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After 5 years as a navigator on a sub, James bought a sailboat, moved aboard, and never again lived on land. Now, after 21 years on the water he and his partner, Ana, are welcoming a new addition to the Zingaro family: Luna Azul was born Aug 7th, 2023. We are very exited to share this with you all, please stay tuned!
How can you say duel rudders are a good thing not only do you have a exposed spade rudder you have TWO exposed spade rudders and it’s not a back up if your stuck sailing on one tack as duel rudders have two because on one tack the other is useless and if you really wack a spade rudder the lever it has can cause a ton of damage this modern designs have there place but really they are race inspired designs and are the equivalent as buying a lambo vs a pickup truck but taking the lambo to Home Depot and loading it with lumber and home improvement equipment. If your thinking of entering a Newport to Bermuda race a modern go fast boat is great your the sailing equivalent of the guy who takes his bmw M3 to the track on weekends. They are not liveaboard cruisers they are fine whe your sailing along with dozens of others and are racing them and your going back to Newport an back to a marina to fix every little thing that broke on that passage and have a ton of money to keep fixing and replacing all your race technology inspired yacht. But the real people would be broke if they had to pay the repair bill on one grounding of a long fin keel boat.
Ok James pretty simply to know if a boat was a cutter or made a cutter just look up the make and model and see if a cutter rig was a option or even the standard configuration of that boat. Also a true cutter will not be rigged with a tiny slot between the forstay and staysail stay. (Well with some exceptions) also a true cutter the. Mast is usually further aft then a sloop. Your advice is spot on but I still see so many people who make recommendations more based on what’s hot with the yacht club members and the well healed sailor and boat show attendees but the reality for most buying a used blue water boat it’s going to be smaller then what yacht makers are currently selling as bout water boats, (remember Larry and Lin Perdy sailed in a engineless in 27ft wooden boat) most people would be far better served asking not how BIG a boat can I afford BUT instead how small a boat could I live on and still be comfortable as many small boats 27-30ft were built that are capable of getting you around the world and even rounded the capes even some circumnavigated the americas (around the north west passage and around the horn in a 27ft boat.
Another thing when buying a used boat, find out how old the rigging is. If it's more that ten years old replace it all. It does not matter if it has sat in a marina most of its life, electrolysis will eat it there too
I delivered a Peterson 44 in the eighties and liked it a lot. They can be quite cheap these days. Anything Swan or Baltic. I sailed a Tartan, 34 I think, around most of the Hawaiian islands and across the Alenuihaha channel, very seaworthy. And of course your Oyster, too bad that you had to sell it, Aloha.
Love this video format. Presentation of options and the pro and cons presented by someone who has been there and done that rather than presenting marketing material from manufacturers. Well done sir.
At 16:55, when making the whipping to seize together the "deadeye", why did you pull the working end all the way through? Aren't you supposed to pull it through only half way so that both ends of the whipping are pinched down by the round turns?
Totally agree with video except rain water leaks - my cockpit is dry but I found rain water leak around the telefex engine cable and engine kill plunger. Took a long time to find that as buried in the back of a locker! What you didn't mention is tumble home on a hull. Wide decks are best. I sailed as crew on a Sadler no side deck to be comfortable on. I am happy in a F6 to have water (spray) up to cabin windows! It washes down the side decks and cockpit dry. Boat balance is key. The hove to / quick stop manouvre is something I practice with any crew. A wet boat (any really) needs life lines and clips / tethers to life jackets if going forward. My yacht hasn't much sheer so bow gets wet. But going forward is hardly ever needed - lines run aft. Oh you never mentioned cable glands. Pressure wash your boat then inspect for leaks when out of the water for antifouling. Store a tender inflated upside down on deck - faster to deploy if needed. Reef early - I have to reef genoa first (its big) then single line reefing on the main is fast, but maintain sail trim and balance. Use a gybe preventer! Not hard to do. Set depth alarm a lot deeper than waterline depth. Keep a good look out and use radar - it can sometimes spot floating containers. Windage (and prop walk or lack of it) is the problem with newer comfort designs I agree (again). If you balance a boat it can be dry - all about not over powering for speed that saves 20 mins of a 50nm sail! Your budget is too high! $30k and I have no regrets except marina fees! I have spent more than boat price over 11 years!
