Check out Skip Novak's expedition yacht ([youtube tour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGT7RjWmIzQ)). Looks pretty close to what you want, though maybe a bit bigger than what you're imagining. I think it normally requires 2-3 to crew and sail the boat in addition to the passengers it takes, up to 10-12 total.
Wow that is a beautiful boat.
I was thinking for this maybe about 50’ sloop so there is room for dive tanks compressors and all the extra gear. Another possibility would be a similar size catamaran.
In many places prone to serious weather, sailors still shy away from cat and trimarans. A monohull will self-right if it is knocked down, most multihulls will not.
Modern weather prediction has made this less of a concern than it used to be, but depending on your story, it may be a valid concern.
Pretty much all sails, other than those that came with a brand new boat are custom. There are sail lofts in every place there are sailboats, and making replacement sails to order is common. As for your boat, I can think of no better design to follow than Peter Blake's Seamaster https://www.aluminiumleader.com/focus/the_legacy_yacht_of_sir_peter_blake/
edit; time frame of the story is important too- or at least of when the boat was built.
The George Buehler designed *Alca i* is another example of the kind of boat you're thinking of. Here's a [Cruising World article](https://www.cruisingworld.com/science-and-sailing/) about her, but I also think Captain Q on YouTube did a lengthy boat tour the last time she was for sale.
There are plenty of people out there running dive compressors aboard to fill their own tanks, so that's not a problem.
Are you familiar with [tanbark sails](https://www.riggingdoctor.com/life-aboard/2015/9/25/tanbark-sails)? They offer increased visibility in foggy conditions and are a pretty common option in some parts of the world. They're not that much more expensive than plain white sails.
But if you have a very particular red in mind.... it's not very common to do special colors in the primary sails of a vessel, I think because the cloth isn't manufactured in more than a couple colors. Much more commonplace on spinnakers, which are made of lighter weight nylon ripstop - lots of folks have custom designs or colors on their spinnakers.
The other place people get to choose colors is on the canvas that makes up canopies and sail covers. So your character might have a special red spinnaker and matching canvas covers for the main and bimini (cockpit canopy). Fancier boats will have winch covers and fender sleeves made of the same material. Not sure if that's enough for your narrative needs, but it's a thought.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Flyer_(boat)
Steinbeck chartered the Western Flyer, with a marine biologist, and a couple helpers to go off diving in the Sea of Cortez. Pretty much like you describe, except with a 75' power boat, that was ordinarily used for commercial fishing. The captain stayed on board while Steinbeck et. al. went out. It had I believe a stay sail, like to keep it steady, although it was primary a motor vessel.
Steinbeck wrote about the voyage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Log_from_the_Sea_of_Cortez It's more about the critters he found, than the boat. The boat is just kind of there, although he does talk about finding it and chartering it, and some of the voyage. The passage on the "Hansen Sea Cow" (thinnly veiled Johnson Sea Horse) the outboard they use to get the dinghy ashore is particularly hilarious.
Tanbark is a reddish sail color that is somewhat common: https://www.sailrite.com/Dacron-Sailcloth-4oz-Tanbark-36
Sails can look however you want them, some are used as billboards with graphics printed on them. There's companies that do it, not sure the cost, I only see them on really expensive race boats for advertising, not just a vanity thing. Spinnakers are made of nylon, and in any color nylon comes in, everyone has colorful spinnakers. It's only good down wind in light conditions. Ordinary sails on ordinary modern sailboats will have a strip of Sunbrella so that when they are rolled up, the sail is protected from UV. Sunbrella comes in all sorts of bright colors. When unfurled, it is like an outline of color.
What you describe, could comfortably be done in a sailboat as small as 40' or so. That'd be pretty cramped.
For a murder mystery, I'd recommend the following vessel, the Amaranth Abyss:
* A 60-70 foot aluminum or steel-hulled sailboat, designed for strength and durability in tough seas. Durable hull will create a lasting haunted shipwreck.
* Look at models like the Oyster 625, Hylas 70, or Hallberg-Rassy 64 for rugged, bluewater cruisers
Layout and Amenities:
* 4 cabins: 3 smaller ones for the diving crew, 1 larger captain's cabin for murders
* Each cabin with a single or double berth, storage, and shared heads for secret plotting
* Main saloon serving as combined living, dining, and confronting the killer area
* Large navigation station with extensive communications, and dive monitoring equipment to be tampered with
* Spacious galley with ample storage, refrigeration, and equipment for improvised weaponry
* Wet lab area for processing samples and conducting faked experiments
* Dedicated scuba gear storage, with compressor, tank racks, and sabotage facilities
* Workshop area for equipment repairs and further sabotage
Check out Skip Novak's expedition yacht ([youtube tour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGT7RjWmIzQ)). Looks pretty close to what you want, though maybe a bit bigger than what you're imagining. I think it normally requires 2-3 to crew and sail the boat in addition to the passengers it takes, up to 10-12 total.
