when to take the plunge?

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Most all my boats I was simply crazy over.

I cannot seem to part with this Good Old Boat even though it's tiny inside and doesn't point worth a darn

Thomm225, the story of how you found your bristol literally pulls at my heart strings. This is how i've always imagined it...

That said, size/design is a major and very practical issue. As someone who wants to live aboard, my boat needs to be small enough on the outside (to keep the “sock” as some here call it from dwindling too quickly and to be manageable for me physically) and big enough on the inside so that it feels like home. I'm skinny enough to fit into small spaces but that doesn't mean i don't get claustrophobic after a time.

From experience i know that 28' is my minimum for inside-smallness-living (i've spent time on 26' and 27'); and 33' is a max for outside bigness (especially financially). oh, and there are some fantastic, fantastic boats over there... enough to make me drool profusely: just look at my computer keyboard!

i've been searching for the equivalent of what i'd snatch up in a heartbeat over there for a while now. For example, a contessa 32 could have been the boat (even though she is a bit tight below), but her draft is too much, too deep to do the rivers/canals over here. Something's gotta give...

in any case, i felt good knowing that there are others who have a thing going with the good old boats.

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

please do tell me how you knew when you were ready to buy the sailboat

As soon as I was making enough to afford one and the yacht club fees I bought one. Never looked back.


Sunk costs would spin your head but its all about life style. You don't drive a Mercedes or a Land Rover because they are good value for the dollar. You buy one because you want one.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

thanks guys...

the thing is, i'm not feeling the huge-love-story-thing happening.

shouldn't i be stumbling all over myself to get onboard?

if she was my gal, wouldn't i this be the case?

Arranged marriages work too.

Look at the resale value (but not too hard), figure out how much you can afford to loose for the experience (chartering is $3000+/week after all), formulate an escape plan (again, leave it loose) and then go. We bought our "right now boat" and every year I find new things that go on and off my forever list. And we've learned to love her all the same. I keep an eye on resale values and so far we could likely sell her for near what we paid (minus of course all the money we've put in—but that's just the cost of boating).

It's partly why we name our boat Never for Ever...

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

thanks guys...

ok...you may know this: the boats i really and truly fancy are as rare as hen's teeth in europe (am in very deep with so many of the plastic classics). bringing one over is quite expensive and compliqué.

i also have tight criteria in terms of what i want to do with the boat, where i want to sail, and how much i can handle on my own while staying within my lottery winnings

after years of study, seeking, and peeking, i have come across one boat over here (vat paid, ce-inspected, not too far away and in very good condition) that ticks most of my boxes. in a different way, she's really pretty hot... and could perhaps be a treasure.

the thing is, i'm not feeling the huge-love-story-thing happening.

shouldn't i be stumbling all over myself to get onboard?

if she was my gal, wouldn't i this be the case?

A boat is a thing. It is not a wife, a child, a parent, a friend , or a pet. It is thing that will allow you to do the things you want to do. It is a tool and you don't love a tool.


A boat can always be replaced. You should have no emotional attachment at all. That does not mean you don't take care of it but it means you don't love it.

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Arranged marriages work too.

Look at the resale value (but not too hard), figure out how much you can afford to loose for the experience (chartering is $3000+/week after all), formulate an escape plan (again, leave it loose) and then go. We bought our "right now boat" and every year I find new things that go on and off my forever list. And we've learned to love her all the same. I keep an eye on resale values and so far we could likely sell her for near what we paid (minus of course all the money we've put in—but that's just the cost of boating).

It's partly why we name our boat Never for Ever...

good advice here Macblaze.

am at that age when it makes sense to opt for the "right now boat" (over the little thing i'll be cramped in and have a hard time getting rid of). my plan involves a smallish boat (as small as i can live in below and as big as i can handle above, ie about 32') and a fair stash to throw at our journey together.

and yes, resale value is something to keep in mind... i guess i have a 'forever' feeling going in terms of this decision, a kind of tie-the-knot thing happening. a boat isn't a spouse perhaps, but having one could be described as a kind of marriage.

as far as resale value goes... the one i'm looking at would do alright, given that i play the game and throw everything she needs at her over time... the said, resale value doesn't motivate me as much as the ticking the boxes part, the appealing to me part: i want to be thrilled to see her. it would feel more like an arranged marriage, i suppose...

thanks for your perspectives!

