Bluewater Sailboats 101: Under the Boat (Part 1)

How to choose a bluewater sailboat for offshore cruising — hulls, keels, rudders, and real-world judgment.

This video breaks down the most important design questions you need to understand before choosing a bluewater sailboat. We focus on hull shape, keel and rudder types, and how modern construction and racing influence affect real offshore behavior.

This isn’t about brand names or brochure claims. It’s about learning how to compare boats intelligently, avoid common traps, and understand which compromises actually matter once you’re offshore.

If you’re serious about offshore cruising—or want to avoid an expensive mistake—this video will give you a framework you can reuse for every boat you evaluate.

What you’ll learn

• The most important question to ask before comparing boats
• How fiberglass boats are built and why it matters
• How racing trends influenced modern cruising designs
• How to fairly compare two very different boats
• Hull shapes, keel types, and rudder designs—pros and cons
• Lessons learned from real offshore experience

📘 Be The Captain — Offshore Captain’s Field Manual
This video explains how to evaluate. In Be The Captain, I lay out the full offshore decision-making framework—boat choice, rig behavior, fatigue, weather, failure modes, and leadership—so you can make these calls with confidence.

First Edition hardcover + audiobook available here:
👉 https://bethecaptain.com

Helpful references & further reading

• USCG Capsize Report (1972)
https://www.academia.edu/3113052/Expe...

• Bob Perry — Design Reviews
https://sailingmagazine.net/articles....

• Sailboat Data
https://sailboatdata.com/

• Understanding Sailboat Data Numbers
   • MUST-HAVE Knowledge for SAILORS (What sail...  

• Motion Comfort Ratio discussion
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...

• Kraken maiden voyage story
   • The TRUTH about BLUEWATER Sailboats | Inte...  

• Lessons from the CNB 66 tragedy
https://www.morganscloud.com/2022/08/...

• Champagne Hippy (Oyster 825) incident
https://www.yachtingworld.com/extraor...

• Sail area calculator
https://tomdove.com/sailcalc/sailcalc...

⚓ Support the channel
If you find this kind of deep-dive seamanship content useful, you can support the channel here:

• Patreon:   / svzingaro  

• Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/zingaro/

Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Overview
01:21 – Your Instructor
02:43 – The Most Important Question
04:26 – How Fiberglass Boats Are Built
06:17 – Racing Influence on Cruising Boats
09:11 – The Trick to Comparing Two Boats
10:19 – Hull Shapes: Double Enders
11:18 – Hull Shapes: Overhanging Sterns
11:55 – Keel Shape Pros & Cons
18:20 – Rudder Types Pros & Cons
20:29 – Lessons Learned
22:11 – Next Video