Dream Boat or go ASAP?

[boatman61]

Dream Boat, or... Go ASAP..??
ASAP...
Lotta folk waste years looking..
Another lot spend decades trying to get there..
Oppssss...!! can't sail yet.. there's a new piece of kit out... our CP's obsolete...

[Boatguy30]

There is an old saying. "You can have either time or money"

I reckon I have a bare minimum amount of each and today happens to be my birthday. You surely want a decent boat but something like a Pearson Ariel, well found, is more than adequate if you're keen to go.

[Group9]

If you're going to go, go. A lot of people can find a lot of reasons not to go. When we went, we stopped at a marina in Marathon, FL. On both sides of us were boats who told us they were getting ready to go cruising. One had been "getting ready" for three years and the other one had been "getting ready" for five years. I'm sure they are both still there.

[SmartMove]

Go now, you won't regret it and you won't miss the dream boat because you will be living the dream!


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Cap Erict3]

Originally Posted by SmartMove

Go now, you won't regret it and you won't miss the dream boat because you will be living the dream!


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

I can't agree more. If you are in the position to afford to provision and leave in a craft you consider seaworthy then ,by all means, cast off your lines and find out if the life truly suits you and yours.

If you find that it's everything you dreamed of, great. If not then you haven't wasted years preparing the perfect boat only to discover the life isn't for you.

Black Oak's trials and tribulations are a great read. Very entertaining and educational.

[Cheechako]

Had every bit as much fun in my 30 footer as any...

[sailorboy1]

In the end how many people ever really have their "dream" boat anyway?

Wonder what type of dream house they live in or the dream car they drive. Must be a dream life

[SV THIRD DAY]

I've been seeing them all week folks while standing here in the Annapolis Boat show booth. Their search and quest for the perfect boat, the right time, enough cruising kitty, the right gear in and of itself IS now the dream. While talking to them I know they will never actually go cruising not because they can't but because their quest for perfection has made the cruising dream unobtainable for them. I told one such dreamer yesterday to forget about saving another year to be able to afford one of my water makers and just GO and go now while he could.

There was another guy that has been in my booth for the last 5 years planning his dream...well he now has prostate cancer that went into his bones...he has 6 months left according to his doctor and that is what it finally took to push him off the dock....don't let that be you!!!

[weavis]

Here is what I did. Im looking for a particular vessel. My timing is not just right and I can wait.

However, I wanted to sail so I went in with my nephew on a boat. Now Im sure if nephew was not around, I would have got one anyway. Im still looking for my vessel, but sailing as well.

Dont miss out on sailing for the sake of getting perfection...... Call the interim vessel you buy a 'deposit' and then go sailing.....

[Hudson Force]

I've never had a "dream boat", but I moved aboard young with knowing I couldn't afford a house and boat too!

We retired early for full time cruising. Not because we made a lot of money, but because we lived on less than we earned.

Many could fullfill their dreams of having more by doing with less!

[belizesailor]

Met a guy yesterday who reminded me of why I punched out early. He and his wife planned and waited till normal retirement age, although they could have afforded to retire earlier. Retired, moved to Pamama, wife died shortly thereafter. Now he's a bit sad, angry, and lost.

A sad but very common story. I know a number of men & women like him. After normal retirement age, actuarial statistics are not in your favor...that's why pension plans can work...most retirees don't live that much longer.

If the numbers are workable then GO! You do not need the "perfect" boat...sitting dockside searching and dreaming is a comfortable trap...I've watched people do it for years and never go.

I was fortunate, the numbers worked out very early for me. I "reallocated my time" (don't like "retired" ) over a decade ago and still have another decade until I reach legal retirement age. Every time I meet guys like the one above, I'm thankful I bailed out early.

Bought my first cruising boat for $35K. Mininal systems, traditional mono layout, sailed great. Had a blast on it. Sometimes, especially after a long day of maintaining all the fancy systems on my current boat, I think of going back to a simple traditional boat.

Sure, cruising a well equipped cat is more comfortable and has room for guests, but spending big bucks on the ultimate boat is not necessary. And it means less money in your cruising kitty and bigger maintenance time and expenses.

