What Boat and Why

[Randyonr3]

Taking a little different look at this...........
For those that DONT have a boat yet, and have been lurking around this forum,
1. what kind of boat do you wish to own, and why
2. When do you plan on cutting the ropes and why
3. What misconceptions about the cruising lifestyles have you experenced
The hopes of this thread is to lay streight any ideas or misconceptions that might
lead someone astray or detur from cruising. You may include what you think you will have to have as far as money to leave..
Those that reply to the post on this thread, Please, speak from experance only.

[Fishspearit]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

For those that DONT have a boat yet,......
1. what kind of boat do you wish to own, and why.......Please, speak from experance only.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but it sounds like you are asking people that haven't done something to tell their experience about not doing it yet?

[Pblais]

forum threads can be on most any topic so long as it relates to boating but they need to have some purpose that can be understood. This thread appears to fall short on the latter. Threads are most successfull when they try to be inclusive of many people and not restrictive in who and how members can participate. You might want to clarrify your post or perhaps start completly over.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Fishspearit

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but it sounds like you are asking people that haven't done something to tell their experience about not doing it yet?

Exactly! And only those that have experience in not experiencing something are allowed to comment on not experiencing something - Got it?

Good - Test on Friday...

[marc2012]

This makes sense to me possibly I am confused.Appears to me he is asking people in the planning stage for their opinions,feelings,misgivings ,ect.Some of us have been on/around boats for many yrs. & just fell into cruising gradually.Others just decide it would be fun,every day will be wonderful,we know better some will be awful.For some no home(land based),no job just plane scares them.In many case they can come up with many reasons not to go.Even those of us that do cruise put off leaving to repair,rerpalce ,update something.To justify post I have exrerienced my girlfriend experience these experiences???

[AnchorageGuy]

Not another what boat thread!!!!!!!!!!

[Randyonr3]

This was soposed to be a simple thread, Guess I didnt word it right,
We have many people on this forum that dont own a boat but lurk in the back ground just watching words go by.
And when they do ask a question, It often seems the thread goes off into areas that would scare the crud out of me, If I had not already owned a boat and been cruising,
A good example was the post concerning the amount it takes to cut the ropes..
It gave the general Idea that it would take hundreds of thousands to take off and a savings of just as much to stay out here. something that many of us out here know its not really true.
I was asking of those that havent yet bought a boat, what have they decided as far as the boat to buy the plans they have, and how they came about that decision.
And the second part of the question was geared to those that have "REAL" experance to help those with the mis-conceptions they might have about cruising.

[Pblais]

We have many people on this forum that dont own a boat but lurk in the back ground just watching words go by.

It is part of the purpose of the forum. People are free to participate as long as they behave themselves. if you intent is to take a survey then I'm not sure what benefit it will have.

I would think it would be better to ask the question in terms of those that actually did buy a boat rather than those that only think they will and have made up their minds. The difference between the intent to buy something and reality often includes a lot of different thinking that goes on when you actually do buy a boat. It would however be interesting to find out how many people actually bought the boat they thought they were going to buy.

[Fishspearit]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

This was soposed to be a simple thread, Guess I didnt word it right.....
I was asking of those that havent yet bought a boat, what have they decided as far as the boat to buy the plans they have, and how they came about that decision.
And the second part of the question was geared to those that have "REAL" experance to help those with the mis-conceptions they might have about cruising.

