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Old 19-05-2012, 09:01   #16
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

If you get a wood boat cheap you will need to fix a lot of wodd problems and then start fixing all the normal boat stuff. If you get a glass boat you can skip the hull repairs and get sailing that much quicker. Find a decent, dirty, neglected fiberglass boat in Florida. Pack one bag and get on a bus. Spend too much money on the boat and sail right to the good part. Would you rather have 6 months of boat work or 2 months of boat work and 10 months sailing the Bahamas and the Caribbean?
Wood boats are for people who love to work on wood boats. I love other people's wood boats.
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Old 19-05-2012, 13:26   #17
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

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Originally Posted by kilboua View Post
I am talking to a guy on Lake Michigan about a 25 foot Anderson folkboat. Does anyone know anything about these boats?
Visually it looks very much like a Nordisk Folkobat so it probably is one. Maybe by Andersson, NOT Anderson, as described here:
- Sailboats built by Vindo (Ntesund Varv AB) by year on Sailboatdata.com

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Old 19-05-2012, 17:11   #18
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Anyone have any idea how those boats handle? How is the cabin set up? Is it feasible to live aboard such a boat?
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Old 19-05-2012, 18:49   #19
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Check out the Catalina 27. Lots of them around, and can be had fairly cheap. Someone mentioned the Pearson 26 earlier, and I agree it's a good boat - very simple and built like a tank, so maintainance wouldn't be hard, but the Catalina 27 would definitely be more liveable.
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Old 19-05-2012, 19:37   #20
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

The wooden folkboat is a small boat inside. All other things equal, they sail well but they lack comforts. They are slower than IFs but not madly so.

Albin Express boats are fast. They point well too. They are not very spacey either.

IF and Albin Viggen are OK for one. Itimate for two. If is an excellent sailing boat. Viggen is just OK.

You can see plenty of images of most of the boats on the web so just google around and you will have some idea about what they are like.

Living aboard and sailing a small boat are two separate subjects. If your concern is living aboard then look towards boats that are beamy and have higher topsides/cabins - this will buy you space. Many good liveaboards are actually more expensive than plain sailing boats. I believe this may be because they are used as floating caravans by young and young at heart bimbo persons in many countries.

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Old 19-05-2012, 20:42   #21
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

I'd say your head's in the right place.

IF (tho any variation not particularly comfy living-wise),
Alberg boats (many cheap one's and many on the east coast to choose from),
Cape Dory (on the smaller end could be within budget),
Bristol (solid and often cheap),
...

But my two cents given the budget, the excursion, and time frame considered, would be to not be too picky make-wise. Any of the standard production boats in decent shape will be capable of getting you where you want to go. If you poked around in the right places, you'd be hard-pressed to not come across something that wasn't more or less ready for you.

Then perhaps buy a decent "old boat maintanence book" (Don Casey's "Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintanence Manual" comes to mind). And if you deem it prudent, haul the boat out and mull around the boatyard for a few weeks getting her ready. Perhaps you'll confront and shore up a few issues, and in the process figure out a lot about your boat to get her going. You're also sure to learn from the others around you, who are generally very much willing to help you figure things out.

I just bought the boat to take me places myself. 29 years old tho, so you got a few on me in a strange kinda way.
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Old 19-05-2012, 21:49   #22
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Folkboats are lovely, sail nicely and would probably be the boat I chose if I hadn't chosen to marry a great boatbuilder. But I agree with folks who say, go for gpr right now, then learn more about wooden boats as you are out sailing. Good ones are harder to find, but you might some day run across a woodie that is looking for a perfect, experienced owner or you might want to build one.

right now, consider checking out charitible organizations who get boats donated to them. I know CRAB in Annapolis (the ones who helpde Matt Rutherford get the Vega 27 he used to go solo around all the Americas) might have some boats available. They rarely advertise them, so give them a try Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating.

Have a great time
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Old 20-05-2012, 03:47   #23
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

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Originally Posted by kilboua View Post
When its time to come back to reality, I will sell the boat and simply come home
That is a useful thing to know - before parting with cash

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2) The maintenance. I know there is an incredible amount of things that can be with a boat. What should I be looking for in a used boat in terms of condition? What is easily fixable, and what problems should I avoid like the plague? I am pretty handy, and my father (who sailed for 10+ years and is INCREDIBLY handy with anything, even electrical/engine/plumbing) can help if need be. Like I said, I have an excess of time, but I want to save on the $. That being said, what should I look for in a used boat? what resources exist that can teach me to repair boats?
Short answer (especially on your budget) is to check everything . and then price up the fixes (DIY and / or proffessional in both cash and time terms, and then double it!) - or decide you can make do / don't need .

