Submitted on November 10, 2005 by Stephen Phillips

Question: Dear Dan,

Thank you for your thoughtful, very informative reply regarding an older 40' ketch. You have saved me from a lot of grief and disappointment. I guess the question I should have asked is: what keel type and sail plan do you consider best for single-handed sailing the coast of Maine in a 40' boat?

Regards,
Stephen Phillips

Answer: Hi Stephen,

If I were going to buy a boat with the idea of setting it up for single-handed cruising in Maine, I would look for the following characteristics:

1) Sail plan that allows shortening sail area easily.

2) Easily driven, moderate displacement so I could make some miles in the light air summertime.

3) Relatively low maintenance.

4) Balanced helm so the autopilot will work with low power draw.

5) A price that I could live with, considering all the other stuff I like to, or need to dispose of money on.

6) A rubber keel for smashing into the Maine coastline (just kidding).

You might be looking for a bigger boat than you need. Forty feet is a lot of boat for one person. If your plans were to cross hundreds of miles of ocean, then you would be able to benefit from the nicer ride and higher hull speed of the bigger boat. But for the islands and inlets of the coast of Maine, you will probably be happier with a smaller boat. A J-30 is actually a great cruising boat for one or two people. It is as fast as most full keeled 40' boats and significantly less expensive to equip and maintain. There are plenty of other 10-30 year old fiberglass designs with fin keels that can be configured for short handed sailing. The only real virtue you will lose going to a smaller boat is the ability to carry a decent sized dinghy. With a 30-35' boat you need to tow the dinghy or deflate it. Towing the dinghy is okay on short coastal trips but not a great idea on longer passages in open water.

There are nearly as many ideas for the perfect cruising boat as there are people involved in the sport. I think it is most important that you find one that appeals to you when you look at it and then determine if it meets you criteria. Length is only one measure of the boats capability.

Regards,
Dan Neri

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