Sailboats

[singpilot]

It's a Hunter 43, my home away from home when in SoCal. I waited 4 years for the slip, and another 18 months for the liveaboard permit.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SLIP BEFORE YOU BUY THE BOAT!

The rest is easy.

[tfmcmahon]

You could start with this one and move up.Hinckley is the Rolls Royce in the fleet of cruisers. I`m sure you would have lots of new friends.Finding a slip for a 70 footer might be an issue,but a 911 would fit on the foredeck! Available for a mere $5,950,000

[charleskieffner]

NOW THATS A BLOW-BOTE! the one used in" water-world" cosners epic flick, last i heard and saw was parked in kona harbor after it had been busted running mass quanities of cocaine by the USCG(right on guys). it was gathering seagull crap by the hour and we heard it went to federal auction and sold for some ridiculous low ball price. the entire blow bote was teak! it was beautiful despite 47 tons of seagull crap! biggest blow-bote i have ever seen, and nicer than the star of india!

[notfarnow]

HA! Blow-boat had a double meaning, eh?

All these nice images, maybe we are portraying too rosey a picture.

Here's a favorite from the fiasco folder:

[charleskieffner]

as long as you have insurance(BOATUS), just about any day, on ANY boat is fun, power or sail. some days are just more fun than others!!! some days are just more WORK than others, as the above pic will attest to. at least they didnt have to don "gumby-suits" as the crew off of the aleutiens at a 90 DEGREE LIST! now that is a BAD DAY boating! 10 foot sea rescues suck!

[ben parrish]

There is some good advice here. I have been sailing since 16 (Hobie cats). Bought my first mono hull at 21 (Watkins 26') and have owned many boats since then. I am now 38 and currently living in the Bahamas. I now own a Morgan 41 Out Island.(Not the most beautiful boat but GREAT for a family in the Bahamas; shallow draft, two full heads, two true sleeping cabins, wide and stable, etc., etc.) I don't think you need to go overboard on your first boat. Get a good trailer sailer and keep it at your house or a storage lot. Many good models in the 20 -25' range. Smaller boats teach you how to handle a boat quicker because they react quicker to changes in wind/current. They cost less to outfit and maintain.(A main sail for a 24 footer is about $500 one for a 41 footer starts at $3000 and goes up from there) They are easier to sell if you decide sailing is not for you or want to buy a bigger boat.
Sailing is a great way to be busy doing nothing. I love it and agree that it is more a lifestyle than a hobby. Start slow and see where it takes you.
good luck,

Ben

[pwd72s]

ben parrish gives good advice...I had a lot of fun sailing our 15' mutineer. During that fun, I would fantasize of crossing oceans. Then I volunteered to help a friend move a boat from the BVI's to Florida. Crewing on a 57' ketch in the Carribean wasn't fun, just work. Get thyself a dinghy, man! That's where the fun is!

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
The happiest two days of your life are the day that you buy your boat, and the day that you sell your boat.

-Wayne

Naah, sailing under spinnaker in a moderate breeze and planing in a moderate to fresh breeze are more fun than those days.

- retired J/22 racer of dubious talent

[JeremyD]

Originally posted by Jim Richards
Naah, sailing under spinnaker in a moderate breeze and planing in a moderate to fresh breeze are more fun than those days.

- retired J/22 racer of dubious talent

Or



I miss my 505 - although I am probably to old to sail one now.

I spent a week on this Belize 43 last fall in the BVI's. Much pleasure was had.

[SLO-BOB]

Lots of interesting advice here. I guess my first question is how much do you have to spend? Next question, where will you keep the boat. The best advice I've read so far is to have a slip first. You'll be one unhappy camper w/o that!

Obviously the smartest thing to do is join a sailing club and get your feet wet. That way you'll meet lots of like minded folk and get a chance to crew on private boats cuz yer hanging down by the marina. Lots of lonely sailors there. You think I'm kidding but I'm not. You would think I was asking people to mow my lawn instead of going sailing. I've had to take perfect strangers out just to sail on occasion. That's a whole nuther story. Just don't think owning a sailboat will make you a chick magnet. Powerboat maybe. Course-could be different where you live.

BUT-if you want to dive in head first, a 27-30 sloop is the way to go. Get a used one with auto-helm and roller firling jib-you'll thank me later. I had a 30 Morgan that I dearly loved. Beamy and quick. Ericksons are nice but a little narrow for me. The C&C would be nice as well as a Beneteau, but now we're getting up there a little.

There's a lot of nice sailboats out there. I would really crew before buying. It's kind of like a 15 year old asking what car to buy even though he's never driven. You wouldn't just say Porsche would you? Okay, maybe you would. Then I say a 30 foot Morgan!

Have fun.

PS-There is no kick a$$ fun quite like a catamaran. That's what I now sail. However, it has as much in common with sailing a 30' sloop as hang gliding. It's a totally different sport.

PSPS-Yawls? As a first boat? Yikes! How 'bout a schooner?

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by JeremyD

I miss my 505 - although I am probably to old to sail one now.

LOL, I had a 470 a few years ago. Thought I missed it until I went for a sail in one last summer. Lots of fun but not great for a picnic with wifey!

I had a 16' Seaspray catamaran after the 470... it was very fast, you got very wet (no raised trampoline like a Hobie), but it was very comfortable. Being up on one pontoon is like having air suspension.

[jdlowery]

Originally posted by SLO-BOB
Lots of interesting advice here. I guess my first question is how much do you have to spend? Next question, where will you keep the boat. The best advice I've read so far is to have a slip first. You'll be one unhappy camper w/o that!

Just don't think owning a sailboat will make you a chick magnet. Powerboat maybe. Course-could be different where you live.

I'm not sure how much I want to spend. It would probably be something moderate just in case boat ownership isn't for me. I'll definitely find out if sailing is for me before I buy.

I will keep the boat at the local marina. I'll contact them tomorrow just to get an idea of fees and availability. I'll take the advice and get the slip first once I've decided to buy.

Don't need to attract the chicks. That position is filled. However, I can envision "bachelor" cruises with a handful of strippers. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

[VINMAN]

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Yep. Have to agree. A powerboat draws the same crowd that a Ferrari F40 will - it'll turn into a chest-beating testosterone-laden sausage fest. A sailboat will attract the ladies - no doubt about it.

Ladies that don't shave their legs or arm pits!!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Heh heh heh. . .

Yuk. Maybe on FISHING boats!

[VINMAN]

Power boat babes: F1 grid girls

Sailboat babes : Woodstock hippie girls

[charleskieffner]

no matter what kind of BOTE you have...............if you have a clean HEAD, you will have all the chicks on the lake on your boat using it! then on sunday you get to clean it out! ask me how i know!!!! 6 gallon poopy head(thats alot of poo) pulled out of enclosure w/door, up 4 steps to rear poop deck, down 4 steps on ladder to ground to dump w/out spilling. you will yearn in your dreams for a pump out station! thats the thanks you get when you get the boat home! remember everyone loves getting drunk, water skiing, eating and spilling food/drinks all over your marine carpet,and at the end of a sober day(your the captain) you wont find one soul to help you clean the boat! i can promise you that !

[KFC911]

Originally posted by SLO-BOB
....I had a 30 Morgan that I dearly loved. Beamy and quick. .... I say a 30 foot Morgan!

I'm a novice compared to most, but one of my longtime friends has owned a 30' Morgan for many years, and you wouldn't go wrong with that selection!

[JeremyD]

Bleah - Ultimate Sailing Photographer and Ultimate Sailing Babe = Sharon Green

[JeremyD]

and she shaves her pits...