Buying A Race Boat For Cruising? (full tour)
We have never considered a race boat as a cruising boat…but now we are!
Let me explain.
We always assumed race boats required expertise. That there would be a certain amount of intensity involved reserved for only serious sailors. Not for the cruisy sailor who just loves travel and being out on the water. We were sorely mistaken.
Sure, there are all kinds of sailboats floating about the world for all different types of sailors and all sorts of sailing environments. And just because a boat was built with one thing in mind, doesn’t mean it’s limited to that one thing.
And that’s what our new friends Paul, Sharon, and Georgie showed us. A race boat can also be a rad family cruising boat. Which is also what they are learning. Because it’s a brand spanking new world to them too!
It’s always exciting to step aboard a new boat, take note of the differences, the similarities, and the completely unknown. But stepping off Curiosity and onto Slime wasn’t exactly going from one cat to another. It was more like going from a mini-van to Ferrari. This is entering a whole new world of sailing.
You can find more of Slime and Paul on Instagram: instagram.com/foilnz_sailingslime/
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🙏 THANK YOU!
Ups, downs, and all around, we share it all. If you like what you see, there are lots of ways you can show your support.
Justin
Cats have oodles of room. I love boats
Ann
So the racing cat isn’t really meant to live on, lol g term, right? No inside … “cockpit”, tight living quarters. Dont recall seeing anything kitchen-like. Or am I wrong, and it actually is a livable, long haul vessel? It looks fun as he!! 😊
Nikki Wynn
We do show the kitchen area in the video but it is set up more like a camper van. It is quite capable of sailing around the world…ya know, different strokes, different folks. They don’t live in it full time, just about a week or so at a time. Which seems perfect to me! For full-time cruising, they want something with a few more creature comforts. 🙂
Marshall Orr
That’s a cool boat! Also a fun video! You helped inspire us as well, and we are now sailing around Hawaii! Aloha guys!
Sharon
that was an amazing ride, but I couldn’t help thinking about that rainy stormy passage you did- then not so good/
Nikki Wynn
It would be a wet ride. On the upside, they could probably outrun the storm and avoid most of the really bad weather all together.
Roger Cox
Very exciting experience to see the things a very light weight boat can do. It is compromised in heavy seas because the ride is much bouncier. So not all the speed is available. Of course, depending on the people on board.
Nikki Wynn
Exactly. Typically, the boat can handle a lot more than the crew can. It’s all about balance.
Alan Solomon
I had some difficulty typing my comment Sunday evening. Thats never happened before. Not sure if it was me or not?
Best…
Alan Solomon
Thank you so much for today’s video. I know nothing about racing catamarans other than they are fast.
It would be quite exciting travelling at excessive speed across open ocean waters.
The inside quarters look a bit cramped, but my guess is one can expect that on a vessel such as this.
You inspire so many people its s nice to see the fruits of your labor. These people went all out.
Best
Sailorlady
Wow! Thank you so much. We are outfitting a boat and have struggled with the type of dishes to get (not fond of plastic ware) but did not want things to get broken underway. We will try this idea of the silicone. Thank you!
Ed Grant
Outstanding performance from such a light weight boat! The accommodations seem a bit tight for three, but with only the two of you it might work. I’m afraid that you would feel uneasy on a long passage, no matter how fast you were going. Such a fun couple and great daughter too! So great to meet with folks out there that share your dreams of travel at sea. I often wonder what kind of profession folks must have in order to afford a lifestyle like that. That beautiful cat must have cost a bundle!
Finally kids, you ARE an inspiration to the world and these folks were kind of enough to tell us that! Don’t discount your selves on what your site has done over these past several years. Seeing you two getting along so well and sharing all of what it takes to live the way you do is indeed inspiring. I must relate a saying I heard many years ago about relationships. Ask yourselves this question: Would you rather be Right OR Happy?
Steve Tannenbaum
Any way to have an auto pilot on that machine?
