Advice for a beginner.

[mrmrezg]

First an introduction,
I am Greg, my wife is Joanie. We presently own a 34' sport fisher and really enjoy our time on our boat.

Our boating experience is all power boats starting with a 16' flat bottom and upgrading to various larger boats. I am a towboat captain, moving barges on the inland waterways.

We have been talking, lately about getting a sailboat and doing some extended Caribbean cruising. as of now, we don't have much interest in going beyond the Caribbean. We have been looking at various sailboat, of all shapes and sizes to get an idea of what we like and more importantly what we dislike (such as the way that when steering a gemini, you are looking through the cabin).

we like the lagoon 440 for the flybridge and it's roominess. Joanie is not a fan of monohulls.

so, what advice would you give to someone that is wanting switch from power to sail?

[Tayana42]

There will be different opinions expressed here but my advice is to start with a small boat, perhaps a trailerable daysailer, and take a lesson or two in a protected bay, river or lake . That will be enough to get the basics of steering and adjusting the sails. Small boats give you immediate feedback about weight, wind etc. and are not a huge financial commitment up front.

If you find you like sailing a small boat you can move up to experience a bigger boat by chartering or joining a club or taking one of the ASA citification courses.

Good luck and good sailing.


S/V B'Shert

[barnakiel]

DO NOT

Why not cruise the Caribbean in a power boat? Why not a power cat? Why not in a "tug"?

b.

[Andy73]

Not sure of your financial or time constraints, but a few charters of various boat types would seem like a good idea if you both are not sure of what type of boat to get...

You could also tie them into some lessons to support your transition from power to sail.

[Training Wheels]

Learn to sail.


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[Reefmagnet]

quickest path = motor sailer with flopper stoppers and learn the sailing part at your own pace.

[ericoh88]

Greg,

I always wanted a sailboat a monohull, a traditional design with lots of teak on the inside. Warm lighting. I enjoyed every minute of it working on the boat and planning for all the cool anchorages.

My Admiral, prefers flying to a destination, a big huge catamaran or a 60' Azimut with crew, spacious and white like the Beneteau Oceanis 475, white lights etc.

If I have to do it all over again, I would charter with my "Admiral" in a very calm waters to see how she likes

1. cruising lifestyle,
2. monohull or cat
3. being out on an anchorage, away from internet.

Hope you and your wife enjoy sailing, there is no noisy motor, just the lapping of waves and dolphins.

Eric

[brookiesailor]

Eric,
Sounds like a sound plan. No sense in investing huge amounts of money if the admiral is going to be unhappy. My suggestion is go to your local sailing center and take lessons on a small boat before chartering. Like mentioned earlier you learn fast on a small boat because you end up in the water!


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[downunder]

Originally Posted by mrmrezg

First an introduction,
I am Greg, my wife is Joanie. We presently own a 34' sport fisher and really enjoy our time on our boat.

Our boating experience is all power boats starting with a 16' flat bottom and upgrading to various larger boats. I am a towboat captain, moving barges on the inland waterways.

We have been talking, lately about getting a sailboat and doing some extended Caribbean cruising. as of now, we don't have much interest in going beyond the Caribbean. We have been looking at various sailboat, of all shapes and sizes to get an idea of what we like and more importantly what we dislike (such as the way that when steering a gemini, you are looking through the cabin).

we like the lagoon 440 for the flybridge and it's roominess. Joanie is not a fan of monohulls.

so, what advice would you give to someone that is wanting switch from power to sail?

Sounds like a good plan going for a Lagoon 440. Very comfortable and sails quite well according to 440 owners and with a flybridge you like. definitely an advantage helming in coral areas. Search for a number of threads here on Lagoon 440's.

As experienced boaters you will only need some assistance learning sail handling techniques for a short time perhaps trying to get sailing on someone's else's catamaran or chartering. Don't listen to those who suggest to get a small sailboat first. Just get your vessel and get sailing.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by downunder

Sounds like a good plan going for a Lagoon 440. Very comfortable and sails quite well according to 440 owners and with a flybridge you like. definitely an advantage helming in coral areas. Search for a number of threads here on Lagoon 440's.

As experienced boaters you will only need some assistance learning sail handling techniques for a short time perhaps trying to get sailing on someone's else's catamaran or chartering. Don't listen to those who suggest to get a small sailboat first. Just get your vessel and get sailing.

This is good advice.

Your doing pretty much what I did. I swapped over from years on motor boats. I hired a 34 foot mono in our Whitsunday's to get a brief idea. Did a four day waste of money expensive course in Sydney before that. Hiring a boat was a good idea for my wife to see as well as me.

Then I went and purchased my first sail boat. Just go for it.

[mrmrezg]

I like they idea of doing a charter, or two. we are planning to take some lessons, even if they don't amount to much, we will still gain some knowledge.
Rustic, I am fighting the urge to just buy a boat and figure it out along the way.

I will be asking some questions, some may seem pointless but these are questions that my wife and I are raising as we look at various boats.

Is a generator worth having? how often do you use yours (if you have one)?
is a ketch any better than a schooner?

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by mrmrezg

I like they idea of doing a charter, or two. we are planning to take some lessons, even if they don't amount to much, we will still gain some knowledge.
Rustic, I am fighting the urge to just buy a boat and figure it out along the way.

I will be asking some questions, some may seem pointless but these are questions that my wife and I are raising as we look at various boats.

Is a generator worth having? how often do you use yours (if you have one)?
is a ketch any better than a schooner?

I wouldn't fight the urge. just take your time in decide what to purchase. And if your wife doesn't like mono's then I'd exercise caution in getting one.

It's really far too early to be asking over generators I woukd think. I do have one, but I've never used it on the boat in the two years I've had it.

Is a ketch any better than a schooner? I have no idea. I love the look of my ketch, but to be honest I've not worked out the best trim using all sails yet. Just keep in mind that with a ketch your increasing your maintenance almost by 50% compared to a mono. But boy do they look nice. did I mention that already?

[mrmrezg]

yeah Rustic, I didn't think about the added maintenance that comes with the extra mast.

yes, it is early to ask about a generator but, as I said earlier, it is a question the came up while discussing boats with the wife.

[Mirage Gecko]

As already said you are experienced boaters so the sail bit you will pick up as you go. There is tons to learn but the basics are really well ..basic.I have never met anyone who has actually taken sailing courses but I think in some parts of the world you may need them to charter a Sailboat? .
If you can go and do a couple of charters as soon as you can .Might sound like a waste of money that could go towards your purchase but then again could save your even more.
Personally I would advise not buying a smaller boat and working up to bigger they are chalk and cheese to operate and so disimilar to live or cruise on but you already know this from your power boats.Plus the process of choosing and purchasing and reselling while trying to maintain your capital can be costly and a real pain.
You have already indicated what you may like so you know roughly how much it's going to cost to buy that and there appears to be a lot of boats for sale over there in that bracket so you are certainly in the driving seat to pick one.
I have had a few monos and still like the feel but frankly we would not be sailing as a couple today if I had not moved to a cat and just to clarify that last bit I would not go back to a mono.
Chris

[Ex-Calif]

Good plan - get going.

Don't limit yourself to Lagoon 440.

Look at cats from 39-44 keep your options open. Anything over 39 will be plenty of space for a couple. I am very fond of Leopards right now but the lagoon is a close second.

(edit - PS - You clearly know how to handle a boat. You probably know how to stay safe. You can motor the cat until you learn to sail it. It's not that hard to sail. It's harder to sail fast. It's really hard to sail fast where you want to go. You'll have plenty of time to learn.)