About PassageBoats

PassageBoats is one sailor's research archive on offshore sailboats: boats capable of ocean crossings, from budget Westsail 32s to Pacific Seacrafts, covering all price ranges. It exists because the best resource for this kind of information, bluewaterboats.org, went offline, and nothing else filled that gap.

Nothing here is professional advice. These are personal research notes compiled while evaluating boats for offshore passage: specs, construction observations, and buyer notes reflect community sources and independent research, not certified expertise. Always commission a professional survey before purchasing any vessel.

Every entry covers the same ground: the boat's history and context, what makes it suitable (or not) for offshore work, construction details, known weak points that every potential buyer should inspect, and an honest assessment. There's no financial interest in any boat or brand.

The YouTube Index

One thing PassageBoats does that no other site does: it indexes YouTube sailing videos and links directly to the timestamps where a specific boat is being discussed. If a 90-minute sailing channel video mentions the Valiant 40 at 23:45, you get linked straight there. Excerpts are pulled from video transcripts and verified for relevance.

Stability Ratings

Each boat shows a Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) score, a rough metric developed after the 1979 Fastnet Race. Where published stability curve data exists, the Angle of Vanishing Stability (AVS) is also noted. These are reference figures, not certifications. A good CSF doesn't guarantee safety offshore; a high AVS doesn't mean a boat is appropriate for all conditions. They're one input among many when evaluating a passage boat.

Contributing

If you've owned one of the boats listed here and want to add your experience, or if you know of a boat that should be included, get in touch. This is a community resource.