Chapter 1: New Beginnings

[Karma_Killz]

ladies & gentlemen a warm hello, my name is Kevin & while I have been lurking these forums for some time I just today decided to make an account and begin contributing in active discussion on that which binds us all together, the passion we share for the Art of sailing.

Now my journey begins in it's early phases as I follow the path carved out by the more experienced of sailors such as yourselves. However i sure do at times feel slightly overwhelmed with what way exactly to go so let's wind it back a bit

I am a 26 year old New York (upstate) native who has spent his entire life bouncing up and down the east coast conquering various jobs, skills & feats of strength. A couple years ago I landed back in my hometown (like so many do) Outside of Albany, New York. I met a girl a few years back who this weekend technically becomes my fiancé. We have drawn the conclusion late last winter that ditching all of our stuff and strapping aboard a sail boat, cruising away into the abyss is the next step in our walk of life.

The plan thus far is to purchase a boat somewhere in the Chesapeake bay and get comfortable sailing in relatively easy waters. Continue working on 2 novels I am writing , learn more and more everyday about sailboats, Progressing further & further out and down the east coast until it comes time to cruise around South America. My soon to be fiancé has her masters in foreign language related studies. Also we have US friends in panama and equator who own land that should keep us busy exploring, all of that however is years down the road as our primary focus is the next 8 months. Our deadline you see for moving to the Chesapeake, Norfolk area has a deadline of April 2015.

I have been selling stuff off & saving money, no problem it's just stuff and you sure don't own it, rather it owns you.

I have been reading, reading, & reading about the lifestyle as well as obstacles and challenges we will undoubtably face.

Last week I spent my time *between work* researching & mastering the ins and outs of solar electricity after concluding it will be valuable knowledge to wield & share amongst friends soon to come

This weekend me & the lady have a date down in the city where I have secretly set up private sailing lessons for ourselves, after which we will walk down the marina docks, watch the sunset & then I pop the Engagement question. cockyness aside she we say yes as that's just where we are in our relationship

So lessons [check]
Companion [check]
Deadline [check]
Location [check]
knowledge [forever ongoing]

But the problem I face today is entirely question one:
what is next?

Do I begin the process of boat shopping? I have looked around and have a feel of what i desire

Get on a waiting list for some live aboard marina?

Learn trait A or trait B?

I feel like I am ready to plunge forward but financially it's just not a reality as of yet. So what's next while I save!?

Question two:
One of the biggest hold me backs is a vehicle I am having trouble selling. Would it be considered spam to boat owners trying to sell their boat on a website such as craigslist or boat trader to offer a vehicle & cash in trade towards a boat? My feeling is that someone selling a boat doesn't wanna risk the deterioration of his or her boat on top of marina fees & insurance while they wait for a buyer to show interest & maybe obtaining an expensive vehicle plus cash is an easier flip for cash down the roAd?

Apologies for the long post, perhaps just excited & rambling



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[avb3]

Originally Posted by Karma_Killz

....................................
But the problem I face today is entirely question one:
what is next?

Do I begin the process of boat shopping? I have looked around and have a feel of what i desire

Get on a waiting list for some live aboard marina?

First of all, welcome aboard.

As far as boat shopping is concerned, look at our classifieds here, and look at yachtworld.com and sailboatlistings.com. Do you know what your budget is? Make sure you allow for upgrades/repairs/maintenance. Allow a LOT for those.

Get to know boats by looking at many boats. Know that many will have that funky smell, and learn to recognize it. If you find a boat you can make a deal on, ensure you have it surveyed.

Question two:
One of the biggest hold me backs is a vehicle I am having trouble selling. Would it be considered spam to boat owners trying to sell their boat on a website such as craigslist or boat trader to offer a vehicle & cash in trade towards a boat? My feeling is that someone selling a boat doesn't wanna risk the deterioration of his or her boat on top of marina fees & insurance while they wait for a buyer to show interest & maybe obtaining an expensive vehicle plus cash is an easier flip for cash down the roAd?

