"DSK" wrote in message
. ..
Scout wrote:
I'm on recon now, keeping an open mind. I know I want something big
enough to be comfortable for a week, small enough to single hand, and
sturdy enough to sail the coastline.

I thought you already had one like that, the Starwind 19?

Wellllll, the single-hand part is true. "Charged-With-Gold" was easy enough
to sail solo. But comfort wasn't a strong point, sleeping was uncomfortably
tight and there was not much room for provisions, and as Bart described a
few weeks back, sailing for more than a few hours with mixed company is
awkward at best.
I did sail "Charged" off the Jersey shore from time to time, but I never
felt all that comfortable with a swing keel in ocean water. It was ok to
dart outsidefor a few hours but I wouldn't want to sail to Nantucket with
her.

... Ulterior motive at the moment is to get wifey to see how nice a
bigger boat interior would be. Would be nice to stand in the cabin (at
least for her, she's 5'4", I'm 6'4", but don't mind ducking), a head with
a door, a real galley, yadda yadda.

There's a lot of nice boats out there. THe important thing is to get one
that your wife will like to sail & cruise on, but that also satisfies all
the practical (or impractical) demands you both have.

What size & price range do you have in mind?
26' - 32' or thereabouts. Price range would be as little as I can get away
with. I'm going to the boat show to get a feel for different boats, I'm
quite sure I won't be buying a new boat there. At least I'll have a feel for
what I want when I hit the used market.

I feel I've been quite lucky in the boats my wife & I have saied &
cruised. It's been a lot of great time together.
Good stuff!