Hello,
I am a relatively new sailor. With actually only about 3 years of pulling
sheets and studying the art. I currently am on a large land locked reservoir in
Texas and sail about 3 times a week.
Boat inventory as follows: 2 sunfish, amf zuma, compac 16, and mac 25. All of these boats have been rescued from neglect and returned to serviceable condition with my own hands. The two sunfish were pulled from the bottom of the lake. One was intact with
rudder and
hardware. The other was just a
hull. So having nothing to
work with, I made the sail, patched holes, added
hardware... removed 200 lbs of mud from inside the
hull.
I have 4
kids ranging from 4 to 12 (3 boys, 1 girl... which I assume matters.) My plan....
work in progress. We live on Lake Livingston in
Texas. Ideally, I would
motor the
boat down the trinity river (mast down) (I would like to keep the boat close to home to be able to work on it, and fit it out easily) out through trinity bay, (rig up) and then easterly towards
New Orleans, Gulf Shores, Fl panhandle thru to the keys. Then maybe venture out to the
Bahamas, and on down to
central america. To take a term from the Pardey's, "Sail as long as it is fun" We are not independently wealthy, but do have a kitty of about 1500- 2000 usd a month to work with. I don't like to
motor, much at all, and would only use the motor in and out of port. Nor do we like the marina life for extended stays. Our plan would be on the hook most of the time, and plenty of adventurous excursions to land. Exploring, mangroves, old forts, national parks, local life... etc. I guess we are by definition anti-tourists. My
budget for a boat is about 40,000 usd (explained as follows 25,000 usd or less to
purchase, and 15,000 usd to fit.) Keep in mind I am very mechanically inclined(hvac business owner, electrician, and home
builder (Specialized in custom cabinets) Spent time in the US
Navy in my 20's, and now in my late 30's. I have read many
books associated with cruising. Including the entire
Pardey series. (no I am not looking to go in a small wooden boat with no motor :-) We home
school our kiddos already, so no issue there. Ok, I think that should suffice to
paint a picture.
I have researched almost everyday for 2 yrs looking for THE boat. Visited
marinas, even been out on a few of other peoples boats in the Galveston area. I have an idea of what I think would be best, but have fell short of anything to fit those parameters.
My idea is a shoal
draft of 4' or less.
Center cockpit sloop or
cutter rigged ( not ruling out a
ketch though, like the balance, but don't want to overwhelm my crew.) I would like a tiller instead of
wheel ( less to go wrong, less weight, simple to
wind vane, typically easier to fix, more feel of the boat... etc. Interested in small
cockpit well with ample drainage. Aft
cabin with boat comfortable at sleeping 6 to 8 people. There are many out there that fit these parameters, but from all that I have read, and witnessed this is where it gets difficult. I would like the ability to point well, and sail well in light air. Tacking ability would be nice also. Wide side decks (for going forward, and places for the
children to lounge.) Well thought out
galley (could alter to fit if needed) Center board to extend
draft for pointing ability. Speed is not a huge factor, don't want a snail either. The big
kicker was trying to get all this in something 36' or less. Have looked at just about everything I can come by, (HC to WS) and everything seems to have one major draw back or another. I guess the closest I come is a
Morgan OI 41. My draw back is pointing performance, (construction? conflicting views on that) and
maintenance expenditures of a 40+ ft boat. Thought maybe a
Gemini 30 was the answer for a little bit, but the thought of the waves pounding like mad, being terribly over weight with all the
kids and (kids stuff), and hobby horsing motion ruled that out. I have plenty of time to wait for the right deal to come along on the right boat. Just looking for a direction to point my
compass so to speak.
Thank you in advance.