# I'm 6'2". I want to live on a yacht that can cross oceans. Am I dreaming?



## TallGuy (Sep 16, 2009)

I searched these forums for a while, but I couldn't find a "Boats for Tall People" thread. Am I wrong in assuming that anything with adequate headroom for me is going to require two or more people to sail? Almost all the boats I've been on have been coastal cruising types, so I don't know much about bluewater-capable craft. I know that I could find a boat that I could sail up and down the coast; I see headroom mentioned occasionally in ads, so I know that such boats exist, and I'm not _that_ tall.

If 30 feet is the ideal length for liveaboard solo sailing, then there must be some boats that tall guys can live in, and at least some of those must be robust enough to consider taking across an ocean. Which ones are they? Is it really impossible to sail, say, a 36 footer by yourself? Most of the boats I've read about that mention ample headroom are on the larger side.

So, is there a boat in particular that I should be looking for? Or should I just cultivate a slouch? Perhaps I should try to marry someone who also wants to sail across the Pacific? Advice, please.


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## CharlieCobra (May 23, 2006)

My old boat is 40' LOA and I sail it single handed just fine. I'm also 6-4.


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## roline (Apr 7, 2000)

Yes you are currently dreaming, but your dreams can be realized.
GO to a couple boat shows and crawl through all the boats, lay down in the berths, check out the heads............. For the very serious, Caliber and Island Packets have nice features but I kinda liked the Morgan Catalina 44, even had washer dryer and work shop. But just like our attraction to the opposite sex, we each have / find a unique attraction to different boats.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I'm also 6'4" & the best boat I've found for safety at sea, room below deck & value is the Westsail 32, a proven Colin Archer design if you like the traditional style.


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

I'm 6'5", and I sail. All boats are compromise. My ketch has about 6'4" headroom, at 39' on deck. I singlehand her more often than not. Winches help, a divided rig (smaller sails) helps. Practice and thinking ahead helps most of all. I still need a taller boat, but I doubt that will happen.


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## casioqv (Jun 15, 2009)

I'm also 6'2, and I have full standing height in a pop-top Catalina 25 fixed keel with the top up. My Catalina 22 swing keel doesn't have full standing height, but I think it will be fairly simple for me to modify the top with telescoping poles so that it does.

You shouldn't use the pop-top when sailing in anything but light air, but I don't find the desire to stand fully upright in the cabin while sailing in rough seas either.

I guess this is sort-of irrelevant in the context of liveaboards that can sail around the world...


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

I'm just short of six-one, and the only place I have to watch it in my 33 footer is the head. 

Gentlemen sit, anyway!

Our new boat has seven feet of headroom in the saloon...I think my wife wants to put in shelving!


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## Volkhard (Feb 19, 2006)

*Your dream will come true!*

Tallguy:
I don't know about 30' being the ideal length for Solo liveaboard but I think that's a personal choice. I can only speak from my experience on my Island Packet 37 who serves me very well. I am 6'2" as well and people were laughing at me, when (on boat shows) after examining the cockpit and deck layout, my first look was in the head. I don't like to shower bend over or sitting down showering and that did eliminate quite some boats for me.

In regard to blue water cruising IMHO up to a certain size bigger is actually better and will give you (everything else the same) a more seaworthy and more sea-kindly boat. When I stepped up from a nice 30ft Hunter (bought strictly for coastal cruising) to my IP 37 I couldn't believe the huge difference. 15 to 20kts winds are now pure fun and have not been before.

I am contemplating to take my IP across oceans in 2 years when I retire, unless I exchange her bevore for a moderate size catamaran I am thinking about as well.

While I would like to sail with crew/companion I am setting everything up to be able to single-hand. I haven't crossed oceans yet but cruising Tampa Bay to Key West direct or being offshore about 150 miles in the Atlantic when I sailed from Florida to the Chesapeake this summer have been pure bliss.

