It is often said that every boat is a compromise. So when looking for a boat, I had a number of objectives in mind.
First decision made, I'd decided to buy a boat. What next? The first step was to consider how I was going to use it. Where and under what conditions would the boat be sailed? Bluewater boats are often gorgeous (the Cabo Rico is a particular favorite), but they are built to sail across the world; if that wasn't my plan, such a boat would be a slow and expensive option. As I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, realistically my sailing (at least initially) was going to be closer to home: sailing in the North and South Bay; and also in the East Bay including the Delta's labyrinth of channels, sloughs, and rivers leading as far as Stockton and Sacramento. Plus, occasional trips out of the Golden Gate to local coastal locations such as Drake's Bay, Bodega Bay and Monterey.
Winds in the Bay Area often range around 20 to 25 knots, and there can be big swells, particularly outside of the Gate. I needed a robust, well-built boat with a sea-kindly motion that I could sail with confidence and comfort in a wide range of conditions; and often single-handed.
At a high level, I think of boats in three categories: Races, cruisers and bluewater. In practice, they're on a continuum: some racers can be used as cruisers, some cruisers can be more than capable of offshore transits, and so on.
Racers: Very lightweight, generally with spartan interiors and limited cabin space, with storage primarily for sail wardrobe.
Cruiser: Medium displacement with a focus on interior comfort resulting in added beam and weight, and thus tending to be slower than racers; but speed is relative as modern cruisers can be very fast.
Bluewater: Heavy displacement; often with a full-length keel. They tend to be narrow and deep, especially older models. The hull design makes them very stable, but generally not as easy to manoeuver; and all essential components tend to be overbuilt to withstand severe weather condition.
While it is fun to participate in club races, I did not want a racing boat; instead I was looking for a comfortable cruiser which could take my family out in safety, and handle a broad range of sea conditions.
I also anticipated spending time "on the hook", so I wanted to have reasonable comfort down below with good storage. In combination with coastal cruising ambitions, this meant that I was looking for a boat with a workable oven, good water supply, good range, and ideally a chart table/navigation station down below; plus an autopilot–a prerequisite for safe single-handed sailing.
I also kept in mind two excellent pieces of advice from experienced boatowners that have stayed with me.
The first piece of advice was don't look at a new boat as a boat; look at it as a collection of parts. It is easy for a new buyer to look at a potential boat and see not the reality but the boat in perfect condition, sailing on a sparkling blue sea. In reality, a boat is a collection of parts in various conditions, of varied age. Generally, when buying a new boat the funds get rather depleted, so you need to make sure that the boat has everything you need to get sailing. Many big-ticket items will cost more than the boat itself to replace, so you had better be aware of that before you make a decision. For example:
Engine. A replacement engine in a 30-foot boat can cost $30,000 installed. A well-maintained diesel should last 30+ years, but after that you could well be on borrowed time.
Standing Rigging. Depending on the boat size and chainplate condition, this can cost $5,000-$10,000 to replace.
Sails. Depending on the sail saize and materials, new headsails will likely cost $3,000 up, and a main around $4,000 up.
The second piece of advice addressed the electronics in particular. Electronics are expensive to purchase and install, but almost without value once they are installed. Suffice to say, if you buy a boat with old/outdated electronics on board, beware!
Having broadly decided on the class of boat I was looking for, I turned to the design and sailing performance.
Boat size. I focused on boats with an upper boat length (Length Overall – LOA) of 34 to 36 feet. This was in part because I expected to sail single-handed some of the time, but also because while some larger boats can be sailed single-handed, they also require a larger budget; not just at the time of purchase but also for ongoing costs: slip rental, maintenance, and upkeep. I also looked at the length at waterline (LWL) as an indication of potential boat speed, and (when combined with beam) of boat volume.
Displacement. With my focus on cruising, I looked for a boat with medium/heavy displacement because higher displayment is a contributing factor to good sea manners, stability and comfort.
Sails and Rig. Sufficient to drive the boat, but not so great that I could not handle the sails myself. Also, as the Bay Area generally has plenty of wind, overly large sails often end up having to be reefed much of the time.
Hull Shape. I rejected centerboard designs as the price range that I was looking at meant that I would be buying an older boat, and I worried about how well the systems managing the centerboard un such a boat would hold up. An encapsulated keel with lead ballast seemed to offer the best balance between performance and low maintenance: no keel bolts to worry about, fewer corrosion problems with the bonding of the keel to the hull, and the advantages of lead in terms of weight and righting moment. Also, given that much of the Bay is shallow, a low aspect ratio fin keel or a cut away full keel would offer reasonable shallow water capabilities without sacrificing windward performance too much. (As I look back over my decision criteria, I am particularly happy that I chose to look for a shallow-keeled boat, having seen many friends with deeper keels go to ground in the Bay Area's shallows, or have to have to wait for higher tides than me before being able to arrive or leave a harbor.
A skeg-mounted rudder seemed like a robust choice in an older boat, being less prone to damage or distortion.
Topside Configuration and Equipment. As sailing generally means time in the cockpit and on deck, some other features were important to me. First and foremost I wanted a foredeck anchor well. In boats of 30 to 36 feet storage is limited, and lugging an anchor with chain and rope from a cockpit locker to the bow seemed like a poor choice. Also, for safety reasons, I had a strong preference for a bridge deck between the cockpit and cabin. While some may see this as just another impediment to easy movement in a boat; for me it is the primary means of keeping water from the cabin if the boat were to broach or be pooped by a wave.
In terms of equipment, and to help with single-handed sailing, I considered self-tailing winches a must (whether in the boat on purchase or retrofitted). I did not think of spinnaker winches as essential, as I had sailed on other boats who furled the jib and then used the primary winch for the spinnaker—inefficient if racing, but I was not buying a race boat!
Other important aspects I considered:Aesthetics. As an incurable romantic I like a bit of brightwork!
Bridgedeck. The raised platform just aft of the companionway: it looks nautical and keeps bigger waves from getting down below.
Cutter Rig. It would be nice to have, but it's unusual in smaller boats.
Taking all this into account, these are the design ratios I was looking for:
My shortlist ended up with several boats by Pearson; the longest being 35 feet. Most boats that I considered had a CSF very close to 2; those with a CSF substantially greater than 2 simply didn't make it to my shortlist. Another feature common to all boats on my shortlist was a sloop rig, and none had a full keel.
Among the Pearsons, the first boat that I visited was a Pearson 323. It turned out to be a design that I kept coming back to because it incorporated many of the criteria that were important to me—and I simply liked the look of it!
I also liked some of the Ericson boats I saw, but sadly all that I visited were in poor condition. Likewise the Islander 36—a pretty boat, albeit a bit big for my needs; but the only one I found had been poorly maintained. I also looked at several early Hunter and Catalina models, but neither manufacturer met the design and aesthetic criteria I had identified. So the Pearson 323 ended up as my favored choice: Well built, attractive, and with the seaworthy qualities I was looking for.