Circumnavigation - equipment and sailboat(budget)

[NickyVandura]

Hello,

I'm looking for the best possible sailboat to get at my budget ($50.000 usd).
The budget should include the sailboat and the necessary equipment to be able to complete a circumnavigation. Other things like diesel and living costs should not be in that budget. Only the boat, and the necessary equipment attached to the boat.


What should the biggest priority be?

- Age of the boat?
- Lenght of the boat?
- Should I get fibreglass or steel?
- Older and longer, or shorter and newer?

Whats the minimum lenght to feel a good stability in harsh weather?


I know theres ALOT of experience and knowledge among the users of cruisersforum and I seek some tips. Appreciate every answer.

[maine50]

What is your level of experience & skill in fitting new equipment and rehabbing a boat. How much time do you have to do the work before you will be leaving? The more you need to spend on professional help the less you will have for the boat. A 35 to 38 ft boat will probably be the max you'll be able to afford and still have money left to outfit or rehab. Also how many people do you need to provide for? Are you high maint. people or are you willing to live simply? It will also depend on your sailing skills. These are just my randon thoughts before anybody can point you to some generic values.

[WindwardPrinces]

It's a complete judgment call. Your judgment, your call. At your funding level, it won't be a bigger boat, and it will be an older one. You've got to go with what you've got.

There are no right or wrong answers to this question, given the provided information. People have done it with older and newer boats of various sizes, but everyone has their own constraints.

There are several books on this topic, and that maybe is where you should start. Try the one by Beth Leonard.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by NickyVandura

I'm looking for the best possible sailboat to get at my budget ($50.000 usd).
The budget should include the sailboat and the necessary equipment to be able to complete a circumnavigation.
/
Whats the minimum lenght to feel a good stability in harsh weather?

Welcome to CF!

This question is posted almost daily ...
have all the answers on the many, many topics already active helped at all?

I should probably type my answer in a .txt file so I can just copy / past it every time this question is posted


The short version:

- What route do you have in mind? Coconuts or polar bears?
- What do you consider necessary equipment?
- How much / little experience do you have with a) sailboats in general and b) sailing?
- Will you be sailing solo or with a crew? How experienced are they?
- Wanna leave now, or bet on 'later' and spent years preparing?

What you need to know:

Pretty much ANY well build and maintained boat will be fine. The "perfect boat" is the one you can afford and you -and any crew member- can handle solo under any circumstance.
If you actually want to start sailing any time soon, buy the smallest boat you can comfortably live on and keep the bells and whistles to a minimum.

Which boat -- steel, plastic, wood, cement, small, big, ready to survive a zombie apocalypse or KISS, monohull or cat -- it is ALL a matter of personal preference.

Don't ask us what boat WE like / want / feel we need, or what bells and whistles we feel we need. We're not coming with you nor do we know you well enough to tell you what you want & need

Look at your plans, your budget, your crew, your needs and wants, and find a boat that fits best with that.

[Blue Crab]

LB:

Welcome to CF!

This question is posted almost daily ...
have all the answers on the many, many topics already active helped at all?

I should probably type my answer in a .txt file so I can just copy / paste it every time this question is posted ...


It really should be a sticky, as so many posters have answered the question repeatedly. The sticky should include a short questionnaire that would refer the OP to a list of reading materials -- a list most of us could cite from memory -- aimed at offering a starting point for the due diligence of research that the questioners lack.

To the OP: The circumnavigator's rule of thumb is that the less money you have, the better sailor you'd better be. A strong simple boat of any size will get you around if you know what's what and have many skills and a beer budget. Your $50K is real close to bottom dollar.

Start reading the literature and learn to sail. Before long you'll be able to start creating your own answers to the questions raised:

- Age of the boat? Averyminor factor.
- Lenght of the boat? Longer is better if you can afford it.
- Should I get fibreglass or steel? Immaterial.
- Older and longer, or shorter and newer? A question for the gods.

Whats the minimum lenght to feel a good stability in harsh weather? Even an aircraft carrier is a rough ride. Spend 20 minutes on YouTube and decide for yourself.

Some folks make it around never experiencing any big winds but those folks likely have your $50 K in electronics alone.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by NickyVandura

- Age of the boat?
- Lenght of the boat?
- Should I get fibreglass or steel?
- Older and longer, or shorter and newer?

Whats the minimum lenght to feel a good stability in harsh weather?

- 1985 or newer
- 38 to 45 feet
- Fiberglass
- Older and longer

35' minimum.

But first...go sailing.
Sail on every boat you can.
You will be ready when you can answer those questions for yourself.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by NickyVandura

I'm looking for the best possible sailboat to get at my budget ($50.000 usd).

Thats about $75,000 CDN...you might want to look north of the border.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by hamburking

35' minimum.

I'm gonna die out there! I'm 6 feet short!

Why did I opt for 29'?
First of all, I found this Ohlson for 6k€. That is beyond a steal.
Secondly, I'm all by myself (awww). I want a boat I can handle and that won't be taking me sailing, esp when the going gets tough.

I was looking for a Centurion 32, cos I'm a huge Waquiez fan, esp for offshore sailing, but alas .. very few around these parts, and the ones I did find were overpriced and not well maintained.

My dream boat would be the Hood 38, but that's a lot of boat for a single gal, so the smaller sister (Centurion 36) is #1 on my list for my maybesomeday boats She ain't pretty, but she's roomy and build like a tank.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I'm gonna die out there! I'm 6 feet short!

Why did I opt for 29'?

The smaller the boat, the bigger the adventure.

IMHO you can handle a 29' boat, but the OP needs someplace to keep his diapers dry.

[Blue Crab]

Together, we have 58'. Jes sayin ...

[IceOps]

My suggestion - First purchase is an EPIRB and then REGISTER IT!!!.

I can not remember the year - in the 80s I think - when a world renown sailor was lost during a trans Atlantic crossing because the EPIRB, which he acquired a day or so before he departed, was only heard once. Since it was heard just once and it was unregistered and therefore could not be associated with any particular vessel/voyage, it was put down as a false alarm. (There are lots of false alarms world wide, don't be considered as one!)

And as many have stated - do some reading first - there are a ton of books and websites with information you can review to set you up with the basics. THEN, go looking for suggestions, as you will now have knowledge to evaluate the responses as they relate to your situation..

Over the years, people have sailed around the world in almost every possible vessel, with every possible budget, and every possible level of experience. All with varying levels of success and/or comfort. Do your homework reading first, then ask questions. Otherwise it is easy to be overwhelmed by the options presented.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Together, we have 58'

A Cal 29 - lovely boat!
Ohhhhh 58' together, that does sound kinda cool

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

A Cal 29 - lovely boat!
Ohhhhh 58' together, that does sound kinda cool

Just a happy thought.

[a64pilot]

I've noticed something odd in the last couple of years.
The "best" length of boat for a couple seems to have grown, by almost 10'. Two years ago the consensus was mid 30's, now it seems to be mid 40's. I wonder why this is?
Note, I've only been in this sailing thing for about that long so take that for what it's worth.

[WindwardPrinces]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I've noticed something odd in the last couple of years.
The "best" length of boat for a couple seems to have grown, by almost 10'. Two years ago the consensus was mid 30's, now it seems to be mid 40's. I wonder why this is?
Note, I've only been in this sailing thing for about that long so take that for what it's worth.

Because it's always going to be just a little bigger than what you have...


Seriously, though, the same is true of houses. Expectations have grown with availability. People used to share bedrooms and bathrooms, but now they've gotten used to the idea that privacy is a reasonable expectation...