I am sure you will find a good boat that fits you well both in size, style and handling. There are many folks out there single-handling moderate boats (35' to 40') and I have heart about a guy who does it on a 46' boat. I think it's about your personal comfort-zone, your skills and your expectations. I sail my IP 37 almost every weekend, and most the time solo or with non-sailing friends (much harder the singlehanding  ).
I have a lot of fun solo on my 37' boat but I guess I would be a bit uncomfortable on something much larger than 40'.

I don't know where you live, but should it be somewhere close to Annapolis, please by any means join me one day and observe on a "singlehanded" day sail.

Good luck!


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## DrB (Mar 29, 2007)

*I'm 6' 6"*

and I fit easily in my Pearson 10M, although the the brochure as 6' 1-1/2". I can't go much further than mid salon without ducking a little. The v-berth is a little tight, but I fit in all the berths.

I wouldn't take it across the ocean, but it can easily handle some bluewater conditions.

It's easy to singlehand.

DrB


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

So you can see, a lot of short folks like you go sailing. I am 6'5"


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## byr0n (Apr 6, 2009)

Isn't this is why they invented "Tall Ships"? 
fyi, 6'3" on a cal29 - certainly going to cross an ocean or two in it.


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## aerie (Jul 14, 2000)

I singlehand my Beneteau 42cc, and I'm a woman. You do have to plan ahead, and have the boat set up for singlehanding. A reliable autopilot is #1, handheld radio or remote mic at the helm is #2.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

The interior is a personal choice as to amenities and the size of them - shower, head. etc. But as far as sailing is concerned size shouldn't be an issue. With today's equipment any boat can be set up for singlehanding. Lines led aft with good clutches, good winches, and lazyjacks all make this fairly easy. In some ways the larger boat is easier to sail alone as the platform is more stable and the way forward along the sidedecks is clearer. You do have to think ahead a bit more and furling a main on a larger boat is a bit more work but that should really be the only real differences on a larger boat. Anchoring is done with a windlass on most cruisers above 30' or thereabouts so that isn't much different.
Steve and Linda Dashew sailed a 77' boat called Beowolf around the world by themselves and that included spinnaker setting and dousing - yes they are very seasoned and spinnaker setting on a 77' boat requires a LOT of thinking ahead but it can be done. Their production run of 56'to 64' Sundeers were almost all crewed by couples and several circumnavigated. Their custom boats up to 78' were also mostly sailed by couples. When a couple sail offshore you are really singlehanding on 2 different shifts. Chuck Paine's Apogee 50' design has been sailed solo by some as well. I think many could sail a boat upto 45' or so with the right rigging quite easily. Of course the maintenance budget and other costs are a lot higher and I think that is one reason why cruisers tend toward smaller boats - as I have moving from a 35' boat a few years ago to a 27' currently. But if that lottery draws my number it would be somewhere between 40' and 50'.
Brian


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## kmusbach (May 1, 2005)

I'm also 6'2 and we have a 38" Kady Krogen Cutter. It has about 6'4" of headroom plus a queen size master berth that I sleep very comfortabaly on.


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## RealityCheck (Jun 2, 2007)

6'2" is not tall....

I'm 6'2" and that is not at all unusual for most North American Sailors.

I know several similar height sailors that have crossed the Atlantic in boats smaller than 30'.

I've had a 26 that was very comfortable.

It is all in what you want and can afford. Most boats interior centerline heights are comfortable to us short 6' 2ers...


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## rickanlisa (Aug 18, 2009)

just to pipe in i'm 6'8 and live on a tanzer 8.5 i can stand underneath the companionway hatch with no prob. but any where else on the boat i have to stoop over not to bad though biggest problem i have is hitting my head on the handrail in the cabin


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd point out that a proper berth that you can stretch out in comfort on is far more important than standing headroom, since most of the time you're down below in a boat, you'll be sitting down, but if you don't have a berth that you can sleep comfortably in, you're screwed.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

my formosa can be single handed and is designed by wm garden who was 6'4---the interior has that much headroom...and the master berth is same ---so are the pilot berths...long enough for a 6'4 to sleep in comfort....just is a bit on the older boat side--which i like ...... wide decks to walk and a quadrant mounted simrad auto pilot...was single handed from san francisco to san diego....by a boat virgin.......


