Sounds like a good trip. I guess it would really depend on how much cash you have to get a boat in the first place. I was thinking something like a Noelex 25. Not sure I would want to cross Bass Staight or the Bight on something that small though.
I think you can get a 30 something keel boat for a reasonable price but I'm not so sure about the lifting keel aspect.
Are you dreaming, or is this going to happen? (sorry about the negativity but I wouldnt mind doing a similar thing)

Theyre pretty old now I thought they might have come down in price a bit.
Try the trade a boat mag .your bound to find a bargain in there. There must be heaps of older trailer yachts around that no one uses.

I sailed Melbourne - Tasmania an back on an S&S 36, and that was small enough,
I wouldnt liked to have done it anything smaller.

no offence taken mate this is why im doing the research before i went out and bought something that wasnt capable

i was looking into similar boats such as the sonata 7 or hood23's custom fitted to cruising over daysailing but i really dont want to limit myself into the inshore areas so it looks like the bigger keelboats like the duncanson 29 looks more like what i need

that price is much more sensible and ive already factored in maintenance i mean it really goes with anything when i say major budget i mean i cant afford a 110' PALMER JOHNSON SLOOP with a crew of 50 :P

i do apreciate the replies guys and it seems as though everyone is on the lookout for me so thanks again

thanks taskers this is the exact information ive been looking for

ive already planed to do serveral short ventures around my area such as brisbane upto harvey bay then maybe brisbane to coffs to "break in" not only the boat but my livaboarding skills

that buyers guide is golden the what to look fors is handy i mean there is no way i would of thought to switch all the electrics on, i mean im not hopeless with this stuff but car world vs boat world are 2 very different things

ok i definatly cant afford the h28 sorry gizmo 50k+ is WAY outa my league

the s80 seems to be more of a racer/daycruiser

my purchasing budget is about 10-18k, ideally from what ive seen somthing around 30ft would take me everywhere id ever want to go but more realistically i think a 23-25ft boat would be more my bread and butter for long term upkeep and maintenance

have found what might be a bargin will need to inspect but on paper it looks nice
http://boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=2977184

guys again i appreciate every bit of info

i concur.
this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
cheers
steve

Hy guys
I registedred simply, I like you discussions.
First I have to say "Good luck" you on the right track, ask first and act later.
With a bit of aye for details , technical and navigational you enjoy evere bit of it. In fact I am planning something similar. I bought Swanson and next 2 years some touch ups, /liveraft, radar, just installing Garmin 550s with all Aussi maps buil in.
Used to own Duncanson 29, sailed 42 footer to Lizard. My sugestion Roberts or similar 36 would be good boat. Share long stretches with extra hand on board.
Any problems with electronic or electr. on board free to ask.

That said, lots of people have managed to get quite small boats around the world through very bad sea states.
When you do get going it would be great to get some reports in from you about how its going. If you want to chat to me, just use my contact link through the blog. As there are lots of boats around I could point you in the direction of if I knew a bit more about your budget, experience and plans.

Cheers

Jackson Digney
www.marinereviews.com.au

Jackson
than for your page , i am still amase that so many people buy a boat without any idea, nor even a survey, but i will not trust "all" survey either..
just recently I went for sail with a mate who just bought a great trimaran , he need some help to know to sail a multihull..great little trimaran and fun day we had , ...
until i took off the floor board ( i can not help myself ) and discover that all the galbord are wet and rotten under the paint, the plywood is saturated with water and rot.......................ect..and at the stern i discover dry rot ..
he bought the boat whitout even looking under the floor board, but he will not have any idea what to look for anyway..
i felt so bad to tell him the bad news ..as i got an eyes for details and spend the afternoon telling him all the faults, like the trampoline where bad , even dangeroos..ect..he sail off shore and solo, so they are few issues there, especialy we have to cross a bar..the outrigger need impecting and ressealing as they leak. and the chaine place seams to move...ect..
the alieds are stack and need to be rethraid , hopefully without taking the mast down..

i wonder if the guy who sell it to him really knew , or i am so naive.
they must have know as, they try to pach it up with some small piece of ply and expoxie....

nB. sorry for my spelling , i am dislexisque , but alas ,i have a eyes for details

Hi there,

I race yachts (47ft and sometimes 33ft) twice a week and I have some info that might help you.

