I believe my ambitions and over enthusiasm ( Still 24)  may be getting the best of me.

I guess I need help making a major decision since not only am I taking my own safety in my hands, but that also of my partner. If it was just me, I would have no issue raising sail and setting off in my current boat, even as it is currently rigged. If you experienced and seasoned voyagers out there think with a proper refit, strengthened, and practically modified, my boat will be able to tansport 2 small people, safely, from the Puget sound in Washington state to Estonia, sailing with the weather and stopping off whenever necessary, or if possible. To combat stowage issue, I will just maintain my 13 gal fresh water tank and get a hand pump operated water maker. We would have no rush, junk rig in some carnation (most likely aerojunk at this stage, or I am still very open to having a flat junk with a big drifter, and honestly split between the two), and have a drogue on board. All I would have to do to my boat at this point is remove and fill the holes of some unnecessary seacocks, remove and patch the hole where the sail drive is installed (power head long gone), cut out outboard well, install outboard or skeg rudder, install junk rig, reinforce deck hull joint (glass over the H channel on the outside, only on the inside if some one wiser then I thinks it is necessary), possibly install some reinforcement stringer along the cabin roof if you folks think it is crucial, and paint. This is way easier, and cheaper then building a boat. I just want to be safe. Is my 3200lbs iron shoal draft keel up to the perils of the ocean?  This is the Keep it Simple Stupid plan.

If this boat is not able to be made safe for my prospective voyage, I will either obtain a 35ft mono-hull or build the Gypsy 28. I have the sinking feeling that 1000 hours is a bit of a conservative estimate for the build, and I feel like it will most likely cost significantly  more then just the price of the materials. Trying to build a boat, may actually kill my dream of getting out there and voyaging if it is too major of an undertaking. If I can get to Estonia in my current boat, and felt it was too small or I needed another boat, it would be much easier to build any size boat without having to deal with shop space rent ect there. I would also probably get more help from people because of my partners family.

This is quite a major voyage that will take quite a bit of time with as many stops as possible or visas will permit. Ideally I would like to find some nice places that have very lax visa restrictions and where the authorities will well enough leave me alone to help minimize cost.  I have been playing with charting a course and a rough approximation of the voyage is 28,025.9 nautical miles if I head west from my starting point and go around the horn of Africa. I really would like to explore the Pacific on my way to Estonia. This would mean I would have to round Africa!!! This is sort of terrifying to me, but my plan would to be stay atleast 40 -80 miles out from land or other obstacles. Are Pirates a real concern? No sail boat is going to outrun pirates, and I am not carrying guns, nor will I. I am sure I would be a more likely target in a catamaran, and less likely to get picked on in a tiny little mono. 

Or I can go through the panama canal, but that is not nearly as interesting to me.  There is so much stuff to check out in the Pacific. I have a ridiculous amount to learn before I set off. I would love to go the norther route and go around Russia, but I have not been able to find many books on those expeditions. A major concern would be ice, starvation, and the cold. My partner is a Russian citizen so if we marry we should be fine long as we file the appropriate papers. The middle east and Africa scare me (Is it for any reason or just from American propaganda?) The voyage is insane in the first place, so I want to try and at-least maintain some reasonable amount of safety. 94% survival rate is acceptable odds.

"What I don't like is how tender the rudder is."

"Maybe you should just change the rudder?"

Not such a crazy idea. I looked at the Columbia 26 Mk II, and she's quite similar to the NZ Raven 26 in hull form and displacement, with a high ballast ratio, but the rudder is not so good. I'd be quite happy to go offshore in a Raven (junk-rigged like Fantail, of course). Looking at the profile here, it would appear to be simple to add a skeg and a transom-hung rudder.

James Hleba wrote:

Thanks for the reality check from all with experience. The thing about badger is that this Hill's sold her, and Pete went multi-hull.

Yes, we did - but I didn't want to.  Badger was a wonderful boat and I would have kept her forever and sailed to the Pacific if it had been up to me. 

Also, I  don't want a keel. I think it is too limiting  as far as places to check out. Maybe an internally ballasted dory with retractable centerboard?

The centreboard would totally dominate the interior, as well as complicating the building process.

I know for a fact that my buddy with a 24ft catamaran, kicks my boats butt every time, feels safer when heavy weather draws near. Honestly, I don't have an issue with the size of my boat as far as living goes. What I don't like is how tender the rudder is.

Maybe you should just change the rudder?  Only kidding - if the boat truly requires a complete rebuild then it's worth considering other options.  However, I don't quite understand why your friend feels happier contemplating a gale in a 24ft cat than you do in a 26ft monohull.  It wouldn't be much fun in either, but I don't think the one is inherently more seaworthy than the other.

Saying she is squirrelly, would be being polite. My budget dictates 30ft max regardless what type of boat. The shop space that is affordable in this region is 30ft by 30ft. Otherwise I will have to drive 2 hours to the nearest DIY yard, work out doors, and pay twice in rent what I can have a heated enclosed 30x 30 shop for.

There are thousands of cheap boats for sale, especially smaller ones, and shoal draught is not uncommon.  Why would you spend all that time building when you can probably buy the sort of boat you need for less money?