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## Lookin4Freedom (Dec 2, 2008)

I'm 6'3" and I started to feel the same way about trying to voyage in a small boat. However, boats do exist with headroom, if we look carefully enough. I recently shocked the wife by showing her an Out Island 33'. Compared to the Catalina 30, Sabre 28, Pearson 30 she's seen and been on, it was HUGE. So beamy, but I easily stood and moved around in the boat too -- first boat I've been on that I could stand freely in. Gives me hope for finding seaworthy boats that have that kind of headroom. I will note the Good Old boat list (Atom Voyages | Voyages Aboard the Sailboat Atom - Good Old Boats List - choosing a small voyaging sailboat) does show a couple candidates for taller folks. Especially the Vancouver 27/28. He claims 6' 4" headroom.


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## whigmaleerie (Oct 29, 2009)

My dad sails my ohlson 38' hes 6'4 and doesnt have any great problems, the boats great and ideal for single handed very well manered sea boat!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## OldColumbia (Apr 21, 2009)

The old Columbia 39 and 43 " bubble tops" are renowned for their headroom below. However, they're kind of dark because unlike the Coronados that share the same hull volume, they don't have ports below the gunwales. 
I agree with many posters that a well balanced, bigger than 30' high displacement hull is much more sea kindly and comfortable to single hand. The key in most boat handling is "feel" for the boat and slow, deliberate planned action.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*6'4" in an Allmad 35*

I lived aboard my Allmand 35 for 4 1/2 years. Most of the time was spent in the Caribbean.

The only place that I could stand straight was under one of the 3 hatches. Most of the rest of the boat had 6'2" of headroom. It wasn't an extreme problem since in a real cruising situation, you are either off the boat, (visiting others or ashore), on deck, or sitting down below decks. I'm not going to tell you that after 4 years I didn't wish for more headroom, but if I had to do it over again, the headroom wouldn't be a stopper. I would rather have 2" less headroom then 2" of additional windage above decks.

I also spent 6 months living aboard in Lake Ontario, and a winter in the Chesapeake.


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## eharan (Jul 8, 2008)

I have a Formosa 41 and a Slocum 43 and at 6'7" I have pretty good headroom in both. I single hand quite often.


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## SPONGE (Nov 11, 2009)

*rE: 6'2*

My husband is 6'3 and gets along quite well on our liveaboard Cape Dory (Intrepid) 28' sailboat.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

eharan said:


> I have a Formosa 41 and a Slocum 43 and at 6'7" I have pretty good headroom in both. I single hand quite often.


goood to see another formosa owner here!! there are a bunch of us in kemah and that area-have you met them??


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## eharan (Jul 8, 2008)

I have met a few but not all...how many are there? What boat is yours? I'm at Watergate.


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## captainmike99 (Jul 15, 2000)

I also like the IP37 but if your budget is a bit limited take a look at the Pearson365 ketch. I am on my second one thanks to Katrina. I am 6'3" and I single hand, including trip from Georgia to Louisiana. The draft at 4.5 and mast height of 46' allow access to areas others can't go. Putting together plans and preparations for an open ended trip to the Bahamas. Don't limit yourself to 30'. Thirty-six is easy to single hand. A windlass for the anchor and roller furling jib and refridgeration for the cokes and you go anywhere in comfort. Good sailing.


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## RealityCheck (Jun 2, 2007)

Does not appear the original poster had interest in the thread... his only post was the question and no other post by him on anything..... probably had not even returned to the forum to view the inputs.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

RealityCheck said:


> Does not appear the original poster had interest in the thread... his only post was the question and no other post by him on anything..... probably had not even returned to the forum to view the inputs.


per norm--isnt that the case ! so many do that......mebbe forgot wherein he posted.....


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## PadresFan (Nov 17, 2009)

RealityCheck said:


> Does not appear the original poster had interest in the thread... his only post was the question and no other post by him on anything..... probably had not even returned to the forum to view the inputs.


Regardless, I'm in a very similar situation. I'm 6'3"-6'4" and I can't really stoop or hunch for too long of a period of time, washing dishes, so a boat with proper headroom and berth space is essential for me.

