Upgrading a Coastal Cruiser for Offshore Sailing

In this Q&A session, I’m diving into the best questions from my Bluewater Boats 101 series! Whether you're curious about upgrading a C&C 35 for offshore, the pros and cons of in-mast furling vs. slab reefing, or how to avoid container collisions, I’ve got you covered. We’ll also explore junk rigs, dodger designs, and share some insider knowledge from the Kraken Yachts team. Stick around till the end for a link to one of the best free resources for offshore cruising! Drop your own questions below for the next round.

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00:00 Intro
00:44 How to prepare a boat for a bluewater offshore voyage
3:40 Explanation of crash bulkheads and rudder systems on sailboats
6:33 Sailing upwind offshore
7:28 Pros and Cons of having two propellers on a sailboat
8:08 Reverse sheer and the Albin Vega
9:00 Hitting a container while offshore
10:17 Sundeer and Deerfoot sailboats (Steve and Linda Dashew)
12:38 Junk rig sailboats
14:17 Mast furling systems versus slab reefing pros and cons

[Mariner]

As a sailing instructor teaching primarily Cruising sailing, I think you are right on. Love this instructional series you have been doing. After you left your boat I thought “oh darn, there goes his channel”. Not So………..you are doing great here. This was needed. Someone that’s REALLY been there, done that. And yes to slab reefing for serious cruising.

And the humorous five points comments, #5 is humorous and it’s not.

Alcohol IS a problem with many sailors. My wife and I cruised extensively. We saw MANY sailors with alcohol issues that was getting in the way of their lifestyle and themselves and crew. 35 yrs ago my wife and I had to decide: Do we want to be CRUISERS or BOOZERS. We cruised for over 25yrs. We made a great choice and never looked back. And I have helped many a cruiser “out there” cruising, with alcohol issues. Yeah, it really is a problem. It’s a cultural thing. “Hardy har har and a bottle of rum” ! And it is oh sneaky. And keep this channel going. Thanks.

[gutsnobrain]

Your content is just worth every minute watching! Thanks!

[h.v]

I was a previous subscriber until you decided to give up sailing and transitioned into a real estate series. While I think you are doing the right thing to tend to your family, I wasn’t interested in that type of content. Now that I happened to revisit your channel and discovered you’ve returned to post sailing content. I really enjoyed your training and sailing education series and your input on boat purchasing. Thanks. I’ve resubscribed.

[schmidtfjs]

James, this is such an awesome series. My wife and I once had a small weekender boat for coastal sailing and while some of the concepts you talk about are geared more for offshore, they still are worthy of consideration for coastal too -- vastly improves safety regardless of where you encounter obstacles and threats. Best wishes for continued success in this theme -- you are helping to make people more safe in their enjoyment of the seas.

[FireyFlyman]

I’ve always enjoyed your retrospectives. But when you speak your truth from your experience (crazy stuff you’ve shown•over the years)backed by facts presented professionally. Standing O. Well done and thank you.

[patrickfitzoot]

Way better content than before....there was a period there when your videos seemed to be mostly partying, not my cuppa. This content is way better, although I understand probably less click baity.

[ICFUBAR]

Just a coastal cruiser on a Bayfield 29 (Full keel cutaway/ cutter rig) but find the offshore stuff fascinating to listen to as you explain it all in a straight up easy and enjoyable manner. Kudos!

[erents]

I often think that you could outfit a sailboat with heavy duty inflatable floatation like in many sea kayaks. If you don’t use a space for storage you could fill that space with flotation devices, especially If you can’t build an actual bulkhead. I know it sounds crazy but it’s a proven concept. Another outside the box idea… I currently carry ten cans of construction expanding pond foam. If I get a hole in my boat I plan on injecting that water proof expandable foam into the hole. I would try slowing down the flow then spraying foam directly into a crack or hole, if it isn’t too large OR for a large hole stuff a heavy duty construction trash bag or an inflatable floatation bag through the hole then fill that bag with expanding foam. Inflatable floatation bags would also come in handy for a larger hole but could tear that’s where the foam comes into play, just thinking outside the box!🧐

[hourtravellers]

I like your latest content and your delivery. 😊 Luna and her beautiful momma have brought out the best in you.

