Selecting a suitable yacht to undertake serious ocean voyaging or a circumnavigation requires" that a certain amount of informed thought should be given to the choice of this vessel." These wise words are a quote from Arthur Beiser, who is a long standing OCC member and the author of two editions of "The Proper Yacht", which were published respectively in the 1966 and 1978. Both editions provide a very comprehensive analysis of the factors, which need to be taken into consideration, for a yacht to qualify for the designation proper yacht together with descriptions of designs, which in Arthur's words, more or less qualified for the term - 38 in the first edition and 58 in the second. I have a cherished and very well thumbed copy of the first edition, which Arthur very kindly autographed for me, when I met him in the Isles des Embiez back in 1982.

A good starting point for anyone contemplating the acquisition of a yacht for the purpose of undertaking serious ocean voyaging is to first acquire a copy of one of these editions and then make a thorough study of the contents. By the end of this process I am sure that you will find that you will have a much clearer idea of the type of yacht that will suit your own requirements. It is also worth reading what Arthur has to say in his chapter on "The Proper Yacht", which is included in the OCC publication - "The First Fifty Years" by Tony Vasey. When Arthur was asked by Adlard Coles to produce a third edition in the early 1990s, he declined to do so because of the lack of suitable modern examples to include in it!

I would like to think that our Malo 42 - Sofia would qualify for the designation proper yacht. She is a good looking, solidly built heavy displacement ocean cruiser, which has served us well on our circumnavigation. However, were we to undertake a similar venture in future, we would almost certainly look for a larger and faster vessel particularly in light airs. During our circumnavigation we encountered a significant number of couples, who were successfully managing yachts in the 50 foot plus range and in some cases as large a 60 feet. Modern sailing handling equipment now makes handling this size of yacht a reality for couples, who constitute the majority of ocean cruisers. That said, my personal preference would be for a ketch rig, as this keeps each individual sail more manageable in size and provides for more options in the event of bad weather. However, while ketch rigs were once commonplace, they are now a rarity on modern cruising yachts. The exception being the French Amel range. We have encountered a considerable number of Amel ketches on our circumnavigation and I can see why they are so popular with their owners, as they are well put together and designed with serious ocean cruising in mind.

In my view performance is an important factor for two reasons. First it reduces the time spent on long ocean passages. A 3000 mile passage undertaken by a yacht that can average 200 mile days will be 6 days shorter at 15 days that a yacht which can only manage 140 mile days taking over 21 days. A yacht with the capacity for faster passage making is also better able to escape from or avoid unpleasant weather.

Another aspect of design, which in my view receives insufficient attention from most manufacturers is accessibility and ease of maintenance for items, which require regular maintenance such as engines, generators and water makers. On Sofia the Yanmar diesel is located behind the companionway under the cockpit. When we acquired her the only access to the engine was by removing the companionway steps and an access panel in the port side aft cabin. Unfortunately the oil and fuel filters are located on the starboard side of the engine and unless one had extremely long and agile arms changing the filters was far from easy. We solved this problem by fitting an another access panel in the starboard aft cabin, which now provides direct access to the filters. In my view Malo should have installed this at the outset. We also discovered that in order to change the salt water pump impeller for the engine cooling system one had to remove the forward port engine mount! We have now had to undertake this operation four times during our circumnavigation. Needless to say we feel that more careful and thoughtful design by Yanmar and Malo at the outset could have avoided this situation.

A related issue concerns access to important elements of the yacht's construction such as keel bolts and chain plates. In Sofia's case neither are readily accessible. In order to access the keel bolts one would have to dismantle a substantial amount of joinery in the saloon and then remove the forward water tank. Access to the chainplates would also entail dismantling a substantial amount of joinery. In the case of a grounding, collision or dismasting, which are not unknown risks on a circumnavigation, quick and straightforward access to either or both of these elements will be important; particularly as one could be many miles away from the nearest yard or repair facility. We did not address this issue when we were looking over Sofia with a view to purchasing her. We would certainly do so now. While access issues may not be at the forefront of one's mind when acquiring a yacht for ocean cruising experience on our circumnavigation indicates that they are worthy of careful consideration.

Another aspect to which we would pay more attention is the layout of the accommodation and the availability of stowage. We have been aboard many fine cruising yachts during our circumnavigation - Oysters, Hallberg-Rassys, Najads Rustlers and Bowman to name but a few. The common characteristic is that they all have too many berths and too little stowage space for the plethora of equipment and spares required for a circumnavigation given that for most of the time there will only be two people on board. Virtually all had at least one accommodation cabin taken over for stowage use. In our case on Sofia both the port aft cabin and the stand alone shower stall next to the forward owners cabin are used for this purpose.

