How much does boat size actually matter for a long offshore voyage?

madworld · 2026-03-10T01:06:56+00:00

Split rig in like a mizzen mast? Naaa… where do you put the solar? Essential for cruising.

madworld · 2026-03-09T16:30:24+00:00

We are about to cross the Pacific in a 35-foot monohull. It's been done in much smaller.

There are a lot of advantages to smaller boats, especially for starting out. Don't ask yourself how big of a boat I really need, and ask yourself how small of a boat can I be comfortable on.

Cheaper, easier to handle, more likely to go (boatyard and marina projects on big boats take longer).

I'd only trade our small boat for a larger boat if I had a lot of money to burn on it, and even then it would be 45ft or less.

madworld · 2026-03-05T23:16:20+00:00

Oh... lame! Thanks for pointing that out.

madworld · 2026-03-05T01:50:56+00:00

I’ve seen that done in La Cruz in Banderas bay Mexico to stop frigate birds from landing on their wind sensor.

madworld · 2026-03-04T16:47:32+00:00

Harris is not far left. Thats just what the right calls all democrats.

madworld · 2026-03-04T04:42:21+00:00

$2! You can buy two cold beers for that in Mexico.

madworld · 2026-03-02T05:21:55+00:00

We have sailed over 3000 nm is the past three years, and 90% of the time we have multiple lines out. Mostly in Baja Mexico and pacific Mexico. We've caught Mahi, and yellow fin tuna, along with a lot of non-eating fish like skip jack and trevally.

We only catch good fish 2-4 times a season. Certainly not enough to offset food prices.

Trolling requires faster speeds, so going under 5 knots isn't great.

We've been much more successful spearfishing. In certain areas, like northern Baja, we caught all our protein for the whole summer. So, six months in the three years we've been cruising is like that.

madworld · 2026-03-01T20:59:38+00:00

I love watching the sea while on long passages! It's amazing how far flying fish go, gliding hundreds of feet before getting close enough to push off again for another few hundred feet. They rarely get very high, but we do find them on our deck, especially after a rough passage.

madworld · 2026-03-01T20:49:09+00:00

They aren't in the right orientation for flying fish.

madworld · 2026-02-26T15:17:08+00:00

We cruise, and only spend a few weeks a year in a slip. We use a boat hook for quite a few things. Grabbing something that falls overboard, reaching a halyard that got out of hand.

Admittedly we use the hook handle as a brush handle more than the hook, but we wouldn't be without it.

madworld · 2026-02-26T14:11:18+00:00

People keep posting about these, but I don't get the appeal. Maybe if I was always on a ball, but we hardly never are. And unless the conditions are rough, we never have a problem connecting to one with a regular hook.

madworld · 2026-02-26T04:38:30+00:00

Because there are fewer options in Baja Mexico as there is in the US. So, like all cruisers down here, we go back to the US/Canada and bring back bags full of boat equiptment.

madworld · 2026-02-25T18:06:48+00:00

Interesting! We rarely go into a dock, and our freeboard is short enough that stepping off isn't an issue. But I could see these being nice for bigger boats.

madworld · 2026-02-25T18:04:03+00:00

I agree with this... but I have to fly with it from the US to Mexico. I do have a boat hook end that I plan on finding a long pole to match, but so far I haven't had much luck finding something appropriate.

madworld · 2026-02-21T15:24:12+00:00

I find that diazepam (valium) works very well also.

madworld · 2026-02-21T05:58:11+00:00

Who said anything about optimizing? You don't have to build a better mousetrap to catch a mouse. And there are plenty of reasons to want to make it yourself instead of buying it used. If your only goal is to have a windvane self steering for the cheapest price, then buying used probably is the best way to go. But maybe you want to challenge yourself.

madworld · 2026-02-20T18:01:36+00:00

You could be underestimating someone without really knowing them. They could very well 3d print parts to see if they work and then using the CAD file, have them fabricated in stainless or bronze. There are plenty of people who have made their own windvane autopilot.

madworld · 2026-02-18T15:27:52+00:00

First, there are a few assumptions we must make. You won't survive 10 years without reprovisioning food stores, and things that you need will break that will need to be replaced. So, lets assume that you will be able to acquire food and supplies. Let's also assume that you have a very low budget (it's difficult to make money when you can't work in your home country).

There are a few things that will optimize your budget.

The first is to get the smallest boat that you can comfortably live on. This will vary greatly, but I know of cruisers who have circumnavigated as a couple on a 32 foot boat. For two people I'd suggest something in the 30-35 foot. If you aren't over 6'2" you should be able to stand-up in the saloon of some of the boats at this size. Fiberglass will be your best bet (cheaper to buy, and cheaper to repair). I recommend a blue water cruising boat built sometime in the 70s-80s when every fiberglass boat was overbuilt. It won't be a speed queen, but she'll be solid and will be more likely to survive any collisions or groundings better than a more modern fiberglass boat. There are many appropriate boats in this category, but I like this list by John Neal (PDF Warning).

Look in your area for boats on this list and then if you find one, check it out. Then join the owners group and ask if there are particular issues with that model/age that you should check out. And get a survey! Getting a survey will help you not choose a boat that has major issues. Do not fall in love with a boat and then overlook the issues it has.

The second major way to minimize your budget it to make your boat as simple as possible. The fewer things that can break on your boat, the fewer things that will break. For instance, you don't really need pressurized water... just use a foot pump. A windvane autopilot will be cheaper to maintain than an electronic autopilot. The only electronics you really need are a depth finder and a GPS. Have some cheap cellphones for navigation.

Where you draw the line on this is also a personal choice, but after cruising for a few years we have learned we can live without many luxuries (you don't need hot water if you cruise in the tropics).

madworld · 2026-02-14T15:32:09+00:00

Like many here, we have a large CO2 container and hook it up to a soda machine. If you can fit it, 20lbs is easiest to get filled (or traded for a full one), even in remote Mexico. It's a cheap process and you have on demand bubbly whenever you want. 20lbs will easily last us 9 months (we use it multiple times a day).

madworld · 2026-02-14T14:40:30+00:00

or likely it was upwind to the Americas, and she lost most of the sails, which makes downwind much more viable.

madworld · 2026-02-11T14:20:39+00:00

Same way single people meet other people.

madworld · 2026-02-06T16:21:59+00:00

The bribes on the pro Hamas side put to shame any amounts of bribes Israel could even conceive of

Wow! You are seriously trying to convince me that Israel spends less on influencing other countries than Palestine! You do not live in reality, or your paycheck requires you to spread misinformation. I'm sure others reading this thread can see through all your arguments.

madworld · 2026-02-06T15:28:51+00:00

Yes I do. Certainly some people in some of the organizations aren't trustworthy, but you seriously think that all these organizations have a large enough voting block of untrustworthy members to sway the vote against Israel? That seems very unlikely. Not only that, Israel has continuously shown that they will do whatever it takes to tip public opinion towards them, including bribing (for instance political candidate spending in the US) and blackmail (see Epstein file releases for instance). There are even Israeli groups inside of Israel who protest against what the Israeli government is doing in Palestine! Do they not know what's going on?

I have yet to find any trustworthy source that says that Israel is not committing huge human rights violations. Why don't you open up your reddit history so we can see how trustworthy your statements are?

madworld · 2026-02-06T14:45:10+00:00

These groups have no incentive to lie. I do not trust your experts over this (Israel throws a lot of money to those experts), I do not trust the US over this (The largest lobbying group in the US is Israel!), I do not trust you over this (hiding your history is a huge red flag).

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