Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

Cruising boats are cargo ships
In Response To: At-rest vs. In-Motion ()

A cruising sailboat is a cargo ship. It needs to carry you and all your worldly goods across the ocean, so its ability to deal with weight is critical. I see a lot of overloaded catamarans that lose a significant amount of performance because of this. Monohulls aren't immune, but a heavy mono to begin with is less subject to problems with additional pounds. There is a minimum amount of stuff you need to safely cruise long distances, and most of it doesn't vary at all depending on the size or type of boat you have: food, water, clothing, nav gear, etc. will all be nearly identical on a 30 footer or a 50 footer. Yes, anchoring gear and some other equipment will be heavier, but you still need a lot of this stuff no matter the length of your boat. Choose one that carries weight well if you are going long-distance cruising.

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