ArtOfHookie: Does Size Really Matter?

My loving wife swears to me that size doesn't matter. But does it?

I was recently told that my boat is too small. Living in the boat yard I meet all types: boaters, builders, workers, and dreamers. We fall somewhere in between the lines. At a whopping 24 feet with a displacement of 6500lbs, by today's standards our boat is considered small by any measure. I recently read an article titled Pocket Cruiser Of The Year. It was a 38-footer. I guess our boat is now considered a dinghy. Our Allegra 24 designed by Fred Bingham has 6'1" standing headroom and four berths. The shortest, our double, measures 6'5". The Roo has a full galley with a two-burner propane stove and oven. Even though we choose to use a cedar bucket we do have a very nice enclosed head which is small enough to be considered seaworthy but large enough to actually pull your pants down while inside. With two adults and two dogs this might sound small but it works for us.

Because we are financially challenged there aren't many boats in our price range to choose from. Even if we go up to 30' we won't get much more usable room. Having such a small boat we can get away with an outboard engine and no marine head. This leaves us with the usable space of a well-built 30-footer with no prop drag and lighter displacement. Being of a traditional design but built with modern building techniques and materials, our boat is incredibly strong but lighter and faster than she would appear. Sure we could sell our boat and put a nice down payment on a larger boat. Then in 20 years when it is payed off we could spend another three years rebuilding everything on it and sail away. I would be 62, Lizzie would be 50, and we would have a boat that is older than the one we currently own. By then we might not be quite as adventurous as we are now and may not be able to happily live without hot water, plumbing, full electronics, and all of the power it takes to run these luxuries. We can't support fancy electronics so we don't have them.

Instead we have to be better sailors and navigators adding to the pleasure and satisfaction of cruising. Outfitting and refitting our boat cost less because marine equipment is basically priced by the pound, inch, or foot. We also purchase used equipment where we can. After all, once you use something it really isn't new anymore. Is it really worth paying more than double to have gear that is new for one use? With a very small initial investment we don't feel the need to carry insurance. Every part of our boat takes less time to maintain and is easier on the budget, leaving us more time to play which is what cruising is really all about.

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Living with a dog is interesting: Dogs on board

Some advice from Dave (You Me and the D):

OK, living with a dog is interesting. For the most part I would say he is a great security system, but he did just sleep through the theft of our locked outboard up on the stern of the boat while we slept with the doors open. It might possibly be our fault as he did bark but didn't go out into the cockpit. We are now convinced he is afraid of the dark.

Pros: entertainment, security, companionship (Dex spends the night watch out in the cockpit with us)

cons: dog hair everywhere ( and Dex doesn't shed much or have much hair), he barks at everyone nice guys included, he shits on the deck which means we can't collect deck water for drinking.

unknown facts:

clearing your pet into a country only has to be done if the officials come on to your boat while your quarantine flag is up. Once your in, no one is going to worry about a dog, DOGS ARE EVERYWHERE. Ex: we were so pissed off about having our motor stolen before we even got to clear into Costa Rica that we just happened to forget about our dog for the day.

In Jamaica the locals told us we could take Dex to a deserted island for walks as lots of people have done it, even though the dog has to stay on the boat. The reality is there are way more serious laws for officials to be avoiding to enforce to worry about dogs.

The other thing is look for other cruisers who have well trained boat dogs and get your dog to socialize with them. Then anchor next to them and leave your dog on the boat for a week. Our friends did this and thir 115lbs mastiff watched Dex all day and eventually started doing her business on the deck. (in the same spot as Dexter was on our boat.

Dex falls into the drink only wwhen attempting to jump from dinghy to boat, and only after a really good run on the beach.

He also loves dolphins and turtles, even the mention of either word gets him going, and don't even think about hinting at pelicans. Most of the time when sailing he sleeps in the cockpit or in the quarter berth in rough weather, and the rest of the time hanging out on the bowsprit (seriously).

medically just watch out for ticks and make sure cuts are healling well, also keep their claws well trimmed for the sake of your teak and holy sole.

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