Help! We Are Buying Our First Boat, and Don't Want to Make a Mistake...

[tomperanteau]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Here I go again... being grumpy when I do not want to be. But gosh people- do you really think you can just buy a blue water boat and be ready for the Pacific? The best boat for you is a practice boat! Get some blue water time in!
If you know how to sail, read weather, navigate and handle offshore emergencies then maybe you should ignore this...but reading your earlier post makes me feel like you need to prepare the sailor before you do the boat. And yeah, its going to take some money or time or both. But I think your life is more important than a schedule. The Pacific in our neck of the woods (Seattle) takes no prisoners.
Remember a voyage is one part ship, one part sailor and one part luck. And when luck isn't going your way- the sailor has to make up for it.
BTW- good luck

I agree with you, newt, but not too grumpy! Let them dream, as that is how most of us started out. We're about 8 months aft of buying our first boat, and we have the same plans, but we are being more careful these days and taking things slowly. I remember reading some posts elsewhere that were discouraging, and thinking that we more appreciated the posts that gave advice without the discouragement.

I totally agree in buying small and testing the waters, so to speak. That is what we did, and it was really beneficial.

Good luck to you guys and keep posting and reading. Everyone here has been a great help to us!

[TAREUA]

Cyberkitty, My wife and I did the very trip you are planning, and on a Cascade 29. I had a lot of racing experience and Puget Sound cruising experience, but not blue water experience. My wife had very little experience, but did take a class which consisted of sailing from Juan de Fuca to Portland with an extra practice bar crossing at Westport. It gave her a great deal of confidence and was worth the money, even though we too were on a budget. Our boat was a fin keel. Our dodger consisted of a dinghy with a removable transom. It was fine. The Oregon/Washington coast can be kind of crappy, but if you have time to pick your weather windows it can be a good trip.
We came back from our cruising wanting among other things, a full keel (for better tracking and easier on the autosteering) and a pilot house. I have them both now, and am still sold on the pilothouse in a big way, but the full keel would now not be a deal breaker for me. As Bob Perry has written on some threads here, a full keel may not track better or have a better sea motion than a fin keel. There are a lot of other variables.
The Cook Islands are great goal. What a nice place. My goal was Greece. Good luck, and PM me if there are any questions I might help with. My next goal is to go to Greece again, this time from the other direction.
-Casey

[Randyonr3]

I sailed a "Rawson" down the coast and wasnt to inpressed with its reactions, kinda slugish. Had alot of roll to it in following seas..
The trip down the coast, our first was from Coos Bay south.. picked weather windows and harbor hopped all the way down.. great trip..
The second, we went to Alaska, and then back down. kinda nasty at times and wished the cockpit ws inclosed.. but if you are thinking Mexico and center lattitudes for your cruising.. dont think a pilot house is a great idea... but for up North, I wouldnt have anything else..
There are a lot of boats out there in that price range and lower that would suit you fine..
One that was built up in your area and friends of our are cruising on it now is a "Bucken" or "Buckin" not sure of the spelling. theres is a 37 foot and they love it..

[cyberkitty]

Still undecided.... Full Keel or modified fin Keel?

Although we are leaning towards the Rawson... there are some important things that need to be modified with this boat... previous owners only used it for day cruising. It has no cold storage, no heater, no stove... and the original water tank from 1973 is basically a holding area under the V-berth made of the same fiberglass has the boat, I wouldn`t think that would be safe to drink!

As for the Grampian...(modified fin keel) we hate the rudder, and the engine is extremely old... hours are unknown.

We started looking around at other boats to get a feel of what is out there in our price range. Ran into a 30` Columbia and a 30` Alberg....

Tough decisions!

Cyberkitty

[TAREUA]

There are sooo many boats out there. It isn't just those two. If you like the Rawson, another one in better shape will come along. It doesn't have to be that one.

Those last two you named have plenty of fans.

[Greenman]

Agreed with TAREUA, the one thing I learned when I bought my boat last spring, was that patience wins out. There are lots of boats out there, if you don't like something about one, wait for another. My H27 is no circumnavigator, but she is a big roomy boat (for 27 feet) and perfect for what I wanted.

Another thing to consider about a boat like the Rawson you described above, is that if you can get one like that for the right price, that needs all sorts of upgrades, you know what kind and how those upgrades are installed.

And there is nothing wrong with Grampians. Excellent boats that are often very under priced compared to similar boats.

[Livia]

My first boat is the boat we are heading offshore in...don't let the grumpy people get you down. They are right to suggest experience is very important but wrong to assume that you are recklessly heading offshore tomorrow in whatever boat you buy.