Apologies for the long post, perhaps just excited & rambling

Why won't your car sell? Are you asking too much? Do you owe too much on it? Just like any boat will sell, so will any car, however, you need to not only know what the market is, but you need to price your vehicle competitively in that market. Just because you have a $1500 stereo in it does not make it worth $1500 more... in fact, it makes it worth the same as others, but makes your perhaps a touch more desirable and it will sell faster, but not necessarily for more money.

That is just reality.

As far as offering part cash and part car, sure, why not? What is the worst that can happen? The owner might say no. It's just business.

[Karma_Killz]

My thanks on the reply

When getting a boat surveyed, is this something you would schedule before making an offer? I am not one for haggling and defiantly like the idea of straight shooting with folks. It's my understanding that when dealing with a broker , that that level of treatment and honesty is not always offered


As for the vehicle.. It may very well be I am asking too much. It's tough when that's the only thing I have of legitimate value that I have sunk time effort & dollars into.. At the end of the day it should go I suppose. Nothing can be allowed the opportunity of obscuring my vision moving forward, even if it means unfortunately losing a sizable chunk of change


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[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Kevin.

[accomplice]

Welcome and congratulations on your pending engagement.

At the right price, anything will sell, that even includes old cars. You just need to find the right price and the right market for it.

With respect to a boat survey, that is generally done *after* the negotiations are concluded. It makes no sense to spend the money surveying a boat if the buyer and the owner cannot agree on a price. If the survey or seatrial (another condition of purchase) are not satisfactory to you, you can get your deposit back.

I suggest taking your time on the boat shopping. I'm sure it is often done, but I would feel less than comfortable sailing off into the sunset on a the first boat I ever sailed. It is a buyer's market. Also, the attributes that matter most to you in a boat will not become apparent until after you've spent a lot of time on a boat (or boats). For example, after our first boat which had a moderately comfortable cockpit, we never considered how important cockpit comfort was until we chartered a boat that had not a single comfortable seating spot anywhere on it. We made sure that when we bought our next boat that we tested that aspect well.

Is it an option for you to sail on other people's boats? To crew for them, either cruising or racing? Perhaps a charter, maybe with other couples, somewhere warm to escape the upstate winter?

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Karma_Killz

Question two:
One of the biggest hold me backs is a vehicle I am having trouble selling. Would it be considered spam to boat owners trying to sell their boat on a website such as craigslist or boat trader to offer a vehicle & cash in trade towards a boat? My feeling is that someone selling a boat doesn't wanna risk the deterioration of his or her boat on top of marina fees & insurance while they wait for a buyer to show interest & maybe obtaining an expensive vehicle plus cash is an easier flip for cash down the roAd?

Apologies for the long post, perhaps just excited & rambling



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If said vehicle is an Aston Martin or Bugatti... I'm interested...

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Karma_Killz

My thanks on the reply

When getting a boat surveyed, is this something you would schedule before making an offer? I am not one for haggling and defiantly like the idea of straight shooting with folks. It's my understanding that when dealing with a broker , that that level of treatment and honesty is not always offered


As for the vehicle.. It may very well be I am asking too much. It's tough when that's the only thing I have of legitimate value that I have sunk time effort & dollars into.. At the end of the day it should go I suppose. Nothing can be allowed the opportunity of obscuring my vision moving forward, even if it means unfortunately losing a sizable chunk of change


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

I have friends in the car business.

A couple of sayings they have:

- cars are not like whiskey, they don't get better with age
- there is an ass for every seat and a seat for every ass

In other words, sell the car as quick as you can, and everything sells eventually.

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[zengirl]

Welcome,
I'm not far behind you and I'm 71! I've been at it for two years looking, reading etc. solid work. I had to go back to work and am now saving for my boat. And after thousands of hrs of looking I have narrowed it down to 5 that I really like and not one of them is what I liked when I first started. I'm not one to give advice when I'm just learning myself, but I do say, DO NOT sell your car as part of your boat payment. You never know when you'll need it. Park it with friends while sailing and pick up a good foldable gas bike for the boat. Save every penny you can, good deals can be made in all kinds of places. Ebay, classifieds etc and you may need that car to search marinas for a boat. Tons of good boats $7,000 to $10,000 My deadline is in June 2015 and I'll be in Cheasapeak Bay too, maybe we'll run into each other or the dock! haha So glad to hear you're doing this NOW and I wish you and yours the very best of luck.

