7 replies to this topic

[fevasailor]

Hi!

New around here, and completely new to cruisers - I'm 16, and sailed a 11 foot two person dinghy for the last 6 years, so I'm looking at branching out, especially as I'm waaaay to big nowadays...

The short story is that me and 8 or so friends are looking at going for a round britain / europe cruise in the summer of 2014, after we finish all our exams. Yes, I realise this may seem slightly ambitious considering my experience levels (i.e. none), but I was wondering what the experienced guys would have to say on a couple of issues.

• What type of boat would you recommend? (Class etc)
• needs to fit 10-12 people ideally, minimum 8 though
• we have £5000 to spend
• what sort of things do I need to avoid in a boat? such as structural problems, construction techniques etc....

Look forward to hearing what you guys have to say about my naive stupidity, but it should be fun, whatever happens!

Tom D

[fevasailor]

Is this just a totally stupid idea? we would be anchoring overnight, or staying in a marina....

[kimbottles]

I like anchoring at night, usually quieter and I believe boats would rather be on the hook than be tied to a dock.

[fevasailor]

yeah, we thought it would be a better atmosphere for us, and anyone near by! plus keeps costs down for 12 teenagers! only problem might be hygiene? I suppose we could stay in a proper place for one or two nights!

our biggest problem is the type of cruiser and how many people it will fit! ideally 12, but if we have to take less we will!

[Ishmael]

12 people all the time is going to be hopeless. Try for a rotating maximum of 6 and your options open up.

[fevasailor]

ok, it was just as it was a trip in quite a tight time scale... three weeks one way, three weeks back, or thereabouts!

Say we took 6 then, what sort of thing would you recommend? we have a heavily limited budget, about £5000 ($8000) so it's gonna be old and secondhand!

[Ajax]

Old and secondhand is not a problem if you make sure the critical parts are sound:

Through-hulls
seacocks
chain plates
standing rigging
running rigging
engine
sails (obviously)

I have no idea what the European boat market is like, so I have no idea what you can buy for 5k British pounds.

I served onboard US submarines for 11 years, so I know what it's like to be kept in close confines for an extended period. I hope you and your mates are very close friends, because 6 people on a 25 - 30 foot boat for 3 weeks is going to be cramped and smelly. 3 weeks might seem like an eternity by the time you're done. However, you guys are young and tough, and you're doing this for fun so as long as you go into it with your eyes wide open, you should be ok.

[fevasailor]

Thanks Ajax, I guess that would seem like a walk in the park compared to the subs! Hatches open all day every day I think unless the water starts coming in!

Thanks for the advice, I think I've worked out most of them, but what are through hulls and chain plates? I guess the through-huuls are the structural supports?

Probably completely wrong, but hey, it's gonna be a rather steep learning curve!