when to take the plunge?

[wolfgal]

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

[atoll]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

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

just after the lotto phoned me up about my winning ticket

[gamayun]

For me, it was this simple process over two years in which I read everything I could about all these different boats, asked a million silly questions of everyone I met or in the forums, stepped on way more crappy boats than I care to remember, and then held my nose and jumped off the cliff.

Never a day goes by that I regret the decision. I think you just know when you know....

[NYSail]

If you think about it do it...... you may not wake up tomorrow.

Greg

[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?

[zeehag]

when my rent in 1990 went to 1000 usd monthly. then was the exact minuet.
bought a boat found a slip and moved into that one on my birthday 1990. been on board since...
oh you meant the cruising boat???? this one????
when it moved in next door to me in 2004 and owner couldnot manage it in 2005, bought it in 2009 after breaking my back in it in 2008....left sd in 2011 in this one.

[daletournier]

I was having a bad business day, customers, staff etc. A south african mate of mine that had cruised for 8 years walked in the door, he now had a mortgage, a business, kid and wife. I said "Hyde, what's it like to go cruising?, he replied with incredible intensity, Dale if you can, run, don't walk, it's about life minutes, I'm now locked up, I was free!".... Within two weeks I was looking at my first boat, a 31ft Wharram, I had him come and look at, his words were don't buy that boat! The next week I purchased it.. Lol. When I told him he laughed and said" ah, I remember the days when I could look at a bath tub and think, what a fine ocean crossing vessel that would make.. Lol "

BTW, he's free again, wife and kid intact.

[gamayun]

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?

You want a "love story"? Fuggetaboudit. It's just a boat. I say all the time that I love my boat, but it is not same thing as love for another person. What I feel is the immense satisfaction and happiness that I made the right choice for me. If this boat ticks all the right boxes, looks great, and is in your ball park regarding cost, then what's the problem?? The fact that you might not be feeling the love actually makes you a better bargainer. If you're willing to walk away, then you will have a more critical eye to any issues that you might see and could talk down the price, as needed. When I've been willing to walk away from something that I really wanted but didn't actually NEED, then I've always gotten the better deal. This is not to say you won't find some hidden issue later on, but if you're ready to jump, then JUMP and own the decision if it's what you truly want. Don't wait for a feeling to grab hold. This is still a boat and it should be based on making a "practical" decision. Love is never practical...

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

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?

Two viewpoints:

1) Get on with it, you might die tomorrow.

2) The right boat will let you know. (Yes, useful to compare features, capabilities, and so forth... tick off the boxes, etc... but if you don't feel it for that boat now, you'll maybe never feel it for that boat ever.)

Can't say those are perfectly opposing thoughts. The boat that speaks to you could show up tomorrow... Might not even be the one that ticks all the "shopping" boxes...

-Chris

[thomm225]

Most all my boats I was simply crazy over.

My first few power boats, although quite old and beat up, were my prize possessions back in my teen years

My second Hobie 16 which was almost new, was like a dream come true. The
two new Nacra's with spinnakers that followed were fun boats also

But this old Bristol I have now occupies a whole new place.

It just appeared in the weeds at a small boatyard out in the boonies near where I grew up. It didn't have a for sale sign on it but I liked it so that I went and found the yard owner.

He said it was for sale and that the owner wanted $2,000 for it! This in 2011. I bought it a couple weeks later

It looked pretty bad all oxidized with peeling topside paint. It had been on the hard basically unattended for 5 years and was overloaded with a bunch of crap but also had an almost new jib, autopilot, dinghy, lots of anchors, etc

It was to be my first monohull to see if I could adjust to slow boat sailing then I planned to buy a newer, larger boat just like I did with power boats and beach cats, but I cannot seem to part with this Good Old Boat even though it's tiny inside and doesn't point worth a darn

[dwedeking2]

I didn't get into this life because of a love of boats or sailing. I got into it because I like to move every 2 - 3 years but found it was expensive to move all my things and reset up everything all the time. I've always loved living near the water (San Diego, Hawaii, Ensenada Mexico).

Living on a boat was a way to make that lifestyle happen. I found I enjoyed sailing as a side benefit.

So the vehicle wasn't as important to me vs just making it happen. I like my boat, it ticks my check boxes, but isn't necessary love.

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by zeehag

when my rent in 1990 went to 1000 usd monthly. then was the exact minuet.
bought a boat found a slip and moved into that one on my birthday 1990. been on board since...
oh you meant the cruising boat???? this one????
when it moved in next door to me in 2004 and owner couldnot manage it in 2005, bought it in 2009 after breaking my back in it in 2008....left sd in 2011 in this one.

