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Canada_Dan · 08-07-2012, 15:49

Hey everybody, hows it going? I'm new to this site and to sailing in general. I live on Vancouver Island (the comox valley) and have been considering buying a sailboat for the past few years. I'm working a seasonal camp job (in Ocean Falls if anyone knows where that is) and banking money fast as I am once again living at mom and dads (painful to even write that last bit haha). As it stands I have around $3.5K to throw down the tubes on a boat, but a few thousand more will be availible soon. I have seen a few sailboats around in Comox and Deep Bay (around $2-4K), but I have no idea what to look for or what kind on sailboat to get for that matter. My sailing experience is limited as I have only sailed to Hornby island three times from Deep bay (friends 25' boat, no idea what kind), but i have other boat experience, driving a "boom boat" n a heli-logging job and also driving skiffs around near Broome,Western Australia while I worked at a pearl culturing farm. I'm eager to learn all that I can (for free anyways) and would like to get a sailboat to cruise around the straight here....and maybe go down to California someday soon (maybe next year) for something to do. I have nothing but time on my hands with no rent, no girlfriend, and a burning desire to sail and get out of my parents house again. Wow that was long winded....

So what kind of boat should I look for? And what should I look out for as a first time buyer? Any sailing tips for the Georgia straight? I'm not looking to go out sailing for the afternoon, I want to go out on multi-week trips!

I appreciate any advice you guys can give me!

Cheechako · 08-07-2012, 16:15

so many options... good market here in Wa state. maybe send us notes on what you see and we can give some details on that particular boat. might get a decent 27 feet with $5k

Bobalu · 08-07-2012, 16:34

It seems like daily someone posts a question such as Canada_Dan's on what is the best boat to buy. And many are like him and have limited experience. As much as we love thinking about boats, talking about boats, and even more, looking and dreaming about boats, I don't know if we always give the right advice.

What we don't do very often is recommend starting with a smaller dingy or knockabout sailboat. On a absolutely beautiful sail on Lake Michigan today we got to talking about the small boats we learned to sail on in our youth. Most of us started with Sailfish, Sunfish, Hobie 14s, Butterflys, etc. The consensus is that we all learned by making mistakes on small boats. We repeatedly sailed these boats up to the edge and beyond resulting in numerous wipeouts. But we learned how far we could push, and how to recover when we pushed our small boats too hard. Who cared, we pulled them back up and just took off.

My point is that why aren't we recommending to people who are passionate and at the same time new to our sport to spend at least one season, preferrably more learning how to really sail and then decide the type of boat they need?

What are your thoughts?

callmecrazy · 08-07-2012, 17:00

I always recommend a dinghy (or more likely, a daysailer type) to people who are new to sailing. I think it's the best way to learn and figure out what you want next.

But, a lot of people want to jump right in head first. I'm not going to tell them they can't do it, so I'd be happy to point out a few boats that would be suitable for their proposed crash-course.

I'm also in the 'not much money' camp. So, I fully understand the need to NOT upgrade boats every other year. You don't want that.... You want a boat that will be there 5 years from now. A dinghy will get you around locally and it will be fun as hell. But you're not gonna want to take it down the coast next year....

I know of a few Catalina 27's that have sailed the California coast all the way to Mexico (and back) so I think that's a good place to start.

Look for anything in the 25-28 foot range. 60's to Early 70's (cheaper, better built, usually well designed). They're all going to need quite a bit of work before you want to take it down the coast, but you'll have plenty of time to sort that out while you sail locally... Smaller always equals less money (both in initial price and refit/maintenance costs). But, smaller is not always better off the coast. And since you're intentions are to live aboard, bigger will always be better...

the trick is to get out and start looking at whatever is available in your area. It'll mostly boil down to what you can afford vs. what you prefer (comfort wise). Whatever you can afford will win the day in the end...

Of course, the learning curve is different on a bigger boat. You may not get the subtleties of sailing right away, but you'll get there eventually. That's kinda how sailing works... you'll get there eventually. It's just a matter of getting started.

Canada_Dan · 08-07-2012, 17:33

Awesome, this really helps. I would totally do the sailing dinghy thing, but as a guy with no car (just my honda 1980 cx500) I have no way of transporting it, otherwise I would rock the dinghy all day, everyday. Thanks guys!

**Adelie** · 08-07-2012, 20:35

Here are couple I found on Craigslist in Vancouver and Victoria.

Probably the best of the lot would be the Bayfield. It's older than the US25 but it is a cruising boat whereas the US is a racer/cruiser, emphasis somewhat on the racer part. The Bayfield has something close to standing headroom, and actually has significantly more sail area than the US. If I was to buy this boat I would put a removable forestay on the carry a staysail and I might extend the bowsprit 1'-2', depending on how well the boat balanced to begin with.

Actually I would take the Cal20 over the US25 too. Cal20's have been to Hawai'i at least twice from the west coast so they beating being offshore can deliver. If you go with the Cal20 you will really have to want it, given the small size.

The last 2 boats are a custom boat and one from an unknown builder that is a project boat.

CAL 20 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
Cal 20 cabin sailboat
Cal 20 Sailboat

US 25 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
25' US sailboat

BAYFIELD 25 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List 25
1976 Bayfield 25' Sailboat, Diesel Inboard

36 Ft. Sailboat

25 Stoltz sailboat

SkiprJohn · 08-07-2012, 22:32

Welcome aboard!
I'd advise a dinghy too but you can't cruise a dinghy. I'd recommend sailing lessons too but you want them free.
Check the links after my signature and look for the book title in your local library.
kind regards,

lsusak · 16-11-2013, 08:43

Are you still looking for a sailboat?

JMR324 · 16-11-2013, 08:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canada_Dan

Awesome, this really helps. I would totally do the sailing dinghy thing, but as a guy with no car (just my honda 1980 cx500) I have no way of transporting it, otherwise I would rock the dinghy all day, everyday. Thanks guys!

I have the same bike..

sparau · 16-11-2013, 15:18

for inspiration, just in case you haven't heard of this crazy couple of a cx500…

The Road to Moscow - Motorcycle Escape

cruisernewbie · 16-11-2013, 15:23

Agree, I am learning to sail first before buying a boat all the while doing research and learning about the various types and mission profile suited for it. Much like aviation, sailing is a large universe that demands time and patience to master.

JMR324 · 16-11-2013, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparau

for inspiration, just in case you haven't heard of this crazy couple of a cx500…

The Road to Moscow - Motorcycle Escape

Wow.... That's a story!

Heart of Gold · 16-11-2013, 23:28

Your problem will not be finding a boat, it will be finding a slip or mooring ball that is affordable. In Comox, boats come up that include the slip. I believe there is an amazing learn to sail program at the muni docks in Comox as well. The Strait is an incredible place to sail and where you live is one of the best access points. Good luck, maybe we will see you out there sometime

**skipmac** · 17-11-2013, 00:52

Hey guys,

Take note of the date of the original post, July 2012. Also, according to his user profile he hasn't logged into his account since the day he joined and posted the question.

Another day dreamer that came and went the same day.