I have a 1991 Dehler 34. My first yacht. I asked around and also saw the crash test video before buying it. I checked out quite a few other brands first. I have have owned it since 2013. It is cast iron keel, spade balanced rudder, folding prop. Has very little prop walk and sails hands off the wheel for the most part. In fact some crew over controlled it! Needs to be quite big waves / swell (3ft) before it gets a bit bouncy. Doesn't really heel steeply as it has a low free board. Amazingly quick (4kn in F2, 9kn in F6). No fancy interior but comfortable for 2 - 4 weeks holidays. Very easy to handle and trim so much that within a few hours novice crew can get the hang of it (tacking / gybing and after about 3 mooring attempts will have it more or less figured out too. Sadly keel has to be removed due to age to check the bolts as an insurance requirement. Yes big and expensive job - but won't need checking for 10 years after that. Great video and just confirmed my thoughts and decision.
A lot of good advices, but a lot of bullshit with typical american vs european mindset, especially on hull and keel shapes. As an example, only showing the cons of modern keels, while not talking about the pros, like super simple maneuvering on a marina, great performance. And a terrible lie, saying widening sterns are affecting upwind performance. They are not, it's pure bullshit, and any ORC certificate comparison between <1980 and >2010 will show this.
Done 10,000's of miles on her smaller sister, a 435, this is sooooo familiar. I think 300K is a lot of money, for what, a mid-90's boat (?) ...and I never did understand in-mast furling. On the 435 we removed that, and flaked the main on the boom. I think, sadly, it's a buyers market and despite the obvious quality of an Oyster it's a tough sell at that price.
I have found some of the advanced silicone adhesives work better than Boat life Life Caulk Life Caulk had been recommended to me as the choice deck sealant
I know you’ve got a plan for catamarans and so on but I’m really keen on your thoughts on a trimaran. Not the old school styles with useless amors like on a rapido but one that utilises itself as a hybrid with a catamaran like Neel 51/52 which looks to be fast ish, safer and plenty of space which is great of perps with big families. The choices for cats is terrible.
James , coming from a sailor USN, i don't think you will truly happy in a in shore life,Iknow you keep telling yourself that your daughter loves the shore life and she wants to be with people and all that , but let me tell you from experience that i was in the same circumstance as you only it was in reverse and now at 78 years old and my kids are all grown up they don't even come see me any more, so take some good advice and think really hard, you have been sailing all your life this is what you know and make a living at, dont let the trappings fool you, just wanted to be the only one telling you this, it is not for you, trust me as parley says don't let your self be fooled
Hi James, My wife and I recently upgraded to a 2006 Oyster 56 and feel as do many she is the finest blue water for a couple made. We have so far sailed her with just ourselves, but have found that with 4 on board we can't dream of a better boat for extended off shore passages. She should have made your list. We both love your new format ! . The background is terrific as you also look great ! Am looking forward to more content, keep up the great work.
Very good video with tons of info,thank you for shareing !! Please let us know a selection of a more modern boats,for those who dont like classic lines,pls.
Camper Nicholson 47 cutter rig ,steel hull. My favourite. Well a bit biased, as I owner, sail her . Would like to hear about reefing systems. Thanks for the videos, nicely done.
My Bavaria C57 sails very well upwind (10knts in 15-18knts of wind). She can slam in steep short period waves but we mitigate this by changing course to hit the waves at an angle. We have in boom furling and can reef up to 80 degrees off the wind so don't have to turn into wind. The main issue with the Escape tragedy was the mainsheet cutting across the cockpit and striking the poor couple when they lost control of the boom. Also reefing required someone at the mast which is not the case with my system. It can all be done from the cockpit. I love the transom door and dinghy garage on our C57 which provides easy safe stowage for our dinghy. I could fit latches in future as an added precaution to the transom door although I have no worries at present that it may fail and open by itself give the size of the hinges and dyneema winch rope.
Beautiful example of a proper blue water cruiser capable of getting you anywhere in the world safely and in comfort. Looks an Excellent specification. Water maker, decent solar array, star link etc. Sure, you can buy a much more modern production boat for the same price, and if you are not looking to cruise offshore and are happy to take a bigger depreciation hit, it may be a better option - but if you are looking to cruise offshore, the smart money is on this boat. Good luck with the sale
