F 25 Question

Boat handling, ideas, questions...
Charlie
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Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:34 pm

F 25 Question

Post by Charlie »

Greetings, I am new to the site and these boats, but not a complete novice to stuff breaking, cold nights and lee shores. I am considering a F 25 (round mast with inboard yanmar) for a single handed lap of Cuba and the western Caribbean. If successful, perhaps further. That said, here is my dumb question: "Is this boat strong enough for venturing further afield, say taking it to Europe?" Am I kidding my self? Please feel free to lay waste to this notion. Thanks. C

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GeoffSchultz
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Re: F 25 Question

Post by GeoffSchultz »

First off, if you're a US citizen then you're not going to Cuba. NW Caribbean - yes, Cuba - no.

A 25 footer is a small boat for what you want to do, but many have done it. Forget Europe.

-- Geoff
BlueJacket
1997 Freedom 40/40
http://www.GeoffSchultz.org

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THATBOATGUY
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Re: F 25 Question

Post by THATBOATGUY »

This type of question comes up time and again on various forums I frequent. The conversation goes back and forth and back again, sometimes quite heated. What it almost always boils down to is that it's more about the sailor than the boat, so if you have to ask the question, the answer is no. Sorry if that sounds blunt.

On a lighter note, welcome to the forum! There is an incredible wealth of general sailing information as well as specific information concerning the boat you are interested in. I'd also suggest that the line of Freedom boats are generally easier to single hand than other sailboats. Also there are some really great deals on boats in this economy so you might want to actually set your sights on a bigger boat?

George
George and Kerri Huffman S/V Marquesa Freedom 40 CC CK Sail MarquesaImage

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GeoffSchultz
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Re: F 25 Question

Post by GeoffSchultz »

George, thanks for being the statesman. I guess he's playing the good cop and I was playing the bad cop. But to expand a bit on what George said, if you want to do long distance cruising, you really should look at getting a bigger boat. Believe me, 25' is small when you're in a big ocean. Hell, 40' is small in a big ocean, but it's a boat that I can single hand if needed.

As George said, there's a lot of good deals on boats right now due to the economy. If all that you can afford is a 25' right now, then you probably won't have enough money to refit the boat with everything that you probably will need right now and all of the things that you'll break and/or discover that you need along the way.

Whatever you do, set reasonable goals. Cruise in the US for a year and figure out what needs to be done to your boat and upgrade/fix it in the US. Believe me, it's a lot easier/cheaper to do it here than it will be anywhere else. Also, you'll find that the learning curve is incredibly steep when you first set out. I'm amazed at some of the things that I got away with! The NW Caribbean is a nice place. You've only got 1 multi-night passage (Key West to Isla Mujares), but even then you'll need to figure out how you're going to handle steering the boat for probably 4 days/nights on a 25 footer. Then you can more or less day-hop down the coast. But once again, with a 25' boat and who knows what for an engine, you're moving a lot slower and what I consider to be day hops may be too long for you, and there aren't places to stop in between.

Anyhow, there's a lot of knowledge in this forum. Use it and learn from people who had done it before. There's no need to re-invent the wheel.

-- Geoff
BlueJacket
1997 Freedom 40/40
http://www.GeoffSchultz.org

Charlie
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Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:34 pm

Re: F 25 Question

Post by Charlie »

Thank you both. I invited this type response, but might there be someone here who I might give me insights into the F 25 as a longer distance boat? I just want to understand if anyone else has pushed these boats further afield. If so, what was thier experince? Please, my question is about the boat, not me. I am intrigued with the boat, its weight and simplicity. C

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mike cunningham
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Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: F 25 Question

Post by mike cunningham »

Singlehanders are nuts and occasionally they get themselves killed. Some also go on very long trips in small boats because small is simple and cheap. You better be a good seaman and on your game. Even then you might die. It sure is fun though.

There's some reasonable discussion of the topic at

http://www.sfbaysss.org/

And there is a great record of a single handed California cruise at

http://inetd.com/Boat/SanDiego05/

its well worth reading.

There are tons of resources and experience on the web, of course everyone has expert advice which must be taken with a grain of salt. Mine included and I don't portray myself as an expert by any stretch.

I used to own an F25 - wing mast. I now singlehand an F30 in Norcal, USA. The 30 is a lot more comfortable but neither one is particularly well configured for a long offshore trip IMO. I worry about the big cockpit, the flat bottom, and the wide beam, all of which are common to the 25 and 30. You could do something about the cockpit but not much about beam and hull configuration. I think the round mast is way better than the wing. The guy who bought my 25 was a Kiwi hotshot racer and broke the wing sailing downwind on a 25kt day when the running back got released accidentally.

I had my F25 out in the Seychelles (she was delivered to me from South Africa up the Mozambique channel on her own bottom by a couple of SA yachties - so there you go...). I used to see people come Seychelles in all kinds of crazy get ups including "Tonga Bill" and his French girlfriend in what looked like an 18 foot cuddy cabin day sailor. He sailed in from - you guessed it - Tonga and set up shop in Seychelles teaching the locals how to make crafts for tourists. When asked "where to next" he would say "anywhere down wind".

By the way, most of the siglehanders I ran into out there in the Indian Ocean were kinda weird so that's another risk: you'll be accused of being crazy and if you aren't when you start you probably will be when you finish

Mike
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

Charlie
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Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:34 pm

Re: F 25 Question

Post by Charlie »

Thank you Mike. If it works out that I end up with a Freedom, I'll touch base when I have something ( or a story) to contribute. C

Tricia
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Re: F 25 Question

Post by Tricia »

Charlie, the F25 has crossed oceans. In his book "Singlehanded Sailing..." (1988) Richard Henderson reports that David Schaal sailed one from San Francisco to Hawaii in the Transpac race, and Michael Bohman crossed the Atlantic in an F25.

After coastal cruising in British Columbia aboard an F25 for years, I know the boat can handle a lot, but crossing an ocean in one would be pretty darned miserable.

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phildowney
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Re: F 25 Question

Post by phildowney »

if you are interested in short handed trans ocean , the mini transat racers could give you some useful ideas as they have refined the boats to the point that they are the most seaworthy small boats in the world.


phi l" kusi " uk
Owner of Kusi, UK F35 Cat ketch
Southampton UK

Charlie
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Re: F 25 Question

Post by Charlie »

Yes the mini transat concept is cool. I have also considered an Olson 30 and a Soverel 33. Currently I have a CSY 33 which is WAY Strong, comfortable, but different. It's just fun to think differently about ocean travel. C

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