What to buy?

Nordhavn

Good choice but i think it's disqualified by 4,3,2 and 1. In fact I think 4, 3 and 2 just about take him out of motor range leaving him with a 30 or 40 ft. sailboat which fits in with 4 & 5 but may be precluded by 1.
Welcome Fada

What kind of annual budget are you planning on spending per year to maintain, and per year to travel. What oceans and area's do you plan on traveling to? How many crew is not that many? Nobody can accurately advise you without more information. Another avenue would be to go with something you can easily handle and then ship it to destinations all over the world, enjoy the area, then ship it to the next destination.

May I recommend the motor-sailer thread that is running at the moment, fits most questions.






I think it may have fallen off the list

Fish

To achieve a range of 4000nm and at the same time have a boat which you can handle yourself with a small crew is almost impossible in the motor yacht category.
You stated that size does not matter, but surely there is a limit to what you want to spend which will reflect on the size of the boat...........do you want to spend US$30million, U$15million or US$5 million for buying your boat?

The specialist in long range cruising is perhaps Steve Dashew (US) who has designed both sailing and motor boats that are intended to be handled by a couple and be super efficient, safe and low maintenance. His designs are not that big for obvious reasons (fewer crew, cost etc.) but the rigour he puts into designing them 'right' for the sort of purpose you dream of is probably unique.

Not true. A long range trawler such as the Nordhaven would have that range......46' Nordhavens have done transatlantic crossings, that would be a good choice as is a 62' Nordhaven (probably ideal given crew size versus amenities or a Northern Marine 80'

Actually the 46' Nordhaven boasts a range of 3,000 nm. They made the crossing with fuel stops. Above that would probably be ruled out by condition "3) doesnt require that big a crew (im not that rich)".

Hi,

This is the designers products written about by YF Member Blair in Post 8 above.

http://www.setsail.com/dashew/dashoff.html

It all looks very interesting, I guess if you make inquiries directly they will tell you about power requirements and range.

All Nordhavn motor yachts have a range upto 3000nm at a cruising speed of 7-8 knots with the exception of the 75ft and 86ft yachts, those have a range of 4000nm.
The only small Nordhavn which could achieve a range of 4000nm or more is the 56ft motorsailer. It can achieve about 3000nm under power alone and when sailing, it can definitely achieve much more.

That's why you bring 4- 55 gallon fuel drums with additional fuel. Most yachts always bring drums nowadays on long voyages even if only as piece of mind. hehehehe

As for condition 3, it sounds like not that big a crew would be a crew of 2 people, but he didn't specify and we are all just speculating. But, if you are running 24 hours a day, for more then 1 day, you need a crew of 4 as per USCG rules. (Each crew member shall have 8 continuous hours a day off). Also in order to do a proper watch. You can run each person 3hrs on and 9hrs off, or 2hrs on and 6hrs off or whichever. I have gone 24/7 with a total crew of 3, for 2 continouos days. After that, it just becomes way too tiring for everyone to maintain safety.

A sailboat would be his best bet and about a 60 footer or so would carry the fuel, food, supplies and have a generator and the freezer space to keep enough food to do 4,000 NM comfortably. Because eating cold dinty moore beef stew out of a can for 4,000NM's is not considered comfortable to me.

It's been awhile (early 90's) since I've seen the 55 gal drums on board. but I tend to stay coastal. The part of condition 3 I was mainly referring to was "(im not that rich)" A 60' sailboat is neither easy to man (condition 1) nor cheap (condition 3). The Gent reminds me of myself a bit. Growing up my dream was to live on a 45 footer. Then I lived in Lauderdale where boats shrink fast. Now I couldn't live on anything less than 70'. Since I can't afford that I'm happy to be land based. Of course I had to make my passion my profession to satisfy my addiction.

As did others, I'd choose the Nordy as it easily comes to mind to fit the gentleman's mission. But, they're smallish inside and even the larger models have interiors that are a bit chopped up.

After further thought, the Real Ships would take first place. They have the range (even the 57), they are big inside, well engineered and, importantly, are custom-built to give the man exactly what he wants, 1 through 6.
There are a pair of 68s that run around with just husband & wife and which are, for all practical purposes, singlehanded. The newest launch, 77' "Aventura", seen at FLIBS, will do the same thing. Much past 80 feet, I think you'd consider crew.
And, unlike the Denison brand, every one built over the past dozen years is afloat.
The motorsailers would be worth considering if only for their efficiency, but our man alledgedly has unlimited funds, and a trip or two up the mast--even on a low-aspect ratio ketch rig--would have him reconsidering #6 in The Plan pretty quick.

As nowhere in the six criteria is mentioned Comfort, even Cal 25s and 70-foot class Hatteras motoryachts have gone around the planet.

"I dont have sea legs yet but I imagine ill suffer for a while then get used to it!" Let us know when you get used to it. Some get seasick everytime they leave the dock. Some only get it a few times in their life. Haven't met the guy yet who "gets used to it". As you've undoubtedly found out seasickness is described as feeling like you will die compounded by the unfortunate reality that you won't.
As far as having "a lot of money", but "I'm not rich" is concerned, remember that there are very few ways to get rid of your money faster than with a boat. You might want to work out what your budget is for purchase, operating and maintenance as well as where you see yourself cruising. That will help narrow your search. Things like range can be worked around. Also, how much experience do you have owning or operating a boat?

