I agree - a good one. What is more dangerous is boats that never leave the marina! Then the owner wants to go sailing... Using the boat you got is the best thing you can do.
That Chasing Latitudes guy is a tool. Keep up the great work! I'm an inland lake sailor from Wisconsin and deeply appreciate that your channel is inclusive for all sailors. For every world cruiser out there, I bet there are a hundred normal people like me with a job whose sailing rarely takes them more than a day away from their home port.
Bizarre to pick on Chasing Latitides when him and Lady K are both trying to get more people sailing. And this upload of Tim’s was allnosy word for word like a uploads of Chris’s from Chasing Latitudes. They are both worth listening to and Chris has a depth of experience most of us will never get near.
You can carry a Shakespeare 390 antenna on board in the event that you lose your mast with a preinstalled antenna mount close to the tuner. The automatic tuner will see this antenna.
Great video Tim....Thanks I have been sailing for 5+ decades now on many other boats plus my own. I have heard all the advice and opinions...including my own lol. But it all comes down to the person sailing the boat...a really good sailor can take pretty much any boat anywhere (I've known a number of extremely excellent sailors who could/have done this) and on the other side of the coin there are the really incompetent who think they have all the answers who no matter what boat they sail will have nothing but problems. Learned a long time ago that nothing replaces actual on water experience, we all make mistakes and the smart ones learn from them. A sailor who just recently passed away told me that we all start out our sailing lives with 2 bags, one empty marked experience and one full marked luck. As time goes on we draw from the bag of luck....woe to the sailor who has not deposited anything in the experience bag on a dark stormy night when the bag of luck is empty!!! Cheers Mike and Ally S/V Bears Mistress II
I once spend a week on board a freighter. We sailed from Rotterdam to Waterford and back, so through waters that had lots of private sailing yachts. I asked the skipper what in their opinion we, as yachties, should do. And he said: Get an AIS transponder. And then when you sail, just stay your course. The freighters will see you way before you see them, and they will usually adjust their course so as not to run you over.
Not only that but if they find themselves were they have to admit what they've done was stupid they say they should have known better. Vs. I was stupid.
@@jmax8692 Names?! - like Chris, and Thomas. I think everyone knows Frogstep is referring to Chris. Chris knows he gets more views when he is trashing other channels, even if he is posting those 'tongue in cheek' sailboat review videos. We all know what Chris really thinks of "cry baby Ryan" and how he is Sophie's cuck. Thats why he does the trash talking videos. Now, Thomas just figured it out that trashing other channels gets more views. He referred to the spike in views since bashing Tim. Im not taking sides - I like Tims videos and Chris's. lol
So many advantages with a ketch. Reefing, setting sail, hove to. A big one is actually motoring to windward without autopilot. Very good in an emergency to stay off a lee shore or go up a narrow waterway in a chop. Saves half the time and work of your autopilot…. Fun when those break. Not to mention at anchor keeping the wind in the hatches with a reefed mizzen even with some cross current, your boat will be cool at the end of a long day in the tropics. Also your cockpit stays dry as the wind is never on the beam!!! I can go on and on. The biggest is not needing a spinnaker as much as the mizzen spinnaker is half the size and so easy to set. Keeps the boat on course in very little wind and none of the drama of a big spiny!!!!
Learning tip for long journey people : Lear to sail without your rudder (in all directions). Know on forehand in which sail combi you can sail without your rudder. ❤
Totally agree except for keel stepped masts. I grew up in a place (Western Australia) where masts had to be lowered to get under the low bridges of the Swan River to get to the ocean, so they were deck stepped. The deck step consisted of a thing called a tabernacle which is essentially two very solid posts the mast fitted between with a very thick bolt through to enable it to hinge back. Below decks was a prop or structure that transferred the load of the mast to the keel. I have never known one of these to fail or cause any problems at all. Indeed, it wasn’t until I was well into my mid twenties that I ever experienced a keel stepped mast and the very regular problems with leaks in the deck where the mast passes through. One of the most circumnavigated boats is the S&S 34 built in Perth by Swarbricks. Jon Sanders sailed his first Perie Banoe (S&S 34) around the world three times, including a non-stop double circumnavigation. Young sailors David Dicks, Jesse Martin and Jessica Watson all circumnavigated in Swarbrick-built S&S 34’s. At least a dozen other S&S 34’s also circumnavigated. All with deck stepped masts.
Right mate. Tabernacles servie a good purpose and they are usally satisfactorly engineered and constructed. But, I was on a boat once that the headstay failed on a deck stepped mast and the rig fell into the cocpikit. Luckily no one was hurt. I dropped a forward lower in New Cal on my keel stepped mast and the rig stay up and undamaged.
I own a Bene 393 , sailed her across the Atlantic with my wife and have spent 5 years in the Caribbean. Admittedly, it wasn't the most comfortable ride across the pond but we sailed within our and the boats limits and we're never concerned or stressed.
There may be some confusion from the mention of an insulated backstay when talking about AIS. Insulated backstays are normally used for HF/SSB. AIS transmits at about 162MHz. This gives optimum antenna lengths of 46cm, 93cm and 185cm for 1/4, 1/2 and full waves respectively. A backstay would be rather too long for the tuning unit to get it work efficiently, if at all. Note that if you are adding backstay insulators there are failsafe models available that avoid the small risk of failure associated with the older ceramic/glass variants.
SSB uses your backstay. AIS uses the VHF with a splitter typically. For your skeg and mast points it would be nice if you did some research on the counter arguments. A skeg can be pushed through the hull in a grounding causing more damage then a rudder breaking free. And I can steer my boat without a rudder. In a dismasting a deck stepped mast is more likely to break free cleanly without damaging the boat. A boat is always a series of compromises. I'm now on a Catalina 42 with a bolt on keel, spade rudder and keel stepped mast. Thousands of Nautical miles on this boat in the two years we owned it. 40k nm on a Catalina 310 before that. Never felt any of these compromises were an issue on either boat.
50+ yrs and 200K miles exp as delivery captain, racing, etc. I've seen plenty of other boats get dismasted, don't think the keel vs deck step makes much difference when something breaks while you're under sail. Only once been dismasted, brand new boat on the way to the boat show. Somebody at the dealership failed to put the right cotter pin in for the forestay, my fault for not checking before we left. Brand new boat, what could go wrong, right? Coming out the inlet into 4-6 footers, didn't even have the sails up yet. Suddenly see the whole rig get slack and start coming back at us in the cockpit. Deck stepped mast with struts at the bottom, the struts caused the rig to kick out and to the side and the whole rig went over the side without even a scratch to the boat, didn't even touch the lifelines. Managed to get the boat to the show in time and they met me there with a new mast. They sold that boat at the show and she was GONE. From what I understand, most dismastings are caused by CHAINPLATE failures, because people will replace their rigging but never replace the chainplates. Spade rudder, once enroute from NY to the Chesapeake, hit something and snapped the spade rudder clean off on the first night out. Managed to steer with the sails, nice well balanced boat, all the way to Norfolk without incident. Sailed up to anchor. Had to get towed into the boatyard. Skeg rudder, hit a big log or something that did the same as you said, bounced off the keel, somehow missed the prop and smashed against the skeg. Broke a big chunk of fiberglass off the bottom of the skeg, this was a super well built boat with a steel frame inside the skeg, no other damage. I'm sure if it had been a spade rudder it would have snapped it right off.
Also what makes the boat a lot of fun! lol Booze only when not under way. Left and right handed cigarettes on the swim deck only again while not under way and where legal to do so. If the cops show up because of you you’re leaving with them. Leave the fireworks on land please.
Great point. To that add false assumptions, machismo, and intentional ignorance. Insurance required me to hire a licensed captain to sail the boat I just bought down the coast of California. As soon as we got about 300 yards off shore he would start bellowing "I'm the captain I got XX years!" Then he completely jammed my main sail. At night we anchored and he calmed down. The next morning he decided there was something wrong with the alternator belt. There was nothing wrong with it. More bellowing. We were headed to one marina, but when I called them up, to say I would be there in two days the guy pretended that we'd never made that arrangement. So I called a marina closer to the Channel Islands, half the price and welcoming. Somehow this pissed off the Captain so he jumped ship. I did the rest solo, and I guess uninsured. I like boats where no one announces that they're captain. They shouldn't need to. When I've been asked if I was the captain I would say, "No captains on my boat, but I'm the responsible party." A good leader decision is like the time I looked at the wave predictions for the next couple of days. It was going to be just as rough. So I went to tell my son and daughter in law that we should probably head back. She'd been sea sick. They were about to request the same thing.
@@ThatGuy-cw8gb I was on a training charter with three big guys who drank all day every day. They just loved peeing off the boa! I'd learned the rule 'no peeing off the boat,' because most drowned MOBs have their flies down, but we were sailing during the day in very clam waters. And to their credit they never seemed all that drunk. Plus we had an instructor who didn't drink or pee off the side.
@@WillN2Go1 I would’ve asked for a refund. Drunk while getting training doesn’t make for a productive experience. Now sailing done for the day safely on the hook in some place new? Yeah grab a beer or 2!! Dealing with drunks all day is just exhausting.
@@ThatGuy-cw8gb Refund from crazy captain? He did try to over charge me. I just sent him a message reminding him of the price he quoted me. I agree. The drinking guys were functional. I drank half a beer one afternoon in the 1980s and I was done for the day. Those guys handled it fairly well. I'd rather not be around it, but... it wasn't my call. I'm sure the instructor if he noticed a problem would've said something.
I think comfort is very underrated in the discussion of sailboat design. You may never have plans for an ocean crossing but the same boat that is best suited for that purpose also affords the most comfortable ride, especially in a bad seastate. And yes, you will arrive at your destination a bit later, but who cares.
Very fine video, as always. The recent disaster videos reminded me of the myth: "A bigger boat is safer, right?" It might be the sort of topic that could carry a whole video article.
Yeah you’re right I have an Albin Vega and my non sailing friends think I’m crazy when I told them of my plans to sail to Scotland across the coryreckon they said you need a bigger boat
Landlubber here. Catalina 22 - day lake sailor. Good video about.........common sense in the sailing world....Knowledge is power. Know your boat and.........always know your limits. ........... txs.
I have had an AIS transceiver since they were first available in the USA. They use a VHF antenna, I have never heard of cutting a backstay for an AIS antenna. I do have a backstay with isolators but that is for my SSB HF Icom radio. Also In the 24 years I have had my boat with SSB HF radio and use that radio on a daily basis never have I heard of a backstay antenna isolator failure.
1.73 (capsize screening formula) a Fisher 25 . I’m a disabled sailor & since Covid I’ve been sailing with Sailablity in Hansa 303 & my first winter racing against Lasers. I’m also n the South Coast of England. I’m fixing up my Fisher 25 to sail the South Coast then either keep going around England or head over the Channel to France.