[boatman61]

A Contessa 32 is quite capable of doing the French and other canals.. in fact there is a lovely 1979 example in Alicante for sale on CF at the moment with the mast set up for easy dropping for canal transits.. believe he is asking around €24,000 for her.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

Thomm225, the story of how you found your bristol literally pulls at my heart strings. This is how i've always imagined it...

That said, size/design is a major and very practical issue. As someone who wants to live aboard, my boat needs to be small enough on the outside (to keep the “sock” as some here call it from dwindling too quickly and to be manageable for me physically) and big enough on the inside so that it feels like home. I'm skinny enough to fit into small spaces but that doesn't mean i don't get claustrophobic after a time.

From experience i know that 28' is my minimum for inside-smallness-living (i've spent time on 26' and 27'); and 33' is a max for outside bigness (especially financially). oh, and there are some fantastic, fantastic boats over there... enough to make me drool profusely: just look at my computer keyboard!

i've been searching for the equivalent of what i'd snatch up in a heartbeat over there for a while now. For example, a contessa 32 could have been the boat (even though she is a bit tight below), but her draft is too much, too deep to do the rivers/canals over here. Something's gotta give...

in any case, i felt good knowing that there are others who have a thing going with the good old boats.

A Contessa 32 would be perfect I think. I plan to use my Bristol until I actually cruise longer than say a month after I retire then buy something like a Contessa 32. I almost bought a Wauquiez Gladiateur 33 but didn't like the sail drive or the 6' draft but it was a nice boat. (in the pictures any way and highly recommended as well built. I think though now I could learn to deal with that 6' draft. I'd just have to be more careful. Sometimes I use the Bristol as a depth finder! Her keel is to strong. I wouldn't want to do that with a fin keel boat though. Plus it (the Gladiateur) had a tiller which is what I like

That boat Boatman is speaking of is a beautiful boat and not that expensive. It's advertised here on CF

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...te-209846.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBHmEo-ESGE

[Mike OReilly]

It’s an old, but true adage: Perfect Is The Enemy Of Good.

If you’re looking for the “perfect boat” or, as you put it, a “love story”, then you seem to be suffering from perfectionism. Make sure it’s not a way of avoiding.

You have this plan to live and cruise on a boat. Why? What is it that you are trying to achieve? For some, it’s about the sailing. For others, it’s about travelling to places. For me, its mostly about freedom (or freer, to be accurate).

Knowing what I wanted to achieve allowed me to find the best option available at the time. My boat, and my current life, are not ‘perfect.’ With fewer or different constraints, and with different options available, I’d make different choices. But knowing what I wanted meant I was able to “take the plunge” when something came along that was good enough.

Life is a limited resource. How much life you want to trade for certainty, or security, or money, or whatever, is up to each of us. There is no right answer. But one thing is certain: None of us are getting outta here alive.

Or as I like to say: “Life — it’ll kill you.”

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by boatman61

A Contessa 32 is quite capable of doing the French and other canals.. in fact there is a lovely 1979 example in Alicante for sale on CF at the moment with the mast set up for easy dropping for canal transits.. believe he is asking around €24,000 for her.

Thanks good man, will do a search. a mast that lowers is a big plus

yet are you sure i can do the canals with a contessa keel though? i stuck this boat from the list long ago because of this... will check again. thank you!

contessa 32's do pop up relatively frequently. it is mostly about moving fast on a good one.

have you ever owned one?

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by thomm225

A Contessa 32 would be perfect I think. I plan to use my Bristol until I actually cruise longer than say a month after I retire then buy something like a Contessa 32. I almost bought a Wauquiez Gladiateur 33 but didn't like the sail drive or the 6' draft but it was a nice boat. (in the pictures any way and highly recommended as well built. I think though now I could learn to deal with that 6' draft. I'd just have to be more careful. Sometimes I use the Bristol as a depth finder! Her keel is to strong. I wouldn't want to do that with a fin keel boat though. Plus it (the Gladiateur) had a tiller which is what I like

That boat Boatman is speaking of is a beautiful boat and not that expensive. It's advertised here on CF

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...te-209846.html

as for the Gladiator, yes, i know them. they apparently are fun to sail. i haven't sailed one myself but did clean a winch for one once (my first winch!) they are rather sought-after over here still. i struck them off the list early on due to the long keel as well. i also read that they can lack good ventilation. this would bother me...


thanks for the link to the Contessa!