1. Keels: A long keel will give you more direcional stability at the expense of top speed, and you wont be able to point as high than with a thinner keel. If you are ocean cruising (not racing) this might be a more comfortable and safer option.

The deeper the keel the greater the righting moment, and you want to have as much of the weight of the keel at the bottom to ensure the greatest moment. This is so with bulb keels, thin all the way to the bottom so there is less drag and then bulges out where the big blob of lead is. Better for racing because you can turn very quickly and point higher into the wind. If you are on a low budget stick to fixed keels, you cant afford to muck around with this factor. For ocean cruising (not racing) try to go for a long keel.

2. Crew: Its all good when the conditions are ideal, but you seriously need to consider whether you can handle the boat by yourself at night in 4m seas with 50kts of wind, which is not by any means extremely rough and can it get *MUCH* worse than that especially in Bass Straight. I suggest that you try it and see how you go before venturing offshore. If you are heading into conditions like this you would need about 4 crew on a 33 ft yacht to safely handle the boat. One person alone would constantly need to trim and spill power out of the sails, and that is aside from all the other tasks that would need to be done.

3. Remember you are on your own when you are out there. If something breaks you could be in serious trouble. We spend about 30K a season on preventative maintenance (its a 47 footer) and things still break when you least expect. This is where the extra crew comes in as well, there is nobody to help you with something while you fix it if you are on your own.

4. Make sure that you have your Marine Safety qualification, you shouldnt be offshoring if you dont have it. You also shouldnt be offshoring without a Yachtmaster qualification. A Coastal Skipper qualification is the mimimum if you are considering sailing at night, but you would still need someone with Yachtmaster on board with you if you offshore. Factor in several thousand dollars to get these qualifications if you do not have them already.

5. Be really sure of your motives. Sailing keelboats is not a solo sport. If the coastguard has to rescue you then they are risking their lives, and is costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. You would also lose all credibility not just locally but internationally because word gets around. The bottom line is: Make sure you know what you are doing and are certain that you can handle the boat in any conditions. If you arent 100% in top form about every aspect of sailing then it would be selfish to risk this point.

Given that you are unsure about the types of boats that could make these types of trips and details such as keels etc, I would suggest not giving up entirely, but perhaps postponing your trip for a few years, and joining the crew on a larger yacht at your local yacht club. They are always keen to have new crewmembers as long as you are keen and have the right attitude. You can then do your quailifications as you work up the nautical miles log, and within a few years you would be qualified enough to do a safe ocean passage. Throughought this time you would learn what types of boats would be best and know all the insider secrets that would take years to discover yourself.

I hope that I didnt put you off your dream, so please stick at it. Just be careful and take your time, and that way your time will come.

Cheers
Emmcy

Ease up Tezza. You have to start somewhere. I reckon going around Oz you'd be fine if you timed your runs well. Maybe stay away from Bass Strait and the Bight to start with but other wise give it a go. Bad stuff can happen in a $1000000.00 boat and bad stuff can happen in a $10000.00 boat. No ones prepared for everything.

hey guys thanks again for all the great info

im asking for this help to have a CLEAR GRASP on the whole situation.
m asking these extra little questions like KEEL design because ive never OWNED A YACHT and im chasing the best TYPE for the situation
i have about 3 years in offshore cruising/racing (crew) and im ever so close to being certified as a master class 5 with only hours stopping me so experience im well aware of and i understand about the consequences of how tough the ocean is and what is required to survive out there

a few things keep popping up

im sorry i didnt make the topic clearer at the beginning

solo- yes i would like to do the majority of the trip solo but for those longer hops i would take some more hands

price- yea im looking at paying around 15-20k for a boat but that doesnt mean thats all im spending on it

timeframe- i would like to do this sooner than later but as i have said before only when im completely ready including KNOWING my boat and how it reacts in several conditions which i have also written about doing


dont get me wrong guys im not trying to lessen the magnitude of this trip or how dangerous it is but im asking for personal experience or the "know" from those who have done this/ similar things especially in the field of boat choice

ive sailed on serveral different boats from a striped out j34 to the young endeavor but all the boats i been on have been out of my price range or uncapable of this kind of trip hence asking the questions i am

Quigga,

As a middle aged woman i had a dream to circumnavigate which was met with a certain amount of negativity. In August i just returned from sailing around the world. Stick to your dream.