I have a Westerly ocean ranger 38 , never considered the capsize ratio so I looked it up 2.02! I’ll never leave the dock again despite the previous owner having sailed her out to Australia from England. Admittedly they had a disaster ( they separated) but I don’t think capsize ratio was the cause
Great video man. I would add radar to the list. I would personally choose it over ais. I love having ais but the radar can pick up small vessels that aren't on ais and the newer ones show logs and other floating hazzards. Fog can sometimes roll in unexpectedly as well.
I really like that you did this video. I used to be in the same camp of “full keel, keel stepped mast, etc etc” but after buying a 1980 Baba 30 (capsize ratio 1.77) a few years ago I have changed my outlook drastically. Although I don’t regret buying the boat, I wouldn’t buy it now. There is more to a trip than the boat specs. I just did a 200nm trip over Xmas out in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat handled flawlessly, but as most full keels, it was SLOW. Averaged 5.1kt so it took me about 36hr to do. My neighbors Hunter 40 would’ve done the same trip in almost half the time. Now think about a longer distance and weather windows can change considerably in the time it would take me vs him getting to the destination… Also on the AIS debate, get a transmitter AND receiver, it’s useless as a receiver only and 100% get AIS. I just did the trip without and we had unexpected fog that brought visibility to a couple hundred FEET and we did not have AIS and had to rely on ships radar to pick us up and warn us if we got to close(of which 2 vessels did!). It also allows you to integrate it with your chart plotter or navionics to see ships, their direction, speed, name, etc. Our next trip AIS will be on the boat for sure. Lastly, most boats can handle more than the captain! I’ve heard accounts of a Catalina 27 sailing from Scandinavia to the Caribbean safely through squalls and if venture that most people would abandon ship long before the ship would’ve sank… all about perception and perfection on paper doesn’t really equate to perfect!
Spot on. Same with discussions of sports cars, when someone tells you how track ready their car is and it is "a race car for the street" when most people would never track their car anyways.
Great channel; great information, well presented. As a yacht surveyor in the Pacific Northwest, I frequently encounter clients who've got a pre-conceived notion of what they 'need', that doesn't really match what they're likely to use the boat for. There's definitely a boat for every buyer... A bit more depth in the explanation of the capsize ratio is really worthwhile. People will often pass on consideration of a boat because the capsize ratio isn't what they think it needs to be, but the physics of the boat's overall design including the keel depth really changes stability of the vessel hand-in-hand with this ratio. Two boats could have the same capsize ratio, but the boat with the deeper keel and 7' draft will be FAR more stable than a boat with the same ratio with a 4'8" draft. and will have a much better degree of vanishing stability. In any event, your main takeaway that most boats out there were designed with a particular use case scenario in mind, and that the 'right boat' is the one that will best fulfill its intended purpose is 100% spot-on. For those who are new to sailing, I try to encourage most people to start with something pretty maneuverable while they learn to sail and embark on local adventures in protected waters, before moving onto a very heavy, full-keeled boat for their offshore dreams, but which can be really challenging to get in and out of a tight slip in a marina for a novice sailor. I see lots of people walk away from the sport, because they skip the early enjoyment of having a boat they can easily manage, in favor of having a boat that they can eventually make ocean passages on, when they still don't realistically have the experience they need in order to do so. Using a car analogy, I equate it to being a new driver who's a high-school or college student and buying a 12 passenger van, because one day they would like to have a big family and will eventually need lots of seating. Could be, an economy or sports car would better suit their needs at that moment. The right boat for the current use-case is really crucial to owners using their boats and getting the best value for their money, and the most enjoyment out of their boat.
Regarding spade rudders vs supported rudders, let me add another view point. A skeg (or a full keel in the case of a transom hung rudder) does not only offer more protection in case of collision, but is a stronger structure at all times. Skeg / keel hung rudders have multiple hinge points that attach to their supporting structures (my boat's transom hung rudder has four points of support), whereas a spade rudder is by definition supported at only one point: at the bearing where the rudder stock meets the hull. So that cantilever design creates tremendous leverage against that single point. During this year's Middle Sea Race, I know of at least two boats that lost their spade rudders not because they hit something, but due to being knocked down to 90 degrees by sudden very strong wind gusts. The massive leverage and torque created on the rudder by water resistance during a fast knock down was enough to break the unsupported rudder stock. Food for thought. :)
Interesting that the comparison is made with my very boat, Beneteau 393. Bought as a beamy, French styled liveaboard. There's still a learning curve even on this maneuverable boat!
I'll second this request. I've helped a couple friends looking to purchase their first boat and I have to remind them the boat they may be dreaming of might lead to disappointment here. The Salish Sea has a unique set of challenges: fickle wind in summer but gails in winter, strong currents and eddies (giving fin keels a strong advantage), shallows in the south end, inlets that funnel and focus wind, and lots of headlands to clear if you want to get anywhere. A heavy blue water boat won't go anywhere and a light boat can get the snot kicked out of it when the wind does kick up and further north in the straight. We don't have the most extreme conditions, but we do see drastic and sudden changes.
I started my sailing journey here on youtube, nearly a decade ago. At the time, I thought I wanted to live aboard, and cross oceans. I read about a lot of the stuff you talked about here, and had a list of requirements I thought I wanted. Then I started sailing myself. Realized live aboard and ocean crossings in my own boat, while not an impossibility, are pretty unlikely to be in my future. Sailed on a range of boats from heavy cruisers to performance racers, and realized I appreciate a boat that points well and sails fast. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but at the end of this season I purchased a boat that really doesn't look like what I would have expected all those years ago. Its got a deck stepped, masthead rig. The keel is a fairly deep fin that is bolted on - though it isn't too crazy of an aspect ratio. No skeg on the rudder. All of this, but it still has a capsize screening formula of 1.99, which is better than the majority of boats sailed in my area. I never would have looked at this boat twice when I started, and now I'm pretty sure I found a diamond in the rough. The best boat for you probably looks different from the best boat for me, and that's fine.
Horses for courses. I am old school, but then I started ocean sailing in 1984. Part of the reason for the way boats were built back in the day was that we simply didn't have a good way to know what was coming down the pipe at us, weather wise. So you had better put to see in a tank! Basically build the boat to the maximum possibility. These days weather forecasting is so damned accurate that, as a professional navigator taking a 36 meter sloop across the Atlantic last September, I set out a day ahead of TWO hurricaines, from Newport bound to Gothenburg, and rode a compact high that popped out of Labrador between them, a deep low NE of the Azores, and a MASSIVE oceanwide low developing out of Greenland to Norway area, with the crew in shorts and t shirts, trolling for fish and enjoying the dolphins with a full rig out in close to perfect conditions. Now... we COULD have ended up getting slammed by any of these systems, or all of them... if things had gone wrong, but we threaded the needle, and were fine. This would simply have been impossible in the first two decades of my sailing life.
One subject you have not covered is dripless seals . I like them for the dry bilge but you MUST service them and replace the bellows at the recommended interval . If you don't they can sink your boat fast .
Hey… thank you for your “perspective” and for all your efforts. We’ve been following your channel for a few years. I just wanted to encourage you that, it is being well received out here. You have given us so many good tips and encouragements. Thanks brother! ☺️
I really appreciate your videos and practical advice. The 4-wheel drive vehicle analogy is great makes complete sense. I am new to sailing after buying an O'Day Widgeon to learn in last summer and now a mostly happy owner of a 1992 Precision 21 with some mast step fracture/rot issues. It is a deck-stepped mast BTW. It won't go out in the ocean, but remain in inland lake sailing. I may venture out to sheltered bays after really learning how to handle the boat on the lakes.
Another fantastic episode... thanks for your balanced observations. Given the terrible tragedies you have covered recently were initiated by crash jybes.... could you do an episode on Jybe prevention systems?
I don’t know about in the US but out here in Oz, having an EPIRB on a boat over a certain minimum size is a mandatory requirement in registering your boat. I totally agree as to its importance as a safety requirement.
Great presentation of what is often very combustible topics. I guess the only thing I would add is if you are going island hopping, buy your boat for that purpose, and then subsequently think “I think crossing the Atlantic would be fun”, then a honest reevaluation of your boat’s capabilities is crucial. As you say the right weather any boat will do. But when your way offshore, in the “wrong” boat and the weather turns sour…. Not the time to find out the boats weakness.
I sail with a PLB on Lake Ontario, I also sail with a PLB and Epirb in the Bahamas. I would recommend a PLB or Epirb on any boat, anywhere. The ability to get the Coast Guard or other help to your exact location when you desparately need it is priceless. Actually about $500 for a device, replaced every 5 years.
It is funny in a way watching both channels, Chasing Lattitudes and you are both great but in opposite ways. Keep up 😂 by the way, I like very much my 393 mentioned 3 times by you today, such a great coastal cruiser and eventually passages on the right weather! Keep the work ❤
Why I installed a life raft on my coastal cruiser: my 3 year old daughter + colder climate cruising (hypothermia). Love this channel and the knowledge share Tim.
