The search for the ideal family cruiser can be a complicated business at the best of times, especially if you’re looking for a new yacht less than 30ft long. Gone are the days when Jaguar 27s, Maxi 84s and Mirage 28s were widely used by charter companies and private buyers alike. These days, sailors hunting for smaller cruisers have little choice but to browse classified ads and brokerage lists.
Many conflicting factors are needed to achieve that most elusive of goals – the best compromise between seagoing performance in a full range of weather conditions and maximum living space when in port. I say ‘in port’ because maximum accommodation space when at sea is less relevant. If you are not in the cockpit and sailing, you could be down below cooking (as securely as possible), eating (spilling as little as possible), in the heads (as briefly as possible), navigating (as accurately as possible) or sleeping (as comfortably as possible). The size of the areas used for these tasks is often seen as insignificant compared to how effectively each task can be performed.
Then there’s the small matter of weight. New boats with heavier displacements for their size are rarely seen at boat shows these days for one simple reason: they cost more to build. But that doesn’t mean they are ‘out of date’. Far from it, because the cruising sailor – whether she or he is looking for massive or moderate amounts of accommodation below – will find a heavier displacement boat with a lower centre of gravity more forgiving and less twitchy to sail than a lighter boat with a voluminous interior.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter K Poland crossed the Atlantic in a 7.6m (25ft) Wind Elf in 1968 and later spent 30 years as co-owner of Hunter Boats. He is now a freelance journalist and public relations consultant.
Waterline length grows
One notable change to hull designs has been gaining ground recently and becoming widespread. Like many design evolutions, it traces its origins back to the racing world. There is a saying that ‘racing improves the breed’ and this can be true even in the world of cruising yacht designs. This trend relates to overall and waterline length. In the past, waterline length was invariably far shorter than overall length. Elegant bow and stern overhangs were the visible evidence. The reason was that a yacht’s Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and later International Offshore Rule (IOR) handicaps were partly based on its static waterline length.
As later racing handicap rules put less