Dream about your "dream boat" while cruising. Experience will change your dream. What you think is awesome today won't be the same after years of experience. I have a constantly changing ultimate cruising boat design in my head. If I waited till I perfected the design and had it built, I'd be too old to sail it.

Unplug yourself from the Matrix and GO!

[Mike OReilly]

Like most people posting here, I'm in the "go now" crowd ... however, I also don't think there is anything wrong with a little thoughtful planning. Get a good, solid boat with excellent basic systems. Learn to sail, and to cruise (these are not the same thing). If that takes a few years, so be it. But don't get caught in the never-ending cycle of turning wants into needs.

First off, there is no such thing as the perfect boat. Perfection in anything is an illusion, and demanding perfection is the script used by those who never leave the dock. My mantra is: "That's good enough!" But it's easy to be seduced by all the wants that somehow turn into needs. Our capitalist society operates on this principle, so it's little wonder potential cruisers get stuck in this vicious cycle as well.

Use to be that 32 to 40 footers were the BIG boats. Now everyone needs at least a 45 footer, and probably a catamaran to boot. Cruisers used to sail without all the electrical and techno gadgets. Now everyone needs electric windlasses, winches, inmast furling, fridge/freezer, water maker, multiple heads (preferably with separate showers), plotters, autopilots, radar, AIS, sounders, stereos, TV, cell phones, SSB, sat phone, EPIRB, life rafts, wifi boosters, etc., etc., etc. Some of this stuff is great, but the quest to have it all, or to have the current versions, is just another form of procrastination/perfectionism.

I'm firmly in the Hudson Force camp on this. Don't get caught up in the unending race to turn wants into needs. Be smart, but go now. Live well. Enjoy.

[Cap Erict3]

This is a "dream boat" of a good man that passed away. Plenty of room for dancing. On deck and below. I posted the ad for the Iron Lady here to help a nice lady sell a great boat.

Come and kick the tires. I have heard mixed stories about the broker so drop by Bayland marina in Baytown, Tx if his demeanor puts you off.

Contact me here or tell the folks at the store you're looking for Mc'Guiver.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

....

My mantra is: "That's good enough!"
....

One of my favorite similar quotes "Never let perfect be the enemy of good".

[FollowingCs]

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful posts. Returning from the Annapolis boat show this weekend, we saw an accident on 71 North, where a young 20-something year old girl was killed. We actually saw them covering up the body on the other side of the highway. It was sad.

Just prior to the boat show, we got some news from friends of ours. They have been live aboard since 2007, and cruising the Caribbean yearly returning to Florida. They had planned a Panama canal passage this fall, and I was possibly going to help them crew, but now he is going through cancer treatment stuck in Florida for at least a year. Hopefully they can get back out there.

The great news from the boat show is that 'The Admiral' was very engaged talking with people, and asking ownership questions about the boats. It was nice to see her firmly engaged. It also helped that every other Admiral that she talked to had the same story... "my husband dragged me in to this, it took about 2 years to convince me, I wish we would had done it sooner..."

We are now definitely on the 'go ASAP' track. We looked at new boats, but we both drive 10 year old cars, so we are fine with 'new to us, but functional'. We have some planning to do, some finances to get in order, some downsizing to occur, and one more kid to get out of high school and off to college (or she might come with us and take a year off school.), but we are definitely on the 'go ASAP' path.

We've also redefined our idea of 'perfect' boat, which is helpful.
1. probably a catamaran. just couldn't get the Admiral to like the monos, or sailing at 5 degree tilt. Annapolis also got a little bumpy right when she was on several of the monos.... the sailing gods spoke....
2. definitely used, probably older so we can go faster (i.e. cheaper).
3. storage
4. water maker
5. systems I can fix myself

as for all the other stuff - manufacturer, solar vs. non, saildrive vs shaft, etc etc - i'm just not going to worry about until we are actually looking at boats ready to make offers, and then we'll weigh the trade-offs.

All the best,
~Following C's~