General advice for family getting into sailing.

[Salt to Sea]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hello, Salt to Sea,

After around 35 yrs. of living aboard and cruising most of that time, I have met a whole lot of guys whose wives are not happy to sail with them, and the guys regretted that. With that experience behind me, I'd like to suggest that if this is something you really want, and if you also want to keep the wife, then you'll need to make it fun for her, too, as well as the youngsters. It might work to consult with her about it.

As to finding a $5,000 yacht that will fit someone of your size and 5 others, good luck, it won't be easy. No sarcasm here, but it is difficult enough for someone with some experience to tell if a boat is a good one, you're stacking the deck against yourself. Here's a link to something that may help when you go look at boats: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...1-a-78671.html

Ann

Thanks, she likes the idea but isn't infatuated with it like I am. I'm doing the legwork to see how feasible this is, and if other options would make more sense before wasting too much of her time with my big ideas. Chartering for 2-3 weeks at a time may be a better option as we'd have no storage, insurance, repairs, or any of the other expenses. After seeing the responses here, I'm definitely going to do a few captained charters to break the ice.

As for the $5k boat, I'm just looking for something that won't require me to be on my knees or belly to sail it. My 12' boat is way too small. I'm not looking for anything special, just something to learn the ropes with. The yacht club has boats, but strangely enough, they don't let completely new sailors like myself use them . If I can get a boat in that $5k range that doesn't sink, I think I'll be happy. I was hoping for some recommendations, but I realize that in that price range I can't be picky. I'm more interested in boat and size recommendations for a family boat that we'd buy to sail the Caribbean if we go that route.

I was initially against the charter programs, but I may look into that as an ownership option, or the partial ownership thing that someone mentioned (buying 1/2 or 1/4 of a boat). That's why I'm here - trying to see all the different options and get opinions from those who have already done it all.

[Salt to Sea]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

Whether you end up doing it with your wife will depend entirely on how much she enjoys it. There's not much you can do about that except try to make it fun for her. Make sure you're doing all the cooking/cleaning/provisioning/kidwrangling and that will help. If you have a wife that doesn't get into it there isn't a thing you can do about that.

Kids before teenage can be encouraged into it by making it fun and letting go of some of the "home" rules. Once they're hooked you'll be fine with them.

My wife like the idea but will have anxiety over little things like sharks, kids going overboard, and my complete lack of experience. My boys are excited, but my teenager is gonna have issues leaving her friends for a chunk of the summer. I'd probably let her bring a friend for part or all of the trip - a few of her friends have parents that would probably be ok with that.

[hamburking]

If you want to sail SUMMERS...you might try the Great Lakes. Excellent sailing, lots of interesting places, and sweet (fresh) water. With the added bonus of your strong USD which makes everything in Canada a bargain.

These guys have a Catalina 42 for charter in Kingston, Eastern Lake Ontario. You could easily spend a few weeks in the 1000 islands region, sailing, anchoring, exploring, etc. Personally, I spent a month circumnavigating Lake Ontario once...highly recommended...or just skip to the best part, the 1000 islands.

The Great Lakes is a very safe cruising area. No sharks, etc. Clean water. Friendly people. And the boats are generally in great shape due to lack of salt.

Kingston Sailing Charters, Kingston Ontario Canada

Summer is NOT the time to be in the Caribbean.

[sailingchiro]

For the cheapest experience of big boat sailing I would recommend a 30-34' common boat such as a Catalina, Hunter, or Beneteau. They have a good following with alot of experience on line. I would want a diesel and wheeled steering. I personally like the Catalina 30. It will house your family for a few days.
Please let your wife fix up the inside of "her" boat. She is the Admiral and controls the vessel. Your job is to keep everyone safe and everything working. Especially the head and refrigeration.
This type of boat will teach you big boat systems in a cheap package. Sailing is a small part of living on a big boat. Learning all the systems and how they work together is very important.
Take the ASA classes to teach you the systems on a cruising boat. AFter 5-7 years you will be ready to move up to a bareboat charter.
All of us make mistakes with our first boat, make it inexpensive mistakes.

[alansmith]

Salt to Sea, there has been a lot of good advice given. My 2Cents... Caribbean is only for late Fall through Spring time. It is wickedly humid and hotter than European stock can withstand. If you want a mutiny on your hand or your family screaming “Off with his Head”... ignore my advice.

Cruisers sail in seasons where the weather if mostly pleasant and safe. Caribbean is not pleasant and has weather risks that even veteran sailors have had unfortunate outcomes. Please don’t expose your family to such weather and risks. Follow the advice of a one to two week class with wife and kids on a charter with skipper during the winter season. This is your BEST chance of hooking your wife and kids. If Mama ain’t happy you gonna have big friction.

One of the fellas mentioned sailing in the Great Lakes. It is where you should be sailing during the icky part of summer. Pacific North West has very fluky or light winds so it is not good. Also the water is pretty darn cold.

About the money.... family of six... whew. One head (toilet) can be squeamish. If it gets clogged (and you have an 80% probability that it will... guess who gets that fun job?).

You haven’t mentioned your handyman skills. If you’re wealthy you can get away with some inadequacies. But boats take constant maintenance. Things leak... electrical things go wonkers.... toilets get clogged....batteries and engines... on and on.

