Sailing Cruisers

• Activities: Overnight Cruising and Day Sailing
• Length Range: 25 - 200 ft.
• Average price: $223,000
• 2-3 cabins

If long sails to distant ports is a type of adventure you’d like, a sailing cruiser may just be in your future. Just as the name suggests, these are sailboats that are designed with long-distance travel in mind. To make it possible they commonly have fairly wide beams, which maximizes interior volume and stability, but as a result they do sacrifice some speed. Some “performance-cruisers” or “racer-cruisers” do attempt to split the difference between speed and comfort but remember, on a sailing cruiser getting there is half the fun – so what’s the rush?

Sailing cruisers will commonly feature one or more private staterooms, a full galley, a stand-up head compartment, and a navigation station belowdecks. Just how extensive these areas are is directly proportional to the boat’s size. This type of boat will also usually have a relatively small but reliable diesel inboard engine to provide propulsion when in port and when the wind drops out. Tankage for both fuel and water can be expected to be extensive. And since many sailing cruisers are designed to allow a couple to explore, they feature automated sailing systems like winches and self-reefing sails so sailing short-handed isn’t a problem. Some are equipped to handle heavy-duty oceanic voyages, and others are intended more for cruises up and down the Intercoastal.

Not only are the hulls and cabins of cruising sailboats designed for long journeys, even the sails can be different from those found on other types of sailboats. Gennakers, for example, which combine the advantages of a genoa jib and a spinnaker but are much easier for a single sailor or a couple to set than a spinnaker is. Additional equipment on these boats, ranging from generators to the head systems, are all similarly chosen to accommodate long cruises by just a person or two. And if you and your loved one want to set off on an extended adventure, few boats will make it as pleasant as a sailing cruiser.