# Planning for the future



## GulfCoastSkimmer (Jul 3, 2007)

I asked something similar last week but have tweeked my question a bit in hopes of more responses and sugestions.

I am hoping to purchase something like a used Corsair F-24 MKI or MKIII in about 2 yrs., then something a bit larger after sailing the 24 (or similar) for a while. 

I plan on sailing out of the beautifull beach front called Bolivar lol.(Galveston) and doing 3 things
1. Coastal sailing, sticking to the coast, just Texas/Louisiana at first but eventually going as far as rounding Florida and up to Jacksonville.(picked Jacksonville because it is known)
2. Instead of rounding Florida, Head south to the Virgin Islands.
3. Cross the Gulf, a strait line from Galveston to Cancun, then head down to Costa Rica.

So I have a few questions, 
1. How far offsore can a sailboat like the Corsair 24 safetly go, In otherwords if you drew a strait line from Galveston to Fort Myers (Cape Coral, Florida) could the 24 make that crossing safely? (If not could a corsair 28, or Telstar28?)
2. Could it then safely get to the Virgin Islands?
3. What size multihull is needed to cut strait accross the Gulf of Mexico from Galveston to Cancun? (Corsair 27/28/31, Telstar 28, Gemini 105mc?)

What other Multihulls would you suggest looking at instead of the C-24?(ready to go for under 30k), 
or would you suggest suggest just getting a monohull? (I would rather be sailing than sitting on the beach watching.) 
Are their any beachable Monohulls that could safely do above mentioned desires? (florida,VI's)


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hi GulfCoast , 
Although I am completely unfamiliar with the boat you are talking about . I think a better question may be , how far offshore can you safely go ? Bare in mind that people have crossed the Atlantic in row boats , and circumnavigations have been done in smaller craft than 24ft . I'm sorry I have no experience with the Corsair to share with you . However , its more likely that a skipper will get the boat in trouble than vice versa . Have you read the boat reviews ? Lots of people are asking this type of question and the response is usually very similar . How much sailing experience do you have ? If not much , then get some by what ever means you can .Join a club , volunteer at your local marina , put an add for crew on the net .

I dont want to insult you , or suggest that your dream is unreasonable , its not and you should go for it . But back to question #1 . On a week with flat seas with wind dead at your back and no chance that will change till you get to FL , no tide , no current , no other boats in the Gulf , no oil rigs or platforms . No debris in the water I guess an inflatable duck with a kite should be safe enough to make it .

Its not the boat , its the one sailing it that makes it safe .


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## islandman2 (Feb 23, 2002)

Gulfcoast,

I sail on the northern Gulf coast as well, and have done the trip from Biloxi to Ft. Myers, direct, as well as many other routes from the Keys and other points in south Florida to the northern Gulf coast. The trimarans you mention could safely do the trip with proper preparation. It is the weather and heavy traffic in the Gulf you have to watch out for. Leaving from Galveston would put you in the middle of a lot more traffic, oil fields, etc. It's much better to cross from points farther east. As for the trip to the Virgin Islands, you can't get there by sailing south from the Gulf coast. You first have to get around the Florida peninsula, then either island hop almost dead to windward using your engine most of the time, or sail out east through the Bahamas on a heading with more favorable winds until you make enough easting to then bear south on a close reach for the Virgins. This is a long offshore passage but much easier than trying to bash against the wind. 

As to your question about other multihulls within your budget that can do the trip, I would advise you to look into the newer line of Wharram catamarans, (eg. the Tiki 26, Tiki 30, etc.) These are among the most seaworthy of small multihulls, the Tiki 26 having been proven in many transatlantic crossings and the even smaller Tiki 21 has circumnavigated, making it the smallest catamaran to do so. The Tiki 26 or Tiki 30 could be well within you budget, if you could find one for sale, or you could build it yourself. These catamarans are easily beachable, and while not trailerable per say, can be disassembled and brought home for maintenance or storage. They are also better load carriers for their size than similar sized trimarans, but you have to be careful with the weight issue on any multihull in this size range. Do a search for Tiki 26 and you will find a couple of blogs about the building and sailing of this design.


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## sailusvi (May 3, 2005)

Island, have you ever sailed to Mexico from Gal? just wondering...


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## islandman2 (Feb 23, 2002)

Sailusvi,

No, I haven't done the crossing from Galveston. Most of my Gulf sailing has been in the eastern half, east of the Mississippi River. Friends from that area have done the Galveston to Veracruz crossing. When I make the trip to the Yucatan it will probably be from the southwest coast of Florida or Florida Keys, maybe stopping in the Dry Tortugas.


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## ImASonOfaSailor (Jun 26, 2007)

Hello finally another multi lover!

I have not sailed on the ocean yet but I am sure I can learn, but I have sailed on a Corsair 24, and a F27 They are fast boats and need little as 6knots of wind to do 10 knots of speed! I am a Tri man now, i grew up on monohulls and now I am working on getting my own Tri, one day! I want to spend near 90k for one I am so impressed by the speed and the ability to feel like your stealing from mother nature in how much fun it is to go faster then the wind with no effort!


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## GulfCoastSkimmer (Jul 3, 2007)

Raggbagger- thanks for the response, I agree with what you are saying, on my first post i wrote "....safely, lol, i know it can be done in a rowboat but you know what i am getting at"... so its kind of funny you mentioned a rowboat as well. As far as expierience i sail a sunfish, and Hobie cats.

