Boat suggestions?

[anathema]

Hi all, this is my first post! This forum is fantastic BTW and I have gleaned a crapload of information from it.

I am slowly putting into place a 5 year plan where my fiancee and I begin to move my income from offline to more temp-ish online work (I've been taking up transcription and other work) that I can do from anywhere.

In about the fourth year of this plan, I will sell off what I have left including my Tacoma and my house, and purchase a boat.

I am on the interior of British Columbia, which if you dont know, is a province in western Canada.

My goals are to spend the next 4 years sailing a 20-25 foot boat here in the Okanagan (A somewhat large lake, 150km long and 4-5 km wide) and learning the ropes. I will also be spending some nights living aboard it to get used to that as well.

Back to my boat question! After selling everything, I predict I will have roughly 150,000$ cash in-hand. This may fluctuate a bit but it is close and I will have no debt come 2-3 years from now.

I was thinking, I will spend 50-70 thousand on a boat and keep the rest for cruising as a cushion in case I don't make enough money just from my temp work to keep sailing. I also have some other skills but I will post this next question in the apropriate thread.

My boating goals are to sail for the first 2 years or so in coastal waters around mexico's coasts and other souther/central american destinations. Between the 4 years of large lake sailing, and 2 years of ocean sailing, I will probably have gleaned enough experience to attempt a passage to the french polynesias. After this a circumnavigation or simply atlantic crossing going into the Med.

After doing a lot of reading, I have some very rough ideas of what I would like in a boat.

1. Must be a blue water cruiser. I know there are some trade-offs and some would recommend buying a coastal cruiser then trading up later, but my thinking is this is a huge hassle and you never know what my money and life situation will be then. I would rather get the boat I want from the start.

2. I was thinking a full cutaway keel with a medium draft. It seems a more modern shaped cutaway full keel has many of the advantages of a fin keel with a lot of the strength and line holding ability needed for blue water cruising. A protected rudder is also ideal

3. 30-35 feet. This is probably the ideal size for me and the fiancee. There will never be children, and at most one cat. I don't want to go too big as it becomes harder to handle, and single-hand if this becomes necessary.

4. As mentioned before, a 50-80 thousand budget, ideally on the low side of that I don't know how nice of a blue water cruiser can be found for this, especially one that does not need a huge amount of work to get it ready for sailing away, but maybe I will find a jewel in the rough.

I am an experienced electronics and electrical technician. I can re-fit and install all my own GPS, depth sounding, sonar, nav and comm equipment etc. Other refits I will learn as I go but would like not to have to do a TON of work to the boat when I first buy it as I will be anchored on the west coast of Canada, and it can be cold and rough .

Does anyone have any suggestions for boats that fit the bill? I have read Mahina Expedition - Offshore Cruising Instruction a lot and so many of them seem interesting, but it is a lot to wade through and taking in some of my considerations maybe you guys could help me thin it out. Then I can keep an eye out over the years and if near the end something desirable comes up I can be ready to pounce.

Thanks all! Feel free to critique my plan or criteria, you cant hurt my feelings

Thanks again

-J

[SilentOption]

Ironically, I was just telling my wife she needs to start spending more time on this site because.......there's a crapload of info here!!
Reading your plan makes me wish I was 20 something contemplating what you have in mind!

I know its out of your size envelope but....If I was going to start with the amount of money you are talking about and I wanted to get the most boat I could get for the money I would look at a CSY44.
They can be had for approximately the money you are talking and they have a lot of room. The boats were made to sleep about 15 close friends so when you take out all of the bunkbeds and such you will have a real nice sized saloon.
Several if not most have been converted into real cruising boats or they are well on their way to that goal. They are old. 30 years in fact but they really clean up nice and you will have a sturdy boat under you. My 44 Walkover has tankage for 400 gallons of water and 100 gallons of fuel. You can find them in shoal draft and deep draft. My boat is a deep draft vessel with a relatively short mast. Even in fairly bad conditions you don't see a lot of heeling.
I also like Catalinas. No wood. Simple to maintain and the older boats on the market in the 30 plus range are very reasonable.

The 15 close friends thing is an exaggeration of course but lets just say they could sleep a crapload of people. Ok Sorry Couldn't resist.

Stand by when you get back to this tomorrow you will have many opinions and good ideas. Good luck!

[anathema]

Thanks! You don't think the CSY-44 would be a bit too much boat than is needed for me and my girl sailing around alone? Would handling it alone be possible? Other than those concerns it looks like a great boat, and I like the look of its lines!

That being said, there are some nice CSY's for close to the price range on Yachtworld. This is a 41 which looks very nice actually

1979 CSY MUST SELL. OFFERS!!!!!!! Boat For Sale

Also 1-2 37's which seem closer to the size I wanted, but if I could single hand the 44 or 41 in an emergency I could go this way as well.

I have heard a lot of 'negative' things about cats, in reference to their blue water sailing ability. Not in general just in this respect. Seem to be regarded as more of a coastal cruiser.

For everyone's info I am 26 and getting a bit fed up working my 9-5 saving for my paltry 2 weeks of vacation a year. I have always had the liveaboard/cruising bug and am now on a firm plan to get it done. No sense waiting any longer. As is, I will be 30 when I begin this. Not old by any means but why wait right?

[migot1]

There is A lifing-keel boat from UK -called SOUTHERLY 115. we have on for 20 years. it is 37t=ft boat, and you need just 1 Meter of water to sail away. it is a lovely boat, easy to handel, all operations from the cockpit. a 1988 boat from this model would cost 70,000 to 80,000 dollars. Try NORTHSHORE UK. there is one boat for sale in Florida right now.

[SilentOption]

I have some friends who brought their 30 foot cat from South Africa to South America and beyond a few years ago. I am not sure they would agree its just a coastal cruiser.

Single handing any large sailboat can be done safely and efficiently if you spend some time getting lines in order and led to the right places. I go in and out of my slip alone with my CSY 44. I think its all about knowing the characteristics of the boat you are on and operating it accordingly. I have a 3 bladed fixed prop so backing is fairly efficient. I can turn a very tight turn to starboard or go as straight as I want backing down. Whether a big boat is too much for two people I would not but then I like the room.

[anathema]

Yeah I dont want to offend anyone, I'm just going by what I've read.

I've heard the expression a lot about how you could do a passage on a canoe if you get the right weather. Don't think the cat's are canoes, but, again only going from what I've read, they are not really blue water boats.

Certainly something to consider though. I do like the CSY's though! nice boats.