[paulfitzgerald]

Slab reefing…have a downhaul on the luff, attached to the deepest reef cringle. Makes life much easier reefing in a blow or off wind.
Also, if your lines go back to the cockpit, you only have to go forward when you reef to set the Cunningham, and you don’t have to go to the mast base at all for the deepest reef, which is usually when things are getting difficult up forward.

[onno_vocks]

I recognized Alan's boat. For me there is only one draw back to Junk rigs and that is the free standing mast. If you don't have a boat built for a free standing mast, modifying one could be cost/time prohibitive. I'm not building another boat. Other than that, junk rigs are perfect for solo sailing. 👍

[FranklinGray]

I personally LOVE in mast furling when offshore. The ability to furl sail when the wind picks up without changing course is awesome. Also love having the exact right amount of sail out. Infinite reef points.

[maritimetees]

Capt. James, the direction you took on your channel is a welcome surprise. Being a Charter Captain on the west coast of California, I found your information to be perfect for sailors. I have saved this series for clients who are either looking for a boat or going to venture offshore. I get a lot of questions, but this series touched on so much more. Good job, and keep up the nice work.

[rohantherockwiththerocketh]

Definitely hitting the replay at some stage having only watched the end of the video.
James you have had a great channel for donkeys years, have a ripper mate and stay safe!

[Aleksi-tp]

Great video – really inspiring stuff!
We recently bought a MAESTRO/Finn 35, which led me to your channel while researching whether a boat of this size could handle longer offshore passages. I have no doubt it can manage open sea conditions, but I’ve come across claims that sleeping on these boats is uncomfortable or not really feasible.

My current goal with the boat is to eventually sail from Finland to Iceland. However, the call of the sea has been strong for years, and a circumnavigation has always been in the back of our minds. Who knows – maybe we’ll see each other out there one day if we end up upgrading to a bigger boat!

The plan is to fully modernize the systems: new autopilot, chart plotter, VHF, and other electronics (the current ones are quite outdated). At the same time, I’m considering adding a small diesel heater and possibly a shower – the layout seems flexible enough for those upgrades.

I’d really love to hear your opinion on the Finn 35. From what I’ve gathered, the hull was built strong and solid, yet the boat is often labeled a coastal cruiser due to its displacement. Would be great to hear your thoughts on this.

[sailingdijan]

Great information! Sailing 50yrs now and you're right on, enjoyed that video 🤙

[robertgoldsongsandstories]

Your combination and structure for the talking points is perfect. What why and a dash of personal experience is a great combo. And thanks for the Dashew Library!!! Been a few years since last read them 🙏

[Sv_SeaDuctress]

Great series James, highly informative from a guy that has seen and done it all. I appreciate you

[iainhunneybell]

I too was a slab reef fan due to sail shape and other reasons, however… Some ocean passages taught me in-mast has the huge benefit of being able to be reefed while on the run. That’s important in an ocean swell and when you see a squall racing up behind you. My technique was ‘boom to wind’ rather than ‘head to wind’, then with the sail de-powered (as it is leech to wind), reef in while releasing the outhaul in a controlled manner to keep the sail flat and de-powered. Works a treat. Very difficult to do this with a slab reef as you are typically reliant on the weight of the sail to drop it, but as soon as you slacken the halyard, the sail tends to fill and the luff slides jam. If someone has a bulletproof means to get a slab reef down while on a run, I’d love to know 😊
All the examples of people you quote using slab reef have often large crews. A couple blue water cruising don’t have that, and the sail on a Kraken 50 (or any 50) is big. As a result of my ocean experiences I’ve changed my allegiance and would go in-mast. As for re-sale, find me large HR, Oyster, Discovery etc using slab these days

[johntenhave]

An absolutely insightful post. Thank you. Filled with common sense, compelling to watch.