[QUOTE=Paul J. Nolan;2016344]Welcome aboard!
I agree with Paul A that the first thing is to get some experience while you are thinking about a
boat. Learn
to sail.. One
member suggested a Laser or Lido 14, a suggestion I strongly endorse. You can learn to sail in a wide variety of boats, but, in my opinion, the smaller the
boat, the faster you will learn.
Some other thoughts:
1) While $150 large seems like a lot, it may not be. Do you have a source of
income such as a. pension, 401k, etc.? If so, this frees you up considerably. If your
budget of $150k is intended to cover the boat and perhaps three or four years of cruising the situation is completely different.
2). A Westsail 32 is a
very large boat. Boats are sized by weight (called displacement), not length. A Westsail 32 displaces 19,500 lbs. By comparison, a
Cal 40's
displacement is 15,000 lbs.
3) Will you be cruising single-handed or with a crew? If alone, boats from 5,000 lbs. to 12,000 lbs. are about right and I believe a 28' Bristol Channel
Cutter was built and she was around 12,000 lbs.
displacement. If with a crew (of one) perhaps 9,000 lbs. to 12,000 lbs, would be about right. In addition to the BCC, the
Alberg 30 and, in particular, the Contessa 32 are good choices. You may wish to read
Trekka Around the World by John Guzzwell and also visit the Atomsailing website.
4). I insist that my boat is always in Bristol condition with the absolute best
sails and
equipment. This level of
equipment was always affordable in the small boats I sailed and raced. On your
budget you can comfortably keep small boats to this standard. If you have an
income or other capital, you could even bring a
Cal 40 to this standard. But consider just your
sails. Most of the junk floating around in harbors today have only a
roller furling job and a
mainsail aboard. And old and crappy ones at that. You will need a minimum of six sails and probably several more. Call your local North or Quantum loft and get a
price for a full blue-water suit of sails for a Westsail 32. Then a
price for the same for a Vega 27. Everything aboard the boat from ground tackle to
bottom paint will have a similar differential. Think small.
There is much more to say, but that's enough for now.
Paul[/QU
Lets see if i can clear things up a bit. The 150000 was saved and set aside for a boat and any upgrades or
repairs needed to get it where i want it to be.
there is a pension and other sources of income that will keep me going. I spoke of the BCC in my first post because after researching and reading a few
books and articles on good, safe,
Water boats">blue
water boats it always seemed to make everyone's list. I am attracted to that style and look of boat. However, i dont have my heart set on anything. I am married so there will be two of us on the boat most of the time, but i want one that i can handle alone. I have been looking around my area at smaller boats
for sale for me to learn on. At first my experiences will be on a few lakes nearby, then ill get to the bay and go from there. Im in no hurry in this process. Ill take as long as i need to get up to speed. I am the type person, like you seem to be, that wants things to be right and top notch. thanks to you and everyone else on here with all the suggestions and
advice. Everyone has been a huge help so far and i am sure as i get further in this process i will have plenty of questions, dumb or not, that i need help with, thanks again
Most my boats had one and that was it's purpose.
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