So please keep the boats and suggestions coming!!

-Chris


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## cutterorient (Feb 22, 2009)

I'm under six feet yet headroom was a consideration for me as my boat - Mason 43 - is still primarily an apartment that sails and I consider headroom a creature comfort over say, a/c. ( Mason 44, same hull, different deck has the cabin trunk lowered by 2.5 inches).

I just measured from the sole to the lid along the centerline and it is > 6'8", slightly less forward of the mast where it steps up by a few inches and in the aft cabin where the trunk is stepped down for aesthetic balance. The price is higher freeboard than other flavors, but she is long enough to visually pull it off, sails very well, is comfortable underway and is simply delightful to look at.


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## tthomson (Jun 3, 2004)

I am the same height as you. I sail a Caliber 40 and do not feel pressed by the overhead.


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## 2Gringos (Jan 4, 2008)

The OP may have taken a powder, but the whole subject of headroom is a good one. Wife is 5'11 and I am just a shade under 6'2", so we are not super tall, but tall enough that we notice when we bang our heads on things.

We are looking at the Gemini cats for our first coastal cruiser. This will be the first boat we have owned that actually was enclosed enough for headroom to be an issue. I have seen a lot of other nice boats named here that I would be interested in, except for the fact that our max draft is going to be 2'.


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## DanielBoon (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm 6ft 3inches and live aboard my 1991 Ericson 28. The brochure says it has 6ft 1inches of headroom but to be honest I've never really had a problem with those missing 2 inches and I'd happily sail her anywhere. The Bill King designed Ericsons are renowned for their interior volume and the 28 is easily as spacious as most of the 30 - 32 footers I've been on.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

If the brochure says 6'1" and you're 6'3" maybe you don't have good posture.


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## DanielBoon (Jan 7, 2010)

Hahaha, my posture is just fine, I walk "extra" tall when I'm outdoors. Yes, there is a need to stoop a bit when I'm onboard but hey, that's boats for ya and until I can afford a bigger, loftier boat I'm happy to compromise.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

I'm lucky that way, being only 5'7".


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## puddinlegs (Jul 5, 2006)

Almost anything designed by Bob Perry will have good standing headroom and long bunks. He's a tall guy himself, so....


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## wescarroll (Jan 9, 2005)

My 6' 4" son has never complained about the headroom in my Oday 30, the 1980 to 1984 had a very high build quality and an advertised 6'3" headroom I think.


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Yeah well, all that gets harder as you age.


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## ColoGuy (Jan 7, 2010)

Guys below 6'3" are lil fellas. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Like someone else said. You need a comfy bed or that trip is gonna be a looong one.


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## tv195 (Oct 16, 2008)

Hey, I am 6'5" and happy with my Columbia 34 MKII which has 7 feet headroom in the main cabin!
Columbia 34 MKII
Ahoy,
Ch


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## delan (May 2, 2009)

I have a schucker 437, center cockpit cutter, 6'6 headroom, 14 foot beam, all lines lead aft for single handing, stainless centerboard for shallow cruising, definitely built for comfort not speed, motors at 6k, flat out sailing 7.5, doesn't heel much, pretty much sounds like what you're looking for.


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## tv195 (Oct 16, 2008)

Hello,
I am 6'5" and I was searching for a sailboat under 35ft with enough headroom for quite a while. I almost gave up, but then I found the Columbia 34 MKII with 7ft headroom in the main cabin. I bought her 2 years ago and she is an amazing boat. Here is a picture showing here at Chief Timothy Park.
Best,
Chris


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## ColoGuy (Jan 7, 2010)

tv195 said:


> Hello,
> I am 6'5" and I was searching for a sailboat under 35ft with enough headroom for quite a while. I almost gave up, but then I found the Columbia 34 MKII with 7ft headroom in the main cabin. I bought her 2 years ago and she is an amazing boat. Here is a picture showing here at Chief Timothy Park.
> Best,
> Chris


I am also 6'5" and am searching for a 32-37' cat with enough head room.

Did you find many with 6'6" of head room? Think I could live with that.


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