Take plenty of time for research, take lots of time to learn, and get out on the water whenever you can. Take a crew position whenever you can (normally you have to pay expenses).

Liveaboard your boat and get to know her (once you decide on who "she" is).
As for being caught out! Don't! Keep you eye on the weather and always play it safe.
Sure, we had plenty of dramas on our trip, but it's an experience i will treasure forever. We've decided to head off again in another year or so.
It's not that bad out there if you're careful!

Go for it Quigga!! Dont let the above RACERS Talk you out of it! If you're cruising then you dont GO OUT IN BAD WEATHER!!! Bloody simple!! RACERS depart on a time and date that was set way before an accurate (?) forecast was avaliable ? this is why they need massive budgets and ever increasing boat lengths . This gives all sailors a bad rap as a dangerous sport - 98 hobart!! No cruiser was out there then. One guy above is advising you to do yachtmaster courses for thousands of dollars??? what a load of crap most cruisers out there are self taught with small baby steps when they set out . I've met plenty of people on 25 footers that are way happier than the the rich Benetau cafe latte set posers that get away with lack of skill by nature of expensive electronics, Ive even met families on top hat 25's having a great lifestyle.
There are sacrifices but when you learn to adapt life is oh so sweet.
Dont forget that if youre living aboard your yearly maintenance bill is on par or cheaper than the money you would spend upkeeping your house or rent payment? And i spent 11 months on my last trip with a budget of $200 per week, This was food grog and around $30-$40 on fuel and i was eating smoked salmon and rump steak not rice and baked beans. Youre way ahead! GO FOR IT ! I did ! I built my own sailing boat and went cruising and gave myself the best lyfestyle ever and i started with NO experience , Now people are asking me to advise them and i never done a $$$$$$$ yachtmaster course. Were blessed on the east coast with a safe harbour or anchorage within a day sail of the last safe harbour nearly all the way up to the cape! good cruising guides , charts Plotters laptops with web access and charts etc . 6000 nautical miles and ive never been caught in a storm. GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dralyagmas said...


Yeah i agree go out there wil no knowledge or training whatsoever and run through the race course on port and wave to everyone approaching on starboard with a weird look on your head like you dont know why everyone is yelling abuse at you. That is what everyone else does isnt it?



Where did anyone suggest he commit the above mentioned offence?????
Did your wife run off with a cruiser Dralyassmas??
The poor guy was asking for advice and i was giving him encouragement to follow his dreams and you come up with this scenario that no one else suggested????
Yours is typical of the "racers rule the water", "get out of the way were racing for sheep stations" attitude that is so prevelant on the waves

dralyagmas said...

hangtime said...

dralyagmas said...


Yeah i agree go out there wil no knowledge or training whatsoever and run through the race course on port and wave to everyone approaching on starboard with a weird look on your head like you dont know why everyone is yelling abuse at you. That is what everyone else does isnt it?



Where did anyone suggest he commit the above mentioned offence?????
Did your wife run off with a cruiser Dralyassmas??
The poor guy was asking for advice and i was giving him encouragement to follow his dreams and you come up with this scenario that no one else suggested????
Yours is typical of the "racers rule the water", "get out of the way were racing for sheep stations" attitude that is so prevelant on the waves

Mate I am both a racer and a cruiser and as far as i am concerned they both have equal share in wind and water. My concern is that people are discouraging this novice from educating himself so that he may become one of those people who sail in front of a start line when all the boats are lining up. There is a whole bloody ocean out there why get in the way of the people who like to race.

I think that if this guy is keen to do this then he best be armed with LOTS of knowledge and experience. if he doesnt then its a fair bet that the chopper squad will get called in to pick him off a reef because he didnt account for the tide in his navigation.

What the hell makes you think hes going to do that???????????
Please tell me why YOU feel the need to make up a scene in your mind and declare that a newcomer WILL do as you imagine ???!!!???
You are a Bigot!
In your mind everyone's a dickhead but you right?
Cruising is all about Common sense and the only problem with common sense (amongst the racing crowd) is that its not common!!