Hypothetical with a twist of reality?

Great question, but I'm just a little curious regarding your experience with boats/boating.

For the short simple answer I'll certainly "second" the suggestions on Nordhavn, Molokai Strait, and Real Ship trawlers/passagemakers or maybe a Seaton Yacht "Expedition Seventy". Heck, lets address a couple of thoughts that immediately pop into my head though.

Have you ever spoke to anyone who has done a circumnavigation? How about someone who's set sail and done 4000 NM straight? Both of those are BIG undertakings and require a dedication and level of commitment rarely found at the local marina. Go check out literature on circumnavigation and passagemaking. Read some of the blogs by adventurers like Ken & Roberta Williams....

http://www.nordhavn68.com/aspx/templates/pro6.aspx/msgid/16262

These are the kind of people you'll want to gather information from.

Now let's put things in a slightly less "demanding" prospective yet all leading up to such an adventure.

Should we assume your seafaring experience is minimal? You refer to the Irish continental shelf..... isn't that like 200 Mi. from shore? How many times have you been out there and in what conditions? Because as others have stated.... no amount of sea time totally inoculates you from a dreaded bout of sea sickness. Not to mention sea conditions are never 100% predictable.

We definitely try to answer that same calling from the sea you're hearing though. Heck, A bad day on the water still beats a good day at my chosen profession that's for sure. No other kind of "working vacation" beats being your own captain, crew, swab, cook, and all around DIY'r. BTW.... that's what you'll have to be if you're going to "man" a passagemaker with one or three others for your adventure. I say three assuming it'll be yourself and a significant other in your life, plus maybe another couple to help and share your adventure.

Anyway, lets get practical here.... set your goals regarding your ultimate adventure and a timeline to get there. Look, if you don't have much boating experience you're going to need to accumulate some. Heck, even if you have unlimited funds, if you're like me, I want to be as self sufficient as possible. I hate depending on others, especially when it comes to enjoying your time on the water and being safe. So like you say.... hiring a crew or captain just isn't in the cards unless it's absolutely necessary to navigate a treacherous area.

With that in mind your going to need a way to get the necessary experience. Start out taking some boating classes.... maybe even work on getting your captains license. Learn to operate the necessary equipment a passagemaker will have aboard. All the electronics, not to mention the machinery. And let's not forget you're going to need some experience handling your boat. Ya got to be able to maneuver that thing as well as know what to do in rough seas. Most importantly know yours, your crew, and your boats limitations.

In closing this massive and probably boring post, you may want to consider starting out small and get a good year or two of seamanship under your belt before biting off more than you're ready for.

Maybe consider purchasing a smaller boat with similar characteristics you find on a much bigger passagemaker. Look into something with a inboard setup and diesel powered. Outfit it as you see necessary and add "goodies" like additional electronics as you become comfortable operating it on a regular basis.

Look at something in the 25' to 27' range..... maybe something along the lines of a Atlas Arcadia 25 or a Albin Downeast type boat. These would represent a good starting point to find out if "life on the water" is really for you. This will give you a "taste" of the systems and amenities full time boating has to offer. Diesel inboard maintenance, small galley and head, simple electrical systems and you can fit them with a bow thruster and all the electronic gadgets any "captain" would drool over. (Think stuff like Furuno NavNet 3D, etc. since budget won't be an issue right?)

Anyway, It's better to dump 60K to 100K maybe 150K to find out if this is a fit for you, than running out and purchasing a passagemaker in the 1M to 4 or 5M range only to find out it's not what you thought or envisioned.

But if you finding yourself loving every minuite of it..... remember you're working up to that ultimate adventure of a circumnavigation and passagemaker ownership. Dream the life, then go out and live the dream..... the work starts here and now. What ya waiting for? Get busy!

*edited for spelling reasons.....

Fada. It's not all bad news. You just got a fast, cheap education and your dream doesn't have to die. A little readjustment is in order, that's all. Pick up a small boat to learn on and enjoy locally. Any area you might like to visit (such as the arctic) can be enjoyed by small cruise ships, windjammer type cruises and charter boats (crewed & bare boat). There's no need for booking on the behemoths, and on many of these smaller vessels you can be hands on to further enjoy the experience and learn. Remember, the best boat in the world is the one you friend owns. You show up with the beer and leave the ownership hassles to him. Good luck. (BTW, chartering gives you an opportunity to check out different types of boats so you're well versed when the time does come to buy, and you can charter little boats all the way up to mega-yachts.)

I think everyone has gotten off on the wrong track here. It seems most people are looking to discourage you, rather then advise you. You need to be a little more specific in telling us your budget and so forth. However, it's probably best to start out with something smaller, but capable.....such as a 46' Nordhaven and start doing trips...... get some experience under your belt doing a 200nm, 500nm trips and go from there...... that will give you an idea of what you are looking for in a yacht and even if a long trip interests you. Chartering a yacht a few times (with a captain) would be a great idea and allow you to get your feet wet, get some experience, without taking a huge plunge.

Hi,

I have been reading the blog about that Nordhaven 68.

I really have to ask- if it is such a go anywhere worldwide cruiser why does it have to be shipped from Costa Rica to Vancouver?