best boat for long-term singlehanded cruising?

[Tod Mills]

At first I was thinking the 25D would be great, but it looks like engine access would be a real bear.

Now I'm leaning towards the 28, reasoning that it looks like there is more stowage (a place for everything instead of everything in a place) and what seems to be better engine access.

What say ye?



htmills@bright.net

[len]

tod

i don't know what boat is best, but i have been sailing single-handed for years (in a CD 31) including several offshore passages, and the most important piece of equipment i have ever installed is the windvane (i have a monitor, my brother has an aries, not on a CD, both work very well) - i wouldn't go alone on a boat more than a few hours without one

len



md.frel@nwh.org

[Boyd]

I dont think there is such a thing as a "best" boat for anything. I looked long and hard for a suitable single hander for myself and bought a CD30 MkII. Much more space.. good engine access... lots of fresh water tankage... seperate shower.. Check one out and let me know what you think. I sail Tern by myself with just an autopilot for help.

Boyd

At first I was thinking the 25D would be great, but it looks like engine access would be a real bear.

Now I'm leaning towards the 28, reasoning that it looks like there is more stowage (a place for everything instead of everything in a place) and what seems to be better engine access.

What say ye?

Tern30@aol.com

[Stan W.]

I bought a 28 instead of a 25D (don't overlook the CD 27 or the Seasprite 27/28) because I anticipate doing some cruising with my family of 3. Although I am delighted with my boat, if I was buying a boat strictly for single-handed cruising, I probably would go with the 25D. Other than higher hull speed, the advantages of the 28 are mostly amenities geared toward family cruising like v-berth, 60 gallons of water tankage (in later models), hot and cold pressure water, shower, separate head compartment and the like. Engine access is no prize on a 28 either. Sooner or later you will find yourself heels over head in the cockpit lockers. The water and holding tanks take up most of the under berth space (in later models) so storage is marginal for 4, but a single hander would have ample storage in the v-berth area. I would think that, for a single-hander, a 25D could do most anything a 28 could do, it just will do it a little more slowly.



smwheatley@capecod.net

[Tod Mills]

honestly, I hadn't thought quite that big.

My preference for cruising grounds leans toward northern latitudes so a place for a cabin heater and radar would be good.



htmills@bright.net

[Joe Sankey]

The 28 can be set up for single handing with a little effort. Also, the 28 lends itself to have engine access via a hatch in the cockpit sole (if it's tiller steered). Our former 28 had the hatch when we bought it, and I set it up with roller furling (removing the jib boom), and led the main halyard and reefing lines to the cockpit. Once you're used to it, I believe the 28 is a better sailing boat. Having said that, the 25D has a great layout, depending on your needs.
Joe Sankey
CD 30 Slow Dance

At first I was thinking the 25D would be great, but it looks like engine access would be a real bear.

Now I'm leaning towards the 28, reasoning that it looks like there is more stowage (a place for everything instead of everything in a place) and what seems to be better engine access.

What say ye?

sankey@gulftel.com

[Ken Cave]

Betsy (my wife-and a better sailer than I am!) and I spent over a month on our CD28 cruising Princess Louisa and Desolation the early part of June, and found that this is an ideal boat for long term cruising.

I did take out one of the water tanks for extra storage, and added two doors to access my extra space-and that made all the difference in the world! With 30 gallons of water in the remaining tank, a 6 gallon sun shower, and four jugs of bottled water, we can cruise for over a week without a problem-and with a little, about 10 days!! Unfortunately, my wife insists on a shower about every five days to do the female thing-whatever that is!!

I did add a Force 10 diesel heater (pyacht.com) which makes the cool wet days livable and keeps the boat really dry as well as your clothes.

This, an autohelm, and a good dodger, extended our sailing to about ten months a year-and we live in the northwest and cruise the San Juans and Gulf Islands.

Ken Cave
Dragon Tale



bcave@whidbey.net

[Bob Luby]

At first I was thinking the 25D would be great, but it looks like engine access would be a real bear.

You're right - but this is tempered by the fact that the frequently-accessed points on the engine are accessible from the cabin.: belts, water pump, alternator, etc.

My S.O ( 5'4" ) has taken to my boat because it's small enough for her to reach everything, including the bottom of the icebox.

In the 25D the quarterberth and the starboard berth are long enough for me ( 6'4 )and the head is large enough to manuever in. These are critical dimensions!

I haven't seen the 28, however I suspect that a useless V-Berth might really be a waste of space.

However tankage is an issue - the 25D has a 20 gal water tank, and 13 gals of diesel. But the 1gm **sips** fuel.

So I'd say that the 25D is probably best suited for singlehanded voyages of no more than 2 weeks.

The recent article in Good Old Boat was pretty accurate: What the "D" could really use is a nav station. That could be done with some creative carpentry.



Rluby@aol.com