The expensive part is your learning curve, given that you are not yet best placed to judge for yourself what is important / expensive / time consuming (for you).........but you'll learn ....and will save you good money in the long run on the next boat / adventure.

Essentially you want a structurally sound boat (water coming up is bad , water coming down is a PITA - big stuff (like a mast or a keel) falling off is also bad ) - anything on top of that comfort / equipment wise is a bonus. Think of her as a large sailing dinghy - with a lid on Same things are important and for much the same reasons.....the big exception being the engine on your budget I would not expect factory fresh , indeed IMO would be hard to avoid buying a pile of poo that will require time and money (and probably at inconveniant times!) sooner or later.

Few things worse than an unreliable motor - in some respects none is better (at least you always know where you are!). On the size and budget I would favour something with an O/b, and then just accept that won't be ideal for long passages under motor - so buy a boat that sails! Failing that I would highly recomend getting a boat that you could later add an O/b onto the back of - if the inboard goes majorly pop and no cash to spare to fix / replace. Out of choce I would get a boat with either no o/b or a small / old one and then upgrade to either new! or something with plenty of life left in it.....the upside is that you can always sell it seperately from the boat later, a working o/b will always sell (just a question of price) - an old small sailing boat is a different matter.

Obviously one "should" replace standing rigging of unknown vintage (because that means it is probably orginal!) - but unless any signs of problems (from sight or feel - ouch!) then I would be minded to take a punt. Same for the running rigging....albeit something to bear in mind when passage planning! Some old boats have sails in surprisingly good condition - some not, go for the one with some life left in them (as a Dinghy sailor you probably understand why better than me!). On your budget don't want to be buying any new sails .

Out of choice would go for Tiller steering (simplicity and space onboard) - but if the deal is good enough on the rest of the boat then IMO a wheel is not a deal breaker.

You will need a dinghy - and for that some sort of onboard stowage will be needed....good luck with that ......or take a punt on towing (in practice will likely be a mix of both approaches).

For equipping with "all mod cons", firstly accept that essentially you will be camping afloat - so (apart from going s/h) head to a camping store and / or Walmart the stuff you buy only has to last a year or so, not a 10 year cirumnavigation via both capes . And if the boat interior looks like a stripped out ocean racer (with a few scatter cushions!) then so be it, no point trying to create a country cottage look and feel on something you will be selling soon enough.

In regard to interior refurb, a power washer, some detergent and a big pot of white paint (no need for "marine" $$$ paint) is your freind . Clean and tidy ....just add scatter cushions .
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Old 20-05-2012, 12:28   #24
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Is it safe to travel without a motor? If need be, could I do it?
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Old 20-05-2012, 12:41   #25
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Google Lin & Larry Pardey, the notable lady who was kind enough to contribute a few posts up. They have travelled far with no engine. Whether you can do it or not is up to you and your skills.
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Old 20-05-2012, 12:45   #26
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

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Originally Posted by kilboua View Post
I am talking to a guy on Lake Michigan about a 25 foot Anderson folkboat. Does anyone know anything about these boats?
How do you plan to get it to the Caribbean?
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Old 20-05-2012, 13:02   #27
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Many of these boats are small enough to be trailered by the friend-with-truck method.

One whole other category of advice would be ways for getting cheap time on the water on cruising boats -- signing on to yacht club crew lists, networking with local lake cruisers, hanging around marinas, finding someone who needs help with boat projects, etc. Getting to know a variety of boats and what their owners think of them would be useful.
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Old 20-05-2012, 13:03   #28
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

I suppose I could ship/trailer it if I had to...that is definetly a problem though. Any ideas?
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Old 20-05-2012, 13:16   #29
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

Trailering -- assuming you're on a tight budget and the boat doesn't have a trailer, and you don't know of someone with a similar trailer that you could rent and get temporarily customized for your boat -- find just about any trailer , even a powerboat trailer with the right capacity and dimensions, and get supports welded in to customize it to fit your boat. Maybe even find someone to teach you basic welding, or take an evening class at a community college, and get someone to give pointers.

Details of towing will depend on the boat; something like a Catalina 27 isn't too terrible, but beamier and bigger boats require more paperwork and preparation to move as you move into oversized load territory. Where paperwork is required, you maybe be able to get all the permits you need from the destination state. Wide loads may begin around 8'6" or so, depending upon the state and road, and at a certain point they get big enough to require an escort -- for example, 12' wide in Florida.
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Old 20-05-2012, 13:22   #30
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Re: A Dream, but That's About It!

How much do you think it would cost me to trailer that folkboat from Illinois to florida?
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