We all start somewhere... so I’m not trying to wet blanket you. First is getting the wife on board. Get your licks with chartered classes. Don’t go the Caribbean during the Summer. Few women enjoy being icky hot and chasing two little kids around. Make it team “US” in pleasant weather and no stress atmosphere. If you lose your temper with her or the kids because someone panicked or misunderstood you will feel terrible when their interest wains.

Another thing... monohulls can get rolly in an anchorage. When sailing downwind or on a reach you can a little of that yaw and roll movement. So many things that diminish or enhance that movement. For some people they are very sensitive to that. Sea sickness can be felt by even hard core sailors. One of my friends here in San Francisco took his wife out in blustery conditions and she got terribly seasick. She swore off sailing after that. He has deep remorse that he wasn’t more careful with her. He was on a F31 trimaran. That is one of the least motion sick platforms you can be on.

Many things to think of. Read and read. Watch YouTube blogs. Get classes under your belt. Buy books about boat maintenance. Make it fun for your wife and kids. When they see your stewardship is fair and balanced... you can enjoy your families growth and enjoy your hobby. Picking a boat comes later.

[malbert73]

To post above- actually higher performance lighter multi hills like the F31 can induce many people to be motion sick due to jerkier quicker motion. Some people (myself included) find this worse than slower motion, albeit rollier, on monos

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Salt to Sea

As for the getting along comments, I think anyone with kids in my age range will relate. Part of my goal with this is to force them to interact, without their iPads, and to do some cool things that most people never get to experience. Teaching them hard work, critical thinking skills, and teamwork are other bonuses - so I’m fairly set on making them like it .

Cheers and salutes! I had sort of the same thoughts/dreams a year ago (we're also two adults, four children aged 4-10) and now we've spent our first summer together on a sailboat. So, it's possible for sure

Wishing you all the best!

P.S. Chartering in the Bahamas is great. On average very moderate winds and easy anchorages.

[Salt to Sea]

One of the fellas mentioned sailing in the Great Lakes. It is where you should be sailing during the icky part of summer. Pacific North West has very fluky or light winds so it is not good. Also the water is pretty darn cold.

My wife is not a big fan of the heat or humidity, but Hawaii is her favorite place to vacation - so you do the math on that one. I've had customers tell me about the 1000 Islands area, but have never really looked into it. Something about sailing in Minnesota just doesn't sound as cool as the Caribbean, but I'll check it out.

About the money.... family of six... whew. One head (toilet) can be squeamish. If it gets clogged (and you have an 80% probability that it will... guess who gets that fun job?).

I generally don't enjoy fixing things and I'm not a handyman. I do ok with electronics and can unclog a toilet, but that's about it. My wife is the DIY'er and would do well keeping things functional for us, but we'd probably be paying for repairs at least the first time around to see how they're done. Would the repairs on a smaller 20-25' boat be similar to what we'd see on a 40-50' boat? I'm wondering if we'd get any practice on a starter boat that I plan to use on our lakes here.

Cheers and salutes! I had sort of the same thoughts/dreams a year ago (we're also two adults, four children aged 4-10) and now we've spent our first summer together on a sailboat. So, it's possible for sure

That's great, I'll have to check your posting history for tips. Where did you sail this summer?

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by alansmith

One of the fellas mentioned sailing in the Great Lakes. It is where you should be sailing during the icky part of summer. Pacific North West has very fluky or light winds so it is not good. Also the water is pretty darn cold.

I'm always surprised when people talk like that about the PNW, then I realize I've never sailed anywhere else so fluky winds and tropical water just isn't a thing for me

Having said that, I hadn't thought the summer bit out. If you really want to cruise during the summer there are worse places than PNW. With a Range from Olympia to Alaska there is enough sailing territory for decades filled with wildlife, hot springs and some decent fishing. It's less beaches and more hikes with your choice of major metropolitan areas and some of the loneliest anchorages around.

• Some pretty good choices for boats
• Chartering options are available, also lots of good moorage and yacht babysitting options as well
• Our insurance was under $1000cdn/year

Oh, and I've got friends who sail 85% of the time all summer. It just takes patience

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Salt to Sea

That's great, I'll have to check your posting history for tips. Where did you sail this summer?

Close to home, here The Baltic Sea.

[scandium]

What exactly do you plan to do with your local daysailor boat? Single day/few hours only, or "camping"/overnight? Whole family, or smaller crew?

That's similar to the search I did for my 1st boat, though with a smaller family; only two kids ages 2 and 5. Your needs are likely to be bit different.. There are tons of boats around 20 ft +-3 that you might be able to get for <5 grand. Your problem will be space for everyone. If only out a few hours I'd say open boat 18-20 is ok. No sleeping facilities gives you much more cockpit space! And maintenance goes way down too. If planning overnight go as large as you can handle/afford.

I started looking for a catalina 22, lots around, often in that price range. Should work well for you. I ended up with a seaward 23 instead but basically same layout and size. We've had whole family +grandparents onboard (i.e. 4 adults, 2 kids) and it's a bit tight, but no problem for a day. Was out 8 hrs with 4 large dudes and also fine. In fact adults might do better as they can handle sitting still, antsy kids on a small boat are a bigger problem. This will depends on your particular specimens.. Having a cabin and porta-potti could be important with kids if you want to be out longer. But on a lake you might be closer to facilities.