A timely read, Wendig weighs in, and an album I’d like to hear…
Ian, a reader here who knows a lot of boat stuff, pointed out…
“I dunno……. I remember the Vancouver 27/28 and Victoria 26/30 as “load up and go” plastic boats off the shelf. Not that I could afford them at the time, but a Vancouver 28 today is pretty much a bargain, but so is a Contessa 32 or any of the “unsinkable” Sadler range.”
… and of course he’s right. Here’s the Vancouver 27 as an example.
As it happens, it’s also a design I lusted for and even considered buying and fitting out a hull & deck but, at the time, it was beyond my means. Awesome voyaging design by Robert Harris.
The thing is, while a great voyaging design for a single person or even a couple, it’s not a very good cruising boat or live-aboard.
Way back when I sailed down to Baja on a CAL 20, my gear consisted of a half-dozen surfboards, a Stella 12-string, a Kelty pack full of clothes, some climbing/backpacking gear, and three milk crates full of food (mostly pasta and rice). At the time I was a very happy camper. So happy, in fact, that I seriously considered continuing down to Chile. Lots of surf and awesome climbs to voyage to.
Living aboard a cruising boat is a very different thing than voyaging. Mostly the difference is all about stuff. Long gone are the days where I could pare down all my stuff into a backpack and a couple of duffels. Film gear, guitars, tools, and the accumulations of seventy-something years of life just won’t fit on a CAL 20 anymore.
Sure, if I had a house somewhere I could stow all that stuff but then it would be a very different thing. A home somewhere to stow stuff would be an anchor to a life I really don’t want.
Obviously, I’m not sailing the same course as most.
So, back to the idea that hardly anyone is designing live aboard cruising boats for normal people. People who deserve a bit of comfort with room for hobbies and suchlike.
The other day, I saw mentioned that the new optimum size for comfortable cruising in a monohull was 65-frelling-feet. Think about that for a moment…
I’m pretty sure that this insanity stems from stuffing a 50-foot condomaran’s accommodations into a monohull envelope. The result being a big fucking boat.
Now, I’ll assume you don’t have couple of million bucks handy and have gravitated to espace VolksCruiser for a reason. More than likely it’s just because you like to watch this fool flail about. But, just maybe, some of you are here because the idea of an affordable sailboat to fulfill your cruising needs is of some interest in these far-too-interesting times.
Am I right?
More soon come…
Yeah, you are right. It is not an ideal “live aboard”, but a good travel boat. There is a distinct difference. I lusted after a Venus or Colin Archer type as a “live-aboard” after 3 years of “travel” on a 2 ton light displacement boat. Today, having some land and a cabin to store stuff and no debts, the ULDB type still draws me for the reasons I can still live out of a back pack, and immerse myself in the sailing and travel, without the distractions of “homely stuff”. A distinct difference in boat AND mindset.
I did see an old John Bain Motor sailor ketch that had me even thinking about going back to a life afloat, but it was a bit too much for solo person to handle around other boats. It otherwise had what i would consider important, a proper engine room with room to spanner, a seperate “bedroom” aft that could be left made up, a proper snug wrap around galley, a forpeak with bunks that doubled as a workshop and what today would pass off as a deck saloon and a wheelhouse. With room on deck for a couple of hard dingys. Far removed from an ULDB, but a sedate live aboard.
Cue the line ” if i was 10 year younger and without back issues……”
And some further thought………if a mass produced “live-aboard” was available, you would probably not have needed to deign and build built Loose Moose; whose interior layout is very functional and ticks many of my own boxes.
Whats the alternative? Perhaps one of those ubiquitous 10 berth quad double cabin charter boats from the stable of Benny/Jenny, and convert one of the double cabins into a workshop and another into an office. Get rid of all but one head/shower and you have gained a lot of hanging/storage lockers. I have yet to hear of one break up from over-loading. But, new rigging and sails on a 50ft is gonna sting, but still small change compared to a new one-off.
Like you, im too tight to splash out on excess, and none of us leave this place with anything. A Dufour 35, Victor 34, Endurance 35/40, good enough for a couple to live on i reckon, at affordable purchase costs.
The issue in the EU is that my pension (if the pot has not run dry) will not even cover the cost of mooring /storage. Running off to the S.Pacific suddenly makes more economic sense. 🙂
Exactly!
Loose Moose 2 was an exceptional cruising boat as well as being a great boat to live aboard. Sure, I’d make a few changes if building again but it is as close to being a perfect design for our particular needs as I’ve seen.