Wannabe moving up

[brookiesailor]

So sometimes in life when you want something bad enough you have to take the bull by the horns.

I have been on this site a LONG time, waiting and waiting for my husband to agree to buy a boat. He always said he wanted to but his actions were always to the contrary and his boat size was getting bigger and bigger (ie more e Last year the lightbulb went off that if I wanted this to happen I was going to need to do that myself). I spend six months renewing my nursing license, saved a bunch of money, and after a difficult holiday passing of my aunt I received a little inheritance that has given me just enough to afford to buy a cruising sailboat.

My Aunt from whom I received the inheritance owned a coastal cruiser but never learned to sail and really enjoyed having other people taking her sailing on weekends. She was the first female and single member of the yacht club. She would be thrilled that I would be using the money in this way.

So the journey begins. I am hoping to go look at a boat next weekend. I am having my broker as a bunch of questions. I understand this is not what sellers like to hear but I am sorry. I have worked hard to get this far and I am not going to waste my time running here and Yan. Also working full time I don't have much free time for the travel time/ personal inspection and questions on the spot

[boatman61]

You Rock Brookie.. Go for it..
Fantastic to see some Affirmative Feminine Action..

[Tayana42]

Congratulations Brookiesailor, make you’re own way in the world. I hope you quickly find the boat that makes your cruising life begin in earnest.

[Mike OReilly]

Awesome. Good on ya! And good luck with the hunt.

[JPA Cate]

I hope you find a boat that brings you years of pleasure, Brookie. Enjoy the search.

Ann

[Bleemus]

Nursing is perhaps the best career for a cruiser if not retired. You can find work anywhere.

[Jim Cate]

Well done, Brookie... search hard and successfully.

And re Bleemus's comment above: not only can you find work should you need it, a nurse who is willing to help with medical issues in remote areas is always a welcome comrade in the cruising fleet, and in villages where you may find yourself.

Get out here quick before the rising sea level sinks all our boats (!)

Jim

[wanabe sailor]

I am a novice and normally dont try to advise, I was a wanabe and still am a bit ,ok a lot, when I bought my boat I had no real experience, the boat was a project that had to be finished, I finished it and learned to sail it, I have never sailed on another boat, I learned on my own, its all about baby steps, and reading everything about sailing, go slow and go small, I bought the biggest boat I thought I could live on and single hand, ie 35 ft cutter, and I have been happy with that, if you are a novice single handing, marinas dockings are stressful, anchoring is scary, and fuel docks are scary, you don't want too big a boat, you may be in this with your husband, but reality is you should be able to learn to handle it in all circumstances on your own, go for it , do it, but keep it simple, good luck, don't get focused on a pretty boat, look at the bones, ie how easy to sail, manage and maintain, above all don't get rushed into a sale, there are a lot of boats out there.

[Uricanejack]

My biggest regret about buying a boat. Was waiting so long. I should have bought the boat I could afford sooner. rather than dreaming of the ideal boat. Eventually I bought a small cruiser I could afford and had a lot of fun with it.

Go for it.

My advice would be. Don't just rely on a broker. Look around yourself. Get an idea of what is within your budget.
If you get a chance to sail a few different boats. even better. It will help you find the right boat for you.

Good luck.

[brookiesailor]

I am looking at three passport 40's. Two in my price range and one not really. First one, down the street, good chance to crawl all over. I have gotten a recent survey with repair confirmation on the things that were deficient (receipts). That would be the easiest one. It is an hour away and would be most accessible. It has many upgrades I would add. It has a deck stepped mast, compared to the other two that are keel stepped. Chain plates recently rewedded. Water intrusion repair.... But my budget is low and so I am not expecting perfection, just have to decide what is important.

Number two. Far. I live in New England Difficult for me to see. Storm damage but many recent upgrades, maintenance seems to have been good. Repairs would be difficult from afar and getting home to use for the season would be another financial concern. Teak decks removed. I am holding off on asking too many questions as the broker a hard seller and adding together all the things I would have to do right away to make it here would be just as expensive as the last boat where the first boat is here and I could make those changes over time.

Last one, really out of my price range. I am asking for the survey on this one anyway. Who knows. It is more accessible as it is in the US. Of course the broker states it is in good shape

I want to climb around a few boats. I have looked mostly at bigger boats and so although I have sailed on smaller boats have not been considering them as for fitting into my spaces. I think 38-40 is the perfect length for me. As I would like to keep my budget around $75,000 for the boat purchase (does not include repairs/upgrades) but preferable would like a boat that I can start coastal cruising on right away for a couple years and slowly pull up to speed for going offshore. I live in New England so weekends in block island and on LI sound will be frequent.

So that is my train of thought right now

[atlroofman]

Originally Posted by brookiesailor

So sometimes in life when you want something bad enough you have to take the bull by the horns.

