Caught the Sailing Bug . . . in Kansas ! Now What ?

[KC Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Hotel L

My 2 cents....find a cheap old(er) boat that is just large enough your family could spend the weekend or week on. Get a good survey to ensure it is sound.

Experience is not all about sail handling, there is maintenance, living habits, ext.

Over the next 5 years restore the boat, do all the work your self, and research the heck out of everything.

And most of all enjoy the time you spend with her. If you do I have no doubt you will love the sailing life.

That's a really interesting point that I never really considered--I've been so focused on getting out into the breeze that I didn't think about learning about maintenance; I've been leaning towards a boat without problems so that I could avoid dealing with the maintenance. Doing the opposite is a great idea--deliberately buy a fixer-upper so that I get the experience of not only maintatining, but actually improving and restoring a boat.

Great idea, thanks Hotel L!

[Cheechako]

I'm still getting stuck trying to figure out what is too much money. If we get a cheap boat, will it be less fun and a bigger headache? If we get an expensive one, will it be more fun and easier to get my loved ones on board?

This is a generalization, but cheap or expensive, the things that go wrong with boats are much the same: Pumps, engines, rigging, sails etc. come from the same sources. You need a good hull, but there's no reason a Catalina wont be just as easy to maintain as a hinkley... probably cheaper! If you want friends/family aboard much, 30 feet is OK for 4 people overnight, or more on a daysail.
If by "Cheap" you mean a good deal... well ... it depends, you need to assess the particular boat. Some boats that need a lot of repairs and maintenance are priced about the same as those that dont. The simpler the boat is with less exterior wood, the easier...

[tropicalescape]

I learned to sail on a hobie cat and then bought a 40 yawl then a 32 sloop..depends a lot on what you fill you can handle ..the small boat sounds good as others have said keep the job and protect your income in these bad eco.times

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I'm still getting stuck trying to figure out what is too much money. If we get a cheap boat, will it be less fun and a bigger headache? If we get an expensive one, will it be more fun and easier to get my loved ones on board?

This is a generalization, but cheap or expensive, the things that go wrong with boats are much the same: Pumps, engines, rigging, sails etc. come from the same sources. You need a good hull, but there's no reason a Catalina wont be just as easy to maintain as a hinkley... probably cheaper! If you want friends/family aboard much, 30 feet is OK for 4 people overnight, or more on a daysail.
If by "Cheap" you mean a good deal... well ... it depends, you need to assess the particular boat. Some boats that need a lot of repairs and maintenance are priced about the same as those that dont. The simpler the boat is with less exterior wood, the easier...

I only had 2 cents to give so I guess I mean inexpensive.

[KEG]

My wife and I are in a similar position. Landlocked, good job, and looking at options. For months we argued about size because she wants a “roomy” boat. We finally came to agreement when I figured out that to her roomy means lots of storage space, not what I thought which was, swing a cat and not hit anything roomy. Having settled that, we decided that buying a 25 foot boat to learn on and have fun with while figuring out whether we actually like sailing is a good idea. We also decided that a boat that costs less than a good used car is within our throw away budget so if we lose our “investment” we’re not out much.

We also tossed around the trailering vs slip options and decided that the cost of fuel hauling a boat around for a season is about equal to the cost of a slip especially when maintenance on the tow vehicle and wear and tear on the boat is also factored in. The deciding factor for springing for a slip is the ease of getting on the water. That said, we decided to get a boat with a trailer so that we can hit the Great Lakes or other destination if we decide to.

We have also decided that owning another boat on a coast when the time comes is within our means but first we have to make darn sure that we like extended sailing before making that commitment. We can afford to throw away 10 grand but 150 grand on a whim isn’t in our books. I would jump at the latter but the economy isn’t good enough to guarantee a buyer will be there to buy my expensive mistake. Ten grand to learn and have fun for a few years is cheap entertainment even if the boat doesn’t leave the slip.