Zee, so buying the first boat was initially an economic solution that solved the where-to-live-inexpensively problem? If so, i can imagine how easily the transition happened, especially since you've been sailing since you were a young thing. I'm also curious to know if you always thought/felt you would live on a boat?

Early on, i “knew” i would live on a boat and, here and there along life's timeline, would wake up and be utterly surprised by the fact that i hadn't made it happen yet. ever since my early twenties, getting my boat and moving aboard just seemed like it would always be at the next turn. my mistake that i listened to, heeded the “voices of reason” at those various corners. Sad to say but finally telling folks to get the blank off my case and let me live by my own terms has lead me to burn a few bridges... truly, the land-people in my life seem to fear that i'm going to jump onboard, set sail to the middle of the atlantic and, right there, in the middle of its vastness mysteriousness, fall over some edge. Then again, there are those who are secretely imagining their next holidays ....onboard.

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I was having a bad business day, customers, staff etc. A south african mate of mine that had cruised for 8 years walked in the door, he now had a mortgage, a business, kid and wife. I said "Hyde, what's it like to go cruising?, he replied with incredible intensity, Dale if you can, run, don't walk, it's about life minutes, I'm now locked up, I was free!".... Within two weeks I was looking at my first boat, a 31ft Wharram, I had him come and look at, his words were don't buy that boat! The next week I purchased it.. Lol. When I told him he laughed and said" ah, I remember the days when I could look at a bath tub and think, what a fine ocean crossing vessel that would make.. Lol "

BTW, he's free again, wife and kid intact.

Dale, i'm reading that the boat was a way to insure that you'd steer clear of that trodden path, that classic illusion of a good life that includes a wife, kids, mortgage, two cars... definitely an excellent reason.

i note that you've consciously resisted being swayed into living life on someone else's terms (and you have my utmost respect). that conversation with Hyde changed your life.

for me, it was an old italian guy with a 38' ketch who warned me of those who would want to push me down that trodden path.

at the time when he was giving me this wonderful advice, i was deep in young love with a dashing, french guy and was weighing into the equation the fact that my sweetheart wasn't likely to go that route anyhow. i think i didn't seriously entertain his advice because i wasn't looking for solutions to a problem

So, you've taught me something: in the future, when i attempt to enlighten a young woman, help her imagine that she doesn't have walk that trodden path, i.e., get married, have kids and give up her own dreams, i know now i need to do so in a moment when she is in a receptive mind-set and is looking for options.

thanks

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Love is never practical...

Gamayun, ... i see what you mean. True yes, the boats i've seen so far have helped me realize how there will always be another. there are so many boats out there just waiting to be sailed.

Like other junkies, i jump at the chance to walk through yards, in greece and the south of france mostly so the poor gals tend to be dried-up and bleached out, sometimes left for dead. for me it's almost as heart-wrenching as going to the animal shelter to pick from cages and cages of puppies. in any case, this knowing-there's-another should (hopefully) make me a better negotiator.

love isn't practical as you say, and this is unsettling since i am aware of how i am seeking some kind of big love story... i do feel silly writing this, now that i'm writing this.

--ok, i think you got me: i might be looking to make my boat my partner. it is true that a boat cannot tick all of the intimacy and pleasure boxes (which is definitely a mega bummer), but it can sure tick the ones concerning trust. maybe it is because i'm in a phase in which i appreciate being to able to hear my own thoughts and make my own decisions, probably...

perhaps knowing that i'm projecting will help me when i'm standing there looking at the boat and wondering if i'm feeling it, will keep this in mind.

thanks!

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Two viewpoints:

1) Get on with it, you might die tomorrow.

2) The right boat will let you know. (Yes, useful to compare features, capabilities, and so forth... tick off the boxes, etc... but if you don't feel it for that boat now, you'll maybe never feel it for that boat ever.)

Can't say those are perfectly opposing thoughts. The boat that speaks to you could show up tomorrow... Might not even be the one that ticks all the "shopping" boxes...

-Chris

"you might die tomorrow"... Greg above said the same thing. And you know, my body is definitely telling me, warning me that i'm dying double everyday that i'm not on the boat. 2018 was tough (all work and no play, and my muscles went without me on vacation)... so yes, even though i saved well (hermit style), i am aware of how it's time to hustle up before my ticket pops up.

the part about feeling something for the boat is the part i'm groping with... maybe she will just pop up, let's hope so. time's a wastin'!