How does size matter to you?

[SurryMark]

I try to spend at least one night a week on the anchor with Tula the 27, and at least one one- or two-week trip a summer, and I'm contemplating spending a winter on the Chesapeake. I've been on bigger boats, and the comparison makes it clear that Tula-tripping is, compared to the roomier vessels, camping – especially with two people on board. (Now now, no chortles from the Typhoon and 25 sailors.)

To put a pretty light on this, I read accounts like "Voyage of the Rob Roy," "The Boy, the Cat, and Me," the Pardeys, and other small boat voyages, and I remember the old guys of my childhood who lived on rustic small boats, and I smile to recall the people I've run into, cruising on rowboats and boom-tent sailing skiffs. I also wince when I hear boat shoppers wondering if they need a 42 or a 48, or what 45 would be a good compromise.

What I put to you is not the big vs small question, but something else: you decide what the question is, I'm just putting the subject on the table.

[Troy Scott]

But occasionally it is.

Mark, there is a big difference in the 27 and the 28, but most folks can't find the extra space when comparing the 28 to the 30.

I'm sure you've thought about this, but one way to improve onboard comfort is to reorganize your use of the available space, and to find and use wasted space. There is a lot of wasted space. You can add drawers and lockers if you look for obvious voids.

Some have found that just removing clutter helps a lot.

A table that folds to the bulkhead makes the boat a lot roomier than one that just drops the sides.

I'm sure other folks will have better answers!

[Neil Gordon]

Think differently about boat space than you do about house space. If you need a boat with a kitchen, dining room, living room, tv room, workshop, sewing room, etc., then the QE2 might fit the bill. Use one space for all of that and you can cruise in relative comfort in 25 ft or so.

[Oswego John]

It sure does.

Hi Mark,

Your great question can open a Pandora's Box of answers. There is a size CD (and other makes) for everybody. How thick is the wallet? How strong is the desire to sail off to unknown places that you have only read about? Perhaps you are a weekend warrior who is satisfied with an afternoon sail inside of the breakwater.

How many of your acquaintances have started in learning how to sail on a small centerboard rig and then, when their knowledge and confidence had increased, they moved up the ladder a rung or three to a larger boat which includes more amenities and conveniences?

Sometimes, a fat wallet isn't the deciding factor when opting for a larger or smaller size boat. There are other reasons to consider when moving down the ladder to a more practical sized boat. Many times age or health has a hand in making a decision in which boat is the right size to own.

Personally speaking, I've had many opportunities to own, sail and crew on much larger boats and now find that a Ty is plenty enough boat to satisfy me. I'm not saying that I turn down an offer to hitch hike a sail on someone else's larger boat.

I think that the main contributing factor that I opted for a Ty is the upkeep. I have a very good trailer and keep my boat at home during the off season. I don't pay boatyard storage fees. I can launch and retrieve my "yacht" on the local boat ramp, a saving on crane and boatlift expenses.

If truth be told, I think that I'll stick with the Ty as my last boat because I am sick and tired of the days on end required trying to make my boat fitted out properly each season. I don't like to make excuses. I can doll up my Ty in a day or two as compared with the weeks required with a larger boat, hoping and praying for a suitable weather window to get the boat ready to crane it in to the water.

Also in my favor, because of the Ty's comparable small length, I can afford to tie it up in a close in slip. I have little to no use for power. Fresh water is close at hand, about a foot and a half below my toe rail.

So all in all, yes I do miss the extra room in a larger boat. But for the kind of sailing that satisfies me today, the Ty will suffice. I am seriously mulling over the thought of trailoring my Ty next year to the Ty Nationals. Maybe it's a dream, a fantasy. "Maybe" provides me with a lot of leeway.

Best regards,
O J

[Ken Cave]

My wife and I just came back from a month long trip sailing our 28ft. Cape Dory and she is still a happy camper. During this trip we took 90% of our food as well as enough clothes and outer clothes to make the trip enjoyable.

Space: We took out one of the water tanks many years, and this gives us tons of space for storage. The other tank gives us enough water for over a week, and with that in mind, this is a good time to find a marina, get a shower, fill up the water, and wash some clothes if needed.

As we live in the northwest with the best cruising grounds around a decent heater is needed to keep the boat warm and dry. I installed a Force 10 (Sigma) propane heater that works wonders in our boat, and installed the tanks on the rail on the stern.