We recently found the boat we will probably buy, we just need to make the decision and run with it.

[wizard1_us]

so, what boat are you thinking you will probably buy?

[Me-and-Boo]

Originally Posted by KEG

We also tossed around the trailering vs slip options and decided that the cost of fuel hauling a boat around for a season is about equal to the cost of a slip especially when maintenance on the tow vehicle and wear and tear on the boat is also factored in. The deciding factor for springing for a slip is the ease of getting on the water. That said, we decided to get a boat with a trailer so that we can hit the Great Lakes or other destination if we decide to.

One option is to own a boat and keep her on the hard and when you are arriving have the marina put her in the water at a slip you take for a month or so.

[hazle]

I caught the sailing bug when I realized gas was way to expensive to have fun on the lake anymore. I bought a albacore 15 dingy and learned a lot about what not to do. Now I have a 24 seafarer that I just bought labor day weekend. I am stuck for a while on Stockton Lake until the kids get through college.
The bigger boat is a lot easier to sail, I can go out and stay overnight and learn about some of the things that staying on a boat brings. My boat is older so there is maintenance that I will be learning about.

It has been years since I have been to Perry but I can tell you at Stockton with all the coves there are plenty of places to anchor and stay the weekend or week, you can get a lot of experience sailing and staying on the boat. I really don't want to give away all the secrets about this lake because I like it the way it is, but I will tell you I would drive 2hrs more if i had to to get there. there is not a lake in KS or MO that you have the freedoms Stockton brings! 25000 acres pretty much to myself is really not to bad. My Boat has a shorter mast so cruising under the bridges is not a problem for me when the water is a couple feet below normal. There are not to many sailboats that get to do the southern part of the lake like I do.
I have been practicing living the retired life for a few years now. i can tell you that I have seen people jump into something they have never done and few years later they are right back in the rat race because they really have not a clue what life out of the rat race is like.
I have a private dock on the lake "very rare" and there are about 12 more docks in our cove. They are all owned by people that thought they liked the lake life. There are really 2 or 3 of us that use the lake the rest of them just live a city life at the lake! Some of them may only use the lake 2 or 3 times a year! if that.

[jannpage]

I agree with you idea of getting a smaller boat and leaving it in the water. Years ago I realiized my Venture 22 was sitting in the yard and not being used so I decided to rent a slip and see what happened. Suddenly we were using the boat nearly every weekend for the next several years. My only recomendation is to get something a little smaller. 15 ft or less. Learn to sail. Get you wife sailing. Find a local yacht club and try your best to get her with some of the gals that sail and get her sailing - independent of you. Have her take sailing lessons and get her sailing. YOu might even try getting her on a racing crew. Believe me it is important for both of you to try hard to get involved in sailing - really experienceing it not just armchair sailing. Get on the watger - independently. Nothing wrong with togetherness, but independent is perhaps more important. Good luck. You have made great progress so far in you thinking.

One more thing. unless you buy impulsively and pay way to much you can always sell and get most of your monely back. 90% is realistic on all but a new boat.

I am serious about trying to visit several local yacht clubs. Talk to the president and attend a few meetings. Some clubs are pretty snooty so try to find several and visit them all. Visit marinas on the weekend and talk to people. Visit as many as you can.

And do listen to Hazle. Points are well taken. I often say - old men need something to do - that they think is interesting and rewarding etc. So do old women.

Cheers

Cheers.

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by KEG

My wife and I are in a similar position. Landlocked, good job, and looking at options. For months we argued about size because she wants a “roomy” boat. We finally came to agreement when I figured out that to her roomy means lots of storage space, not what I thought which was, swing a cat and not hit anything roomy. Having settled that, we decided that buying a 25 foot boat to learn on and have fun with while figuring out whether we actually like sailing is a good idea. We also decided that a boat that costs less than a good used car is within our throw away budget so if we lose our “investment” we’re not out much.