If I did a "Leon" style cat, I can build the the entire bridge deck into a cabin, and have a huge living area. In one pontoon I can keep the head and have a navigation center in half and some stowage, In the other hull I can set up a small shop for all my projects, and a good solid bench for my lady to use for hers.

For a better illustration of what I am talking about, please refer to p236 in AYRS 78.  (you can download it from : http://www.ayrs.org/ayrslist.htm )

I know the multi-hull people seem a bit biased towards multi-hulls, but if you notice people who go multi-hull never quite seem satisfied with mono-hulls anymore and usually end up getting another multi-hull.

Not so.  I know many people who have gone from multis back to monos - and indeed was talking just a couple of days ago to a couple who built their own tri, have lived on it for years and now want to go back to a monohull.  I considered both before settling on the 26ft boat I am building now (building, because I couldn't find anything remotely like what I wanted in NZ).  A small monohull has a smaller footprint, is easier to heat and has a lot less surface area to paint and maintain.

There are sooo many mono hulls in this area, that it would not be worth the time or effort to build one. If I build a boat, it will be a multi-hull, if not I will by something that will better suit my needs, now that I know what they are.

I guess If I was trying to go around any horn, I might feel safer with over a ton of metal hanging beneath me.... I have to do more research into self built catamarans with above and beyond achievements.

If I am lucky, I might get Pete and Annie to comment, as they both have different perspectives on the whole thing.

So much to think about......

I just don't want to start dumping obscene amounts of money into the  current boat I have for it to never be able to safely cross oceans. Since it needs total rebuild, would probably be better off putting my attention into something that will meet my goals.

Anyone think a 1971 columbia26 mkii with 3200 lbs keel and a total displacement of 6600 lbs can be made to get me to Estonia from WA state in the USA? If so, I will just keep the boat I have.

If Shane Acton can sail around the world in an 18 ft boat, you can sail your boat to WA.  It's more a case of whether you both want to.  But if your main aim is to cross oceans, why are you concentrating on shoal draught? .

Thanks for listening to my nutty ideas. Everyone around here tells me to finance a 35ft erikson, but I don't really like them as the few I have sailed seemed to be designed for motor sailing, not just sailing. Again, I could be mistaken, but it is just my opinion. Also, I have no desire to re-chain myself to society through the financial bonds of debt. I am FREE and CLEAR now, and wish to stay that way for the rest of my life.

Absolutely so, and that being the case, you need to do very, very careful costings before you think of building a boat.

James Hleba wrote:

My budget dictates 30ft max regardless what type of boat. The shop space that is affordable in this region is 30ft by 30ft. Otherwise I will have to drive 2 hours to the nearest DIY yard, work out doors, and pay twice in rent what I can have a heated enclosed 30x 30 shop for. 

Just saying...

Thanks for the reality check from all with experience. The thing about badger is that this Hill's sold her, and Pete went multi-hull.  Also, I  don't want a keel. I think it is too limiting  as far as places to check out. Maybe an internally ballasted dory with retractable centerboard? I know for a fact that my buddy with a 24ft catamaran, kicks my boats butt every time, feels safer when heavy weather draws near. Honestly, I don't have an issue with the size of my boat as far as living goes. What I don't like is how tender the rudder is. Saying she is squirrelly, would be being polite. My budget dictates 30ft max regardless what type of boat. The shop space that is affordable in this region is 30ft by 30ft. Otherwise I will have to drive 2 hours to the nearest DIY yard, work out doors, and pay twice in rent what I can have a heated enclosed 30x 30 shop for. 

If I did a "Leon" style cat, I can build the the entire bridge deck into a cabin, and have a huge living area. In one pontoon I can keep the head and have a navigation center in half and some stowage, In the other hull I can set up a small shop for all my projects, and a good solid bench for my lady to use for hers.

For a better illustration of what I am talking about, please refer to p236 in AYRS 78.  (you can download it from : http://www.ayrs.org/ayrslist.htm )

I know the multi-hull people seem a bit biased towards multi-hulls, but if you notice people who go multi-hull never quite seem satisfied with mono-hulls anymore and usually end up getting another multi-hull.

There are sooo many mono hulls in this area, that it would not be worth the time or effort to build one. If I build a boat, it will be a multi-hull, if not I will by something that will better suit my needs, now that I know what they are.

I guess If I was trying to go around any horn, I might feel safer with over a ton of metal hanging beneath me.... I have to do more research into self built catamarans with above and beyond achievements.

If I am lucky, I might get Pete and Annie to comment, as they both have different perspectives on the whole thing.

So much to think about......

I just don't want to start dumping obscene amounts of money into the  current boat I have for it to never be able to safely cross oceans. Since it needs total rebuild, would probably be better off putting my attention into something that will meet my goals.

Anyone think a 1971 columbia26 mkii with 3200 lbs keel and a total displacement of 6600 lbs can be made to get me to Estonia from WA state in the USA? If so, I will just keep the boat I have.

Thanks for listening to my nutty ideas. Everyone around here tells me to finance a 35ft erikson, but I don't really like them as the few I have sailed seemed to be designed for motor sailing, not just sailing. Again, I could be mistaken, but it is just my opinion. Also, I have no desire to re-chain myself to society through the financial bonds of debt. I am FREE and CLEAR now, and wish to stay that way for the rest of my life.