Dan S Brown
Thank you guys for another very exciting video! I think Paul and Sharon are going at sailing the best way because when you get that right you can move to a larger vessel like Curiosity and be much safer on those first days. On Slime, Paul and Sharon will learn how to work as a team and Georgy will be watching and learning as well. Team work for sailors is crucial, and if they are not a team, well you cartwheel as we did one day when I took my partner out sailing on my 17 foot Fireball. The wind was rising and I asked her to please stop locking the sheet she was managing. She argued and while I tried to explain why you don’t lock the sheet in high winds or gusts, we cartwheeled. We weren’t hurt and the flip damaged the boom vang but we got to a beach and righted the boat and sailed home.
Nikki Wynn
Wow, what an event that must have been! No discussion is needed after that, lesson learned. That is about the best outcome you can have.
Minimal damage, no one hurt, and you sailed home. Sheesh!
Norman Cook
NIKI: I HAVE SAILED high preformance cats all my life and As I have previously stated at one time owned the Largest Sailloft catering to multihull / full roach Needs as well as
Trampolines and canvas work. As such I retired and sold off my physical waterfront LOFT , BUSINESS, CONTRACTS as well as my Marine hardware Manufacturing firm again with factory and tooling & Patents. I HAVE A JUNTICE EYE for the assembly of such….inparticular I noticed the jib Hanks on ‘Slime ‘ when it was being clipped on, but the focus and proximity was not on the hanks but for a nano second.
Is it possible you have a still detailed shot or could retrieve
the information on the maler and how to resource same?
Norman Cook. NARRAGANSETT Bay RHODE island?
Mary Van
That was a great save he made with his daughter’s cap as he was thrown down to his seat.
Beautiful boat. Good for them for taking on the challenge!
Great video!
Lisa
SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!
Michael
I would assume that the trade-off in creature comforts versus speed would require bigger boats with more sails to compensate. And I know you appreciate the ability to be “indoors” during bad weather; I know I would. Curiosity looks pretty darn good to me!
The cost of carbon fiber, huge sails, and all the other accoutrements must be staggering.
It would have been nice to see the speed with the spinnaker out though. Let’s see now; I guess the next step is foils. Can you imagine going to your next destination at 70 mph?
A real great comparison example. Thanks for another great one.
Jeff
The two of you are definitely inspiring! Bought our cat Sept 2021 in La Paz, Mex… shakedown sail… 2500nm down coast of Central America and thru the Panama Canal arriving on Christmas Eve. Thanks for the years of encouragement!
John
It’s a good thing that racing boats go fast because the ‘living quarters’ are, in a word, cramped. I suppose that’s why there are so few real racing boats used as full time live aboard cruisers.
It would take only a few days at sea to start thinking about all the legroom and creature comforts (like a big fridge, bar, coffee implements, dry head, etc) that you give up to gain speed.
But cutting waves in a fast boat is certainly a fun way to spend a day.
Laura
Loved this video and the out takes! So glad you cleared up the whipped cream as I was wondering, for sure. And, I do appreciate your sharing this view into a different world of sailing. I can’t, however, imagine a multi day cruise in bad weather as being outside to steer and having to have two people to do it seems Uber challenging! Cool boat, spectacular people. Thanks!
Lori L Ruhge
Hi Niki, we love you and Jason…. AN Aha! moment, I think is in your video. I have to wait to watch it because we’re at work. BUT…. I just want to comment, that we are sailors of many years, beginning with racing an O’Day DaySailor 19′ from which we jumped to the Corsair F-27 trimaran, as we wanted speed, and spent our summer vacation in 1993 doing race week in the Abaco’s Islands. Now we own the Dragonfly 1200, SV TRIBIZA the sleek trimaran from Quorning of Denmark. We want to create a channel, but at the moment we are gathering up some cash for our next adventure. I have to say an emphatic YES! to the racer/cruiser. Who wants to go slow when they can go FAST?
SailorLady
We see your tea cups and saucers in the beginning of the video. They look really fragile / breakable. Are they? And if so, how do you keep them from breaking?
Curious Minion
I assume Nikki’s still doing this: https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/tricks-to-make-dishes-rv-safe but maybe she’ll chime in to correct me if not. Cheers!
Curious Minion
SailorLady
Thank you!
Curious Minion
You’re welcome! :o)
Mary Van
She uses the china on their boat her Aunt Rebecca gave her for their wedding. I don’t think she has broken any!