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My boyfriend was searching for a boat when he met me (eek 🙂 ) three years ago and put off his plans. We're now looking again. There appears to be a nice DE38 in our area which could meet our needs for sailing and living aboard—it looks beautiful and I want to go see it. The main reason I am looking at downeasters is because of how they're built. I like the full keel, the stability. And I like the layout of the boat as well (among other things). We are moving along slowly as we are not in a hurry to find something now and may just wait until the end of the summer when people don't want to pay slip fees anymore.
I have been reading this forum, and it's been very informative and interesting and I've learned a lot about the DE's. We were debating between a 38 and a 45, and I think a 45 is just too much for us, though the bed would be nice :).
We have a little kitten, and I would love to know how animals adapt to full time living on boats. She is a little cretin and likes to be in everyone's business.
As far as the sailing goes, the one I'm thinking of looking at has been fitted so that all the sails can be worked at the helm.
My boyfriend has owned boats and lived offshore before for a number of years, so I'm going to be the working woman while he's the boat man. I'm the computer woman 🙂
Looking forward to more good reading. Just didn't want to lurk anymore. Thanks for having me 🙂
Bec
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Welcome to the downeasteryachts community Bec.
You will find a huge difference between the DE38 and DE45. Both in space and comfort as well as in ease of handling and maintenance. What you gain in comfort and space you give up in ease of maintenance and pure size. The DE 45 is twice as heavy as a DE38.
We have a cat onboard that has lived on a boat his entire life. I think that if you are going to have a pet onboard that a cat is probably the easiest to take care of and that they adapt the best to life aboard.
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well--that's kinda my question.. i've read about doing blue water cruising in a DE32, but the 45 is so much bigger and heavier that it might be more stable... however, if it's just the two of us, i don't know how we'd manage two masts and all that rigging esp if a storm came up suddenly... but the 45 is so much heavier.. i guess we'd have to sail each one to find out--but there's no DE45 around here that i know of to just go out on and check out...i feel like we'd need a crew to go on any long journeys..i do like the idea of him being able to control the sails if i am (cough) below deck green in the face (on the 38)....the nearest de45 is in HI and since we won't be ready to purchase a boat til fall--it will be the wrong time of year i think to sail from HI to southern california..too stormy i think...i've been reading about the HI circuit. and it's much more expensive..there was one in LA, but i think it got sold.
anyway.. that's my little rant...:)
thanks for the welcome..i'm learning a lot.[Image Can Not Be Found]
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I have recently moved up to the DE38 myself and find that it is much more streanous sailing the DE38 than my 23.5 ft beneteau.. It's just a matter of size of sails and how much force it takes to raise them or lower them etc... the only difference with the DE45 would be the number of sails.. It is a lot more lowering and raising with the ketch rig. Though compared to a 45 in sloop configuration the sails are smaller so easyier to raise or lower individually. You also have a lot more standing and running rigging to maintain with the ketch.
Most of the long term cruisers that I have read seem to agree that for two people a 32 or 33 ft boat seems to get sailed more and go more places than the bigger boats. We picked the DE38 partially beacuase it was a deal that fell in our laps but also that my wife wanted the larger cabin space that is less claustraphobic. I have to admit that at 6'2" I like the larger living space also. I think that even a 45 would be managable depending on how extreme you got with the sailing systems in making it easier for a single person to raise and lower sails from the cockpit etc.. Power winches make a huge difference for sheeting in the jib, raising and lowering the main as far as convenience and effort.
If you are really torn between the DE45 and the DE38 then sailing and handling each one before buying would be a great thing to do. I think the DE 38 would be for two people the ideal size. With the DE32 being a good alternative.
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you have just answered my biggest questions. the 38 I'm looking at has the winch system and the winches are all gimbled out so that the person at the wheel can control the sails--though i do not believe they are motorized (that would be too much, right 🙂 )...the 45 with the 2 masts.. I don't think we could do it alone. i don't know if i'd have the money to go too extreme with a sailing system for the 45--though that would be nice... and the size of the 38 isn't bad... though i am not hot about sleeping with my boyfriend in a v-berth (he moves around a lot in his sleep)...
i think we'll hope that this DE38 stays on the market for a few more months while I get my pennies together :)... it's always the pennies.. it's over priced...so i'm thinking it's not going to sell.
thanks for the advice...:)
bec[Image Can Not Be Found]
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Your welcome 🙂
I hope your search is successful and if you need any more advise this is the place to come.. we have a lot of owners here that can talk boat! 🙂
scott
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Hi Bec,
I've got a DE32 that I've been sailing around the Pacific for 4 years now. I may be a bit biased, but when people ask my advice on boats, especially if they want to go cruising, I always say to buy the smallest boat that you'd be comfortable living on. Coming from land life, even that DE45 seems a bit small, but you'd be amazed at how much more efficiently space is used on a boat. I know couples that cross oceans and sail for extended periods of time on boats as small as 26 feet. In general most people find that 32-36 feet is about as small as they're willing to go. The biggest problem with a large boat is the expense. It's going to cost a little more to purchase a larger boat, but in the long run it's going to take many times more money to run and maintain. Which means you have to work more and get to sail less. Having lines run to the cockpit is all well and good, but realize that the vast majority of the time, it's not going to matter how fast you get things done. Having more sails breaks up the loads and makes each individual sail easier to handle. I wouldn't not buy a ketch or a schooner because of the extra rigging and complications sailing it. Split rigs give you more options and make it easier to sail while sloops and cutters are generally more efficient. There's few things in this world prettier than a schooner under sail.
All boats are compromises. There's no such thing as the perfect boat, but paid for always beats a mortgage and sitting at anchor in some far flung corner of the world beats fighting traffic commuting to work. Go smaller and kick your boyfriend out of the v-berth and make him sleep on the settee when he tosses and turns too much.
DE45 Sea Angel and DE38 Sea Heather are for sale right now down in Mexico. If you're looking at buying the fall, you could have a great time sailing around Mexico for 6 months before sailing it back up to California. There's also DE38 schooner Hull #1 for sale in Long Beach.
http://www.yachtworld.com/core.....id=2149555
http://www.yachtworld.com/core.....id=2062972
http://www.yachtworld.com/core.....id=1613775
a bit more expensive, but here's a DE41 Pilothouse in great shape with all the bells and whistles for sale down in Mexico too:
http://www.yachtworld.com/core.....id=2183888
Just my 2 cents,
Jason
DE32 Bodhran
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thanks guys...
jason i will definitely think over what youve said...and take a look at those boats..
i saw the sea heather online.. i wrote to the owner. he says it's got a leak in the fuel tank... i'm not sure i want a problem like that right up front.. though that boat is all..well.. tricked out ;)...there's one at dana point--which i'm sure is one of the links, just haven't checked yet...
next thing in order is "the family conference"...ack! the woman and her boyfriend might live on a boat!!!
thanks guys.. i'll be back.. we're learning the fine points of navigating so that we can do it with a sextant and charts so that when the gps and depth finder go out, we'll have a spitting chance...learning the constellations.. boyfriend is helping a friend "re-deck" his sailboat... big job!!
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