[boatman61]

Below are the minimum depths in the French canals.. they have been known to be a tad less at times of severe drought but mostly the chart is accurate.. few if any you cannot traverse.
Draught on a Contessa 32 is 1.50m

https://www.french-waterways.com/pra.../canal-depths/

[BlackHeron]

Yesterday was too early and tomorrow is too late.

If not now, then when is going to be a better time? Tomorrow may never come unless you make today happen.

As for a "love story" you don't have to find your soulmate to share love, even with an imperfect boat. You still have GOT to love it or it is just bad news. You don't take a boat out you don't love. That is a recipe for disaster IMHO.

"You can know all the math in the ‘verse but take a boat in the air that you don’t love? She’ll shake you off just as sure as a turn in the worlds.

Love keeps her in the air when she oughtta fall down…tells you she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens…makes her a home." - Captain Malcolm Reynolds

[wolfgal]

a big thanks to everyone who has given me their thoughts, their stories, their advice!!!


well, Boatie brought my attention to a boat that could be nice, and i wrote to the owner yesterday and am still awaiting a reply (wrote to him right after seeing the post yesterday).

it is true that the Contessa is a well-built and well-reputed boat. i mostly know this boat from stories about Gigi (john kretchmer's) and the usual websites with good old boat descriptions and a few videos (there's a very good video about Sadler and, especially, Jeremy Rogers that i'll dig up again)

that said, i am not going to get overly excited about this one in Spain as the images date 2017
(more often than not, a boat is listed with the spiffy pictures from a while ago; i've gone to see enough boats to know not to correlate the current condition of the boat to the images. now, old images make me question the idea of making the trip to see the boat in the first place. how i wish folks would list with recent images)


as per the draught, i'm definitely confused because, on sailboat data, it says
Draft (max) 5.50 ft / 1.68 m
which is the reason for which i struck off the Contessa from my original list long ago
will investigate--

thanks again for the info. if the draft doesn't exclude the canals, the contessa could be a good choice.

MikeO, i started to respond to you... and decided not to put too much out there for the moment. however you ask the right question (you always seem to go straight to the heart of things) and have me thinking...

will keep you posted.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

that said, i am not going to get overly excited about this one in Spain as the images date 2017
(more often than not, a boat is listed with the spiffy pictures from a while ago; i've gone to see enough boats to know not to correlate the current condition of the boat to the images. now, old images make me question the idea of making the trip to see the boat in the first place. how i wish folks would list with recent images)

Wolfgal, I wonder if it would be possible for the owner or a local to do a walk-around video with a smart phone 'as is where is right now'. Most of us have the tech in our pockets so to speak.

My 21' had shiny 'white with a blue stripe' pictures from years gone by on the listing and was covered in gray lichen and missing most of the the stripe in the yard. Some things about the boat resonated with me and I drug the boat home. Some of the issues (lichen, standing water in bilge) were easy fixes once addressed and some of them are still being completed. I am looking forward to completing the work this spring and time on the water.

I admire what you are doing. I hope it all comes together for you.

[Quebramar]

For me it is about trust and reliability before anything else (checking the various boxes of comfort, equipment, performance etc that need to match navigation program). It may sound like the attributes of any relationship, friendship and more...

Impulsive decisions are not going to get me there unless all the above is met, I used to think.

I actually bought a boat with no decision beforehand to buy one. My wife and I happened to visit one in a local boat show where used boats were put out for sale. The wow moment was there I must recognise, but a visit to the similar/better one for sale in a remote place and the 2 days and nights of reflection on the boxes above were needed before deciding to make an offer. Never regretted as all boxes were ticked. Perfect boat? definitely not. Right for us for now? definitely so.

The boat is a bit more modern than pure plastic classic, first newer generation of Najad in 2000. Contessa 32 would be one of the few tops of my list had I not had the additional bucks to go for mine. But hey there are many more to choose from. If you’re in France, would be worth looking at the UK or NL markets, that’s where I saw the best maintained classics.