Ok, it makes more sense now, what you are asking.
I didn't buy the boat I thought I was going to buy. I had never even been on a Westerly until I saw the boat that we now own.
Donald Rumsfeld caught a lot of crap for his infamous line "You go to war with the Army you have." I think he was right, and it also applies to the fact that 'you go cruising in the boat that you have'. And the fact is often missed by people that you 'buy the boat that is right when you're ready to buy'. I'm sure it's different for people with hundreds of thousands of dollars available to have a custom built boat, and they put a lot more thought into exactly what they want. But for those of us constrained to a budget, we know how much we have to spend and then see what's available in that price range. I couldn't imagine having decided, "I want XXXX boat", and then search the world for exactly that boat. Having been out there, I know that there are thousands of boats that could easily and happily take me cruising.
So we made lists of what we would like: two heads-real nice, generator so the admiral can have a washing machine-real nice, aft cabin-nice, new/newer engine-real nice, teak interior-nice, etc., etc.
We ended up getting some of those things, and not getting some of them. None of the things were 'absolutely must haves', because we knew in our $50k price range we weren't going to get everything. Location is important, it's not practical to drive all over the country and spend 10% of the value of the boat just looking.
So we look around at the boats that are near us, and look for one that is the best compromise. We would have preferred a full keel with shallower draft, but that's ok. We would have preferred a newer engine, but that's ok too. We got the two heads, teak interior, aft cabin, and a bunch of other things that we wanted, and we know this boat will happily take us cruising, so it was the right choice at the time. I'm sure if the house had sold 3 months sooner, or 3 months later, we would probably have ended up in a different boat, but we would have been just as happy with our choice.

[richink]

yeah, good post. we're looking & currently have a GRP, Ferro & steel boat on our short list(betwwen 37>43') still got time so bet it changes

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

This was soposed to be a simple thread, Guess I didnt word it right,
We have many people on this forum that dont own a boat but lurk in the back ground just watching words go by.
And when they do ask a question, It often seems the thread goes off into areas that would scare the crud out of me, If I had not already owned a boat and been cruising,
A good example was the post concerning the amount it takes to cut the ropes..

Forgive my previous post - as an online "community" sometimes I take the fun outta things too much.

I think I am in the class you are talking about, sorta.

I bought a starter boat. It is definitely not the boat I am going to live on and cruise on. What it has afforded me is an opportunity to enter the community.

I went from standing on the land looking through the chain link fence at the boats to being an "insider." The marina can be an unwelcoming place (for good security reasons) but now I interact with lots of boat owners,feel comfortable walking the docks and "kicking tires," I meet lots of cruisers as well.

I am zeroing in on how and where I want to cruise and what boat I want to do it in.

But the thing is that it is going to be different for everyone. Some will have a $60k boat. Some will have a $500k boat. Some will spend $20k a year (or less) and some will spend many times that.

My advice remains consistent. Get a starter boat. One that has inboard power and all the "systems" of a big boat. Plug into the community, learn what it takes to maintain that boat, extrapolate you experience exponentially by the foot to a larger boat and then see if it is really what you want.

I don't know many folks who can come into this world cold, read a bunch of forums this year and then buy the "perfect" boat.

Basically because the perfect boat is a myth...

BTW - I really like your attempt to get the "lurkers" posting. The only dumb questions are the ones not asked.

[Weyalan]

Last night I was reading an article in Cruising Helmsman about a guy who sails the world in, from memory a 21' boat. I gotta tell you, it wouldn't have been my choice of vessel to sail across a creek, let alone an ocean, but he was out htere and he was doing it. I'm sure that many people would pooh-pooh my venerable ex-racing boat, with its over-powered, complicated racing rig, inadequate tankage and somewhat basic fit-out. Nevertheless, its what I have, and it gets used, and frankly gets used a lot more than 95% of the "proper" crusing boats in my area.

I would love a brand new Swan 44, but realistically, that is never ever going to be in my budget, so I buy what I can afford, compromise, make do and have fun. A cruising boat is just a boat that you cruise, whatever make, model, style or age vessel that is.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Fishspearit

, it's not practical to drive all over the country and spend 10% of the value of the boat just looking.

.

And yet what I have read on every "what boat" thread was many saying and others agreeing that one should charter the boat you are interested in. Several in fact. To learn the differences, you know, make informed choices, decide, figure it out, weigh options, bla bla yada.
I never could see how this could work even if I thought I could buy a 300,000.00 boat, chartering three for a week each would be about 30k once all the extras, flights, food, etc etc are tacked on. Just crazy.