Really interesting and informative, including comments. I especially agree regarding matching a boat to its prescribed mission. I do feel, however, that generalizations can be misleading. Example: On two separate Bermuda 1-2 events, the boat I crewed on, a Tartan 33, experienced major failures, despite being relatively new and recently surveyed. First return trip: Under mild downwind conditions (cruising chute) broke the rudder off, leaving behind only the short post below the hull, which had the remains of the weld fillet used to fasten it to the short (~4"-5"?) notch cut into a metal plate, around which the rudder was foam cast. Getting the 110nmi back to Bermuda was painful, (and probably would not have happened if the seas were not calm) where cost and frustration ensued (Tartan's supplier delivered a rudder unfinished on one side- it was totally flat). Next trip: Dismasted on the way down, due (according to a later analysis) the lack of articulation of T-fittings at the mast. He salvaged the remains. We rerigged in Bermuda and sailed home using smaller, borrowed sails. Case1: Will I sail offshore using a freely suspended spade rudder? No, simply because a) Ours broke and, b) our failure mode resulted in nothing usable, unlike a rudder having either properly engineered intermediate or lower support, wherein, if the internal structure failed, the likelihood is reasonably high that the rudder can still be used (if planned for, i.e control lines arranged prior "just in case")..Yet, a very adventurous sailor has repeatedly encountered hugely nautical conditions - much, much greater than ours- on, I think, a Contessa 35, which has similar D/L and rudder design. He is the real deal, heading to the Arctic, I think, and his boat speaks for itself. Who knows? That is the question. Case2: Obvious oversight on Tartan's part- unless their intended mission did not match ours- probably the case, as I am not aware of other similar T33 failures. I think that, despite the usual expected post- buoy race banter, folks don't regularly expose these boats to, for example, days of cyclical mast pumping ( or high rudder loading). I believe that the Contessa used at least ball or "lollipop" fittings. I of course have no knowledge of its rudder design. I will guess it is different; I cannot imagine the design for that Tartan surviving his conditions, simply because ours failed under mild conditions, after being purchased from an owner in western Long Island Sound, who used it entirely during typical summer conditions- pretty much the opposite of the conditions that Contessa has been/ is being exposed to. Yet again: How do you know? Interesting debate: Would a deck stepped mast have prevented the mast breakage? Seems doubtful - somehow the failure caused the entire rig to immediately fall away, which seems pretty unusual. Who knows? But, I did/do not see the benefit of the keel stepped design in our case, either for a jury rig or from the perspective of reducing the collateral damage. Contraining the mast at the partner did not obviously improve the outcome, and it may have hurt in this case. Yet, many swear by keel stepping. And PSC deck steps masts on boats intended for offshore use. Again, how does one know? So, the folks who are routinely successful at sailing outside protected waters probably err on the conservative side (read: old, "tried and true", etc) in all the important areas, despite actual (or, perceived) performance drawbacks.- which I can relate to, now, which are reflected in the choices I made, with my boat. Regarding keels: One generalisation seem valid: high aspect=high loading, with evidence of danger when mismatched to mission- with the mission limit determined by failures, I guess. But, again I will guess lots of similar-sounding designs have been sailed long distances successfully - thus the heated debates. Many folks swear by encapsulation - my friend's boat, a german encapsulated type, terrified me when, after ~1 week of on-site helping him prep, a green puddle appeared under the front of the keel, linked to his spilling of engine antifreeze in the bilge, on the order of weeks earlier. A discussion with the previous owner revealed a grounding (its pretty rocky, with large tidal variations in that locale) years earlier, they paid for a repair, the boat was surveyed, and, still, there we were. I wonder how that can again be repaired, soaked with antifreeze. Yet others claim non-injurious groundings. I am not proud of my severe grounding~ 10 yrs ago- a rock, at 5.5 kts (instantly to zero, generating a pretty large bow wave); but I am of my boat: other than a large, flat sharp-edged "mash" on the keel's leading edge, no damage. The 316 studs have been inspected (built 1977) with nothing remarkable noted. But, my fin and canoe body does not remotely resemble a new, lighter and faster design, whatever that means. I have actually seen, on site, the catastrophic damage an apparently lesser (according to the owners) grounding caused to a Hunter (I believe), that Seatow (luckily they were minutes away) brought to the marina at which I was, coincidentally, working on that German boat. The keel's aft portion, as expected, penetrated the hull, displaced the grid structure, and created a life-threatening leak, which required that emergency haul. I have heard enough anecdotes and seen enough videos that I am convinced that such a design is either not mature enough (on a boat a mortal could own, anyhow) or so difficult to execute with strength comparable to more traditional (read: older) designs that extraordinary data would be required to offset my bias. But, as with spade rudders, I am certain that is possible, but how to know? Ultimately, if certain designs can logically be deemed stonger, more durable and reliable than others, I choose to hedge my bets- 'cause the ocean is still the ocean, having statically normal (or, naturally, if you wish) distributed characteristics, which means that the probability that any conditions- good or bad- will be exactly repeated, over an infinite timespan, is exactly zero. But, that view does not exactly lead to pushing the state of the sailing art, either. Lastly: I do not believe that my high antimony, precisely cast, 2' deep, 8- ft long lead fin, faired to fit exactly the bottom of my deep canoe-body stub, fastened with many bolts, including several athwartship ones, through inches of solid fiberglass with large 3/8" stainless plates to spread the load is cheaper to build than is a hull having a shaped cavity into which material is placed. Although the material could be high quality lead and cast to fit nicely, in some cases it could be iron- much inferior due to its relatively low density, and, if exposed to seawater, well, perhaps goodby boat; we will not even discuss concrete. But, despite its inferiority (from a stability standpoint), concrete is in the bilge of many boats sailing around the world. I suspect, though, that a properly designed external lead keel is relatively costly compared to encapsulated ballast. I do believe that a properly conservative, thoughtful, mature and experienced in short- capable- captain may be the only really necessary feature, on any boat. Despite my boats age and deficiencies, she is still more capable than I am.
Thanks for breaking it all down for us (no pun intended). You certainly take the complexity out of this most important issue. I will look for the videos you have posted about your own Lady K and why you made the particular choices you did on your vessel.
Wonderful. Your channel keeps getting better. I love how you return to remind us to use our common sense (which some of us sometimes lack) along inferring some of us can seem like a bunch of know it alls. (Let’s be honest, I’m the only one who knows everything.😊)
Love your Info. It's balanced, I formative, and well presented. Gives us novice s something to work with as we learn about sailing. Keep up exactly what you are doing . It sure does help .
As a delivery boy I've sailed a fair few different boats. Has helped me understand how boats actually behave when pushed as deliveries wait for a safe weather window, not a nice one. And I want an AIS transmitter, thin fin keel from a decent yard, ideally pogo style lifting keel, a water tight bulkhead in front of the rudder, epirb and auto gas off. And a mast I can trim. My wife wants the traveller out of reach of the kids hands. That is a compromise I'm willing to make. :) I can only recoment aspiring sailors go and work as delivery crew for a few seasons, you learn a lot from very experienced captains.
Hey Tim, love the video! And I love your very consistent message through the last few years of simply focusing on what you actually need the boat to do, and go get that, rather than excessive bells and whistles that will never be required for the boat's actual use cases. A bit of editing feedback: I think your greenscreen software is glitching a bit on the mic/clip, and on your irises. :) I look forward to the next video!
Forgot to say, another fine video. It reminded me I need to get a life raft before my offshore trip to Panama. It’s the last thing on your list that I’m missed by.
I have seen spade rudders bend, punch a hole in the hull, and sink the boat. Pearson and Catalina are two popular ones I have seen this happen too. Submerge objects are why it happened.
Big fan of you and chasing latitudes , like the difference in point of view , and do your researcher and get the best boat you can afford for where your going to sail .
I like your thoughts on this. I don't sail anymore, but I looked at it the same way when I bought my current power boat. I hate having only one engine and I strongly dislike a big prop and rudder down there. So I have a twin engine jet drive boat. Some people would say I am stupid and jet drives suck. I ran over a 5 foot long x 5 inch diameter log at 32mph with no damage, so I would disagree with those people. I also like being able to access more places with my less than 2 foot draft.
Thanks. Very helpful. Fun fact: my CS27 (shoal draft) has a CSF of 2.00186 but is heralded as a "Bluewater boat". I guess I'll have to try to see if the .00186 makes a difference! 😉
Don't get into the life raft from a floating boat , if you think it is rough on board the life raft will be a lot worse. The damage done to the boat when a keel step mast often causes the boat to be lost When demasted.
I'm quite happy with my 1966 Bristol 32 because it's big enough for me and possibly a dog yet small enough to single hand anywhere I want to go. It's all I need. 😊
Great video and Thx for it you bring up some good points , imho sailing weather changes and what boat do you want to be on when it does for the worst , I prefer the hundred year old ballast ratios that make a boat self righting , just know before you sail you may get weather and your boat with it's fancy 2. something rating may not be self righting , imho these new beamy boats would be quite happy turning turtle and staying that way
C&C 30 MKI. Daily sailor typically in approaches Halifax -AIS B Sotdma -radar -EPIRB - DSC radio - navionics on 3 devices including raymarine chartplotter with flir. - dinghy in tow when doing coastal cruises. -480 ah of lithium batteries to run everything on the boat for 10 days without a charge...fridge/ freezer included...but it has solar to two banks on separated controllers and dc/dc charger from alternator as well. ...and two 4×4s family vehicles since 1981 ;)
I vote for the raft,epirb,ais rx/ tx,skeg,keel stub,keel mast,all safety gear,fire fighting gear etc. for coastal or ocean crossing.The sea can look beautiful and deceptive but when it goes bad,it goes very bad.Ex Aussie Navy.Great video brother,love your channel.
I could not be more thankful for this episode. Yes, I would like a fully encapsulated keel with a skeg hung rudder and a keel stepped mast. One day I intend to have one. But right now I sail on an inland lake in Mississippi on my O'Day 25, and I'm extremely happy with it. There's very seldom just one way to do anything and, as another viewer commented, that Chasing Latitudes guy just gets on my nerves.
Damn good and accurate information plus well delivered. I am in the group on heavy displacement simply for a smoother ride and more sea kindly comfort when seas are angry be it at anchor or in the open ocean. It just happens to come with a skeg which provides important directional stability if any problems occur with her rudder or she looses her rudder entirely for any reason. People generally do not consider this safety feature provided by a boat design with a skeg hung rudder. This is a place where I draw the line. Yes a free standing spade rudder turns with finger tips, much faster and is easier to park in the slips but its a trade off. Everyone has to choose for themselves as you say. The way I look at it is the Ocean and for that matter saltwater is try to eat your boat. The more places the ocean and seas have access to dissolve your boat the easier it is for something to go seriously and or catastrophically wrong. Jim Rodgers
Anyone in the ocean without an EPIRB it’s crazy. I was once on a passage without my life raft, but I have never been on a passage without an EPIRB. I was once disabled between Bermuda and the United States. I was able to overcome the problem, but I was never once concerned about the my life or my young son’s life. Because of the EPIRB. Further, no one is allowed topside at night in an ocean passage without a vest with a light and locator.
Great and underrated comment about the dinghy doubling as a liferaft. Going through Porlier pass in Canada’s west coast my youngest son decided to do a boy overboard. My wife hysterically jumped overboard, grabbed him by his life jacket and tossed him into the dinghy we always towed. Forty years later we recently started taking on water on our Jeanneau 40 in the Sea of Cortez (a great but long story) but had our trusty dinghy ready to climb into - but I’m 70 and the prospect of attaching the motor attached on the pushpit to the dinghy in 25 knot winds and waves was going to be problematic -I probably would have avoided it - luckily we still had rudder control so sailed into a sheltered bay with many friendly sailors to assist us 😊
All good points especially about choosing a boat that suits your particular needs. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on electric engines, those that are purpose built not the DYI "conversions" stuff
I always enjoy your program and the comment section as there is lots to learn. So safety gear is a personal choice that everyone has to live or die with literally. On our 53 foot Spencer Ketch that plies the waters of the Pacific Northwest from Everrett Wa. To Alaska and Haida Gwaii our requirements are very different than yours in the south. Survival time for a child in the summer most places in our water is anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes in the summer and 10 to 15 in the winter . Adults are lucky to last 45 minutes in the summer and 20 to 30 minutes in the winter. Half those times for useful decision making. Hypothermia is the main killer when a boat goes down in our waters. With that in mind we carry two DBC Global Swift Sure rafts each with its own EPIRB as well as one for the boat. Emersion suits and survival suits for all crew members. If you are in a remote area of our coast it may literally take hours to days for search and rescue or another vessel to reach your coordinates if you manage to get a distress signal out depending on weather and time of year. If you are in the water you will be dead long before anyone reaches you. Because of the deep Fjords on our coast satellite phone coverage can be abysmal. If you make it ashore you may have to contend with Grizzly, Black Bear,Cougars and wolves . Some of the terrain is so rugged and unforgiving you will be stuck fir a very long time before rescue comes. These are very different circumstances than what blue water or southern ocean sailors contend with . Each has its own challenges and everyone has their own comfort level of risk. Stay safe and good sailing to all.