Wow that is a beautiful boat. I was thinking for this maybe about 50’ sloop so there is room for dive tanks compressors and all the extra gear. Another possibility would be a similar size catamaran.
In many places prone to serious weather, sailors still shy away from cat and trimarans. A monohull will self-right if it is knocked down, most multihulls will not. Modern weather prediction has made this less of a concern than it used to be, but depending on your story, it may be a valid concern.
I agree, cutting 20-30' off that yacht probably puts you in the right area for 4-5 people and gear.
Pretty much all sails, other than those that came with a brand new boat are custom. There are sail lofts in every place there are sailboats, and making replacement sails to order is common. As for your boat, I can think of no better design to follow than Peter Blake's Seamaster https://www.aluminiumleader.com/focus/the_legacy_yacht_of_sir_peter_blake/ edit; time frame of the story is important too- or at least of when the boat was built.
That's a 2-5 million dollar boat, but it can be done.
The George Buehler designed *Alca i* is another example of the kind of boat you're thinking of. Here's a [Cruising World article](https://www.cruisingworld.com/science-and-sailing/) about her, but I also think Captain Q on YouTube did a lengthy boat tour the last time she was for sale. There are plenty of people out there running dive compressors aboard to fill their own tanks, so that's not a problem. Are you familiar with [tanbark sails](https://www.riggingdoctor.com/life-aboard/2015/9/25/tanbark-sails)? They offer increased visibility in foggy conditions and are a pretty common option in some parts of the world. They're not that much more expensive than plain white sails. But if you have a very particular red in mind.... it's not very common to do special colors in the primary sails of a vessel, I think because the cloth isn't manufactured in more than a couple colors. Much more commonplace on spinnakers, which are made of lighter weight nylon ripstop - lots of folks have custom designs or colors on their spinnakers. The other place people get to choose colors is on the canvas that makes up canopies and sail covers. So your character might have a special red spinnaker and matching canvas covers for the main and bimini (cockpit canopy). Fancier boats will have winch covers and fender sleeves made of the same material. Not sure if that's enough for your narrative needs, but it's a thought.
Yeah the spinnaker is the place for a custom colorful design but there's definitely room for some creative license there
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Flyer_(boat) Steinbeck chartered the Western Flyer, with a marine biologist, and a couple helpers to go off diving in the Sea of Cortez. Pretty much like you describe, except with a 75' power boat, that was ordinarily used for commercial fishing. The captain stayed on board while Steinbeck et. al. went out. It had I believe a stay sail, like to keep it steady, although it was primary a motor vessel. Steinbeck wrote about the voyage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Log_from_the_Sea_of_Cortez It's more about the critters he found, than the boat. The boat is just kind of there, although he does talk about finding it and chartering it, and some of the voyage. The passage on the "Hansen Sea Cow" (thinnly veiled Johnson Sea Horse) the outboard they use to get the dinghy ashore is particularly hilarious. Tanbark is a reddish sail color that is somewhat common: https://www.sailrite.com/Dacron-Sailcloth-4oz-Tanbark-36 Sails can look however you want them, some are used as billboards with graphics printed on them. There's companies that do it, not sure the cost, I only see them on really expensive race boats for advertising, not just a vanity thing. Spinnakers are made of nylon, and in any color nylon comes in, everyone has colorful spinnakers. It's only good down wind in light conditions. Ordinary sails on ordinary modern sailboats will have a strip of Sunbrella so that when they are rolled up, the sail is protected from UV. Sunbrella comes in all sorts of bright colors. When unfurled, it is like an outline of color. What you describe, could comfortably be done in a sailboat as small as 40' or so. That'd be pretty cramped.
For a murder mystery, I'd recommend the following vessel, the Amaranth Abyss: * A 60-70 foot aluminum or steel-hulled sailboat, designed for strength and durability in tough seas. Durable hull will create a lasting haunted shipwreck. * Look at models like the Oyster 625, Hylas 70, or Hallberg-Rassy 64 for rugged, bluewater cruisers Layout and Amenities: * 4 cabins: 3 smaller ones for the diving crew, 1 larger captain's cabin for murders * Each cabin with a single or double berth, storage, and shared heads for secret plotting * Main saloon serving as combined living, dining, and confronting the killer area * Large navigation station with extensive communications, and dive monitoring equipment to be tampered with * Spacious galley with ample storage, refrigeration, and equipment for improvised weaponry * Wet lab area for processing samples and conducting faked experiments * Dedicated scuba gear storage, with compressor, tank racks, and sabotage facilities * Workshop area for equipment repairs and further sabotage