Family - Bluewater Navigator

The dinghy spec for our family of six — and the four constraints that killed the obvious choices

Six people in a dinghy is two trips, an overload, or a different dinghy than the one you thought you wanted. Nine months of pencil work and four constraints later, here is what I am buying.

June 6, 2026 · 8 min read

Ownership

Year one of cruising will cost our family of six about $174,000. Here's every line.

I priced our first year on a 50-foot cat for a family of six line by line. The number keeps coming out to $174,000 — and the spread between honest budgets and forum fantasy is wider than people think.

May 27, 2026 · 7 min read

Research Notes

Rereading Voyaging With Kids before I pick a floor plan

Behan Gifford argues you should optimize the boat for the 90% case, not the worst night — and with four kids and a 50-foot deck, that's making me rethink the layout question.

May 8, 2026 · 2 min read

The dinghy spec for our family of six — and the four constraints that killed the obvious choices

Year one of cruising will cost our family of six about $174,000. Here's every line.

Rereading Voyaging With Kids before I pick a floor plan

Charts, Checklists & Sea Stories