Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts

[Blue Crab]

Eric Sponberg would be at the top of my list of designers I do not respect.

Sounds like a magazine article right there.

 

[plenamar]

OK, but I'll add a couple, underbody and interior, to give a better sense of what she is.

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Mast head spin on carbon, 3-spreader frac rig

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Underbody.  8' fin, 6' carbon rudder.

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[plenamar]

Outstanding yacht...

 

[Zonker]

3D model of my long and skinny powerboat done by Will Porter, my old intern.

Was this while he was working for you as an intern still? Kid has talent.

 

[estarzinger]

Nothing? Nada? Zip?

It is a nice looking cat.  What is it?

But, no, it is not for me.

 

[estarzinger]

This is an existential dilemma for us, since we love the Caribbean and heli-skiing. Still struggling for the right balance.

ski in the southern hemisphere?

there must be some interesting options off-piste in chile/argentina

my folks climbed on south island NZ (they alternated NZ and Switzerland) - I believe my mother was the oldest woman to climb Mt Cook and then the top slid off so she may still be (at the old height).  But there was skiing there also.

longer flights though 

 

[CapDave]

It is a nice looking cat.  What is it?

But, no, it is not for me.

New Gunboat 68

 https://www.gunboat.com/series/gunboat68/

ski in the southern hemisphere?

there must be some interesting options off-piste in chile/argentina

Actually easier to get to BC from Caribbean I think....plus we have other reasons to stop in the US on the way there and back...but either way it's 20-30+ hours of travel just to a gateway plus 3-6 hours more to the hill. Each way.

I've threatened to ski in Chile/Argentina for decades, never made it. I've studied it a bit, and one thing is that it seems much of the skiing is above tree line and less "feature-rich" than Western US/Canada - but it would be interesting to hear from somebody who's been there.

 

[estarzinger]

Actually easier to get to BC from Caribbean I think..

yea, I was just thinking of endless peak seasons - sailing winter in Caribbean and then winter skiing in chile

Would need to give it a spin to be sure but we sailed a 60 (something) gunboat and it was not for us. And bigger would not be the obvious direction (again for us).

 

[Zonker]

I reckon both would rely heavily on the paravanes to control roll.  Anyone have experience with paravanes in huge seas?

Yes, they would. No personal experience with paravanes.  But in HUGE seas, yeah they have been known to get pulled out of waves. But you probably can run them deeper in 99.5% of the time. With 10 knots of speed and only coastal(ish) cruising you should be able to stay away from really bad weather these days.

I don't mind Idlewild. Looks purposeful. Should have sloped the front of the wheelhouse windows forward.  And the sheer doesn't really match the split pipe fender line.  But overall an honest looking vessel.

Like a cousin with big tits but also buck teeth. 

 

[Se7en]

I've threatened to ski in Chile/Argentina for decades, never made it. I've studied it a bit, and one thing is that it seems much of the skiing is above tree line and less "feature-rich" than Western US/Canada - but it would be interesting to hear from somebody who's been there.

I've skied Valle Nevado for a week or so. You are right to say it's more open than BC, it felt similar to the higher runs in the Alberg valley in Austria. Higher altitude than most places, definitely knocked us around. Quite cool to be looking out at the ocean being so close. No real 'ski village' feel, more big apartments (although that could have been our budget)

I wouldn't go back there just for the skiing, but it's definitely worth going skiing if you there anyway. Certainly worth one trip if you like exploring different ski regions.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

ski in the southern hemisphere?

longer flights though 

The entire BC Coast Range is far more easily accessible - by flights in North America - yet has many, large extremely isolated wilderness areas.

First ever Coast Range ski traverse, from Vancouver, BC to Skagway, AK was in 2001.  Good article: 

https://mountainculturegroup.com/most-ambitious-ski-traverse-ever/ (I know someone who sailed up to the end of Tarr Inlet in Glacier Bay then ascended/ski traversed Mt. Fairweather and hiked out...the sail-to-ski opportunities nearby are limitless... . Met a coupla guys up in Bella Bella in May who had just come off a 1-month ski touring trip - they rafted out of the mountains down river in Alpacka rafts that they carried with them...)

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

It's beautiful, always admire well kept brightwork. When I was boatshopping for a liveaboard cruiser the top of my list was: Zero exterior woodwork. 

I’ve come to feel that varnished wood on a boat is a stylistic affectation, like mega-houses that drip with ornamentation.  An undesirable characteristic.

Unless the boat itself is wood.  (I have, somewhere in me, a mad desire for a wood sailboat, a serious one like the famous Taliesin, but would prefer smaller, like the Carrs’ well-known Curlew  (link) —maybe one day, but likely (and hopefully) never.  Too much work.  But it would be cool to immerse oneself in and understand their craft, the “ancient” world of wood boats...had I another life to live, that is 

 

[estarzinger]

a mad desire for a wood sailboat, ..., but would prefer smaller

Have you ever seen the boat Shackleton used to S Georgia - if you want 'mad'  . . . . I was asked if I wanted to participate in a re-enactment of that voyage (as nav, using only celestial) and said F^&k no.

Do I remember correctly that curlew had essentially a second hull cold molded over the first planked one?

