DS for cruising?

[Guest]

Hello,
I'm looking at dofferent boats thatcan be used for both daysailing and limited cruising. The cruising would be limited to bays, lakes and the ICW ( Texas - Louisiana ). I wondered if anyone uses the DS for this type of boating?

thanks

Randy

Randy Watkins (jazzmanrandy-at-netscape.net)

[Guest]

Randy: Day Sailers have a cuddy enclosure where you can stow gear, and I once read a note from someone who waited out a storm for several hours in the cuddy. But I really don't think you'd be very comfortable using the cuddy for overnight cruising. Funnily enough, I do have a copy of some old info about the DaySailer II that claims: "The Day Sailer II has a cuddy enclosure that comfortably sleeps two; berth cusions are available." That sure leaves me wondering. I don't see how the cuddy could be comfortable. It would be cramped, to say the least. For cruising, I think you'd want something with a small cabin.

Day Sailers are fun, stable, relatively dry boats to sail, and I love ours. But if you plan to spend a night in one, you'd better have an excellent chiropractor.

Brooke (brookelise-at-attbi.com)

[Guest]

i plan to camp cruise the boat over the winter. won't sleep in the cuddy unless there's no other choice. you could cut a couple of sheets of plywood to fit over the seats and use a boom tent. it's possible. if you can beach and set up a tent overnight, go for it. don't let a small cuddy stop you from cruising. there are lots of folks who cruise dinghies for hundreds of miles at a time. i've known people to cruise/camp out of sunfish sailboats. now that's small. i also know a guy who's cruised the entire coast of newfoundland and mexico in a modified laser with no support. that's about as small as it gets. the sky's the limit...but be careful.

chad (gilliscmnr19-at-juno.com)