What to buy?

[whitecaps]

Hello Crew!

I am trying to get back into sailing again, my dad sold his Abbott33 10 years ago and now I am getting to a time in my life where I can start thinking about this again! We were brought up on sailboats while growing up as kids; Now I am older and had a opertunity to show my brother a few things on his used Rainbow24 he just bought! He is on a Small lake something that I would not of done, It is amazing how somethings you just dont forget! There was a storm an it was blowing about 20 knots. It was ok...


I know pretty much all you guys on here a Blue water sailors and very experanced! I have not had the chance to be on the ocean yet! We moved from Georgia to Pittsburgh when I was 18, the boat stayed in GA. 5 years later my Dad moved the Abbott up to Lake Erie! There I got my feet wet again and after that i have been always wanting my own!

My dad sailed in a race in Clear Water when I ws 10 years old he would not let me go then! My question is

What type of boat to buy I know I will be looking at used ones and I would like to start looking at the a 36 or a 45 footer Racing/crusing I think most of my sailing will be in Lake Erie!

Some day I would like to go to the Ocean somewhere?
What does it cost for a Dock Slip in the Blue waters?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by whitecaps

What type of boat to buy I know I will be looking at used ones and I would like to start looking at the a 36 or a 45 footer Racing/crusing I think most of my sailing will be in Lake Erie!

Some day I would like to go to the Ocean somewhere?

On Lake Erie take a look at a CS36. Either the Traditional (older model) or Merlin (somewhat newer, last one built around 1991). Although I have a Merlin I prefer the lines of a Traditional (more sheer, saltier look).

. They are two completely different boats, CS36T (above) designed by Ray Wall who used to work for Camper Nicholson and the Merlin by Tony Castro. Both built by CS Yachts of Brampton, Ontario.

[whitecaps]

How is she under a Good storm?

[Weyalan]

I recommend that you start looking around at boats and see what sort of shape/design "speaks to you". Head to your closest few marinas and take a wander around, look at all the different types of yachts moored/berthed there...talk to people (if they don't look too busy). Additionally, there are plenty of on-line brokerages - either individual brokers, or even worldwide search engines (try www.yachtworld.com for example) that will allow you to search for boats within any given range of price & length.

Your decision is going to be strongly determined by your budget, and, to a lesser extent by your experience and how many crew you are going to have available.

Nobody here is going to be able to give you the right answer for you...that is something that you will have to work out for yourself...but that is part of the fun. Jst to give a small pointer, as food for thought:- I rather like the S&S 34 and 36 - nice sea-kindly boats, generally well built and not too bad to sail short-handed (a 17 year old kid sailed completely round the world, single handed, in an S&S 34) .

[whitecaps]

How would you know if a boat is Seaworthy or not.. I do like the hunters and beneteau but never sailed them.. Raced against them in a Lake before. Also J24, and Linenberg and Olson's

[SkiprJohn]

Hi Whitecaps,
To know whether they are seaworthy you need to do a lot of research. If you are looking at racing a lot then with a racer you'll get speed but she'll be hard to handle in a good blow. Hunters are not known for being seaworthy but you may hear other opinions about that. Beneteaus have a lot of neat features but I don't know how they act in a storm.
Check old articles in all the sail mags and find stories about boats that have made some ocean crossings. Hans Christian, Pacific Seacraft, Westsail, Allied, Bristol, Cape Dory are just a few that have a seaworthy reputation. Older Cals and Columbias are also good cheaper seaworthy craft. Some Canadian built boats have good reputations too but I don't know them as well.
In my point of view, and I've owned a few, your absolute maximum size would be 36 for a first boat. If it were me just starting out looking for something to keep me comfortable and be fast enough too I would go with something about 32-34 feet.
You'll hear other opinions. That's just mine.
Regards, --John--

[whitecaps]

I was brought up on a ABBOTT33 and the boat was awesome, in storms and in light air! But it could have been a little bigger.... Well I guess I will be looking around and reading more but I do know I will be in a Lake first before the Ocean , I usally look ahead before I buy anything so that is why I will look for one that can handle the bluse waters as well as the fresh! Thanks for your opinions!

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by whitecaps

How would you know if a boat is Seaworthy or not..

I think that a boat's "seaworthiness" is as much to do with how well she has been maintained & how competent & experienced her crew are, as it has to do with her particular design...

[CaptainK]

Hey Whitecaps.

Have you looked into Catalina's?

They are a major American production line built sailboat. Built right in southern California. And they still sell parts. Or you can still find parts to replace on the older model Catalina's.

They are a worthy boat. Alot of peole love them. And of course some people don't like them. But I would recommend a Catalina. And if it's just you and maybe one other. I would just buy a Catalina 27 or a Catalina 30. That would help you get your feet wet in learning how to sail a boat and such. Gain more experience. And from there at a later dat and time. You could upgrade to a bigger boat.

Good luck in your search. And welcome to the forum.:cubalibre

[whitecaps]

CaptainK,

Thanks for the idea, but I have sailed on a catalina before and it was not fast enough for me and I did not like the feel of it. I have been sailing on lakes all my childhood life, as I got older I have been away from it for a while because of some issues in my life.... I am now sailing again on someone else's boat, looking for one for me.... I might have to get a little daysailor.

[Charlie]

Hi Whitecap:

You gave us some idea of your intended use for the boat but not a ton. Do you intend to race? Cruise? Race exclusively? Cruise exclusively? Weekend on the boat? Cruise for weeks at a time?

While I don't know all the boats recommended the ones I do recognize are good solid boats with their inherent compromises.

If yo are looking for a comfortable racer cruiser with little head room the Olson 25 is a very nice boat.and can be had for around $10k. I have a J105 and think it is a very nice boat. good for a week long camping on a boat trip, very nice for a day sail and weekend trip and they have an active racing fleet. price over and under $100k. (I'm selling mine now) or many other boats. Help us (and yourself) narrow down the use of the boat, the price range, and we can give you a better idea of what will serve your purposes.

[Talbot]

If I was looking to buy a boat to race/cruise on the Lake, I would start by looking at the results and list of competitors in the area I intend berthing my boat. I would then join that local club and scounge a few trips on the list of contenders. From there it will be easy to make the decision based on performance price and comfort (The three major trade-off items).

Good research before purchase can save you a lot of money.

[jim lee]

You know, asking; "What kind of boat should I buy?" Is a lot like asking "Who should I marry?" Look around at the people your friends have choosen to marry, did their choices make sense?

But since you ask.. First boat?

Buy the cheapest thing you can find that will get you on the water. Why? 'Cause when buying one's first boat, one really has no idea what they are looking for in a boat. Hence: learning on a cheap boat is a lot cheaper than learing on an expensive boat.

-jim lee

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

I think that a boat's "seaworthiness" is as much to do with how well she has been maintained & how competent & experienced her crew are, as it has to do with her particular design...

I hear this a lot and I don't disagree; however, whenever I hear it I like to cite the inverse corollary: a good, well-found boat will look after even the most inexperienced crew.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sneuman

I hear this a lot and I don't disagree; however, whenever I hear it I like to cite the inverse corollary: a good, well-found boat will look after even the most inexperienced crew.

I think the corollary is overstated.
A good boat will not make up for an inexperienced crew's deficiencies or mistakes - although it will be more forgiving, and may not demand as high a price for our mistakes (that a lesser boat might).