We also tossed around the trailering vs slip options and decided that the cost of fuel hauling a boat around for a season is about equal to the cost of a slip especially when maintenance on the tow vehicle and wear and tear on the boat is also factored in. The deciding factor for springing for a slip is the ease of getting on the water. That said, we decided to get a boat with a trailer so that we can hit the Great Lakes or other destination if we decide to.

We have also decided that owning another boat on a coast when the time comes is within our means but first we have to make darn sure that we like extended sailing before making that commitment. We can afford to throw away 10 grand but 150 grand on a whim isn’t in our books. I would jump at the latter but the economy isn’t good enough to guarantee a buyer will be there to buy my expensive mistake. Ten grand to learn and have fun for a few years is cheap entertainment even if the boat doesn’t leave the slip.

We recently found the boat we will probably buy, we just need to make the decision and run with it.

Consider a SailTime (like) option...the best of both worlds. We went through the same decision cycle. We were concerned a 25 foot boat would be more like camping and may distract from enjoying the boat every weekend. SailTime allowed us to invest very little on a late model larger boat, all maintenance ext was taken care of and we just focused o n learning and enjoying.

[rgscpat]

-- Mistakes made on the smaller boat are mostly pretty inexpensive to repair -- and you may be less afraid to experiment with tearing into and learning boat work on the "learner" boat.

-- Experience on a bunch of different boats, via owning cheaper boats, crewing, volunteering, taking passage opportunities, chartering, taking classes, racing, hanging out with other sailors, etc., all are good for accelerating the learning curve and for defining and evolving and discovering your own likes, dislikes, and preferences. It's all part of the voyage.

-- Don't trust any one single, exclusive answer and don't necessarily believe that there's such a thing as one perfect boat.

[Chrisgo]

Looking on google maps. I would skip Perry Lake, and go straight to Stockton. Or keep a 30 on Stockton. And get a cheap 16' or a sailing club boat for Perry Lake for weekday evenings.

[KEG]

We're looking at several but there is a well cared for older O Day that has caught our attention. The owners are moving into a bigger boat so the maintenance hasn't been let go like with a lot of the forced sale boats out there. It's pretty well set up and the current owner has spent the time to put in lots of extra's. It's well set up for single handing and everywhere there's a chance of chafing, he's put in some nice chafe protection. The price is a bit high compared to NADA and the listings on the sales websites but I think the price is ok for what's there. I've been waiting for it to be hauled out of the water so we can look at everything before we make a decision. Everything will fall into place pretty quick if everythings ok.

The last time we went to see it my wife was staring off into space. I asked her what she was thinking. She said that she was daydreaming about sailing across the water in this boat. She smiled, nodded and told me she wants to see it on the hard. It's good when that happens.

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by KEG

We're looking at several but there is a well cared for older O Day that has caught our attention. The owners are moving into a bigger boat so the maintenance hasn't been let go like with a lot of the forced sale boats out there. It's pretty well set up and the current owner has spent the time to put in lots of extra's. It's well set up for single handing and everywhere there's a chance of chafing, he's put in some nice chafe protection. The price is a bit high compared to NADA and the listings on the sales websites but I think the price is ok for what's there. I've been waiting for it to be hauled out of the water so we can look at everything before we make a decision. Everything will fall into place pretty quick if everythings ok.

The last time we went to see it my wife was staring off into space. I asked her what she was thinking. She said that she was daydreaming about sailing across the water in this boat. She smiled, nodded and told me she wants to see it on the hard. It's good when that happens.

What length?

[sailorchic34]

For kansas sailing a 30 foot boat is about as big as you want even on a big lake in kansas. Plus after a few years sailing a 30 foot, a 37 foot WILL seem huge. For lake perry, maybe a 26-28 foot boat, one you could trailer to a different lake after a while. Having a slip at the lake is best too, more time sailing, less time rigging the mast. Prices are not too bad for slips in kansas.

Putting it in perspective, there were many people and the SF bay area who drive several hours to reach their boat at a slip.