know what I have and realize it would cost me a great deal of money and energy to set up another and especially a bigger boat the way I would want it.
The desire for a bigger boat, would be to have room for more stuff. There is no place for a hard dinghy on a CD-30. My stern is beginning to sink and yet there is lots more stuff that would like to live there. Solar panels, and outboard motor, watermaker, more ground tackle, diving gear, bicycles, computers, more books, extra sails, life raft and a host of other stuff could all be added to a bigger boat.
For now I have plenty to take care of with what I've got but it would be nice to have more space. Now if money didn't enter into it...
If I had a CD-31 I would cruise it for a few years and see if what I wanted to have aboard would fit. Then evaluate weather I could live without what didn't. Pretty much what I am doing now. Humm, that bigger boat really does sound good. Now for the money issue, Steve.
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Matt Cawthorne
- Posts: 355
- Joined: Mar 2nd, '05, 17:33
- Location: CD 36, 1982
Hull # 79
Trans-atlantic.
I think that Greg Kozlowski took Sherpa across the Atlantic single handed. You may wish to try and catch up with him.
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Larry DeMers
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 19:43
- Location: DeLaMer
CD30c #283
Lake Superior
Singlehanding a 36 vs. 31
I do agree that the 36 would be about as complicated as the 31 to singlehand -in fine weather. The difference however, shows up when the weather gets a bit more active.
We have a friend that went from the 30 to the 36, and while boat motion is better in a seaway with his 36, he misses the 30 for it's ease of control, relative ease of docking, repairs, and yearly operating costs.
The additional room is not a big point with him apparently. His style of sailing is mainly weekends, with a 2 week trip across Superior every year. Not a cruiser, but extended weekender.
When weather picks up, the loads on the lines increase exponentially. You no longer will hand retrieve and adjust your Genoa sheets nor your main sheet. The winches will be used all of the time. Sail handling in higher winds becomes more difficult too, due to the higher loads. All of your rigging is going to have a lot heavier specifications due to the increased loading.
I guess that making the upqrade up to a larger boat has to stop somewhere, otherwise you will be forever improving your current boat, selling it and buying the next incremental size to also improve -again. That is an expensive hobby in my mind.
The sea is not always greener in the next bay.
Cheers,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
CD30 Lake Superior
We have a friend that went from the 30 to the 36, and while boat motion is better in a seaway with his 36, he misses the 30 for it's ease of control, relative ease of docking, repairs, and yearly operating costs.
The additional room is not a big point with him apparently. His style of sailing is mainly weekends, with a 2 week trip across Superior every year. Not a cruiser, but extended weekender.
When weather picks up, the loads on the lines increase exponentially. You no longer will hand retrieve and adjust your Genoa sheets nor your main sheet. The winches will be used all of the time. Sail handling in higher winds becomes more difficult too, due to the higher loads. All of your rigging is going to have a lot heavier specifications due to the increased loading.
I guess that making the upqrade up to a larger boat has to stop somewhere, otherwise you will be forever improving your current boat, selling it and buying the next incremental size to also improve -again. That is an expensive hobby in my mind.
The sea is not always greener in the next bay.
Cheers,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
CD30 Lake Superior
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Greg Kozlowski
- Posts: 101
- Joined: Jun 1st, '06, 08:29
Singlehanding a CD36
As the old saying goes, no boat is too big at sea, so it goes with a bigger CD. For singlehanded off shore passage making, the CD 36 is a brilliant boat - just the right displacement to give you a soft ride in prevailing conditions and yet small enough in terms of sail handling to be no more difficult to manhandle in heavy going than a much smaller boat. I must confess that I fell totally in love with my boat on the Atlantic crossing - she just clicked off the miles with such ease and managed to shrug off the most appalling conditions that I often say that it was now I that crossed the Atlantic but the boat, and I just happened to be on it.
If you intend to cross oceans, the CD36 is an excellent choice in both design and size. However, coastal cruising is generally more challenging regardless of the size of boat, and a bigger boat will certainly make it even more challenging. If you have already been single handing a smaller boat regularly, the seamanship skills you have developed will serve you well on the bigger CD. Certain maneuvers on the bigger boat will surely be riskier to recover from and will require more forethought or a different approach to accomplish in a safe, seamanlike manner but, generally, with experience and preparation almost anything you can do on a smaller boat single handed can also be done with the bigger one, albeit with a bit more teeth grinding, at least in the first few years.
Having said all that, my personal choice for a singlehanded coastal cruiser would be a smaller boat. The CD 36, IMHO is more suitable as a liveaboard ocean cruiser for a couple. In that respect, she is just about the perfect size, regardless of what all the SSCA surveys tell you.
If you intend to cross oceans, the CD36 is an excellent choice in both design and size. However, coastal cruising is generally more challenging regardless of the size of boat, and a bigger boat will certainly make it even more challenging. If you have already been single handing a smaller boat regularly, the seamanship skills you have developed will serve you well on the bigger CD. Certain maneuvers on the bigger boat will surely be riskier to recover from and will require more forethought or a different approach to accomplish in a safe, seamanlike manner but, generally, with experience and preparation almost anything you can do on a smaller boat single handed can also be done with the bigger one, albeit with a bit more teeth grinding, at least in the first few years.
Having said all that, my personal choice for a singlehanded coastal cruiser would be a smaller boat. The CD 36, IMHO is more suitable as a liveaboard ocean cruiser for a couple. In that respect, she is just about the perfect size, regardless of what all the SSCA surveys tell you.
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lubeckmaine
- Posts: 92
- Joined: Jan 13th, '08, 12:22
- Location: CD36 Diapensia Lubec, Maine
- Contact:
Thank You
Thank You, Greg, for putting so succinctly why I love our CD 36, the perfect boat for a couple. If someone could just figure out a boat trailer when guests come along, the only time when I fantasize about a two-cabin situation when someone's got their head buried in the settee as I do my early wake up stuff at the nav station....are there Cape Dory trailers?