If you make a poor choice, you may be plagued with structural problems, leaks, slow, uncomfortable passages, endless repairs and a low resale price. I mention resale price now, because the money used for purchasing cruising boats represents a substantial part of many people's life savings. Although sailboats are rarely a "good" investment in strictly monetary terms, you'll want to recoup as much of your original purchase price when it comes time to sell.

2. Steel is an excellent material for boatbuilding, and often the choice of sailors who have done extensive offshore cruising. The impact resistance and total watertightness of the hull, deck and fittings is an advantage over other materials. With sandblasting and the new epoxy coatings, steel takes less time to maintain than it used to, although it still requires more time and cost to maintain than a fiberglass boat. Many of the steel boats on the North American market are owner-built hard-chine designs. Although strong and stiff, they are not particularly fast or attractive to many persons tastes. A poorly-built steel boat will have places on the inside of the hull which will trap water and rust through from the inside out. Access to every part of the interior of the hull makes checking for corrosion and painting much easier. Some attractive, modern steel cruising boats are the Brewer-designed Goderich 35, 37 and 41 built in Ontario; the Waterline Yachts built in Sidney, B.C., and the Amazon 37 and 44 which were built in Vancouver, B.C.

3. Aluminum boats are generally lighter and faster than steel boats, have slightly less impact resistance and may be more difficult to have repaired in remote shipyards. Painted aluminum boats may tend to develop paint blisters after four to five years of serious cruising, requiring an expensive repainting job if you want a perfectly fair and shiny hull. There are dozens of unpainted French aluminum boats cruising the world, and although you may not find their concrete-colored oxidized aluminum hulls attractive, they are strong and practical. Aluminum suffers from electrolysis more severely than steel; if you're cruising on an aluminum boat you'll need to be very careful when moored in electrically "hot" marinas.

4. Wood boats often offer a lower purchase price, although the cost and time involved in keeping them in good shape is more than with other materials. If you have a limited budget, and don't mind the additional work, a well-built wooden boat may be a good choice. It is difficult to impossible to find long-distance offshore insurance for traditionally built wooden cruising boats. In 1977 I sailed for several months through the South Pacific on a classic 39' Sparkman and Stephens wooden sloop and found out how much work was required to maintain a wooden boat in top shape in the constantly changing weather of the tropics. The teak decks were so hot during the day that we either had to wear shoes or carry a bucket of water with us to wet the decks down as we walked forward. Although the boat was in top shape, deck leaks were just a fact of life. The beautiful varnished teak cockpit and cabin sides were time-consuming to maintain. Perhaps because there are so many potential sources of problems on wooden boats in the tropics we see fewer of them long distance cruising each year. There is the special warmth and appeal of wood which some people find irresistible, whether or not it takes more care and maintenance. Modern wood epoxy saturation (WEST System) technique produces boats that are lighter, stronger and often faster than traditionally built boats and have a better chance of being insurable for ocean cruising. The best areas to find modern cold-molded boats are in the Northwest, New England and New Zealand.

5. Ferrocement is the only material that has no advantages other than inexpensive construction materials. It is the most labor intensive material to build with, is difficult to impossible to finance, insure or repair, and has the lowest impact resistance of any material. Having said this, I have met two cement cruising boats which have completed two and three circumnavigations respectively.

2. Skeg-protected rudder, detached from the keel is better-suited for long distance cruising. The skeg protects the rudder to some degree, and often increases directional stability. Examples of this type of design: Valiant 40, Caliber 35, Crealock 34, 37, 40, 44. There are many suitable, well built boats of this design type and they are a popular choice for long distance ocean cruising.

3. Modern cutaway full keel, with attached rudder and moderate displacement is another good choice for cruising in isolated areas where groundings or scrapes are common and the nearest shipyard may be thousands of miles away. The cutaway forefoot is a faster, more maneuverable design which will have less tendency to trip or broach when running under storm conditions than a traditional Tahiti ketch type of full keel boat. Having the rudder mounted slightly above and protected by the full length of the keel and the propeller enclosed in an aperture offer the best protection against damage from collision with submerged or floating objects. Careening or hauling out in primitive boatyards is easy with this type of design. Examples include: Island Packet, Mason, Cape Dory, Freya 39, Nicholson 31, Hinkley Pilot 35 and 41, Endurance 35, 37, 44.

4. Heavy displacement full-keeled double-enders based on Tahiti ketch or Norwegian lifeboat lines used to be a nearly automatic choice for long distance voyaging. However, yacht design has made some great strides in the past 40 years, and you may choose to take advantage of these improvements which make for faster, more comfortable passages, and smaller, more easily handled sail plans without resorting to bowsprits and boomkins. However, there are plenty of folks happily cruising on their Westsail 32's content that they have the best design for their cruising lifestyle. There is not one design or style of cruising that suits everyone.

5. Multihulls advantages include very little heeling or rolling and tremendous interior and deck space, making them great for living aboard and chartering. Another distinct advantage is that multihulls don't sink if holed, unlike ballasted monohulls. Their disadvantages for offshore cruising are that they are more weight-sensitive and overloading them can be dangerous, and under extremely rare instances they can capsize. I know a cruising couple who recently completed a five year circumnavigation on their home-built Jim Brown 31' Searunner trimaran. They love their boat and feel that it is well-suited to their needs. I also met an Austrian couple who have cruised more than 100,000 miles safely on their 60' cat. Recently in Pago Pago I went aboard a brand new Fountaine-Pajot 37' catamaran whose owner was singlehanding from France to New Caledonia. He also owned a 50' monohull, but said he preferred passages on the catamaran. I found the quality of construction, design and comfort above and below decks to be very good.

2. Realistically assess your needs in terms of size of boat and amount of equipment. If you're outfitting and cruising on a budget, remember the K.I.S.S. formula. More complicated systems mean more money and maintenance, repairs and spares to track down. Think moderate in terms of displacement and sail area; extremes - either ultralight or heavy displacement - will be either less comfortable or restrictive because of poorer performance.

3. Have the boat carefully and thoroughly surveyed by a marine surveyor experienced in offshore boats. It is best if you research and choose the surveyor, rather than selecting a surveyor recommended by the seller or yacht broker. Ask to see examples of previous surveys. You want to hire a surveyor who has no vested interest in the transaction, other than making sure that the boat you're considering is safe and a good investment for you. Marine insurance companies and banks are often able to recommend surveyors whose opinions they trust.

4. If possible, find and talk with people that own sisterships to the boats you're considering. Cruising World Magazine's "Another Opinion" Service (1-900-988-2275 or 5 John Clarke Rd., Newport, RI 02840) is an excellent resource. Practical Sailor also has a same-day fax service of comprehensive 3-7 page evaluations of more than 80 different boats for $3.50 per page at (203) 661-4802. Sail on as many different designs as possible, noting pluses and minuses of each. This can be done by joining a sailing club or chartering. If you are quite convinced that you want a specific boat, a one-week charter on a sistership will be a sound investment.

Practical Sailor December 1993 issue has an excellent article on what present prices on good cruising boats between $5,000 and $200,000.
Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats, Henry C. Mustin, International Marine, 1994
Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, by John Rousmaniere

You may reach also John's web site at www.mahina.com or through www.48north.com linked sites.