Moving back down in size - lets hear from you.

[bshillam]

Some of you have moved up and then back down in size of vessel. I'd like to hear from those of you that have, why and would you do it again? My prior vessel size was 34' and I am thinking of all the time I'll regain not having to maintain all the systems on the prior boat. I really am feeling attracted to the simple systems in the 22.

[ghone]

I've gone 12-35 feet in sail and power. The cd 22 is my biggest powerboat. I look at cruising boats as tools to do a job. They aren't working for a living. So different boats for different jobs. The cd 22 is the wrong boat to point at the Marquesas. The cd is the right boat for coastal and inland. Always first on my agenda re boats is what is the mission? Answer that and one gets a short list of vessels. The boat that gets used is the right boat. We see way too many boats sitting in slips literally for years at a time while our little boat goes all over. Some boats are kept merely to impress ones peers or fit in at the yacht club I assume. Thats ok. Whatever.
What's right for one isn't for another. I've met people on the dock who couldn't even come on my boat as it was "too small" they get claustrophobia. They came off an 85 footer that they liked. For the likes of Tiger Woods 200 ft is "too small". In my mind the smaller that gets the mission done the better. George

[Ray]

I have had at least 12 boats from 12ft to 34ft, both power and sail.
I agree with George - the size of the boat was absolutely inversely proportional to how much it got used.

[bridma]

Over a 35 year span, I have had four sail boats from 18' to 33'. My C-Dory is my first real power boat and I love it. I can go fast or slow, sleep/cook in it, fish/sunbathe in it, trailer it, gunkhole in it, feel safe in it, and more importantly, actually use it.
I agree with what George said, so I won't repeat it.

Martin.

[Sunbeam]

George nailed it for me, too.

In the past, I lived aboard a "full sized" boat (not that it was so huge, but I mean a 30-footer heavy sail boat, so basically a big sturdy boat with all my stuff aboard).

What do I miss from that? Well, I do miss the big boat feel in the accommodations. By that I don't really mean luxury or space (as it was not that luxurious or large), but more the sturdy/nautical feel of it, plus the fact that I had everything there with me and was aboard all the time. I could go long distance, carry month's worth of provisions, all my tools, etc. I never had to shift from tow vehicle/camper to boat to house to boat to etc.

I don't have that in the 22, but I love it for my current mission, which is trailering to various places and enjoying them in simplicity. Shallow draft, simple, small, light and airy. It fits my mission and I love it for that. I can also stow it away reasonably easily if I want to do something else. So while I do miss some of the things from the first category, they come along with other things that I don't want/need right now.

I guess you could sum it all up in "horses for courses."

[Alexander]

We've had power and sail boats up to 44' and lived aboard full time for 12 yrs. We now have a CD 25 and have never been happier or had more fun with a boat. No more diving to clean running gear, no more leaky canvas. Perfect boats for gunkholing or a quick fun boat ride. I agree with George too.

[Captains Cat]

We've moved up, down and sideways... Now back to a 22 where we started with C Dorys in the late 90's.