I love your analogy of four wheel drive. I find in many aspects of life people buy stuff that is actually very contrary to their actual use and end up with an item that cost more and serves them worse than the cheaper item! Take you four wheel drive in SUV form for example, unless you have use for this regularly than you are now stuck with a vehicle that uses more gas because of the four wheel drive (~1.0L/100km) and increased frontal area, compared to a sedan or wagon. Plus it has worse handling so in that emergency situation on the highway your swerve is more likely to end in a fish tale with you facing backwards compared to a low centre of mass car.
Your comment about having a boat that fits your needs is so true. My wife and I are both circling 70 years old, but relatively fit and healthy, but we have - shock horror - a sailing catamaran! We love the space, the large cockpit and comfortable saloon, and all the goodies we have on board to make life a bit easier for us. While we loved our mono-hull, which we sailed in the English Channel and around N France, it was not ideal for the longer holidays we now enjoy as we are retired. We sail in Croatia - so yes it is island hopping, so a cat is suitable for our needs. The boat does have a ocean going classification and many have crossed to the Caribbean and back with no problems at all.
Tim, just an addition: if you buy a boat with a spade rudder and no skeg, it will probably be a good idea to build a watertight bulkhead between the rudder stock and the rest of the boat if it's is lacking in the design. This can save your life. And FYI, your lighting is making your retina "flash" from time to time. It's no big deal, but looks a bit weird.
Re: Masts. First, a compression post which seems pretty common (of course not ubiquitous) would also transfer the stress to the keel and away from the hull and - well, I'm not sure the chainplates would experience different stress as a direct result. You also say "more weight down low" and while you don't really clearly trace that to a benefit - at most, the only "more weight down low" is the added 6' of mast. The center of gravity of the mast has not changed by more than a foot or less on a 60' mast and there's no appreciable affect to stability or stress on the shrouds / chainplates. There is a stiffening effect in terms of "more structure holding the mast up" I cede that point.
I think it is important in any discussion of capsize risk to mention downflooding angle. If the boat starts taking on water, the ultimate capsize angle might not matter.
I've sailed up the West coast without AIS and without radar mostly at night. It's a little scary, but doable. Sailing up the west coast you get headwinds and windswell most of the time so sailing at night and often motorsailing is advantageous.
Nicely done! And there are successful compromising designs: my Morgan Enbroden Choate built 51' gencompasses 8K of lead in a 3ft wide box keel, and only a 4 ft draft with the daggerboard and mizzenboards up. Twice around the world! It can be done! Thanks!
Agree with all your assessments. As someone who has sailed into fog I didn't expect to be there I can't help transfer the fear I would have if I sailed without it onto others who chose not to get it.
According to the 'experts' the Titanic was unsinkable, and at one time the smart people said the earth is flat, go to far and you'll sail right off the edge! Conclusion: Expert means Ex as in exparte' or single minded, of one opinion... and (s)pert as in drip under pressure! Good points and great analogy!
On the note of AIS, the Icom M94D handheld marine VHF has AIS (although it doesn’t constantly broadcast your data), but receives other boats transmission in a 5 NM radius with collision warning, etc. I found it handy when single handed on deck.
Great common sense advice - I’m only a day sailer (for now at least!), so I sail a Lugger. I hanker after a yacht one day but that is a few years off so, in the meantime, I’ll watch your channel 👍
I recently found your channel. I like it. I would like to add that it's okay to take a position on any design or equipment, there's always something safer or better, I live in the city across the lake from you And I drive a 4wd truck. Winter of 2021 I'm thankful I had it.
I watched one of those "trying to kill you" videos and was amazed when they threw you into the mix. Turns out they were one of the "there's only one kind of proper blue-water sailboat" types. I thought their presentationg to be opinionated and almost offensive. And I own one of those 1980's encapsulated full-keeled skeg-hung keel-stepped boats. But I bought it knowing where I was going, what I was giving up and what I was gaining. A friend on his Beneteau 42' told said to me, "We may beat you there, but you're going to be a lot more comfortable and rested. I''ve always found your videos thoughtful and well-reasoned. Thank you especially for your thoughts on the liferaft vs. EPIRB vs AIS transmit.
The guy wont even show his face and want you to belive he has sailed THOUSANDS of boats…. and brags about his captain lisence. It was so hard to listen to the guy. That video you mentioned gave me such bad vibes. Lady K - you are legit and have a whole community supporting you. Keep at it!
Good video, I personally have an issue with epirbs, It is solely my choice to go to sea, if I get into difficulties I think it is not right for me to cry for help and expect someone else to possibly put themselves at risk to come to my rescue. I expect a lot of people to strongly disagree with me but it is my choice.
I have been compiling my list of myths, too: 1. A bigger boat is always safer. Stats say yes, but I think can mislead. Risk rises with complexity, and safety drops if important stuff- engine, sails, rigging, etc. etc etc. is not replaced early enough due the added cost, above the purchase price of a larger vessel. A small boat with fully functioning systems is vastly safer, I think, than is a malfunctioning larger one, particularly if the greater complexity requires highly specialized help to maintain and repair. Also: Bigger can be great- but my human capabilities still need to be considered: It could be argued that a major safety reduction occurs if one can only deploy/retrieve anchors, sheet, furl or reef if electrical power is available, compared to the old "manually actuated" previous model. And, the rougher it is, the more it is likely that I will be alone, with single-point failures to be avoided if at all possible. 2. A boat produced recently is better than an older one. Myth easily dispelled, except that, again, it must be accepted that critical systems and equipment cannot be obsolete nor anywhere near end of life- which they always are, if original, on older boats. Owning an older boat (mine was produced in 1977) can be risky due to insurance hassles, despite nearly everything other than hull, mast and keel being new (ask how I know this). But, I have my reasons. Attention Beneteau owners: see "Sailing Solo at 70", David's boat is now on the bottom, near the NC/VA border due in part to a critical design flaw, best explained by his videos. If I owned a Beneteau I would not, repeat not, leave the dock until I confirmed or denied that, frankly, ridiculous rudder design on my boat. Please. Please. A couple, owners of a large Grand Soleil, (Pat|Frankie, I believe) discovered that their boat became critically injured merely by hauling it and supporting the hull by the keel, a practice so common, well, how else would one haul and store a boat? Absolutely beautiful boat; too bad it could not support even it's own weight. Certainly looked appealing during the marketing stage, in Sail magazine, etc. 3. You need a bigger boat to become more capable. No, you need to thoughtfully and deliberately explore the limits of both your current boat, and yourself, then compile a list of requirements based not upon sitting around the home fire, the Internet (forums, UA-cam, etc) but from experience, around your home port, in familiar territory. It is critical that you understand that your needs will be unique to you (although, afterwards, you may learn some may be shared by others). And, near shore, around here anyway (Coastal RI) the seas, which in other than storm conditions get only so big, allow for an incremental approach, provided the ocean is given proper respect. Example: I determined that my boat is to be a marine sailing SUV, and windy is better than calm, wind happens off-season, I don't want to stay home unless it is an actual storm, and all stress is to be minimized if I want to enjoy the ocean and deserted anchorages. All my choices followed: cutter rig with dual furlers (the furling staysail is, for me, absolutely essential), tiller steering (it seems water is always flying around and I have yet to encounter a wheel placed under a dodger similar to where I can currently sit, steer, be dry, have fun in 30kts apparent, sailing upwind; an enclosure inhibits performing required sailing stuff in an easy and timely manner.), powerful and non-electrical windvane steering (I will not run an engine to charge batteries at 30 degrees of heel), etc. But, my choices are unique - obviously, because I am mostly the only one out there. I would not want to be a passenger on another's boat, either. 4. A boat which rates faster i.e. phrf is really faster. It may, or, it may not. It's funny how the ocean makes its own ratings. That Tartan mentioned in my earlier comment was much more uncomfortable at sea than is my current boat (D/L ~330). I really can't see the point of getting somewhere somewhat faster (or, not, even) if the journey is less enjoyable to me. Heck, I'd rather be out there, anyway. I wish to thank this channel for inspiring so many interesting comments.
Don't know anybody using a split backstay for their AIS antenna. AIS works in the VHF bandwidth ... many use an antenna splitter to use their VHF antenna for both their VHF radio and AIS.
No mater what kind of boat you are sailing. No matter what rig, keel or rudder you have, the most dangerous part on the boat is the person at the helm
Good one.😂it made me snort...and as a skipper I second it🎉
And here I thought that the most dangerous part on the boat was a calendar with a rigid schedule to keep😂
One hundred percent agree. Been sailing 40 years, over 70k nautical miles under sail. You are right.
I agree - a good one. What is more dangerous is boats that never leave the marina! Then the owner wants to go sailing... Using the boat you got is the best thing you can do.
@@irisblume1132 🤣 truer words were never said!
That Chasing Latitudes guy is a tool. Keep up the great work! I'm an inland lake sailor from Wisconsin and deeply appreciate that your channel is inclusive for all sailors. For every world cruiser out there, I bet there are a hundred normal people like me with a job whose sailing rarely takes them more than a day away from their home port.
Did you have to say “inclusive”😂
Bizarre to pick on Chasing Latitides when him and Lady K are both trying to get more people sailing.
And this upload of Tim’s was allnosy word for word like a uploads of Chris’s from Chasing Latitudes.
They are both worth listening to and Chris has a depth of experience most of us will never get near.
@@jerrysanders9101 At least they didn't say "SUPER", as in "SUPER great video!" #SocialMediaContagions
#Woke
@@jeffrandolf5673 THAT really grinds my gears. Super this. Smash that button.
FFS.
You can carry a Shakespeare 390 antenna on board in the event that you lose your mast with a preinstalled antenna mount close to the tuner. The automatic tuner will see this antenna.
Great video Tim....Thanks
I have been sailing for 5+ decades now on many other boats plus my own. I have heard all the advice and opinions...including my own lol.
But it all comes down to the person sailing the boat...a really good sailor can take pretty much any boat anywhere (I've known a number of extremely excellent sailors who could/have done this) and on the other side of the coin there are the really incompetent who think they have all the answers who no matter what boat they sail will have nothing but problems.
Learned a long time ago that nothing replaces actual on water experience, we all make mistakes and the smart ones learn from them.
A sailor who just recently passed away told me that we all start out our sailing lives with 2 bags, one empty marked experience and one full marked luck. As time goes on we draw from the bag of luck....woe to the sailor who has not deposited anything in the experience bag on a dark stormy night when the bag of luck is empty!!!
Cheers
Mike and Ally
S/V Bears Mistress II
Thanks for watching Mike and Ally!
I once spend a week on board a freighter. We sailed from Rotterdam to Waterford and back, so through waters that had lots of private sailing yachts. I asked the skipper what in their opinion we, as yachties, should do. And he said: Get an AIS transponder. And then when you sail, just stay your course. The freighters will see you way before you see them, and they will usually adjust their course so as not to run you over.