[Karma_Killz]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Kevin.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by accomplice

Welcome and congratulations on your pending engagement.



At the right price, anything will sell, that even includes old cars. You just need to find the right price and the right market for it.



With respect to a boat survey, that is generally done *after* the negotiations are concluded. It makes no sense to spend the money surveying a boat if the buyer and the owner cannot agree on a price. If the survey or seatrial (another condition of purchase) are not satisfactory to you, you can get your deposit back.



I suggest taking your time on the boat shopping. I'm sure it is often done, but I would feel less than comfortable sailing off into the sunset on a the first boat I ever sailed. It is a buyer's market. Also, the attributes that matter most to you in a boat will not become apparent until after you've spent a lot of time on a boat (or boats). For example, after our first boat which had a moderately comfortable cockpit, we never considered how important cockpit comfort was until we chartered a boat that had not a single comfortable seating spot anywhere on it. We made sure that when we bought our next boat that we tested that aspect well.



Is it an option for you to sail on other people's boats? To crew for them, either cruising or racing? Perhaps a charter, maybe with other couples, somewhere warm to escape the upstate winter?

The option for tagging along on sails is not there. Though I have been aboard before as a kid in Maryland & a teenager in Florida I am just now learning to do it myself. We do plan on taking a few private lessons on top of what's planned for this weekend so that we are comfortable going forward

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

If said vehicle is an Aston Martin or Bugatti... I'm interested...

BMW. If it were an Aston Martin maybe I would rig sails and a hull to it and call it a day hehe

Originally Posted by zengirl

Welcome,

I'm not far behind you and I'm 71! I've been at it for two years looking, reading etc. solid work. I had to go back to work and am now saving for my boat. And after thousands of hrs of looking I have narrowed it down to 5 that I really like and not one of them is what I liked when I first started. I'm not one to give advice when I'm just learning myself, but I do say, DO NOT sell your car as part of your boat payment. You never know when you'll need it. Park it with friends while sailing and pick up a good foldable gas bike for the boat. Save every penny you can, good deals can be made in all kinds of places. Ebay, classifieds etc and you may need that car to search marinas for a boat. Tons of good boats $7,000 to $10,000 My deadline is in June 2015 and I'll be in Cheasapeak Bay too, maybe we'll run into each other or the dock! haha So glad to hear you're doing this NOW and I wish you and yours the very best of luck.

I defiantly look forward to a meet up in the Chesapeake. One of the most incredible things about this lifestyle is the community that resides within it!

In such a self centered world where everyone seems to worship the dollar. The sailboat community is quite helpful while disregarding the "I need stuff" persona

But as for selling the car, I do have two. One for myself & one for my fiancé. I will be selling mine & we will be keeping hers as a fail safe for as you said searching for boats, picking up friend from airport etc


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[barnakiel]

Welcome!

You have this speculative writer's mind you know.

Stop speculating. Go for it.

Burn NO bridges.

If you like it, you will stick with it. If you do not, you will be free to go on to the next best thing.

Keep your options open. Do your thing now that you are alive.

Cheers,
b.

[fatherchronica]

I live on the West coast, and we are leaving for Chile next month. It took us a long time to go as we had a bunch of kids and houses and a business that we let hold us here. Out here there are still a lot of people with boats they cannot afford or don't use anymore. I saw a 50 foot Del Rey that was abandoned at the yard some guy had taken it to to build it out maybe 40 years ago be given away by the yard just a few months ago. I see boats for free or near free all the time. What I am getting at is that I bet a lot of folks in similar circumstances would be eager to have a car they could park in driveway and no longer pay slip fees on. Good luck