My recent post on the Beachcomber 25 produced some emails of the “A 25-foot boat is too small to cruise or live on” variety and a fair bit of outrage.
I get that. A 25-foot sailboat is, after all, a small boat. That said, in my own defense I’ll point out that not all 25-foot boats are created equal.
Take the Harlé designed Sangria for instance. It’s a 25-foot boat with many transatlantic voyages and Atlantic circles to its credit. It’s seaworthy, comfortable, and a reasonable solution for their needs. I’ll be the first to admit it’s not a boat for everyone nor should it be.
Compared to the Sangria, the Beachcomber 25 has a much more comfortable interior design and compared to the Sangria’s 3,968 pound displacement, its 5,300 pound displacement translates to a kiss more comfort and better weight carrying. The other 25-foot boat mentioned in the post, the Irwin10/4 with its beam of 10’4″ and displacement of 7,000 pounds, makes for a very big 25-foot boat.
The bottom line is I’d happily set off across the Atlantic in the Sangria, Beachcomber, or the Irwin 10/4 as they’d all get me where I’d want to go in a manner I’m comfortable with.
Which boat would I choose if I had a choice? They’re all good designs but, as much as I like the Sangria, I’d choose either the Beachcomer or the 10/4 simply based on their shallower draft. For me, the length does not mean as much as the rig, draft, and overall fitness to do whatever I want it to.