If one is in the fortunate position of being able to afford a new build most quality yards may permit a degree of customisation in the accommodation layout. In which case my advice would be to trade berths for a proper work bench and purposely designed stowage bins. Few modern designs include a purpose built oilskin locker with adequate ventilation and heating close to the companionway, which I would certainly recommend. I would also focus on a galley designed with use on passage as its primary function and a suitable single sea berth for use by the off watch member of the crew while on passage. However, the likelihood is that one will be faced with or inherit, if purchasing second hand, a fixed layout and the question then is how easily can it be adapted to suit the requirements of a couple engaged in ocean cruising.

I appreciate fully that all designs are a compromise and each potential owner will have their own set of priorities and budgetary constraints. However, I am sure that following a careful perusal of Arthur Beiser's sage advice in "The Proper Yacht" one would make a more informed choice.

Jonathan Lloyd

SY Sofia

A thought on vessel size
While modern gear such as electric winches have made is easier for a couple to sail larger boats than was common in the past, there is a problem when things go wrong.
Problems as obvious as a winch motor burning out, or getting a large sail off the deck,​ become harder to deal with as vessel size increases.
The weight of each component increases too, which can make repair harder.
We have a 47 foot Passoa, (French aluminium centerboarder) and would probably not buy larger, even if money was not an issue.​

Average size of cruising boats has been increasing for 50 years or more,  so it clearly works for some folks. ​​​
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+x

 

neilm - 5/16/2019

A thought on vessel size
While modern gear such as electric winches have made is easier for a couple to sail larger boats than was common in the past, there is a problem when things go wrong.
Problems as obvious as a winch motor burning out, or getting a large sail off the deck, become harder to deal with as vessel size increases.
The weight of each component increases too, which can make repair harder.
We have a 47 foot Passoa, (French aluminium centerboarder) and would probably not buy larger, even if money was not an issue.

Average size of cruising boats has been increasing for 50 years or more,  so it clearly works for some folks.

Hi all,
I suspect that any endeavor to help guide prospective owners to the “Proper Yacht” is doomed to failure. I see this as likely because, as I see it, the first task of any prospective buyer is a forthright and honest examination of his/her goals and aspirations with the use of this boat. And this must include the partner, as there is usually a partner and many a voyage has gone aground because the partner was not included so the purchase and goals were not a “joint” effort. Then one can turn to the outside “experts” to start to fine tune your vision and to be realistic about choices.
Next, I would suggest that it is a rare team who can search successfully for an offshore sailing boat without a fair amount of experience under their belt. There are many ways to gain this experience, but without this experience their search will be riddled with dead ends, unrealistic expectations, and disappointments. For example, I would suggest that experience might have led to noticing the numerous engine maintenance problems among other worries (yikes, remove the engine mounts to replace the impellor! That is almost a deal breaker).
More specifically to Jonathan’s original posting, I loved Beiser’s book, if memory serves it is a feast for the eyes and has much information, and I spent time with them sailing with them in the Med. That said, I think there are a handful of other books that would lead off in my suggestion box: the first and foremost being the venerable and still definitive (to my mind) “Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Sailing Yachts”.
And again, as it was mentioned specifically, I would suggest not going with a ketch rig. Johnathan, you are correct in reporting that new gear is allowing crews to handle larger boats with fewer people. This goes for rigs also. A ketch just doubles the rig maintenance, inspection expense etc. without adding much. I believe in years past splitting the rig allowed easier control of the sail plan, but nowadays, a well-designed cutter or double headsail sloop can be handled easily (even in the larger boat sizes) with the more modern gear you mention and these rigs give great flexibility of sail plan without all the added weight and complexity.
I am also not convinced that larger vessels/boat speed are as important as touted in the press and elsewhere. The much heralded 200-mile days to be able to skirt weather fronts and stay in better weather patterns and out of gales is a relatively rare occurrence and takes a very, very skillful weather forecaster/navigator to make it work. Yes, in a round the world race with routers working the forecasts ashore, sure, but I think not for the average cruiser.
For most of us who ply the trade wind routes and are not venturing into the southern ocean, a few days extra on a passage rarely makes a whole lot of difference. I am with Neil on not wanting a larger boat and mine is significantly smaller (40 feet) than his. We have lived aboard most of the last 17 years and wandered widely and in very remote areas and our aft cabin and shower have always been free for use and never turned into a “garage” or “attic”. It is possible on a smaller boat.
Part of this harkens back to my suggestion to clarify what you want and, maybe more importantly, what you do not want, in your offshore cruising plans and aspirations. It is in that knowledge that will emerge the outline of the boat that will check most of the boxes that are important to you and your partner.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy