5Yr plan - am I crazy?

[di_namic42]

Hi all you experienced sailors & Top Hat owners

Late mid-life crisis!!!

I am 3 years into my 5 year plan to go solo coastal cruising, with the ultimate aim of being to sail from Moreton bay to Lizard island and back, with infrequent crew.
I can remember racing sabots as a kid & have spent some time on boats diving ( Advanced PADI).
I have been advised from some experienced yachtie friends that the Top Hat would get me there and that it was a great solid competent boat!
Also sails, gear etc were small enough for a 50 something single female to handle.

Year 1 & 2 bought a caper cat 14 and started to learn about winds & tides, and working on boats. Much fun!
( how do you run aground with a 6" draft? Doh!) ( Hint: muddy water in Canaipa Passage)
Lots of reading about sailing & lots of books and manuals!
Did some crewing ( more holiday not serious) on a 36ft cat and a 33ft tri.

year 3 sold caper cat, started reviewing what was for sale and spending hours on the internet and more books!I
I am booked into the Dayskipper theory course this in April ( 4 wks time) & going 3 weeks more serious crewing in May on a 52ft $&S.

Plans
Looking to buy a top hat, with newish diesel engine and fit out with some of the cruising necessities I want. ( good big solar , new batteries - later new rigging etc)
I can see two for sale at the moment, one in Cairns and one in NSW. Both MkIII - with 2 different layouts.

MKIII cairns, racing layout
http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for ... k-3/122412

MKIII NSW Enclosed head, big windows
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-s ... x=7&eapi=2

Any for/against?
Any comments on the big window version? would that weaken the boat a little?


Yr4
sail aound Moreton bay and perhaps up to bundy/fraser

yr 5
sail to lizard ( No 1 on bucket list) and return safely!!!


Just saying hello to everyone & looking for comments and feedback about those plans.

Am I crazy?

Any other Top Hats up this way?

Regards
Dianne
Moreton bay, QLD

[rob.lovelace]

year 7 into my 5 year plan, same stats as you. I kept buying motorcycles until 3 years ago. I wanted a walker H28 and was about to buy a BMW1000RR when I came to my senses and bought a boat instead. I thought this little 25 footer would do until I could afford somthing else. Now after having her for a few years and realising the cost of keeping and maitaining a keelboat I am happy to keep the top hat as my 5 year plan boat. I took her across to Tassie at Christmas and at Easter I will load her up and head of for the Whitsundays. My plan from now will be to work for a few months and cruise the winters up north, but we'll see after this year is over whether the lifesyle of my dream is the the lifestyle I can handle. Am I crazy?

[Ianb]

Of course you both are not crazy! Like it says in the old movie "If you dont have a dream, how you gonna make a dream come true?"

Dianne, hopefully some of our local owners will give you a chance to crew on their boat, so that you can crystallise your concept of the ideal boat before you buy. Always best to buy locally if you can, from many points of view. Although, if you find a perfectly maintained boat some distance away, again maybe one of our member skippers would help you sail her home.

[Troppo]

Hi Dianne

Ya don't sound crazy to me, but then I am troppo : ).

In my opinion, Top Hats are an amazing design. While slower than your caper cat and way smaller than the S&S 52ft, Top Hats are surprisingly big inside and yet small enough on the outside to be rather economical when it comes to antifouling or motoring. There are other benefits to being a smaller boat such as easier to bring the anchor up. A few times when I was on floating pontoons in marinas I was glad of a lighter smaller boat as I turned Windchaser around 180 degrees or moved her along, all from the pontoon by myself.

With seaworthiness, several times I have been in conditions which were hairy but Windchaser showed no sign of faltering and others on the forum have experienced far worse than me and handled it with no problems. A smaller boat does tend to 'feel' the waves and weather more than a larger one but I haven't find it a problem with Windchaser. On the trip coming up from down south I spent a couple of days cruising in the company of a 32 foot steel yacht. At the end of one day I was pleased when they told me it had been an aweful day for them with the sea state and wind. My day didn't seem any worse than theirs, perhaps even a bit better, so I was happy that the smaller Top Hat handled the conditions so well.

With cruising, since I have done a lot of tent camping with minimal gear I find the space inside Windchaser to be fantastic. Storage seems more convenient than a 27 foot Endeavour I had but then my Top Hat has an outboard so I have the space under the cockpit floor for storage. When I brought Windchaser up from the Gold Coast to Rockhampton, I spent about 6 weeks living on board and found it quite easy. What made it difficult was working on Windchaser to make her more ready for the trip while living onboard. The space quickly disappeared when I had bits and pieces of repair stuff spread everywhere but was better when made more shipshape. So, with some forethought and preparation, the inside of a Top Hat is easy to live in although some may think it too minimalist (I've only lived on Windchaser by myself so my experience is limited to solo cruising).

In regard to your plan to sail up to Lizard Island, I think you will enjoy it and it is very do-able in a Top Hat.

Have you seen Philip's (Seaka) voyages? He did one up to the Whitsundays (as well as other places) and it is great to read and see the pics.
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/seaka/?show=fulltoc

[Gramps]

Hi Dianne,
A couple of thoughts for you if you intend single handing your selected boat - and why the Top Hat is a good choice. The steering position at the companionway is ideal because the mainsheet and halyard winches are (or should be) ready to hand right in front of you on the cabin top. A lot of Top Hats have the halyard winches at the mast, but mine were fitted aft on the coachouse and all control lines were brought aft to the same location. That is definitely the only arrangement for singlehanding. I removed all of the original winches on my boat and replaced them with single speed self tailers, an expense worth every cent when you sail solo. The boom is also high enough that you do not have to remember to duck your head every time it comes across in a gybe. When you are tacking, the forward steering position allows you to hold the tiller between your legs and you can easily manage both winches to free off and bring on the headsail sheet.
The boat is also easy to manage if you come alongside at a pontoon. If you have your lines ready you can step off and rein it in even in a breeze - and I have also turned mine around alongside 180 degrees as Troppo describes without effort.Troppo also mentioned the economic side of antifouling, but that applies across the board to everything you need to replace on a Top Hat, sails, rigging, deck fittings,lines etc.
When looking at a yacht I always ask myself whether I can sail it single handed. If not, I walk away and I suggest you ask yourself the same question. I have owned larger boats that I set up as best I could for single handing, but none were ever as convenient for that purpose as the Top Hat.
I admit to being biassed, but my choice comes from sailing solo most of my life and to my mind the Top Hat is the best little pocket cruiser around and the prices they bring these days bear no relationship to the true value so don't be dissuaded by that.
Good hunting and pleasant sailing and cruising.
Sean
AZZURA
Mark 1

[di_namic42]

Hi Rob
I used to ride a yamaha XV1000 20 years ago, then flew ultralights, then scuba diving, one parachute jump, one hang glide.
I'm missing the adrenalin, so before i get too old & decrepit and put on too much more weight I'll go sailing & hope all that salt air and exercise is the fountain of youth!!!


Hi Sean
self tailers and lines back to cockpit are definately on the MUST list, as are roller furler & inboard diesel. new big batteries & solar panels, bimini/dodger
also autopilot with +/- 10 ( is close enough to autotack )
As an ex-computer geek I'm comfortable with technology, but know enough to be able to do everything without it in case of failure!!


Anyone else got ideas for newbie solo sailing?
How about thoughs on bimini/dodger design for tophats? incorporated with solar panels?

Regards
Dianne

[di_namic42]

Hi Troppo
I have already looked at one Top Hat "Pimpernel" at scarborough marina.
Good condition and felt just like home!!! Perfect size just for me!!!
If it had an inboard diesel I would have bought it.

My understanding is that if I need to get out of trouble or get home in choppy waters or (heaven forbid!) big seas that an outboard would cavitate too much and be of minimal use.
Regards
Dianne

[Troppo]

Hi Rob
. . .
I'm missing the adrenalin . . .

Regards
Dianne

Haha, I've had so much adrenalin with Windchaser I could do with a little less : ). It's not the boat, just facing situations as a newbie that I wasn't sure I could handle. Even my first night away from a marina and anchoring was a test, mainly due to a 90 degree windshift during the night that grew strong and was pushing me towards a lee shore. Pitch black with lumpy sea but I decided to move to deeper water. After completing the maneuver and having time for my heart to stop thumping I felt I had accomplished something. And there is soooo much to learn and so many places to explore that it'll keep me interested for a looong time. I hope you find it just as rewarding or more so.

cheers

Louis

[di_namic42]

Greetings Knowledgeable ones!!!

This is an image of the engine of the top hat for sale in Cairns - "Clemency"
The vendor claims this is a brand new engine 2012 model BUHk 10hp installed last year and that he painted it so he could see if there were any leaks.
Does this look/sound right to you? It should be a bright orange for a new BUHK motor?

see http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for ... k-3/122412

It has been suggested it looks like shaft is offset, but could this be the photo?
regards
Dianne (Moreton bay, QLD)

[Troppo]

Hi Troppo
I have already looked at one Top Hat "Pimpernel" at scarborough marina.
Good condition and felt just like home!!! Perfect size just for me!!!
If it had an inboard diesel I would have bought it.

My understanding is that if I need to get out of trouble or get home in choppy waters or (heaven forbid!) big seas that an outboard would cavitate too much and be of minimal use.
Regards
Dianne

I suggest you do a search on this forum for "outboard motors" or "outboards" as there has been a few threads with great discussion on pros and cons. Windchaser has an 18 hp 2 stroke in the well (which is a bit too big for the well) so that's all I can talk from but it never cavitated once coming up from the Gold Coast to Rockhampton and several times I was in extremely rough water. Others with o/bs on the brackets have said they have not had cavitation problems, others have said they had minor cavitation problems.

My thinking with ya plans, a diesel with a reasonable size built in tank might be more suited to you than an outboard with portable tanks but then again, maybe not. When I came up the coast, I had 2 x 20 litre fuel tanks and some spare 20 litre drums. With contrary winds and pushing to get into safe ports ahead of poor weather, I went through a fair bit of fuel and even had to refill the tanks from the drums while out at sea, so a bit tricky.

So, with a diesel motor it may give you a cruising distance advantage compared to petrol especially with going up north where I think winds can be a bit quiet at times. However, I admit my outboard has impressed me (apart from too big) so a Top Hat and outboard can be a great combination. Plenty of others on this forum have more experience than me so you should get some useful info to help you with considering diesel vs petrol.

Oh, when I came up the coast last year I stayed overnight at Scarborough marina and a friendly couple were working on their Top Hat up on the hard. They were doing up their old boat but were unsure whether they would keep her or sell her. They seemed very fond of her. I wonder if she's the same one you saw.

Louis