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What yacht for a Round-the-World voyage ?

Discussion in 'General Sailing Discussion' started by Steven H, Dec 16, 2005.

  1. Steven H

    Steven H New Member

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    Hi,

    I'm about to make a huge U-turn in life and take decissions I always have put off and do the things I always said "I'll do it before I'm old". I'm planning to sail around the globe for a year or two (maybe longer) and take some time off of the "rat-race" we all live and and join.

    The sail-yacht I'm looking for should be suiteable to be sailed and maintained be 2 young and sportive persons (me and partner, no crew) with good knowledge of wind, sea and tides. It should be capable of carrying a lot of sports-equipment (bikes, scuba-gear, fishing-gear, wind-, wave and kite-surfing gear, ...). The plan is to go really global and check out all the places where there is wind and/or waves or just nice and quiet nature to be enjoyed. We will be crossing all sea's and ocean's. So the yacht should really be sea-worhty and up for big trips.

    My question is what size of sailing-yacht should I be looking for ? 60ft or more, less ???

    What space is enough to spend so much time aboard and to hold all the equipment without having to move everything around all the time ? We would only use a very small inflateable tender ? What budget am I looking at ?

    Thanks for your help and advise already...
  2. AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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    Hi Steven,

    Good idea and I think the main concern is to get a boat and equipment that you can afford, otherwise you will postpone it and probably never make it...

    I know sailors that has been around the globe in all sizes of boats, from less than four meters and up to about twenty which is the limit for shorthanded sailing in my experience. Sure it is nice with a big boat with genset, aircond, washing machine and watermaker, but also a lot of things that will cause you problems.

    I would go for something in between 33 and 40 feet, could even be a 30 year old boat that has been around the world before. Then you will have most of what you need and perhaps good advise from the seller on how to make it.

    At least this is if you really want to make it now instead of spending years of preparations...
  3. KCook

    KCook Senior Member

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    Allow me a really stupid question: With only 2 people on board what do you do at night? 1 person stays up at least half the night? Or auto-pilot? Or just heave-to?

    Kelly Cook
  4. Steven H

    Steven H New Member

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    Hi Kelly,

    With carefull route-planning (already now we are deciding on destinations and checking the global charts) we should be able to keep the number of days with night watch always shorter then 14 if I account for an average groundspeed of 8knts (which is low). The idea is to make reasonable short hops long the coasts and from island-to-island, moving from 1 great site to another and deciding wether to stay or hop on to the next depending on season and weather-conditions...

    I've foreseen a budget of 300 -> 350k€ for acquiring the yacht (2nd hand) within the next 12 months. The idea is to keep the old sails for the first 12 months (before setting off) and learn the boat and the handling with a few long (4-5 day) non-stop trips so we learn the routine before setting sail. Any hick-ups and technical and technique problems should become apparent in these first 12 months. Better to learn and fix before then to be stuck somewhere in the middle-of-nowhere waiting for replacement parts... I've been looking around and you can find reasonable priced, good condition 45-> 55 ft yachts in that price-range.

    I've estimated the monthly cost (food, maintenance, docking fee, telecom-sost etc. at 3k€/month.

    Taking into account we will be living aboard with 2 (sometimes up to 8 for a limited period of time when family/friends come over to visit) for 24 months and all the equipment, seaworthiness etc... I kinda had my thoughts set on something in the 50ft range.

    Do you guys think the size/budget will suffice for the trip ahead ?

    Srry if this does not really fit in to this forum, but I know a lot of the guys around here actually have a lot of seagoing experience (unlike some other forums) and whom better to ask.. :cool:

    GReetz and TNX in advance,

    S.
  5. AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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    On cruising sites you will find quite a lot of information from sailors who has done it, who is doing it and finally, who are still dreaming.

    The first advise to follow is this; Go simple, go small, go now!

    The next is; Go south until the butter melts, then turn right!

    And by the way, 4-6 knots is a more realistic average speed on the long legs.

    Good luck!
  6. bvimatelot

    bvimatelot New Member

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    For Your budget, you should also extend your search to cruising catamarans.
    Excellent advice from AMG though, if you dont GoEarly, GoSimple and GoNow...it'll never happen and you'll join the ranks of the dreamers!