Well said my friend! I'm really tired of a certain kind of UA-cam sailor calling other sailors 'stupid'.
Not only that but if they find themselves were they have to admit what they've done was stupid they say they should have known better. Vs. I was stupid.
If you weren’t a baby you would put their name here. Otherwise your just yapping 😂
@@jmax8692 Names?! - like Chris, and Thomas. I think everyone knows Frogstep is referring to Chris. Chris knows he gets more views when he is trashing other channels, even if he is posting those 'tongue in cheek' sailboat review videos. We all know what Chris really thinks of "cry baby Ryan" and how he is Sophie's cuck. Thats why he does the trash talking videos. Now, Thomas just figured it out that trashing other channels gets more views. He referred to the spike in views since bashing Tim. Im not taking sides - I like Tims videos and Chris's. lol
Single or plural? Are you referring to the one that worked as a coasty?
Thanks for your channel. Mainely the order must be Safety first,
You make a lot of sense. Lady K is my favorite sailing channel
Thanks for watching!
I watch these religiously, as my wife and I are setting out on a cruising life. We've been refitting our 45' steel ketch.
You can do it!
Love ketchs, I have one 🏴☠️⚓🦜⛵ crossing Atlantic in January 🙏🏻
So many advantages with a ketch. Reefing, setting sail, hove to. A big one is actually motoring to windward without autopilot. Very good in an emergency to stay off a lee shore or go up a narrow waterway in a chop. Saves half the time and work of your autopilot…. Fun when those break.
Not to mention at anchor keeping the wind in the hatches with a reefed mizzen even with some cross current, your boat will be cool at the end of a long day in the tropics. Also your cockpit stays dry as the wind is never on the beam!!! I can go on and on.
The biggest is not needing a spinnaker as much as the mizzen spinnaker is half the size and so easy to set. Keeps the boat on course in very little wind and none of the drama of a big spiny!!!!
@@johnlartin3953 thank you for the info 🙏🏻⛵🏴☠️🦜🌎⚓❤️
Learning tip for long journey people : Lear to sail without your rudder (in all directions). Know on forehand in which sail combi you can sail without your rudder. ❤
Totally agree except for keel stepped masts. I grew up in a place (Western Australia) where masts had to be lowered to get under the low bridges of the Swan River to get to the ocean, so they were deck stepped. The deck step consisted of a thing called a tabernacle which is essentially two very solid posts the mast fitted between with a very thick bolt through to enable it to hinge back. Below decks was a prop or structure that transferred the load of the mast to the keel. I have never known one of these to fail or cause any problems at all. Indeed, it wasn’t until I was well into my mid twenties that I ever experienced a keel stepped mast and the very regular problems with leaks in the deck where the mast passes through.
One of the most circumnavigated boats is the S&S 34 built in Perth by Swarbricks. Jon Sanders sailed his first Perie Banoe (S&S 34) around the world three times, including a non-stop double circumnavigation. Young sailors David Dicks, Jesse Martin and Jessica Watson all circumnavigated in Swarbrick-built S&S 34’s. At least a dozen other S&S 34’s also circumnavigated. All with deck stepped masts.
To compound their felonies, S&S 34’s also have bolt on keels!
Sanders using that is a major argument. Though, to be fair, he could probably circumnavigate 3 times nonstop solo unassisted on a Laser too.
westsails deck stepped too
Right mate. Tabernacles servie a good purpose and they are usally satisfactorly engineered and constructed. But, I was on a boat once that the headstay failed on a deck stepped mast and the rig fell into the cocpikit. Luckily no one was hurt. I dropped a forward lower in New Cal on my keel stepped mast and the rig stay up and undamaged.
Yes, agree, I owned a 50 footer with this arrangement & never had a problem. It was masthead with a forestay & baby stay.
I own a Bene 393 , sailed her across the Atlantic with my wife and have spent 5 years in the Caribbean. Admittedly, it wasn't the most comfortable ride across the pond but we sailed within our and the boats limits and we're never concerned or stressed.
There may be some confusion from the mention of an insulated backstay when talking about AIS. Insulated backstays are normally used for HF/SSB. AIS transmits at about 162MHz. This gives optimum antenna lengths of 46cm, 93cm and 185cm for 1/4, 1/2 and full waves respectively. A backstay would be rather too long for the tuning unit to get it work efficiently, if at all. Note that if you are adding backstay insulators there are failsafe models available that avoid the small risk of failure associated with the older ceramic/glass variants.
i was going to say the same thing, AIS antennas are the same as VHF antennas, they are not backstays with insulators, which are for ssb radios.
SSB uses your backstay. AIS uses the VHF with a splitter typically.
For your skeg and mast points it would be nice if you did some research on the counter arguments. A skeg can be pushed through the hull in a grounding causing more damage then a rudder breaking free. And I can steer my boat without a rudder. In a dismasting a deck stepped mast is more likely to break free cleanly without damaging the boat.
A boat is always a series of compromises. I'm now on a Catalina 42 with a bolt on keel, spade rudder and keel stepped mast. Thousands of Nautical miles on this boat in the two years we owned it. 40k nm on a Catalina 310 before that. Never felt any of these compromises were an issue on either boat.
There are a lot of boats out there where the skeg is supported by the rudder, not the other way round...
50+ yrs and 200K miles exp as delivery captain, racing, etc. I've seen plenty of other boats get dismasted, don't think the keel vs deck step makes much difference when something breaks while you're under sail. Only once been dismasted, brand new boat on the way to the boat show. Somebody at the dealership failed to put the right cotter pin in for the forestay, my fault for not checking before we left. Brand new boat, what could go wrong, right? Coming out the inlet into 4-6 footers, didn't even have the sails up yet. Suddenly see the whole rig get slack and start coming back at us in the cockpit. Deck stepped mast with struts at the bottom, the struts caused the rig to kick out and to the side and the whole rig went over the side without even a scratch to the boat, didn't even touch the lifelines. Managed to get the boat to the show in time and they met me there with a new mast. They sold that boat at the show and she was GONE.
From what I understand, most dismastings are caused by CHAINPLATE failures, because people will replace their rigging but never replace the chainplates.
Spade rudder, once enroute from NY to the Chesapeake, hit something and snapped the spade rudder clean off on the first night out. Managed to steer with the sails, nice well balanced boat, all the way to Norfolk without incident. Sailed up to anchor. Had to get towed into the boatyard.
Skeg rudder, hit a big log or something that did the same as you said, bounced off the keel, somehow missed the prop and smashed against the skeg. Broke a big chunk of fiberglass off the bottom of the skeg, this was a super well built boat with a steel frame inside the skeg, no other damage. I'm sure if it had been a spade rudder it would have snapped it right off.
What makes your boat unsafe:
Booze, fireworks and reefer.
Also what makes the boat a lot of fun! lol Booze only when not under way. Left and right handed cigarettes on the swim deck only again while not under way and where legal to do so. If the cops show up because of you you’re leaving with them. Leave the fireworks on land please.
Great point. To that add false assumptions, machismo, and intentional ignorance.
Insurance required me to hire a licensed captain to sail the boat I just bought down the coast of California. As soon as we got about 300 yards off shore he would start bellowing "I'm the captain I got XX years!" Then he completely jammed my main sail. At night we anchored and he calmed down. The next morning he decided there was something wrong with the alternator belt. There was nothing wrong with it. More bellowing. We were headed to one marina, but when I called them up, to say I would be there in two days the guy pretended that we'd never made that arrangement. So I called a marina closer to the Channel Islands, half the price and welcoming. Somehow this pissed off the Captain so he jumped ship. I did the rest solo, and I guess uninsured.
I like boats where no one announces that they're captain. They shouldn't need to. When I've been asked if I was the captain I would say, "No captains on my boat, but I'm the responsible party." A good leader decision is like the time I looked at the wave predictions for the next couple of days. It was going to be just as rough. So I went to tell my son and daughter in law that we should probably head back. She'd been sea sick. They were about to request the same thing.
@@ThatGuy-cw8gb I was on a training charter with three big guys who drank all day every day. They just loved peeing off the boa! I'd learned the rule 'no peeing off the boat,' because most drowned MOBs have their flies down, but we were sailing during the day in very clam waters. And to their credit they never seemed all that drunk. Plus we had an instructor who didn't drink or pee off the side.
@@WillN2Go1 I would’ve asked for a refund. Drunk while getting training doesn’t make for a productive experience. Now sailing done for the day safely on the hook in some place new? Yeah grab a beer or 2!! Dealing with drunks all day is just exhausting.
@@ThatGuy-cw8gb Refund from crazy captain? He did try to over charge me. I just sent him a message reminding him of the price he quoted me.
I agree. The drinking guys were functional. I drank half a beer one afternoon in the 1980s and I was done for the day. Those guys handled it fairly well. I'd rather not be around it, but... it wasn't my call. I'm sure the instructor if he noticed a problem would've said something.
I think comfort is very underrated in the discussion of sailboat design. You may never have plans for an ocean crossing but the same boat that is best suited for that purpose also affords the most comfortable ride, especially in a bad seastate. And yes, you will arrive at your destination a bit later, but who cares.
Hardly a rant, just good, sane advice. Always a pleasure Lady K! Thank you
I try my best to keep it real, thanks for watching!
Very fine video, as always. The recent disaster videos reminded me of the myth: "A bigger boat is safer, right?" It might be the sort of topic that could carry a whole video article.
Yeah you’re right I have an Albin Vega and my non sailing friends think I’m crazy when I told them of my plans to sail to Scotland across the coryreckon they said you need a bigger boat
Landlubber here. Catalina 22 - day lake sailor. Good video about.........common sense in the sailing world....Knowledge is power. Know your boat and.........always know your limits. ........... txs.
Thanks for watching!
I have had an AIS transceiver since they were first available in the USA. They use a VHF antenna, I have never heard of cutting a backstay for an AIS antenna. I do have a backstay with isolators but that is for my SSB HF Icom radio. Also In the 24 years I have had my boat with SSB HF radio and use that radio on a daily basis never have I heard of a backstay antenna isolator failure.
Alway quality. Always worth watching.
Thank you so much!
1.73 (capsize screening formula) a Fisher 25 . I’m a disabled sailor & since Covid I’ve been sailing with Sailablity in Hansa 303 & my first winter racing against Lasers. I’m also n the South Coast of England. I’m fixing up my Fisher 25 to sail the South Coast then either keep going around England or head over the Channel to France.
I have a Westerly ocean ranger 38 , never considered the capsize ratio so I looked it up 2.02! I’ll never leave the dock again despite the previous owner having sailed her out to Australia from England. Admittedly they had a disaster ( they separated) but I don’t think capsize ratio was the cause
Great episode and as always, lovin the positive open attitude! THIS is what sailing needs🤙
Great video man. I would add radar to the list. I would personally choose it over ais. I love having ais but the radar can pick up small vessels that aren't on ais and the newer ones show logs and other floating hazzards.
