Quote:
Originally Posted by Freemind
We've been looking at ads for a 35'-38' sailboat. We want to eventually cruise from the Cumberland river in middle TN to the west coast of Fla. and maybe the Bahamas someday. We have to wait for our youngest Granddaughter to graduate in 6 years. (we have adopted them because my stepdaughter is a mess)
So , I've been trying to find a boat that is good in light wind, yet seaworthy, and with a wider beam (10.5'). The wife wants comfort, I want fun and speed.
We both want hot pressure water, a shower, stove and oven (propane), non cored hull, sloop, dodger, bimini, draft less than 6', diesel engine, setup for single handling in a rear cockpit. All for 25K or less.
I'm getting wrapped around the axle with the D/l and SA/D ratios because I want to be able to sale her on lakes in middle TN. on the weekends. I am thinking the wind is not strong enough here to sail a boat that size unless the ratios are right.
Am I asking too much? Am I misguided in any of my thinking or criteria?
I've been doing so much reading online that I think I'm losing my sight.
Please give your opinions. Oh yea, we have never sailed before.
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Howdy! Welcome aboard CF!
You have gotten some good
advice up above. I have read your intro post above, and all of the following comments posted by others. What follows is written based on my own experience, opinions, and thoughts. I don't have the same experience as some others here, so take my comments with a splash of saltwater.
But, I understand that while you are eager to buy so you can begin, it may be very difficult to put off going forward until after you have become a proficient sailor (e.g.
buying a
dinghy and
learning to sail etc.).
While I recommend you learn to sail, and take formal lessons is best (IMHO), you still have a few years before you are ready to go cruising (as said in your intro).
First, I can understand if you are getting confused by all the different numbers or ratios etc. For what you want, I suggest you not get hung up on the SA/D and other measures like that.
I sailed on lakes in the Southeast for years and while I enjoyed it (occasionally when there was wind) and even raced on boats, I also saw that it usually was a bit frustrating because of a lack of consistent wind or enough wind. I sat for many hours on boats that hardly moved, and that included boats that were classed as "light displacement"
race boats. Those were boats with expensive
sails and the latest and greatest
gear. We still sat there or barely moved in the light wind or no wind calms. So, knowing that, I think IF you decide to buy a 30 foot or longer boat on which to sail on a typical lake, you should expect that it will be very different from when you take it to the Gulf or elsewhere (keys).
Your
budget is limited ($25K). So it will be essential that you choose your boat wisely. Best
advice is to read as much as you can prior to making any
purchase. Also, it is best (with limited budget) to buy the smallest boat on which you will feel comfortable, given the place and type of sailing you will do. Yes, you will find boats 35ft long that can be purchased for $25K or even less. It will be very important for you to have funds available for making necessary
repairs or some "refit" regardless of which boat you buy.
This is a generalization, but I really think a 38 foot boat will be less fun, more hassle, "too big" and more costly (maintenance and slip fees) on a typical inland Southeast lake. It may look impressive on larger lakes and at the marina, but it would not be my choice. Instead, I suggest you consider something more like 25-30 feet.
One thing you will learn is that the
displacement (weight) and volume of a boat greatly increases as your boat length gets longer. It is not "linear" size increase, because you have length+height+width that increases.
Here is a thread I suggest you subscribe to so you can follow and see some of the boats that may fit your
budget. There is a wide range of boats available under $30K. I add new "finds" there as I see them, with an emphasis on different types of boats that may be suitable for the average new sailor or CF
member who wants to start some kind of cruising. While I have not owned those boats, many here have, and I am discussing boats that are commonly mentioned or recommended by other cruisers.
Boats Less Than $30K Recent Noteworthy Finds - Page 5 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums
Here is another thread I started and in it I listed a few boats, one comes to mind that is a cat
ketch with shoal draft that I think would be nice for the
Florida West coast and keys and Bahamas. It was designed for that kind of "skinny" or shallow water cruising.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-150283.html
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Since you are new to this forum, let me mention a few things you might miss but that could help you more enjoy your time here:
There is an amazing amount of shared knowledge found in the thousands of threads on this forum. If one has a common question, the answers are usually there, often with different possible solutions. The trick is finding those threads and answers as they can be "lost" in the many threads, which are often not titled well.
Here are my favorite Tips for newcomers to this forum:
WIKI
Take a look at the
Cruising WIKI that is found via the tab up on the top menu bar of the forum. It has a LOT of information in it you might find fun, interesting, or helpful.
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Looking for Quick Answers?
This is the best and fastest method I have found to the answers I seek here.
Since you are relatively new to the forum, here is my favorite friendly forum search tip: Look at the menu bar on the forum pages for the drop down "Search" menu. Click on that to drop down a list of search functions. From that drop down menu select the
GOOGLE CUSTOM search feature (the second box down) and then enter several different descriptive or key terms for your topic of interest. That will do a Custom
google search of ONLY this site and it is likely to find answers to your questions or results for you. Note: this is VERY different from using the regular forum search box or field (which I never use because of poor search results). Also note, this is NOT found if you use the CF mobile app. It IS found if you use a web browser such as Safari, IE, Firefox, etc.
Note: The ordinary "search" field on this forum has yielded less helpful results for me when I perform searches. That is why I prefer and suggest the use of the alternative "Google Custom Search" instead. I see a very clear and big difference and find the Google Custom Search much easier for scanning (with my eyes) threads for relevant comments and information.
I am confident if you spend some time trying different search terms (key words) using this method, you will find much advice and many tips.