    With regard to equipment and "Go Simple"...Consider your ability to maintain everything you have on board and what spares you will need to carry. If you cant mend a piece of broken stuff on board - what is the point of having it - unless you enjoy carrying useless weighty lumps of "stuff" around the ocean.

    bes of luck, Tony
  7. Garry Hartshorn

    Garry Hartshorn Senior Member

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    Hi Steven

    Sounds like your starting point for a dream is about right. Lars has made some really good comments and from personal experiance I would say pretty acurate. Keep the boat as small as comportable for you and as simple as possible and expect it to cost more then you will just fine.

    All the best
  8. Lukeyacht

    Lukeyacht New Member

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    Hi Steven, I want to do the same thing and was looking at something about 50ft. I also want to do it before I get to old or my life style changes and stop's it from being possible.

    Could you show me how you worked out the 3k a month expenses? If you would like to chat by email my email is luke@helpmebuyayacht.com

    I don’t have money tied up in a house so im trying to raise it, Iv bean dreaming to long so im trying new things to make it possible. If you would like to take a look at my site, you might find it interesting.

    Also have you planned any roughs you would like to take?

    Thanks
    Luke
  9. mariog

    mariog New Member

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    Here's a link of a young couple that are doing just that on a 34' cat. they have been very honest about their experience and budget along the way. very fun to read and very enlightening. check them out.

    http://www.bumfuzzle.com/
  10. Steven H

    Steven H New Member

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    Whowwww...

    9 months between Idea and cast-off ... that's rapid realization.

    After reading this story and a few others, a cat might indeed be a better (ie. daster, easier to live on) option then a monohull for this type of voyage. I'll be checking the ads again for cat's :p

    Thanks for all the advise already to all of you...

    GReetz,

    S.
  11. TRY

    TRY Senior Member

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    Good afternoon Belgium

    Go for a Catana 431 or 471.
    They're the best-built go-round cats.
    With my compliments contact Hervé Chossenot at herve.chossenot@catana.fr
    Easy handling with one central electric winch in the cockpit, fully equipped, acres of space, 3 or 4 SR's, good upwind capacity.
    Especially on long trips sailing verical is much more comfortable than heeling 10 or 11°.
    But again, that's a personal opinion.
  12. Manu

    Manu New Member

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    Go for it, and spend some time in the South Pacific. Dont waste time in Tahiti itself, go to the Marqueses Islands, they re the most beautiful i ve been to. Have a look at the Tuamutus, Check out Moorea, Maupiti, Wahine, dont go to Bora Bora. Try to stop in Suvarov (or Suvarowe) small atoll in southern cook island, (Amazing Diving, lots of Sharks, awesome spear fishing with no Ciguatera unlike many islands of the South Pacific). Definitly stop in Tonga, an amazing place with extremely friendly people. go to Vavau u as well, its awesome. Fiji is ok, outter islands are great and you ll find awesome surfing there as well as nice wind for kite surfing. New Caledonia is Beautifull, especially south of it (ile des pins) but quite expensive. Papoo New Guinea is a place you also need to see, not really for surfing or diving, but for the incredible Land and the amazing culture and way of life from these people. If you go North Pacific, try to stop in Palmyra atoll. For the Indian Ocean, well, i myself was disapointed but havent been to many places besides Thailand which is just ok, very touristic place. Sri Lanka is ...hummmm, well did not like it. Oman was awesome , but nothing really good for surfing nor diving in the Indian Ocean, unless you go to the Maldives which i heard are gorgeous.
    For your vessel, well , 55 ft sounds great, i myself sailed all these area on yachts from 36 to 38 foot and it was fantastic. If you are only 2 on board, not to worry about night watches, you ll never meet any other yacht 300nm away from land. Charge your batteries, radar on 3nm range, and sleep in the cockpit or the saloon, any wind change , you ll feel it immediatly. Wish you loads of fun on your trip, you re gonna enjoy it. Oh , and BTW, if you stop in Suvarov, say hello to that Tiger Shark who stole my nice Grouper i had just speared.....grrrrrr...:D
  13. bvimatelot

    bvimatelot New Member

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    What yacht for a Round-the-world voyage?