 

[Fah Kiew Tu]

Have you ever seen the boat Shackleton used to S Georgia - if you want 'mad'  . . . . I was asked if I wanted to participate in a re-enactment of that voyage (as nav, using only celestial) and said F^&k no.

Wise decision IMO.

I've seen both the original and the one they built for the re-enactment. You wouldn't get me crossing the Channel here in either unless it was a flat calm day.

But then I'm a devout coward.

WRT wood on weather decks, yeah, I'm firmly in the camp of 'less is more and none is perfect'. Which is what I've got, except for the belaying pins and they need sanding and re-finishing. This time they're getting good honest epoxy paint.

FKT

 

[MFH125]

Yessiree! Plus: 


"People sail for fun and no one has yet convinced me that it's more fun to go slow than it is to go fast." DNewick

With all due respect to Dick Newick (whose designs I love) this quote annoys me, or at least the way it gets used annoys me.

All things being equal, a faster boat is more fun.  Clearly.  But the way that much of the "fast is fun" crowd talk, you'd think it was a miracle that anyone ever sailed for pleasure prior to the 1970's and the profusion of multihulls and planing dinghies.

One of the best days I've ever had on the water was a trip I made with two friends from Castine to Vinalhaven in a 16 foot dinghy filled with camping gear.  We started out rowing, and then had a long upwind beat into the prevailing south westerlies.  By mid afternoon we were fighting a sizeable chop.  The whole day was a great adventure, but I doubt we ever broke 4 knots, and probably averaged closer to 2.  The boat that could have done the trip faster would have been larger and more expensive or unable to carry our gear or too exhausting to sail hard for 8-10 hours straight.

I like fast boats. I used to sail 49ers with some frequency.  Fast boats can be exhilarating and technically rewarding to sail.  It's fine to be a speed junky, but it should be fairly obvious to anyone who's walked through a marina that speed has nothing to do with why most people go out on the water.

The following quote is just as (in)accurate:  "People sail for fun and no one has convinced me that its more fun to be wet, cold, and uncomfortable in a boat that demands constant attention to sail well, and can scare the living bejeezus out of you if mishandled."

Apologies for the rant.

 

[Cruisin Loser]

Have you ever seen the boat Shackleton used to S Georgia - if you want 'mad'  . . . . I was asked if I wanted to participate in a re-enactment of that voyage (as nav, using only celestial) and said F^&k no.

Do I remember correctly that curlew had essentially a second hull cold molded over the first planked one?

I think my old buddy Dave Hahn may have gone on that.  I know he's guided the crossing of South Georgia several times.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

Have you ever seen the boat Shackleton used to S Georgia - if you want 'mad'  . . . . I was asked if I wanted to participate in a re-enactment of that voyage (as nav, using only celestial) and said F^&k no.

Do I remember correctly that curlew had essentially a second hull cold molded over the first planked one?

Can’t recall if Curlew’s second hull was cold moulded or glassed.  I want to say glass, but probably cold moulded.

Re: James Caird, that would’ve been a very uncomfortable trip (but at least she [he?!?] had the very desirable feature of being decked over 

 

[olaf hart]

Can’t recall if Curlew’s second hull was cold moulded or glassed.  I want to say glass, but probably cold moulded.

Re: James Caird, that would’ve been a very uncomfortable trip (but at least she [he?!?] had the very desirable feature of being decked over 

Curlew had a complete cold moulded hull built over the original carvel one, the Carrs spent a couple of years down here in a Hobart back in the day.

IIRC the hull work was done in NZ..

 

[Black Sox]

Yes, they would. No personal experience with paravanes.  But in HUGE seas, yeah they have been known to get pulled out of waves. But you probably can run them deeper in 99.5% of the time. With 10 knots of speed and only coastal(ish) cruising you should be able to stay away from really bad weather these days.

I don't mind Idlewild. Looks purposeful. Should have sloped the front of the wheelhouse windows forward.  And the sheer doesn't really match the split pipe fender line.  But overall an honest looking vessel.

Like a cousin with big tits but also buck teeth. 

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Lovely metaphor.

You do know that you don’t have to kiss him EVERY time???

 

[estarzinger]

Can’t recall if Curlew’s second hull was cold moulded or glassed.  I want to say glass, but probably cold moulded.

Re: James Caird, that would’ve been a very uncomfortable trip  

I asked Beth about Curlew - she remembers these details better. She spent more time with 'the English crowd' than I did. We wintered 2 winters in Ireland and she did speaking trips to London , used our reciprocal privilege's at the Royal Themes which was rather a nice perk, while I stayed and worked on the boat): "new cold molded outer skin of kauri with epoxy" she says.  We missed them by just a year (or perhaps two) I think in S Georgia - would have been nice to have met them 'in the wild' so to speak.

Uncomfortable, yea, and if I remember correctly they were wearing 'authentic clothing'.  The Nav they got fuckup a bit (no real criticism - easy to fuck up in a situation like that) and the support vessel had to come over and quietly tell them to change course or they would miss the island.  The team's mountain skills were more solid than the sea skills.

Curlew had a complete cold moulded hull built over the original carvel one, the Carrs spent a couple of years down here in a Hobart back in the day.

IIRC the hull work was done in NZ..

Ta