Quote:
I want a boat that has a rep for being a proven circumnavigate and a good sailing boat.
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You may want join another thread just started. The two of you are looking in the same direction and have common questions:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...eet-11740.html
Just to start with your
budget is a bit tight for
circumnavigation. There are other options of staying in the
current hemisphere and you'll save a lot of
money coastal cruising. It's not like you will run out of shoreline or places to go.
You can
purchase a
used boat in that
price range but it will need more
work and probably all new
emergency gear (EPIRB, life raft, etc. ...) plus other things to
head out on a
circumnavigation. Going smaller might also help the
budget work. There is a seriously large amount of material you need to learn about as well. That part can and should be fun too. Making the whole experience as fun as possible should be the number 1 goal.
Making the
money work is probably the harder part of your goal here. Trying to pick the boat as the first task might be a mistake. Getting some experience with chartering might save you even more money. You'll gain some experience and really feel what it's like before you spend your own money. You are finding what is just right for you not what may be right for someone else. There is a wide range of how people
cruise and many of the ways you would not enjoy even though many others might. Until you get on board for a bit you can't know what fits you and your goals the best. You want the best you can get on the terms that work.
A boats reputation won't matter as much as your experience and what you really want and expect. Trying before you buy goes a very long way toward meeting both those criteria. Take a crewed
charter vacation instead of a trip to
Florida this year and just get out there and see how it works. It will answer more questions than reading the wealth of things we have here. Get out there on a boat any way you can as you study up on all the other things you will of course need to learn. Save time by doing these things before you buy a boat.
Consider the implications of any decision. My primary
advice - Make the Admiral happy with the choice!