From Workshop to Open Water: Sea Trials of an Ocean-Capable Small Sailboat

Designing and building a small boat is one thing. Taking it offshore is something else entirely.

In the latest NanoCruising episode, Perry returns to the podcast to talk about what happens after the tools are put away and the lines are cast off. His Ocean-Capable Small Sailboat has now completed real sea trials, including a substantial offshore run, and those miles have provided the kind of feedback that only the ocean can deliver.

This episode isn’t about defending a concept or proving critics wrong. It’s about learning — the honest, sometimes humbling process of discovering how a boat behaves once theory meets wind, waves, and fatigue.

Why Sea Trials Matter in Small Boat Design

For nano-cruisers and small boat builders, sea trials aren’t a formality — they’re the real beginning of the design process. No amount of dockside admiration or online commentary can replace hours spent steering, trimming, resting, and observing how a boat responds in open water.

Perry explains how early sea trials quickly revealed what worked better than expected, and what still needs refinement. Stability, steering ease, and overall confidence at sea stood out as strengths. Other aspects, particularly related to performance and sail balance, raised thoughtful questions about next steps.

What makes this conversation valuable is Perry’s openness. Rather than presenting the boat as “finished,” he treats it as a living project — one that improves through use rather than speculation.

A Different Way of Looking at “Ocean Capable”

“Ocean capable” means different things to different sailors. For some, it’s about speed. For others, comfort. For many nano-cruisers, it’s about survivability, simplicity, and predictability when things get uncomfortable.

This episode explores that quieter definition of capability. We talk about how ease of control, forgiving behavior, and low mental workload can matter more than raw performance in a very small boat. These traits don’t always look impressive on paper, but they reveal their value after long hours at sea.

Perry’s experience highlights a recurring NanoCruising theme: success offshore often comes from making fewer demands on both boat and sailor.

Learning Through Doing (and Re-Doing)

One of the most compelling aspects of this follow-up interview is Perry’s willingness to adjust. Sea trials didn’t signal an endpoint — they opened the door to iteration. Sail plans can change. Details can improve. Assumptions can be re-examined.

This mindset will feel familiar to many listeners who have modified boats mid-cruise, re-rigged systems on the beach, or returned home with a notebook full of ideas sparked by real conditions.

NanoCruising has always celebrated this approach: start small, go test, learn honestly, and improve incrementally.

Why This Episode Resonates

This isn’t just a story about one boat. It’s about the courage to try something different, to take it offshore, and to speak candidly about the results. In a world where online opinion often arrives faster than experience, Perry’s sea trials remind us why doing still matters more than debating.

If you’ve ever dreamed of building your own boat, wondered how far “small” can really go, or questioned when a project is ready to leave the harbor, this episode offers insight that only miles at sea can provide.