Fog can sometimes roll in unexpectedly as well.
I really like that you did this video. I used to be in the same camp of “full keel, keel stepped mast, etc etc” but after buying a 1980 Baba 30 (capsize ratio 1.77) a few years ago I have changed my outlook drastically. Although I don’t regret buying the boat, I wouldn’t buy it now.
There is more to a trip than the boat specs. I just did a 200nm trip over Xmas out in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat handled flawlessly, but as most full keels, it was SLOW. Averaged 5.1kt so it took me about 36hr to do. My neighbors Hunter 40 would’ve done the same trip in almost half the time. Now think about a longer distance and weather windows can change considerably in the time it would take me vs him getting to the destination…
Also on the AIS debate, get a transmitter AND receiver, it’s useless as a receiver only and 100% get AIS. I just did the trip without and we had unexpected fog that brought visibility to a couple hundred FEET and we did not have AIS and had to rely on ships radar to pick us up and warn us if we got to close(of which 2 vessels did!). It also allows you to integrate it with your chart plotter or navionics to see ships, their direction, speed, name, etc. Our next trip AIS will be on the boat for sure.
Lastly, most boats can handle more than the captain! I’ve heard accounts of a Catalina 27 sailing from Scandinavia to the Caribbean safely through squalls and if venture that most people would abandon ship long before the ship would’ve sank… all about perception and perfection on paper doesn’t really equate to perfect!
Spot on. Same with discussions of sports cars, when someone tells you how track ready their car is and it is "a race car for the street" when most people would never track their car anyways.
Great channel; great information, well presented. As a yacht surveyor in the Pacific Northwest, I frequently encounter clients who've got a pre-conceived notion of what they 'need', that doesn't really match what they're likely to use the boat for. There's definitely a boat for every buyer...
A bit more depth in the explanation of the capsize ratio is really worthwhile. People will often pass on consideration of a boat because the capsize ratio isn't what they think it needs to be, but the physics of the boat's overall design including the keel depth really changes stability of the vessel hand-in-hand with this ratio. Two boats could have the same capsize ratio, but the boat with the deeper keel and 7' draft will be FAR more stable than a boat with the same ratio with a 4'8" draft. and will have a much better degree of vanishing stability.
In any event, your main takeaway that most boats out there were designed with a particular use case scenario in mind, and that the 'right boat' is the one that will best fulfill its intended purpose is 100% spot-on. For those who are new to sailing, I try to encourage most people to start with something pretty maneuverable while they learn to sail and embark on local adventures in protected waters, before moving onto a very heavy, full-keeled boat for their offshore dreams, but which can be really challenging to get in and out of a tight slip in a marina for a novice sailor. I see lots of people walk away from the sport, because they skip the early enjoyment of having a boat they can easily manage, in favor of having a boat that they can eventually make ocean passages on, when they still don't realistically have the experience they need in order to do so. Using a car analogy, I equate it to being a new driver who's a high-school or college student and buying a 12 passenger van, because one day they would like to have a big family and will eventually need lots of seating. Could be, an economy or sports car would better suit their needs at that moment. The right boat for the current use-case is really crucial to owners using their boats and getting the best value for their money, and the most enjoyment out of their boat.
Thanks! Lots of good points there!
Regarding spade rudders vs supported rudders, let me add another view point. A skeg (or a full keel in the case of a transom hung rudder) does not only offer more protection in case of collision, but is a stronger structure at all times.
Skeg / keel hung rudders have multiple hinge points that attach to their supporting structures (my boat's transom hung rudder has four points of support), whereas a spade rudder is by definition supported at only one point: at the bearing where the rudder stock meets the hull. So that cantilever design creates tremendous leverage against that single point. During this year's Middle Sea Race, I know of at least two boats that lost their spade rudders not because they hit something, but due to being knocked down to 90 degrees by sudden very strong wind gusts. The massive leverage and torque created on the rudder by water resistance during a fast knock down was enough to break the unsupported rudder stock. Food for thought. :)
Interesting that the comparison is made with my very boat, Beneteau 393. Bought as a beamy, French styled liveaboard. There's still a learning curve even on this maneuverable boat!
It's basically a moulded in gusit for strength used in all types of construction .@@sauter1
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL and would love to see you do a video on the best sailboat for the puget sound in the northwest and west coast 😀
I'll second this request. I've helped a couple friends looking to purchase their first boat and I have to remind them the boat they may be dreaming of might lead to disappointment here. The Salish Sea has a unique set of challenges: fickle wind in summer but gails in winter, strong currents and eddies (giving fin keels a strong advantage), shallows in the south end, inlets that funnel and focus wind, and lots of headlands to clear if you want to get anywhere.
A heavy blue water boat won't go anywhere and a light boat can get the snot kicked out of it when the wind does kick up and further north in the straight. We don't have the most extreme conditions, but we do see drastic and sudden changes.
You have, for what it is worth, my support. Never heard anything but solid honest information from you and that is inspiring.
All the best
Thanks, I appreciate that!
I started my sailing journey here on youtube, nearly a decade ago. At the time, I thought I wanted to live aboard, and cross oceans. I read about a lot of the stuff you talked about here, and had a list of requirements I thought I wanted. Then I started sailing myself. Realized live aboard and ocean crossings in my own boat, while not an impossibility, are pretty unlikely to be in my future. Sailed on a range of boats from heavy cruisers to performance racers, and realized I appreciate a boat that points well and sails fast. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but at the end of this season I purchased a boat that really doesn't look like what I would have expected all those years ago. Its got a deck stepped, masthead rig. The keel is a fairly deep fin that is bolted on - though it isn't too crazy of an aspect ratio. No skeg on the rudder. All of this, but it still has a capsize screening formula of 1.99, which is better than the majority of boats sailed in my area. I never would have looked at this boat twice when I started, and now I'm pretty sure I found a diamond in the rough. The best boat for you probably looks different from the best boat for me, and that's fine.
Horses for courses. I am old school, but then I started ocean sailing in 1984. Part of the reason for the way boats were built back in the day was that we simply didn't have a good way to know what was coming down the pipe at us, weather wise. So you had better put to see in a tank! Basically build the boat to the maximum possibility. These days weather forecasting is so damned accurate that, as a professional navigator taking a 36 meter sloop across the Atlantic last September, I set out a day ahead of TWO hurricaines, from Newport bound to Gothenburg, and rode a compact high that popped out of Labrador between them, a deep low NE of the Azores, and a MASSIVE oceanwide low developing out of Greenland to Norway area, with the crew in shorts and t shirts, trolling for fish and enjoying the dolphins with a full rig out in close to perfect conditions. Now... we COULD have ended up getting slammed by any of these systems, or all of them... if things had gone wrong, but we threaded the needle, and were fine. This would simply have been impossible in the first two decades of my sailing life.
One subject you have not covered is dripless seals . I like them for the dry bilge but you MUST service them and replace the bellows at the recommended interval . If you don't they can sink your boat fast .
Hey… thank you for your “perspective” and for all your efforts. We’ve been following your channel for a few years. I just wanted to encourage you that, it is being well received out here. You have given us so many good tips and encouragements. Thanks brother! ☺️
I really appreciate that, thanks for watching!
Good advice, people should listen.
Great show today. Keepin it keel!
I really appreciate your videos and practical advice. The 4-wheel drive vehicle analogy is great makes complete sense. I am new to sailing after buying an O'Day Widgeon to learn in last summer and now a mostly happy owner of a 1992 Precision 21 with some mast step fracture/rot issues. It is a deck-stepped mast BTW. It won't go out in the ocean, but remain in inland lake sailing. I may venture out to sheltered bays after really learning how to handle the boat on the lakes.
Another fantastic episode... thanks for your balanced observations.
Given the terrible tragedies you have covered recently were initiated by crash jybes.... could you do an episode on Jybe prevention systems?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, I am enjoying this series of analyzing disasters and safety considerations
Thanks for watching!
I don’t know about in the US but out here in Oz, having an EPIRB on a boat over a certain minimum size is a mandatory requirement in registering your boat. I totally agree as to its importance as a safety requirement.
Great presentation of what is often very combustible topics. I guess the only thing I would add is if you are going island hopping, buy your boat for that purpose, and then subsequently think “I think crossing the Atlantic would be fun”, then a honest reevaluation of your boat’s capabilities is crucial. As you say the right weather any boat will do. But when your way offshore, in the “wrong” boat and the weather turns sour…. Not the time to find out the boats weakness.
I sail with a PLB on Lake Ontario, I also sail with a PLB and Epirb in the Bahamas. I would recommend a PLB or Epirb on any boat, anywhere. The ability to get the Coast Guard or other help to your exact location when you desparately need it is priceless. Actually about $500 for a device, replaced every 5 years.
Great video! Thank you for the balanced approach!
Glad you enjoyed it!
It is funny in a way watching both channels, Chasing Lattitudes and you are both great but in opposite ways. Keep up 😂 by the way, I like very much my 393 mentioned 3 times by you today, such a great coastal cruiser and eventually passages on the right weather! Keep the work ❤
Why I installed a life raft on my coastal cruiser: my 3 year old daughter + colder climate cruising (hypothermia). Love this channel and the knowledge share Tim.
Thanks for watching!
Really interesting and informative, including comments. I especially agree regarding matching a boat to its prescribed mission. I do feel, however, that generalizations can be misleading. Example: On two separate Bermuda 1-2 events, the boat I crewed on, a Tartan 33, experienced major failures, despite being relatively new and recently surveyed. First return trip: Under mild downwind conditions (cruising chute) broke the rudder off, leaving behind only the short post below the hull, which had the remains of the weld fillet used to fasten it to the short (~4"-5"?) notch cut into a metal plate, around which the rudder was foam cast. Getting the 110nmi back to Bermuda was painful, (and probably would not have happened if the seas were not calm) where cost and frustration ensued (Tartan's supplier delivered a rudder unfinished on one side- it was totally flat). Next trip: Dismasted on the way down, due (according to a later analysis) the lack of articulation of T-fittings at the mast. He salvaged the remains. We rerigged in Bermuda and sailed home using smaller, borrowed sails.
Case1: Will I sail offshore using a freely suspended spade rudder? No, simply because a) Ours broke and, b) our failure mode resulted in nothing usable, unlike a rudder having either properly engineered intermediate or lower support, wherein, if the internal structure failed, the likelihood is reasonably high that the rudder can still be used (if planned for, i.e control lines arranged prior "just in case")..Yet, a very adventurous sailor has repeatedly encountered hugely nautical conditions - much, much greater than ours- on, I think, a Contessa 35, which has similar D/L and rudder design. He is the real deal, heading to the Arctic, I think, and his boat speaks for itself. Who knows? That is the question.