Heck, there is even one well-read blog of a couple that DID sail off the map with virtually no experience and believe-you-me, they ran into a lot of grumpy disbelief but still made it around the world: bumfuzzle | sail around the world

I would *not* recommend that of course, just loved reading their account.

Anyways, I don't have anything productive to say with regards to your boat choice except to say that I came to this forum 3 years ago trying to decide exactly the same thing (what boat to buy to take us around the world) and this June we are cutting our docklines IN THAT BOAT and taking off.

[Seahunter]

The Rawson 30 is a no-brainer. These boats are pit-bull tough. Over-built (hand layed hulls over 3" thick in places), over-powered (Rawson yards built fish boats and liked lots of power) and under priced.
Pro's: No dock is safe with these boats, they have one tough hull. Awesome single handed boat. Safe cockpit. Good hardware and rigging. One of Bill Garden's best boats (that came right out of his mouth). Their best features are below the water-line. Her con's can be overcome.
Here are her numbers:
The Rawson 30 - information for cruising sailors
Here is the group:
Rawson Sailboat Owners | YachtPals.com
Con's: Crappy workmanship on the interior. It seems built by unemployed loggers who liked chainsaws better than a copping saw. Check the sole and frames for rot as well as the deck stepped main support that gets wet at it's base from the shower; make sure it's good. Replace cedar post with steel if price is right. Shower drains to bilge, needs bladder and/or sump installed. The V-berth needs lots of lighting. Did I say there's something wrong with the shower?
Postscript:
The Grampian is not a bad boat for what it is. But like the Catalinas they have a see through hull and are mainly good for tough coastal sailing unless mods are made and in general not good blue water boats.

[cyberkitty]

We hear the 'grumpy ones' all the time.... weither it be our family or other boaters, that think we are insane because, well, basically we want to live a different life than what is the norm... We, infact, just can't see ourselves working 9 to 5 forever just to pay the rent or morgage... we will give ourselves a year of practice around Vancouver Island, and then sail off... and I heard if you can sail around Vancouver Island you can sail any where. I sure hope so.

The Rawson, thus far, has become our favourite boat. However, the boat must choose us as well as us choosing the boat... and of course, we are anxious, nervous, and worried about our choices. But have hope that we will choose right.

It's easy to say, there are many boats out there... etc... but in our area for the money we have in the bank, there is not so many.... at least not many we like anyway.

If all goes well, we will own a Rawson in the next coming weeks. And it scares me to say, well, lol, I mean all our money is going down on this dream... so 'grumpy ones' whatever, we are going to follow our dreams, as naive, as silly, as impossible as it may seem...

Set me free,

CyberKitty

[s/v Beth]

CK- I don't think anyone wants to rain on your parade. There is enough rain here. But I just find that becoming a sailor is an evolving process. I want you to know what your getting into because I want you to be safe- but by all means do it. Sailing for a year around BC sounds good. If you want to go up the west side of Vancouver Island maybe a group of us can go. Two or three sailboats is a lot safer than one, esp if you are doing it for the first time.
As ironic as it sounds, we are not trying to squash your dream, but rather trying to help you save it...

[cyberkitty]

ha ha ha, of course newt... thanks for the support!

I would love for a group of us to set sail.... how about a practice run to tofino?

[s/v Beth]

I will be wandering around the San Juans the 11-17 of July. If you left on Saturday from Seattle, you could be at Friday Harbor on Sunday. I could meet you at Sucia Islands on Monday. We could spend 4 days Gunkholing in the Georgian Strait. It would be fun. That would get you back to Seattle on Saturday. But wait- you need a boat first
Naah- If you don't have one by then, just take the bus to Bellingham...
This trip will probably be popular. Let's start a new tread in the local "Pacific pages" We could make it a CF regatta.

[dixonwj]

Do not think of this as your "last boat". Think of it as the first of hopefully many. Your wants and needs will change with experience. Think about resale value. That way when you decide to change boats 'cause you are smarter you will be in a better position to buy a boat that matches your new skill level and needs.

[tamriel]

Cyberkitty, my husband and I purchased our first boat - a 30' Grampian, last fall. The previous owner put in a larger holding tank for the water and gas. I LOVE this boat, but I'm a little bias ;-)

[Rolo]

OK...So i was into sailing about 8 yrs ago up in the north east (Long Island) ...had to sell my boat(25' O'day) do to a move. I now would like to get a boat in 30' range to sail between South Florida, the Bahamas and the florida keys. Any suggestions?