Hello - Newcomer Lookin' for Advice

[vidar]

ok I'm unsure of if this is the right thread but here is my story and the advice I'm asking.

I'm 23, and looking to get a boat around 30-35ish feet. don't know anybody that has cruised or lived aboard before but i am going to do it already have my mind made up. i will be living aboard solo with no experience on sailboats.
I don't have access to anyway to learn and sail where i am at unfortunately.

I have a 40pd black lab/britney spanial mix. who has never even seen a boat before. but she follows me everywhere i make about 600-700$ a month. found a marina that will take me for about 300 a month.
shouldnt have any boat payments as i ahve been saving for this for 6 years in a crappy job i did not like. only boat maintanence and repairs are my biggest worry as i dont have experiance with them.

are other livaboards willing to teach others proper ways of maintaining and repairing a boat? i dont mind shelling out a few $. if need be i can increase my income about 1-2000$ for any given month. as i am prone to being a guinne pig for pharmicutical companies when i need the extra cash.

there are other livaboards and cruisers where i am wanting to go do they teach people to sail or are others willing to take me out on a day trip my boat or theirs? so i can get some experiance i prefer not to take classes as they tend to mess up my entire week.

I'm not the most socialable person im likeable just not socialable and tend to keep to myself unless some 1 approaches me.

any advice on how much maintanence usually is when you first buy a boat? i cant afford a new one but can afford a 80's-90's 30ish footer and i know when i get one some 1 is gonna have something on it jerry rigged or it will need something like paint or glasswork done. i do know how to glass work i think i seen some 1 do it online and think i can do it myself but always appriciate advice.

i havent found the boat i want yet but do have some good finds i have to travel to look at them and am makin a list. so i can do all my searching in a few weeks.

does anyone have a pc onboard? i dislike laptops but do own one. and would prefer a desktop is it feasible to sail with one on board?


have already read about showers laundry and internet.

is there some 1 i can pay to go do my laundry at the marina's i hate doing laundry and often end up with blue/pink colered stuff.if not i think i can manage or just find a girlfriend to do it for me

do livaboards/cruisers share recipes often?

[James S]

I'm not sure how to take your post....almost seems like your baiting us.
If your normal income is $600 to $700 a month and you expect to pay $300 for dock space...and you want to pay someone to do your laundry....Seem like you may be cutting a little close to the bone.
If you want other live-aboards to help show you how to do things you may want to work on being a little more out going.....makes a HUGE difference.

[vidar]

not trying to bait any one i can do my laundry my self but would rather throw it overboard than look at it.

i dunno what outgoing is pls explain?

and no im in no way calling liveaboards hippies or anything nor did i ask for free love just wondering if its feasible and how to go about doing so.

ive always cut things close to the bone its how i like it.

and was wondering what the average cost for repairs and maintanece is when you first buy a boat.


and yes i am sorry for soinding like im baiting i kinda forgot that livaboars/cruisers are mostly old people. no flame intended


and i had 1 more question it poped into my mind has any one sailed near somolia? just wondering because i was planning to do so for my first trip from the usa to there and back. are there any choices on the caliber of gun i would need to do this? or any specific bullet resistant hulls i need to look for?? also i would need a god camera that i can put ontop the mast with an electronic turning thingy so i can point it at somolia.
i just wanna be able to say i seen it!!

and just like your wondering i do tend to do things that are crazy most of the time.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by vidar

has any one sailed near somolia? just wondering because i was planning to do so for my first trip from the usa to there and back. are there any choices on the caliber of gun i would need to do this?

Yes thats a great idea for you to do!

Caliber of gun? Same as your IQ




Mark

[vidar]

yall are mean!!

[Rising Star]

Fighting "somolia" pirates requires a deck mounted 20 mm gun with depleted urainum bullets. After loading and cocking always look down the barrel first to see if a bullet is in the chamber.

[johnar]

I wish I would have moved onto my boat when i was your age.

First off the cost to keep the boat running is based of the shape the boat is in when you buy it. If your handy with tools you will save alot.

I do not understand how you could know your slip fee without know the size boat yet. Will the slip fee come with electric, water, showers, so on?

When you talk about a live aboard you need to keep in mind Refigeration, cooking.

As for a desktop computer on a boat, I have one on my boat and know a number of people that do.

Learning to sail, When i got my boat two years ago I did not really know anything, I would read day and night, watch Videos on Utube and then I would go out on the river and try the things i read about.

In a Marina you will find a number of different types of people, People that have a boat and live on it but never untie it from the dock, weekenders that come and sail maybe one day a month. But what you will find most of all are people that have a boat and think they know it all because they have sailed b4, they are very willing to give advice. You can think of it as a trailer park. A peyton place.

The Marina I live at I would guess there are about 30 sail boats and in my two years here have only seen maybe 4 untie from the dock. Myself I sail a few times a month but am still learning.

I hope this info help.

Dutch

[vidar]

thanks johnar thats more of what i was looking to hear vs the flame on of these other guys. i have the dock prices on per foot it comes with electricity and showers, laundry is close by. i dont know what kind of boat i want but am looking for something in the 30'ish range.

i wont get 1 that doesn't float as i am probably gonna have to transport it to where the dock is. which i will eigther hire somebody to come with me or look for some 1 that wants a ride that knows how to sail.

any specific type of boat that is good for some one that doesnt know much about it?

[rebel heart]

Get an Ericson; quality boat, and some of the early 80's and late 70's models can be had cheap. They'll take you a long way.

[vidar]

are there any other types i should look at? i have seen some good looking ones online that are cheap.

[jdoe71]

If you're really serious about the Somalia thing, maybe one of these?

British Warships for sale: $400,000 each : Old Salt Blog – a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea

But seriously, boat yards are full of older boats right now that people have just walked away from, just get out and start looking, you'll find one pretty easily. Be prepared to do some work though.

[Solitude]

Wow is this serious?.....

[vidar]

no hes not serious and yes he is serious
serious about findin a boat not serious about getten himself killed

[Sea Ghost]

When I bought my live aboard boat, the initial cost of a pre-purchase survey, insurance, CG Documentation, not including any finance charges totalled around $6000. My monthly repair bill depends on what I feel like fixing myself, I leave all the mechanical stuff to the professionals. I needed new risers for the port engine, but if your buying a sail boat I'm sure you can figure that out, if you make a friend in the marina that knows something about FWC engines. I've recarpeted my entire boat, because the orginial carpet was Purple!!!! Cost of about $2000. I also have constent leaks, which is normal, I'm getting all new windows, another $6000.

If you think you can live off of $300 a month, I hope you know how fish because my weekly expenses are well over $300 but I do eat out a lot, kick on a couple of beer leagues. Also, good luck getting a girlfriend they are even more expensive, mine doesn't like coming over because of the massive spider problem we have in the marina.

As for Somalia, I don't think its about the size of the gun, its the amount of ammo. They use AK-47 and RPG-7, ammo is heavy which will slow you down unless you shoot them. Try carrying an ammo box of 500 rounds of 5.56mm, and its about 50lbs. But, you defently need something belt fed, a .50 cal round weighs about 1.2lbs and I wouldn't touch somalia with less than 2000 round, sailing at 7kts I think you might want to see Chuck Norris or Jack Bauer and get some hand to hand combat skills.

[feelsgood]

First GUNS and Boats dont mix unless you are in the navy. Second get someone that knows about yachts to help you choose. Third you seem to have a funny attitude not sure if you are funny or sarcastic. Fourth in this forum you are in touch with some of the nicest people I have shared a forum with so BIG lesson FREE LISTEN.LISTEN then LISTEN again to the advice you get.
Regards Pete