Another thought: When I was in the boat fixing business I saw this scenario more than once: An aging couple sold their 30-something foot fin keel racer cruiser. This is a boat they had forever and was easy to handle around the marina and fast enough to be a lazy sailor with some jib rolled out and still get where you wanted to go. The next boat was a 40-something foot heavier cruising boat with all the mod cons. Now they had all kinds of systems to maintain they never had before. This much heavier and less agile boat was much more of a challenge to get in and out of a slip. A big heavy boat needs big sails to move, there was no more rolling a bit of job out and being on your way. The next step after that was a power boat once they realized they had more boat then they could handle.
Joe Della Barba From: Richard Bush <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 1:35 PM To: Stus-List <[email protected]> Cc: Riley Anderson <[email protected]>; Della Barba, Joe <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Stus-List Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Is there a new boat in my future? Joe, well said! Richard 1985 37 CB: Ohio River, Mile 596 Richard N. Bush Law Offices 2950 Breckenridge Lane, Suite Nine Louisville, Kentucky 40220 (502) 584-7255 On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 01:22:27 PM EDT, Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: There are a LOT of different factors in play here. My C&C 35 MK I is very narrow by modern standards. My initial stability is not all that good, the boat heels easily to a gust. My AVS (Angle of Vanishing Stability) is pretty good, I think it is about 125. Think about a fat-a55 BeneHunt type boat. Their initial stability is much higher, not to mention space below. Their AVS is likely lower and their behaviour when well-heeled likely quite a bit worse. I have taken 20+ foot breaking waves on the beam that rolled us nearly 90 degrees. This was wet and annoying, but the boat popped right back up to keep sailing. A boat 5 feet wider…….I am thinking not so much. There are also various moments of inertia. A heavier boat doesn’t jump around like a lighter boat. It may be slower, but the ride may be a lot more comfortable. Rolling inertia is a big factor in capsize resistance. A bigger heavier boat is harder to get rolling, so unlike her lighter sisters she won’t have rolled as far before the wave has past. The C&C 30 MK I probably has the highest AVS of any C&C made, but that does not necessarily mean one is harder to capsize than a C&C 40. Another form of stability is steering or course-keeping. For a shorthanded crew, a 35 would be a challenge in heavy air offshore. My boat is fast in heavy air, but she does not come remotely close to steering herself. A lot of helm input is needed, especially if getting into double-digit speeds down a wave and this input needs muscle. A boat that maybe doesn’t turn on a dime like our boats but is easy to keep straight would be a lot less work for 2 people alternating watches. ( this does not always translate into an old design, our old wood Dickerson Ketch was a total biatch to keep straight in a quartering sea with the mizzen trying to shove the stern around) Joe Della Barba Coquina Your contributions help pay the fees associated with this list and help to keep it active. Please help by making a small contribution using PayPal at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/stumurray All contributions are greatly appreciated.
Your contributions help pay the fees associated with this list and help to keep it active. Please help by making a small contribution using PayPal at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/stumurray All contributions are greatly appreciated.