Just be sure to bring a lot of reading material just in case of lousy weather. (we had a total of 4 sunny days in the first 2 and half weeks of fun and frolic)

We just celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary, and we usually put a thousand miles each year on our boat to boot. Yes I am one of the few lucky ones. My wife is an avid sailor and nothing stops her, not even the rain and cold!

Ken Cave
Cape Dory 28 #227
Dragon Tale

[Jerry Hammernik]

For me the difference in size between your last boat and this one is the controlling factor. I cruised my CD25 for 20 years. I would be out for up to two weeks at a time with 3 people on board. I used to tell people it was like living in a third world country. The inability to stand up in the cabin is what finally caused me to change. Now on my CD28 I always compare to the "old days" and think that this is pretty good. It's been 14 years now and I'm still buying the story that this is just perfect. I also singlehand a lot. And the 28 is easy for me to handle alone. Much bigger might be a bit of a challenge. Would I like a larger boat? Probably, but I don't "need" a bigger boat. (My wife says I have a bad habit of confusing want and need.)

I see a lot of boats at the club that rarely go out, and then hug the shoreline. The one you use and go places with is the right one.

[Neil Gordon]

There is a size CD (and other makes) for everybody. ... How strong is the desire to sail off to unknown places that you have only read about?

Depending on how far away the unknown places were, for a cruising couple, that might take a 25D, OJ.

[Steve Laume]

I went from a Typhoon to Raven and figure I skipped one step. The CD-30 is a very capable small cruising boat by today's standards. It is not the living space or sea kindliness that I ever have issues with but there are times that I wish I had a larger boat. For what we are doing now it is fine and unless my life sees major changes it will be the boat I sail until I go back to the Typhoon.

The problem with modestly sized cruising boats is that there just isn't that much room for stuff. By that I mean a hard dinghy on deck for starters. Scuba gear would be great. Where to mount enough solar panels. A water maker if you were doing extended cruises into an area where it was not readily available. That sort of thing.

We have a couple of folding bikes that are a huge PITA on Raven. On a larger boat there would be room for them somewhere out of the way.

Being able to hang an outboard on the stern rail along with the wind vane and not worry about how much stern squat it induced would be nice.

We also have to take down our sleeping inserts every day in order to use the settees. Not that it is such a big issue but on a larger boat there would most likely be separate berths.

I look at cruising on a 30 foot boat as kind of like luxury camping. Coming from a back ground of back packing and canoe camping, I have very little to complain about.

The maintenance difference between the Typhoon and a CD-30 was huge. This is largely due to the additional systems on the bigger boat. I doubt it would be as pronounced if we were to more up another 6'. The cost would be a different issue entirely.

You really have to pick the right boat for your situation at the time. At this time Raven works pretty well for me, Steve.

[Troy Scott]

Mark,

One more thought: The 27 is a large "small boat" whereas the 28 is a small "big boat". There is a lot of difference.

[SurryMark]

Thanks for your thoughts. Tula is such a sweet sailer that she could be called a sailor. It's an attitude adjustment that I'm making about accommodations comfort. That's why it's nice to hear and read how people do it in "smaller" boats. (Was the 27 considered small thirty years ago?) There's a certain pride and stubbornness in it, I guess. I've turned the forepeak into hanging storage hammocks and bags. I'm wondering about changing the cooking arrangements on the port side. It's 51º and raining now, and Mali the dog, Tula, and I are heading out for a couple of days . . .

[Michael Heintz]

When I first started shopping for a boat 11 years ago, I knew I wanted a Cape Dory 30. My wife and I looked through the winter of 09. We had seen a lot and I had narrowed down my choice when we went to Parkers Yard on the Cape for one more look. The 30 we looked at was not great, but I was asked if I wanted to look at a Cape Dory 30 MKII. I didn’t even know what that was. On this trip my son was also with us.

We when we boarded this MK, both my wife and son turned and looked at me and said, “This is the oneâ€

[Michael Heintz]

Here is a picture of Macht Nichts......on Buzzards Bay !!!!

[Carl Thunberg]

. . . often cursing from CT to Cape Cod for August and September.

Spoken like a true sailor .

[Troy Scott]

I thought the SAME thing, but I was waiting for someone else to say it

[Rebinva]

his comments on the relative size of the 27, 28, and 30. I have never been on a 31 and wonder about them. We have a 28 and it is, in my mind, luxury camping, however, a 33 would be great.