US Army Retired trying to get into this life singlehandedly

[ashten1171]

Hello all, Im about to retire from the Army in a month or so. I have a ton of questions. First mainly would be what I can afford. I know this is subjective but I dont want to buy something thats really nice yet I cant afford to enjoy countries I plan on visiting. I will have to finance my boat. Just so you have an idea my retirement will be around $3,500 a month. Zero debt however no assets (divorce took care of that). Would really love a comfortable cat but not ruling out mono either. Either way has to be a boat I can operate myself. Taking sailing lessons soon. I will probably try to link up and act as crew member just to ensure this life is for me. I am pretty sure it will be. Tight spaces, rocky boats = Living in tents in bagdad, helicopter rides in combat zones,etc. I think It will be up my alley. Anyways my plan is to get this boat live aboard full time and travel the world. Any advice would be awesome. Thank you for reading my post!
-Ashten SFC Retired US Army Ranger.

[meatservo]

Thank you for your service. Get out on the water as much as you can and everything will fall into place.



meatservo

[Badsanta]

Don't buy anything yet. Take a class or two and as said get on the water. You need to try this to figure out what you want.
If you post your location you may get some offers of help. Good luck.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[ashten1171]

Thanks for the advice. I am gonna take my time buying. Updated my location as well.

[Rock-Head]

Thank you for your service from a fellow Army vet.

Heads up on insuring a financed boat you plan on sailing out of US waters. Do your research before you pull that trigger.

Otherwise, best of luck. I aspire to cut my dock lines & sail into the blue.

Rock out.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Joel E Felt]

Thanks for your service. and welcome to CF


joel

[sailorchic34]

I might suggest going small for cash at first and avoid financing issues. The folks that finance boats really don't like seeing them sailing over the horizon. But an older 30-35 foot ish boat can be had for not too much cash, if you hunt about. Lots of $10-$15K boats about. Yes they will need a bit of work, but then all boats do, no matter the cost.

That gets you a boat you can live on for a year or 3 learning the ropes, cruising the Redneck Riviera, while keeping a weather eye out for a larger retirement boat and build up a kitty to buy it.

Cat's are lovely. If I had unlimited funds I might even buy one. Slip fees for cats generally run higher and if it has two engines will have twice the engine maintenance right there. Plus not all haul out yards can haul a cat.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

if it has two engines will have twice the engine maintenance right there.

Only if you run two engines all the time. Most cat sailors run both for docking etc, but for general motoring/motor sailing run on one, so there's really not much more maintenance.

[meatservo]

Check and see if the Navy has a sailing club, being retired military you may be in an ideal location/situation!




meatservo

[FSMike]

Docking and mooring can be a large expense in some areas. Many Navy bases have economical marinas for vets. Check out Pensacola. I've had it theorized that a vet can practically go around the world making use of such services where available.
I don't think Guantanamo is one of them though lol.

And yes, thanks for your service.

[LLCoolDave]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Docking and mooring can be a large expense in some areas. Many Navy bases have economical marinas for vets. Check out Pensacola. I've had it theorized that a vet can practically go around the world making use of such services where available.
I don't think Guantanamo is one of them though lol.

And yes, thanks for your service.

Good call, I helped deliver a boat to the naval base in Pensacola. Pretty sure they have a sailing club. A great inexpensive way to learn how to sail.

[ashten1171]

Thanks all, allot of great info. I will look into pensacola for sure. Probably a good idea I start small before investing into a pricy Cat. I am gonna hop on as crew as often as I can to get a feel for different boats. What great community very helpful thank you

[UpOnStands]

++FSMike

Was arranging to crew on a Island Packet bought by retired guy to be berthed at a navy base. Sweet sweet deal but the guy had the unfortunate habit of no clothes while tied up, 200 yards from the MacDonalds on the base. Lost his berth real quick. The navy base had a yacht club with instructors, not much in the way of repairs/parts however.
Buy real simple, real short (<30ft), there is a lot of coastal sailing waiting for you.

[meatservo]

Originally Posted by FSMike

I don't think Guantanamo is one of them though lol.

As long as you have a "Club Gitmo" t-shirt you're good to go!

"Danger is no stranger to an Airborne Ranger"




meatservo

[roverhi]

A Vancouver 27 will get you around the world safely, a Yankee 30 will do it faster and a Westsail 32 will do it with enough room and storage for two people. There are examples of these boats out there that you should be able to afford and, in the case of the Yankee 30, might be able to pay cash for. Look for a boat that someone has lavished money and love on only to lose interest. Don't be mesmerized by shoreside condo's like the Hunters. They make poor cruising boats and are questionable in their ability to stand up to the rigors of long distance cruising. You need lots of storage, not wide open spaces.

As others have said, Since you are retired there are small boat facilities at most military bases on the water. Kept my boat in the old rescue boat marina at NAS Norfolk years ago and assume the facilities have gotten better over the years. Pearl Harbor has quite a large number of boats at the club in Pearl Harbor and MCAS Kaneohe. San Diego is sure to have some facilities as well as the Marine Corps at Oceanside. Unfortunately Rotten Ron Dellums drove the Navy out of the SF Bay area or there would be excellent opportunities there. A lot of the Navy bases had cast offs from the Naval Academy sail boat fleet back in my days in the Navy that could be used or crewed on.

You may want to cast your net farther afield and look into local sailing and yacht clubs. Many of the clubs are working man's outfits that you'd feel comfortable joining. There is always someone looking for crew to race, help with the junior programs, and just to talk boats with.

You might think about buying a small sailing dinghy that could be used as your tender when and if you get a bigger boat. Best way to actually learn how to sail. A small under 25' boat that you could explore local waters would be way to learn about sailing further afield, navigation, and even how you'll handle the less than perfect days out there sailing.

Good luck in your adventure.