Sailboats come in all shapes and sizes. According to boats.com sailboats can be differentiated by three distinctive characteristics:
- Hull Type (monohull, catamaran or trimaran)
- Keel Type (fin keel, wing keel, bilge keel, daggerboard, or centerboard)
- Mast Configuration and Sails (sloop, fractional rig sloop, ketch, schooner, yawl, cutter, cat)
Then of course, it’s all about the size. Length (how long is your boat), beam (how wide is your boat), and draft (how deep is your keel).
Honestly, it’s more confusing than figuring out the difference between Coke, Diet Coke, Caffeine-free Diet Coke, Coke Zero, etc. Then you have to decide between full-size cans, mini-cans, big or small or quart bottles…you get the point.
Anyway, Casstaway is a monohull, wing keel, sloop. Her length is 38 feet, her beam is 13 feet, and her draft is 4’8 feet. In a nutshell, she is small enough to fit in nearly all anchorages and marinas, shallow enough to navigate most waterways, large enough to sail around the globe if desired (not gonna happen in my lifetime), and very cozy (i.e., teeny, tiny – see prior posts) for living aboard.
Casstaway was a newborn when we took possession – built in 2015, bought in 2016, and moved aboard in 2017. But before we bought new, we also looked at used boats. After all, with good care sailboats can live a long and healthy life. Or, you can buy a “fixer-upper”. Haha, unless we hired the Chip and Joanna Gaines of boating, that was not gonna happen!
We love Casstaway. But, with so many sailboat choices it is inevitable that we occasionally suffer a bout of boat envy. So many beautiful boats out there and we love touring others – getting ideas and advice, and seeing how friends have made their boats both efficient and comfortable.
Should we ever decide to retire from sailing, we might consider a powerboat. Here’s one that just docked at our marina. Isn’t she a beauty?
A similar one could be ours for a bargain price tag of just under $1M. 🤣
When we went to the St Pete boat show this year I wouldn't even look at the new boats. I didn't want to incur a case of boat envy. We love Casstaway and don't need any green monsters invading our little slice of paradise LOL.
We love our fixer upper. Chip and Joanna did do a houseboat one time…but I think even they would not tackle NeverLand…I sometimes try to imagine buying a new boat..maybe someday…thanks for sharing