Case2: Obvious oversight on Tartan's part- unless their intended mission did not match ours- probably the case, as I am not aware of other similar T33 failures. I think that, despite the usual expected post- buoy race banter, folks don't regularly expose these boats to, for example, days of cyclical mast pumping ( or high rudder loading). I believe that the Contessa used at least ball or "lollipop" fittings. I of course have no knowledge of its rudder design. I will guess it is different; I cannot imagine the design for that Tartan surviving his conditions, simply because ours failed under mild conditions, after being purchased from an owner in western Long Island Sound, who used it entirely during typical summer conditions- pretty much the opposite of the conditions that Contessa has been/ is being exposed to. Yet again: How do you know?
Interesting debate: Would a deck stepped mast have prevented the mast breakage? Seems doubtful - somehow the failure caused the entire rig to immediately fall away, which seems pretty unusual. Who knows? But, I did/do not see the benefit of the keel stepped design in our case, either for a jury rig or from the perspective of reducing the collateral damage. Contraining the mast at the partner did not obviously improve the outcome, and it may have hurt in this case. Yet, many swear by keel stepping. And PSC deck steps masts on boats intended for offshore use.
Again, how does one know? So, the folks who are routinely successful at sailing outside protected waters probably err on the conservative side (read: old, "tried and true", etc) in all the important areas, despite actual (or, perceived) performance drawbacks.- which I can relate to, now, which are reflected in the choices I made, with my boat.
Regarding keels: One generalisation seem valid: high aspect=high loading, with evidence of danger when mismatched to mission- with the mission limit determined by failures, I guess. But, again I will guess lots of similar-sounding designs have been sailed long distances successfully - thus the heated debates. Many folks swear by encapsulation - my friend's boat, a german encapsulated type, terrified me when, after ~1 week of on-site helping him prep, a green puddle appeared under the front of the keel, linked to his spilling of engine antifreeze in the bilge, on the order of weeks earlier. A discussion with the previous owner revealed a grounding (its pretty rocky, with large tidal variations in that locale) years earlier, they paid for a repair, the boat was surveyed, and, still, there we were. I wonder how that can again be repaired, soaked with antifreeze. Yet others claim non-injurious groundings. I am not proud of my severe grounding~ 10 yrs ago- a rock, at 5.5 kts (instantly to zero, generating a pretty large bow wave); but I am of my boat: other than a large, flat sharp-edged "mash" on the keel's leading edge, no damage. The 316 studs have been inspected (built 1977) with nothing remarkable noted. But, my fin and canoe body does not remotely resemble a new, lighter and faster design, whatever that means. I have actually seen, on site, the catastrophic damage an apparently lesser (according to the owners) grounding caused to a Hunter (I believe), that Seatow (luckily they were minutes away) brought to the marina at which I was, coincidentally, working on that German boat. The keel's aft portion, as expected, penetrated the hull, displaced the grid structure, and created a life-threatening leak, which required that emergency haul. I have heard enough anecdotes and seen enough videos that I am convinced that such a design is either not mature enough (on a boat a mortal could own, anyhow) or so difficult to execute with strength comparable to more traditional (read: older) designs that extraordinary data would be required to offset my bias. But, as with spade rudders, I am certain that is possible, but how to know?
Ultimately, if certain designs can logically be deemed stonger, more durable and reliable than others, I choose to hedge my bets- 'cause the ocean is still the ocean, having statically normal (or, naturally, if you wish) distributed characteristics, which means that the probability that any conditions- good or bad- will be exactly repeated, over an infinite timespan, is exactly zero. But, that view does not exactly lead to pushing the state of the sailing art, either.
Lastly: I do not believe that my high antimony, precisely cast, 2' deep, 8- ft long lead fin, faired to fit exactly the bottom of my deep canoe-body stub, fastened with many bolts, including several athwartship ones, through inches of solid fiberglass with large 3/8" stainless plates to spread the load is cheaper to build than is a hull having a shaped cavity into which material is placed. Although the material could be high quality lead and cast to fit nicely, in some cases it could be iron- much inferior due to its relatively low density, and, if exposed to seawater, well, perhaps goodby boat; we will not even discuss concrete. But, despite its inferiority (from a stability standpoint), concrete is in the bilge of many boats sailing around the world. I suspect, though, that a properly designed external lead keel is relatively costly compared to encapsulated ballast.
I do believe that a properly conservative, thoughtful, mature and experienced in short- capable- captain may be the only really necessary feature, on any boat. Despite my boats age and deficiencies, she is still more capable than I am.
Thanks for breaking it all down for us (no pun intended). You certainly take the complexity out of this most important issue. I will look for the videos you have posted about your own Lady K and why you made the particular choices you did on your vessel.
Love the pros and cons and that you recommend sailors to make their own decisions!
Wonderful. Your channel keeps getting better. I love how you return to remind us to use our common sense (which some of us sometimes lack) along inferring some of us can seem like a bunch of know it alls. (Let’s be honest, I’m the only one who knows everything.😊)
Thanks for watching!
Another very interesting and informative video Tim!
You have me wondering if I really need an encapsulated keel 🤔
Thank you
I have no idea how you keep coming up with such great information, you definitely have a great channel!
I appreciate the kind words, thanks for watching!
Love your Info. It's balanced, I formative, and well presented. Gives us novice s something to work with as we learn about sailing. Keep up exactly what you are doing . It sure does help .
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for what you do Old Salt!!
You bet
As a delivery boy I've sailed a fair few different boats. Has helped me understand how boats actually behave when pushed as deliveries wait for a safe weather window, not a nice one. And I want an AIS transmitter, thin fin keel from a decent yard, ideally pogo style lifting keel, a water tight bulkhead in front of the rudder, epirb and auto gas off. And a mast I can trim. My wife wants the traveller out of reach of the kids hands. That is a compromise I'm willing to make. :)
I can only recoment aspiring sailors go and work as delivery crew for a few seasons, you learn a lot from very experienced captains.
Hey Tim, love the video! And I love your very consistent message through the last few years of simply focusing on what you actually need the boat to do, and go get that, rather than excessive bells and whistles that will never be required for the boat's actual use cases.
A bit of editing feedback: I think your greenscreen software is glitching a bit on the mic/clip, and on your irises. :) I look forward to the next video!
I appreciate the feedback, I'll take a look at the greenscreen.
Excellent episode. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Forgot to say, another fine video. It reminded me I need to get a life raft before my offshore trip to Panama. It’s the last thing on your list that I’m missed by.
Thanks for watching! You got it!
I have seen spade rudders bend, punch a hole in the hull, and sink the boat. Pearson and Catalina are two popular ones I have seen this happen too. Submerge objects are why it happened.
Why because of ss shafts beneteau and others are composite which the shaft snaps
Big fan of you and chasing latitudes , like the difference in point of view , and do your researcher and get the best boat you can afford for where your going to sail .
I like your thoughts on this. I don't sail anymore, but I looked at it the same way when I bought my current power boat. I hate having only one engine and I strongly dislike a big prop and rudder down there. So I have a twin engine jet drive boat. Some people would say I am stupid and jet drives suck. I ran over a 5 foot long x 5 inch diameter log at 32mph with no damage, so I would disagree with those people. I also like being able to access more places with my less than 2 foot draft.
Thanks. Very helpful. Fun fact: my CS27 (shoal draft) has a CSF of 2.00186 but is heralded as a "Bluewater boat". I guess I'll have to try to see if the .00186 makes a difference! 😉
Don't get into the life raft from a floating boat , if you think it is rough on board the life raft will be a lot worse. The damage done to the boat when a keel step mast often causes the boat to be lost When demasted.
Except when the boat is burning like a torch.
I'm quite happy with my 1966 Bristol 32 because it's big enough for me and possibly a dog yet small enough to single hand anywhere I want to go. It's all I need. 😊
That’s awesome, sounds like a perfect fit!
Great video and Thx for it you bring up some good points , imho sailing weather changes and what boat do you want to be on when it does for the worst , I prefer the hundred year old ballast ratios that make a boat self righting , just know before you sail you may get weather and your boat with it's fancy 2. something rating may not be self righting , imho these new beamy boats would be quite happy turning turtle and staying that way
C&C 30 MKI. Daily sailor typically in approaches Halifax
-AIS B Sotdma
-radar
-EPIRB
- DSC radio
- navionics on 3 devices including raymarine chartplotter with flir.
- dinghy in tow when doing coastal cruises.
-480 ah of lithium batteries to run everything on the boat for 10 days without a charge...fridge/ freezer included...but it has solar to two banks on separated controllers and dc/dc charger from alternator as well.
...and two 4×4s family vehicles since 1981 ;)
Welcome to the club
How did you fit the C&C around all that? =) ⚓
I vote for the raft,epirb,ais rx/ tx,skeg,keel stub,keel mast,all safety gear,fire fighting gear etc. for coastal or ocean crossing.The sea can look beautiful and deceptive but when it goes bad,it goes very bad.Ex Aussie Navy.Great video brother,love your channel.
I could not be more thankful for this episode. Yes, I would like a fully encapsulated keel with a skeg hung rudder and a keel stepped mast. One day I intend to have one. But right now I sail on an inland lake in Mississippi on my O'Day 25, and I'm extremely happy with it. There's very seldom just one way to do anything and, as another viewer commented, that Chasing Latitudes guy just gets on my nerves.
Damn good and accurate information plus well delivered. I am in the group on heavy displacement simply for a smoother ride and more sea kindly comfort when seas are angry be it at anchor or in the open ocean. It just happens to come with a skeg which provides important directional stability if any problems occur with her rudder or she looses her rudder entirely for any reason. People generally do not consider this safety feature provided by a boat design with a skeg hung rudder. This is a place where I draw the line. Yes a free standing spade rudder turns with finger tips, much faster and is easier to park in the slips but its a trade off. Everyone has to choose for themselves as you say. The way I look at it is the Ocean and for that matter saltwater is try to eat your boat. The more places the ocean and seas have access to dissolve your boat the easier it is for something to go seriously and or catastrophically wrong. Jim Rodgers
Thanks Tim, Good episode and good advice.
Thanks for watching!
Good video, have all the elements that you discussed. I sail in the cold waters of Lake Superior where the weather can change quite fast.
Anyone in the ocean without an EPIRB it’s crazy. I was once on a passage without my life raft, but I have never been on a passage without an EPIRB. I was once disabled between Bermuda and the United States. I was able to overcome the problem, but I was never once concerned about the my life or my young son’s life. Because of the EPIRB. Further, no one is allowed topside at night in an ocean passage without a vest with a light and locator.
All good points Sir best bet is to gleen info from all sources and make a sound decison on boats and equipment to suit your needs . best of luck !
Thanks for watching!
Correctly said and explicit.
Well done 👌
Thanks for watching!
@@LadyKSailing
You're welcome!
I am very glad to have AIS.