Even a 150,000.00k boat works out the same. It costs about 5k a week to charter that one.

I chartered one for a day along with a 5 strangers. The crew knew I was looking at the boat and was not interested in the snorkel trip (much). So the few hours of actual sail was fun and informative. You know what? They let me sail it and got a kick out of me trying a few things (the rest of the guests were not sailors and had no clue what I was doing) and saying over and over, "yep, just like the "book" says". What a riot.

Words of others can be fact...How to filter..........Hmmmmm.

So I know that does not work unless one has a lot of ways (dollars) to rationalize (spend) on that idea.

So I lurked here for months and have been posting for many.
I still don't have a boat.
What I want I cannot afford.
I am lowering my sites and/or looking used.
The older I go the cheaper - DUH! but I know 2500 hrs on an unknown motor ( I am a maintenance fanatic) may mean two years or ten left. And 4200 hrs........hmmmm.
Oh yea, just offer less. Heard that.
I will low ball of course. That is how it is done right?

I know once out there it is not all peaches and cream. I am sort of type-A. Will I be able to make it? I think so. I think a lot of sailors are A. Will I like it?
I think I have learned enough to know that no one really knows the answer to that till it happens and adjusting takes place or doesn't.

The only thing I don't know is the percentage of folks who tried it and gave it up. I hear there are a lot of boats in SW FL and NW Mex. Hmmmmm.

Just don't know.

I may well do something crazy though. (that would be to buy a boat) The wife is aware. Don't know if she wants to come or not. She has always liked sailing and took some of the same classes back before there were fancy names and numbers - is my card from 1979 still good??

I keep hearing about "the right time". Sort of reminds me of sex or planning a passage/delivery - sometimes it just doesn't happen because it is not "the right time".

I did a delivery with a friend a year or so ago. Short Tampa - Ft Myers. The only thing that worked the whole time was the engine - WHEW! That was three days of "not too much fun", but better than three days of work I guess. ps - I missed a bunch of work that would have paid real well - as in "boat fund". Did I say boat fund ? I don't have one - all money gets handed over to you-know-who. It is then distributed as deemed appropriate.

So, Is that what the OP wanted? A long disjointed dissertaion (rant), sorry.

I wish I could write well enough to think I could support cruising a little, but I know better.

[Golden Wattle]

First congratulations Randyonr3, you hooked a lurker.
I have been reading this site for a couple of months.
To the Administrators and moderators well done.
To all the generous people out there who freely give their advice keep up the good work.
To the serious postings, please, more smiley faces.

Now to me, I am 49 I live in Mt Waverley Melbourne Aust. I hope to retire in 5 ½ years
11 years ago I drove around this vast country and at this stage I plan to cruise around OZ and then depending on my ability and some other factors I would like to “do the globe”. I have been around power boats my whole life, and I have done minimal sailing. Obviously that will change, I will be looking to begin training courses and crew on some boats in the near future.

Before reading this forum I thought I knew what I wanted.
46’-50’ Steel bilge keel to live on (with wife) for about 10 years.
Now the options are anything goes, even a cat although they are expensive.
I am amazed at the polarized view some cruisers have, but good on you, it’s good to see passionate people.
At this stage I plan on the following:

Budget 150,000-200,000.
Pension income $40-$60pa
I would like a shallow draught for the cruising in the North of OZ.
At this stage I have a million questions But I will post these as I become more confident.


Cheers
Golden Wattle (Well at least I have the name of my vessel)

[Starbuck]

Fishspearit, thanks for straightening this thread out by responding in the spirit in which it was intended. I hope to see more posts here.

The limits you describe having to operate in are all very real for the budget purchaser, including being limited to the boats that exist within a reasonale traveling distance to you. You've brought up some good points that resonate with me as well.