Islandman- thanks for the info i will look into Wharrams

SonofASailor- I hope to have enough for a C-24 (or 28 if lucky) in 3yrs or so, and hope it is enough boat to travel down the coast, around Florida, and maybee even down to VI's. Of course i will spend a couple seasons learning the boat and sticking to Texas/Louisiana first, so a trip to VI is like 5-6 seasons away.

anyone else have expierience with sailing boats the likes of C-24/28/31 or Telstar 28 (SailingDog whats your expierinece been?, have you done anything like what i am planning?, or would you?)


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## ImASonOfaSailor (Jun 26, 2007)

Saildog had a Dragonfly I think, he loves it! I think he said he lives on it, I tried to go to the Annapolis boat show and do the Multihall demo day but I could not get off of work, so next year I will take a week off for the show it will be planned early! Did anyone try the demo day with multi how was it if you went?


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Sailing the Texas coast is mostly hopping between inlets. Providing you keep an eye on the weather, you'll probably be okay. I would definitely spend some time on Galveston Bay first though before venturing outside.

During the warmer months, the prevailing winds are out of the Southeast in the Gulf. If I did my transit over, I'd go down to the Yucatan, then up to the Keys. As far as the size of the boat being a factor, all I can say is I'd rather have something a bit larger for that crossing.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Actually, I have a Telstar 28, and don't liveaboard it full time yet...but do spend quite a bit of the summer aboard her. 

As for GCS's original post... Hmm...



GulfCoastSkimmer said:


> I asked something similar last week but have tweeked my question a bit in hopes of more responses and sugestions.
> 
> I am hoping to purchase something like a used Corsair F-24 MKI or MKIII in about 2 yrs., then something a bit larger after sailing the 24 (or similar) for a while.
> 
> ...


I would not recommend trying this in a Corsair F24. The boat is just too small IMHO. You could probably do it in a Corsair 28, which Mike Horn used in his Latitude Zero adventure for the ocean crossings.

However, a Telstar 28 or Dragonfly 900 would probably be a better choice as folding sport trimarans go. The cabin on the Corsair 28 is very small. The boat is primarily designed for racing, and really is more of a camping on water type boat than a cruising boat. The C28 doesn't come with a full marine head or a full galley normally-both of which are stock on the D900 and the T28. The C28 has less than five feet of headroom... which can be a real pain. I've actually written a piece comparing the C28 and the T28, which you can read here.



> So I have a few questions,
> 1. How far offsore can a sailboat like the Corsair 24 safetly go, In otherwords if you drew a strait line from Galveston to Fort Myers (Cape Coral, Florida) could the 24 make that crossing safely? (If not could a corsair 28, or Telstar28?)


The Corsair 28/31, the Telstar 26, and the Dragonfly 900 have all made trans-Atlantic crossings. I believe the Telstar 28 is capable of doing so, but as the boat is a relatively new design-having been introduced only four years ago-no one has done so in one yet.



> 2. Could it then safely get to the Virgin Islands?
> 3. What size multihull is needed to cut strait accross the Gulf of Mexico from Galveston to Cancun? (Corsair 27/28/31, Telstar 28, Gemini 105mc?)


No, I don't think a C24 would cut it for either of these routes. A C28 would be able to do it... but a T28, D900, C31 or Gemini 105 would allow you to do it in far more comfort. 



> What other Multihulls would you suggest looking at instead of the C-24?(ready to go for under 30k), or would you suggest suggest just getting a monohull? (I would rather be sailing than sitting on the beach watching.)


You're not going to find a decent multihull that is capable of crossing oceans for under $30,000 as a general rule. Multihulls are expensive boats relatively speaking, since they need to be made both light and have multiple hulls to build. The better ones tend to hold their value quite well. A few multihulls that you might be able to find in your price range, and are capable of making the passages you're interested in, are the Heavenly Twins 26' catamaran, the Catalac 8M catamaran, or an older Gemini.



> Are their any beachable Monohulls that could safely do above mentioned desires? (florida,VI's)


 There are a few small monohulls that are capable of making the passages you're interested in. The West Wight Potter 19, the Westerly Nomad, and a few others could do it. The Westerly is avaiable with twin keels, and while not beachable per se, it has a very shallow draft and can be allowed to dry out, unlike most monohulls.


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## GulfCoastSkimmer (Jul 3, 2007)

SD- Thanks for the Reply, I will check out the Westerly Nomad, although i really want a multihull .
By "30k ready to go" i meant mostly sailing the bay, and lakes for the first 2 seasons or so while learning the boat. I know more will have to be spent in order for longer trips to become a reality, but was under the impression 30k could purchase an older used C-24 ready daysailer/weekender. 
Of course now i am wondering if it would be a mistake to spend 30k in the next 2yrs., and if instead i should wait longer (6-7yrs) to get something bigger (60k or so), and just stick to Hobie's for a few more years.

I think 2 yrs. will come sooner than i think, school will be done and I will be back in Houston. I want to narrow my list a bit, and bring it closer to reality. Maybee i need to re-add monohull trailer sailors to my list, I had taken them off since i am sold on multihulls. 
I reasearched Farrier Tramp/Eagle, there were 3 on the market at just 7-10k, but i wanted a bit more boat than they seemed to offer. Maybe i should re-add them as my initial(2yr) boat as well. 

Anyways thanks for the posts- If anyone else has anything else to add it would be appreciated


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