I have been on this site a LONG time, waiting and waiting for my husband to agree to buy a boat. He always said he wanted to but his actions were always to the contrary and his boat size was getting bigger and bigger (ie more e Last year the lightbulb went off that if I wanted this to happen I was going to need to do that myself). I spend six months renewing my nursing license, saved a bunch of money, and after a difficult holiday passing of my aunt I received a little inheritance that has given me just enough to afford to buy a cruising sailboat.

My Aunt from whom I received the inheritance owned a coastal cruiser but never learned to sail and really enjoyed having other people taking her sailing on weekends. She was the first female and single member of the yacht club. She would be thrilled that I would be using the money in this way.

So the journey begins. I am hoping to go look at a boat next weekend. I am having my broker as a bunch of questions. I understand this is not what sellers like to hear but I am sorry. I have worked hard to get this far and I am not going to waste my time running here and Yan. Also working full time I don't have much free time for the travel time/ personal inspection and questions on the spot

Great uplifting account, You go Brookie or as we say here in Georgia (GETER DONE GIRL)

[scotty c-m]

Great idea!! Go for it!!

If I might add some unsolisited advice: Upgrades and repairs are all a lot more expensive and time consuming than one might possibly imagine. At least that has been the case for me. So, budget (time and money) accordingly.

But that thought notwithstanding, good luck on this great adventure!!

[Uricanejack]

So many boats builders I was unaware off. They look nice.

I bought the cheapest boat.
It was bigger than I was looking for and well out of my budget. Boats are hard to sell. I asked if offers would be considered. My offer was accepted. In the end it might have been better to by a nicer one. Even so I bought a boat with minimal work needed to go sailing. The survey told me what I neeeded doing. We negotiated a price and booked a yard with the brokers help.

The delivery voyage home is still one of the best voyages I have made. I really enjoyed it.
The chance to sail somewhere I would not otherwise have gone was a challenge, an adventure, a holiday and fun.
Getting stuff organized far from home was not easy. It was doable and the local broker and boat yard were very helpful.

By the best one you can negotiate a deal you are happy with.

Good luck

[brookiesailor]

I have spent the week in search of. I went and looked at a boat today. I left the broker with some questions. But overall a favorable impression. Many of the issues that the boat has had were repaired recently. The owner has receipts and maintenance back to the beginning of time, which is a valuable tool. I left him with a list of questions for the owner. I was willing to make an offer, but my son asked me to wait until I got the answers. I brought him for a reason

I have an odd question though. the water maker. It is from 2006 and has not been used in three years. but more so to the point it takes up a HUGE amount of storage space. On a 40 foot boat it takes up an entire settee, and the water tanks take up the rest... The boat has 120 gallon fresh water tanks. Would you remove it? we are planning to sail coastal to start of with. My hope is they will make a more compact unit that doesn't take up the whole locker....

The boat has been for sale for a while so I may be able to strike a deal we can both live with

[Paul J. Nolan]

Like almost all first-time boat buyers you are putting the cart before the horse. This causes all kind of (expensive) problems. My advice: first learn to sail. Go down to your local yacht club. Find out which one design fleets are active in the area. Call the fleet captain and tell him you want to learn to sail and you are available to crew. If he or she is any good he'll take it from there.

In the year or two it'll take you to scratch the surface of the sport you may reconsider your purchase. A 40 footer is far too large for a first boat. They range from roughly 15,000 lbs (Cal 40) to 22,500 lbs (Finisterre). (Boats are sized by weight, called displacement, not by length.) Call your local North or Quantum loft and ask how much for a full suit of sails for a Cal 40. Expen$ive, aren't they? So is everything else on a big boat. If you, like most novices, still insist on a cruising boat for your first boat, something between 6,000 and 10,000 lbs is more than enough. A Ranger 26 or a Cal 25 perhaps, $5,000-7,500. At the large end a Triton or Alberg 30 if you like CCA boats, as I do, or something like an Albin Ballad or Yankee 30 if something more modern is desired. These boats are easy to find for $10,000-$12,000 in nice shape and $15-16,000 fully found and in very nice shape. Somewhat more for the Yankee 30. Hint: boats without inboard engines, like the first two mentioned, are cheaper to buy, cheaper to own, more fun to sail, and much faster than boats with props and apertures.

In any event, be patient and wait for a boat to come along that is in great condition. It is far cheaper to purchase a boat that someone else has restored than to restore her yourself. Just about every dollar you spend on your boat is gone forever, except, perhaps, for new paint. That sells. New standing rigging, ground tackle, or sails will not bring a higher price despite being both necessary and expensive.

The very best boat for learning to sail is a Laser, but that's another story, and not one any novice wants to hear. I remember a tennis coach who observed that there is no end of people eager to spend two week's salary on the latest fancy racquet, but rare is the player who'll spend three hours working on his ground stroke. Be that rare novice who takes the time and makes the effort to learn the sport, learns how to sail. Then buy a boat.

There's more, so much more, but that's enough for tonight.