    Agree that the Catana is a fabulous boat but for the perceived level of experience of the original poster - who had not even thought of a catamaran until I brought it up, I believe - I would stay away from dagger boards. Too often I have seen broken ones even from "experienced"(?!?) sailors who have forgotten that they've got a 9 foot draft. Long passages away from haul-out will give you barnacles up the board casing making the boards difficult to retract. With the boards fully up, your visibility is degraded from the steering position which by the way, is stuck out well into the sun - though you can of course modify the bimini top. Talking about the steering position, it makes more sense to me to have the wheel positioned so that you can see all 4 corners of the boat, a la Lagoon or FP (not that I would necessarily recommend either of these 2 marques) which also puts you under the bimini and closer to the instruments and "where the action" is. Finally, designs under 5 years old have so much improved Length/breadth ratios and hull shapes that the argument for dagger boards has largely become irrelevant (this may cause some comment!!!) and makes a cruising cat point extremely well.

    Finally, I doubt whether one would find a catana on the 2nd hand market within the price range: as for new - well, the dollar's gonna have to improve a tad more against the euro....

    There are some quite knowledgeable specialist cat brokers around nowadays and I would, in your position, pick their brains.

    Have fun, Tony
  14. Teenna

    Teenna New Member

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    Anything better than what Joshua Slocum had is suitable. But seriously, I'd go for an abandoned WOR60, that one can buy for 150.000K and with another 100.000 I would personalise it. It's fun, Fast and affordable (and proven as the boat was "around" already, hehe)
  15. Kevin

    Kevin YF Moderator

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    There's a VO70 at the bottom of the Atlantic somewhere... if you can find her, she's yours to keep.
  16. Teenna

    Teenna New Member

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    I had more in mind the original, sturdy old ones with aluminum masts and simple rig. They usualy still come with various set of sails that won't do the race, but will be fine for cruising.
  17. nilo

    nilo Senior Member

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    set sail

    i suggest you check the following site;

    www.setsail.com

    i had the offshore crusing encyclopedia and more or less you will find all you need in there. it is not an encyclopedia as such that gives only definitions, it is rather a book to prepare you for offshore crusing. the author is a very experienced sailor and designer. you will find everything from the choice of the boat to the systems on a boat to hints about places.

    nilo
  18. Steven H

    Steven H New Member

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    Don't think hese type of boats / yachts fall into the category "to be sailed by 2 persons only". The sheer velocity alone would dictate a permanent watch, captain and helsman...

    Don't even want to consider the possiblility of leaving everything to the electronics when blsting along at 15 or more knts in 10 - 30 ft sea's... (mind you, I work in ICT with an electronics background and HUGE marine intrest...). If I don't trust it, most likely, most commom-sense people won't trust it either. :D

    But nice thought though. Would certainly limit the time required getting from point A to point B. Now how about one of those around-the-world-alone yachts ? Anyone knows about them ? If they can sail it alone, with 2 it shouldbe doable, but then again, what comfort, what sail, how do you work this keel ??? .... Tomany things to consider on a racing-yacht.

    Probably the catamaran suggestion made earlier is going to be the one that really makes it to the final cut. Imagining living at 12-15' cant for days and weeks is just to much...
  19. Energizer

    Energizer New Member

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    Check out boat listing

    I've seen many other, usually married couples, selling their homes and buy Beneteau yachts in the range 46-52ft. Its a very common live-onboard cruiser, but it may not be the kind of yacht you take into the roughest seas.

    The typical Beneteau 50' will house up to eight people with decent enough space if your family can sleep tight, and for two people it is the perfect size to handle during long passages.

    It will house all the equipment you mentioned, and it usually come equipped with wind power or solar power so you can live comfortably onboard.

    Just perhaps to your interest, I'll post a picture of some rather amateurish calculations I set up while I was planning for taking a rather small boat on a ocean passage, mainly for tax evasion purposes. I became sane again, luckily.

    View attachment 13767

    Attached Files:

  20. Dhowdodger

    Dhowdodger New Member

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    Although cats may be a viable option, check out the second hand steel yachts (mono hull). Lots out there that havent been built in a factory, and that have been built with the same journey you have in mind.
    Van der stat designs seem quite popular for homebuilds, and their second hand value is a lot less then factory built yachts.
    Steel can also take a pounding on a reef and still be intact:D , in far away places sourcing resin may be a problem, but a welding kit and welder far more likley to be avialable.
    An ex race yacht is a big no no, too highly tuned, over engineering is what you want not minimum weight and strength.

    Heavy blue water yacht 40-60 ft, steel or fiberglass, long keel, lots of ways of charging batteries, self steering gear, water maker new engine, crusing rig with low tech sails.

    One big plus with cats isnt so much the flat sailing angle, but in a semi exposed ancorage whilst the monos are rocking from side to side none stop the cats are a lot more stable.