Are you happy with your size of boat?

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   I usually say that I didn't buy the biggest boat I could afford but the smallest that would meet the criteria I previously had set up.

I am more than happy with my choice. My boat never feels small and it is not too big either.

I frequently read Yachting World and find myself dreaming about how it would be to have a boat the size of a small castle. However, I only have to recall how heavy the main sail sack was last time I had to carry it to chase away those thoughts. Actually, everytime I have to coil up the main halyard after hoisting the sail I am glad my boat is not bigger.

Now, every boat owner have their needs and desires which will depend largely on their cruising ground and their type of sailing. I am curious to hear if someone has similar thoughts?

Johan

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Johan Hackman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 24 August 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 4361	Post Options Post Reply Quote Johan Hackman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Are you happy with your size of boat? Posted: 06 December 2008 at 16:50
	I usually say that I didn't buy the biggest boat I could afford but the smallest that would meet the criteria I previously had set up. I am more than happy with my choice. My boat never feels small and it is not too big either. I frequently read Yachting World and find myself dreaming about how it would be to have a boat the size of a small castle. However, I only have to recall how heavy the main sail sack was last time I had to carry it to chase away those thoughts. Actually, everytime I have to coil up the main halyard after hoisting the sail I am glad my boat is not bigger. Now, every boat owner have their needs and desires which will depend largely on their cruising ground and their type of sailing. I am curious to hear if someone has similar thoughts? Johan
	http://www.johanhackman.se

Peter-Blake Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 04 March 2008 Status: Offline Points: 2471	Post Options Post Reply Quote Peter-Blake Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 December 2008 at 17:42
	I always liked to have a bigger boat than the one i owned at one and the same time. I think a lot people feel like this. Bying a boat for me is and was always like to fulfil one´s dream. After bying a boat you need a new dream, you dream of a bigger boat. Sure i am very happy with the size of my boat a Hanse 370 right now. And sure - It is way to big if i have to carry all the stuff at the end of the season. And sure - it is way to small in my dreams. So - somehow the real needed size is the one i have now. It is not to big for my wallet and it leaves me dreaming of bigger boats. A life without dreams in not a good life.
	Blake 370

Rubato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 12 July 2006 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1806	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rubato Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 December 2008 at 17:57
	It's not the size of the boat that counts, it's what you do with it.... Sorry I couldn't help myself. But really it's true. For what I do with my boat right now, the size is perfect for me. If I were to be off cruising the world for months or years on end then something bigger than a 40 would probably be nice. However, for cruising a few weeks a year and weekends and doing the club racing I wouldn't want anything bigger. In fact, sometimes as I'm docking in a wind and some current without a bow thruster I do wish Rubato were a bit smaller! Cheers, Steve

bovine Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commadore Joined: 18 November 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 405	Post Options Post Reply Quote bovine Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 December 2008 at 17:58
	hi johan my very first boat ever was a hanse 315 purchased at the london boat show a few years back. At that time we just fancied a yacht and set ourselfs a budget, at the show we soon found there was not many boats in our budget, but standing firm we chose the 315 over the bavaria34. three months on we loved it so much we phoned hanse uk and asked them to take it back and give us a 370 a year later we did the same and now have a 430. we have plans to live on it in the med when we can tie up loose ends here in the uk. so for us it was a learning curve rather than money. I fancy a 47 but sarah my other half has put her foot down and said NO im working on it though David

Johan Hackman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 24 August 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 4361	Post Options Post Reply Quote Johan Hackman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 December 2008 at 20:41
	Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Steve says something that I sometimes like to say myself: it is not what kind of boat you have that matters, it's what you do with the one you have that does. I used to sail a 20-footer and I would still be sailing her if I hadn't been given the possibility to buy my 342. I think I saw a much greater potential in that boat than many other people would do. Now I try to see the potential in Emilia. Maybe I forgot to ask how many of you intend to keep your current Hanse for the rest of your lives? I intend to keep Emilia for the rest of mine. The picture below shows S/Y Frida with my then-yet-not-wife at the helm off Bornholm in the Baltic. Johan Edited by Johan Hackman - 06 December 2008 at 20:44
	http://www.johanhackman.se

