How big a boat is needed to safely cross the ocean?

Matt V. Aardt · Mar 27, 2016

HTM09 said: ↑

Do you mean with Bering 30 to 40 mt a motor yacht with a length of 30 to 40 Meter?

Catamaran sailing yachts in that size are a pretty rare species. They require some crew to handle and are quite expensive to build. And most of the (french) production catamaran yachts with the internal volume you want, like the Lagoon 560 or 620, the Fountain Pajot range or Catana catamarans are boats for warm climates and nice weather. And their build quality and usefull lifespan cannot be compared with anything like a Bering yacht or other long range trawler (steel or GRP). For exploring the harsh enviroment of the (northern) Atlantic, you need something more beefy and with more protection for person on the wheel and especially when used as a live aboard. And any harbour master and lock operator around the atlantic will hate you because of their beam .

With the budget for a 30 to 40 meter steel or GRP trawler or long range explorer (preowned or new) you have a whole world to choose from. If your name tells me, you are living in the BENELUX area, you live in the middle of that yachting industry. Names like Moonen come into my mind. Or just contact Vripack Naval Architects in Sneek (NL). They have tons of ready to build plans for long range trawlers and yachts, which have been built before or they have the local yards on hand to start a project. Have a look at their portfolio, they show all plans.

If you are located on the other side of the pond, Bering or IMHO Nordhavn are good names to talk to. Both companies build in China anyhow. And if you are looking for a preowned, most of the above mentioned boats are available on the second hand market.

If you could specify your ideas a bit more, this forum will fill you up with ample of great advice and info.

But if I misunderstood your question and you mean a 30 to 40 ft boat, there is a very beefy 48/50 ft catamaran available on the market. The South African build St. Francis 48 or in its newest version, the St. Francis 50. This is in my opinion the most seaworthy, highest quality, all weather catamaran with the volume an loading capacity you want, available on the market. It can be safely handled by a crew couple and is by far cheeper to operate for a normal mortal boater.

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Thanks much for your valuable information.
Is this the same yacht:
http://www.***************.com/yacht/5696099e05a3e368ec227578/sofia/

And is it for sale?

HTMO9 · Mar 27, 2016

It seems to be her. I have heard rumours that she will be available for sale, if somebody would be asking the right questions . Call Moonen or PM our member NILO, on of them might know. But several Dutch yacht and ship broker advertise Trawler type vessels (commercial boats and yachts), which could be converted for your needs. If you live in Denia, Mallorca, Astilleros de Mallorca (http://www.astillerosdemallorca.com) in Palma would be a perfect adress for such an refit / repair and conversion. We use them quite regulary.

An amentment to my post regarding the subs:

The Deepflight boats are no real submarines, they are submersibles which always maintain positive buoyancy and held below surface with negative hydronamic lift and / or vectored thrust. Means, whenever they stop their forward motion or stop their thrusters, they will automatically pop up back to surface. A very safe feature and those vessels are great fun to drive (fly) but you cannot put them on the bottom and stop all propulors in order to silently watch the underwater world in a coral reef for example.

A sub dives by regulating its buoyancy by pumping water ballast in and out and its safety is provided by manually releasable i.e. concret or iron ballast. Their propulsors are needed only for precise maneuvering and forward speed. You can trim a sub to a defined depth, stop all thrusters and float within a current or stay within a big swarm of fish without scaring them away. Much more flexible and much more comfortable.

Loren Schweizer · Mar 30, 2016

See "Sailing Alone Around The World" by Joshua Slocum.
37-footer. Wood.
1895.
No GPS, radios, no engine, nada...

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How big a boat is needed to safely cross the ocean?

Matt V. Aardt New Member

HTMO9 Senior Member

Loren Schweizer YF Associate Writer