Great and underrated comment about the dinghy doubling as a liferaft. Going through Porlier pass in Canada’s west coast my youngest son decided to do a boy overboard. My wife hysterically jumped overboard, grabbed him by his life jacket and tossed him into the dinghy we always towed. Forty years later we recently started taking on water on our Jeanneau 40 in the Sea of Cortez (a great but long story) but had our trusty dinghy ready to climb into - but I’m 70 and the prospect of attaching the motor attached on the pushpit to the dinghy in 25 knot winds and waves was going to be problematic -I probably would have avoided it - luckily we still had rudder control so sailed into a sheltered bay with many friendly sailors to assist us 😊
All good points especially about choosing a boat that suits your particular needs. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on electric engines, those that are purpose built not the DYI "conversions" stuff
Good chat, as usual…. Liking the video backdrop over the home office!
I always enjoy your program and the comment section as there is lots to learn.
So safety gear is a personal choice that everyone has to live or die with literally.
On our 53 foot Spencer Ketch that plies the waters of the Pacific Northwest from Everrett Wa. To Alaska and Haida Gwaii our requirements are very different than yours in the south.
Survival time for a child in the summer most places in our water is anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes in the summer and 10 to 15 in the winter . Adults are lucky to last 45 minutes in the summer and 20 to 30 minutes in the winter. Half those times for useful decision making. Hypothermia is the main killer when a boat goes down in our waters.
With that in mind we carry two DBC Global Swift Sure rafts each with its own EPIRB as well as one for the boat. Emersion suits and survival suits for all crew members.
If you are in a remote area of our coast it may literally take hours to days for search and rescue or another vessel to reach your coordinates if you manage to get a distress signal out depending on weather and time of year. If you are in the water you will be dead long before anyone reaches you.
Because of the deep Fjords on our coast satellite phone coverage can be abysmal.
If you make it ashore you may have to contend with Grizzly, Black Bear,Cougars and wolves . Some of the terrain is so rugged and unforgiving you will be stuck fir a very long time before rescue comes.
These are very different circumstances than what blue water or southern ocean sailors contend with . Each has its own challenges and everyone has their own comfort level of risk.
Stay safe and good sailing to all.
I love your analogy of four wheel drive. I find in many aspects of life people buy stuff that is actually very contrary to their actual use and end up with an item that cost more and serves them worse than the cheaper item! Take you four wheel drive in SUV form for example, unless you have use for this regularly than you are now stuck with a vehicle that uses more gas because of the four wheel drive (~1.0L/100km) and increased frontal area, compared to a sedan or wagon. Plus it has worse handling so in that emergency situation on the highway your swerve is more likely to end in a fish tale with you facing backwards compared to a low centre of mass car.
Your comment about having a boat that fits your needs is so true.
My wife and I are both circling 70 years old, but relatively fit and healthy, but we have - shock horror - a sailing catamaran!
We love the space, the large cockpit and comfortable saloon, and all the goodies we have on board to make life a bit easier for us.
While we loved our mono-hull, which we sailed in the English Channel and around N France, it was not ideal for the longer holidays we now enjoy as we are retired.
We sail in Croatia - so yes it is island hopping, so a cat is suitable for our needs. The boat does have a ocean going classification and many have crossed to the Caribbean and back with no problems at all.
Sounds like a wonderful life!
Tim, just an addition: if you buy a boat with a spade rudder and no skeg, it will probably be a good idea to build a watertight bulkhead between the rudder stock and the rest of the boat if it's is lacking in the design. This can save your life. And FYI, your lighting is making your retina "flash" from time to time. It's no big deal, but looks a bit weird.
you are an inspirator! thanks
Thanks for watching!
You handle the YT opinion business with class and logic, nicely done 😎
I try to keep it real, thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing Tim .😊
Thanks for watching!
Re: Masts. First, a compression post which seems pretty common (of course not ubiquitous) would also transfer the stress to the keel and away from the hull and - well, I'm not sure the chainplates would experience different stress as a direct result. You also say "more weight down low" and while you don't really clearly trace that to a benefit - at most, the only "more weight down low" is the added 6' of mast. The center of gravity of the mast has not changed by more than a foot or less on a 60' mast and there's no appreciable affect to stability or stress on the shrouds / chainplates. There is a stiffening effect in terms of "more structure holding the mast up" I cede that point.
I think it is important in any discussion of capsize risk to mention downflooding angle. If the boat starts taking on water, the ultimate capsize angle might not matter.
I've sailed up the West coast without AIS and without radar mostly at night. It's a little scary, but doable. Sailing up the west coast you get headwinds and windswell most of the time so sailing at night and often motorsailing is advantageous.
Nicely done! And there are successful compromising designs: my Morgan Enbroden Choate built 51' gencompasses 8K of lead in a 3ft wide box keel, and only a 4 ft draft with the daggerboard and mizzenboards up. Twice around the world! It can be done! Thanks!
That is an impressive boat, thanks for sharing!
A well found boat in a fair tide and wind that’s all I need lad
Agree with all your assessments. As someone who has sailed into fog I didn't expect to be there I can't help transfer the fear I would have if I sailed without it onto others who chose not to get it.
According to the 'experts' the Titanic was unsinkable, and at one time the smart people said the earth is flat, go to far and you'll sail right off the edge!
Conclusion: Expert means Ex as in exparte' or single minded, of one opinion... and (s)pert as in drip under pressure!
Good points and great analogy!
Thanks for watching!
They used to say in Belfast that the Titanic was perfectly fine when it left the shipyard.
On the note of AIS, the Icom M94D handheld marine VHF has AIS (although it doesn’t constantly broadcast your data), but receives other boats transmission in a 5 NM radius with collision warning, etc. I found it handy when single handed on deck.
EPIRB is a life saver, AIS is also a MUST HAVE!
As always, great advices and I like your new video backgrounds !!
Thanks so much!
I have read in Sailing magazine that every square mile of the ocean has something floating in the water if you hit it, it can sink your boat.
Great common sense advice - I’m only a day sailer (for now at least!), so I sail a Lugger. I hanker after a yacht one day but that is a few years off so, in the meantime, I’ll watch your channel 👍
love your videos, that is great stuff. All the best from Denmark
Thank you very much!
I recently found your channel. I like it.
I would like to add that it's okay to take a position on any design or equipment, there's always something safer or better, I live in the city across the lake from you
And I drive a 4wd truck.
Winter of 2021 I'm thankful I had it.
Thanks for watching!
I watched one of those "trying to kill you" videos and was amazed when they threw you into the mix. Turns out they were one of the "there's only one kind of proper blue-water sailboat" types. I thought their presentationg to be opinionated and almost offensive. And I own one of those 1980's encapsulated full-keeled skeg-hung keel-stepped boats. But I bought it knowing where I was going, what I was giving up and what I was gaining. A friend on his Beneteau 42' told said to me, "We may beat you there, but you're going to be a lot more comfortable and rested.
I''ve always found your videos thoughtful and well-reasoned. Thank you especially for your thoughts on the liferaft vs. EPIRB vs AIS transmit.
Thank you for watching!
Ya...his followers are also very opinionated ( and it's not even their opinion). It was honestly weird
The guy wont even show his face and want you to belive he has sailed THOUSANDS of boats…. and brags about his captain lisence. It was so hard to listen to the guy. That video you mentioned gave me such bad vibes. Lady K - you are legit and have a whole community supporting you. Keep at it!
@@YACHTS.OVER.5M Thank you so so much. You all are so amazing.
Good video, I personally have an issue with epirbs, It is solely my choice to go to sea, if I get into difficulties I think it is not right for me to cry for help and expect someone else to possibly put themselves at risk to come to my rescue. I expect a lot of people to strongly disagree with me but it is my choice.
I have been compiling my list of myths, too:
1. A bigger boat is always safer. Stats say yes, but I think can mislead. Risk rises with complexity, and safety drops if important stuff- engine, sails, rigging, etc. etc etc. is not replaced early enough due the added cost, above the purchase price of a larger vessel. A small boat with fully functioning systems is vastly safer, I think, than is a malfunctioning larger one, particularly if the greater complexity requires highly specialized help to maintain and repair. Also: Bigger can be great- but my human capabilities still need to be considered: It could be argued that a major safety reduction occurs if one can only deploy/retrieve anchors, sheet, furl or reef if electrical power is available, compared to the old "manually actuated" previous model. And, the rougher it is, the more it is likely that I will be alone, with single-point failures to be avoided if at all possible.
2. A boat produced recently is better than an older one. Myth easily dispelled, except that, again, it must be accepted that critical systems and equipment cannot be obsolete nor anywhere near end of life- which they always are, if original, on older boats. Owning an older boat (mine was produced in 1977) can be risky due to insurance hassles, despite nearly everything other than hull, mast and keel being new (ask how I know this). But, I have my reasons.
Attention Beneteau owners: see "Sailing Solo at 70", David's boat is now on the bottom, near the NC/VA border due in part to a critical design flaw, best explained by his videos. If I owned a Beneteau I would not, repeat not, leave the dock until I confirmed or denied that, frankly, ridiculous rudder design on my boat. Please. Please.
A couple, owners of a large Grand Soleil, (Pat|Frankie, I believe) discovered that their boat became critically injured merely by hauling it and supporting the hull by the keel, a practice so common, well, how else would one haul and store a boat? Absolutely beautiful boat; too bad it could not support even it's own weight. Certainly looked appealing during the marketing stage, in Sail magazine, etc.
3. You need a bigger boat to become more capable. No, you need to thoughtfully and deliberately explore the limits of both your current boat, and yourself, then compile a list of requirements based not upon sitting around the home fire, the Internet (forums, UA-cam, etc) but from experience, around your home port, in familiar territory. It is critical that you understand that your needs will be unique to you (although, afterwards, you may learn some may be shared by others). And, near shore, around here anyway (Coastal RI) the seas, which in other than storm conditions get only so big, allow for an incremental approach, provided the ocean is given proper respect.
Example: I determined that my boat is to be a marine sailing SUV, and windy is better than calm, wind happens off-season, I don't want to stay home unless it is an actual storm, and all stress is to be minimized if I want to enjoy the ocean and deserted anchorages. All my choices followed: cutter rig with dual furlers (the furling staysail is, for me, absolutely essential), tiller steering (it seems water is always flying around and I have yet to encounter a wheel placed under a dodger similar to where I can currently sit, steer, be dry, have fun in 30kts apparent, sailing upwind; an enclosure inhibits performing required sailing stuff in an easy and timely manner.), powerful and non-electrical windvane steering (I will not run an engine to charge batteries at 30 degrees of heel), etc. But, my choices are unique - obviously, because I am mostly the only one out there. I would not want to be a passenger on another's boat, either.
4. A boat which rates faster i.e. phrf is really faster. It may, or, it may not. It's funny how the ocean makes its own ratings. That Tartan mentioned in my earlier comment was much more uncomfortable at sea than is my current boat (D/L ~330). I really can't see the point of getting somewhere somewhat faster (or, not, even) if the journey is less enjoyable to me. Heck, I'd rather be out there, anyway.
I wish to thank this channel for inspiring so many interesting comments.
Don't know anybody using a split backstay for their AIS antenna. AIS works in the VHF bandwidth ... many use an antenna splitter to use their VHF antenna for both their VHF radio and AIS.