Muscadet Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Captain Joined: 05 July 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 173	Post Options Post Reply Quote Muscadet Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 December 2008 at 01:19
	Johan I started with a 22 foot boat and I loved it. I now have a Hanse 312. This boat has a stern cabin the same size as yours. My wife and I have a large double bed (with obvious advantages) and being in a seperate cabin we do not have to stow it away in the day and get it out again at night. Also we can have a duvet instead of a sleeping bag. We have a fore cabin big enough to accomodate a visiting couple of friends for the weekend and a saloon that is comfortable for entertaining four people. We intend to keep this boat for the rest of our lives as we are very happy with it. The larger boats look wonderful at the boat show but when you come to polish or antifoul your hull you realise you already have a lot of boat. Realistically you do not need the extra space and a bigger boat costs more in mooring fees. We like to go off for several days at a time, anchoring in secluded bays and not going ashore for three or four days at a time. The only problem we have with our boat is it has only one 'house' battery, only 50L fuel tank and 100L water tank. Modern thinking is that a 31 foot boat is only used for weekend trips!! But this is not a problem really. I can carry spare fuel in cans and I intend to fit additional batteries and a second fresh water tank in the future which will solve the problem. Regards Alan

alettaenmarcel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 15 August 2006 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1246	Post Options Post Reply Quote alettaenmarcel Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 December 2008 at 09:17
	I use to have a 22 foot and a 28 foot before. I just loved these 2 but together with my wive (she had a 22 foter as well) we wanted to have more space and so we wanted to buy a 342 Hanse. But wenn we came at the hanse stand at the Hiswa at IJmuiden there was the new 370 and we loved it so much (most of it was my wive loving the shower and wenn the wive says I want it , it will hapen . So we bought our 370 called Together . We never want a other boat for the rest of our lives exept wenn we winn the lottery. Wenn I would not have met my wive I probebly still sailed my 28 footer called Caldonia. Greetings Marcel Edited by alettaenmarcel - 07 December 2008 at 09:23
	Kids Dingys 72-79 ,Several Windsurfboards 79-86 OK dingy competitions 86-92 , Trotter Pandora Race 92-98, Friendship 28 Sport 98-05, Hanse 370 06-......

Brightside Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commadore Joined: 07 October 2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 378	Post Options Post Reply Quote Brightside Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 December 2008 at 12:25
	My rule of thumb. Work out the size you want or need. Then buy the next size up. I find it works well for most purchases in life. I went to the 2002 London boat show to buy a 34" and brought a 371, I've never regretted that choice. Regards Mike

Peter-Blake Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 04 March 2008 Status: Offline Points: 2471	Post Options Post Reply Quote Peter-Blake Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 December 2008 at 14:57
	This was our boat until end of last year: a waarschip 725 My wife and me bought it in 1997. We sailed it for 11 years until end of 2007. All our 3 children have been sailing on this boat with us from their first days on. The last 4 Years with all 3 children. With all children we have been starting from netherlands to british south coast and i.e. to Helgoland holiday trips of up to 3-4 weeks each year. We were most of the time the smallest boat with the most children aboard. This boat is only 7,25 m long and 2,50 m wide. So very very small for a family of 5. The children loved it, because they were the only ones who could stand up. (max high inside is about 1,30m). But now we are happy to have plenty of space for all, and all can stand up. So you see, we dreamed more than 10 years of a bigger boat, but we did not want to give up our lovely waarschip for a long time. At the end we had to bye a bigger boat, because the waarschip has only 4 small berths and our youngest could not sleep anymore on the small floor. Now after one year on our hanse 370 we do not anymore know how this worked all the time on the small waarschip without any problems...... Before the waarschip i started sailing in a optimist (more than 30 years ago), after that i sailed races on my 420iger, Korsar, Zugvogel (German Class), and Hobie Cat 16. And many years i sailed many races on Laser. At every time i felt to have the right boat for that moment. I would never say that the Hanse will be my Last boat. I hope there will be some more nice boats in my life. There has never been a time in my life since 1976 without a boat Edited by Peter-Blake - 07 December 2008 at 15:42
	Blake 370

panos Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 02 March 2008 Status: Offline Points: 1939	Post Options Post Reply Quote panos Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 December 2008 at 22:52
	Hi, Greek rule of thumb for boat size : *lenght of boat( in feet) bigger than age of owner.* *Cost of boat less than 20% of net worth.* *If you cann't satisfy both conditions : DON'T BUY A BOAT.* Although I followed the rule I don't believe in it ,but ... Edited by panos - 07 December 2008 at 22:57
	Panos Hanse 630e - selling her -



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