Too Late To Start ?

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by Wavewacker

My problem is that I'm in Mo. and can't be running all over the country looking at a boat. That's why I'm considering a build, of some kind. I have some 30' ponttons available locally, 30" tubes...big ones. It might be just as easy to start from scratch.....thus my question above.

There are plenty of boats available, and places to sail them in Missouri, check this link: Missouri sailboats for sale by owner. Plenty of boats in every price range and Stockton Lake is a good place to learn how to sail.

Of course you might really want a Redneck Yacht

[Wavewacker]

Originally Posted by Don1500

There are plenty of boats available, and places to sail them in Missouri, check this link: Missouri sailboats for sale by owner. Plenty of boats in every price range and Stockton Lake is a good place to learn how to sail.

Of course you might really want a Redneck Yacht

LOL!!

I know Jeff at Stockton and have been there many times, a great guy and his heart as a dealer is well anchored in Hunters. They are very nice and I have not really found a deal, that's not to say there are not boats for sale.

What I have found is that the trailerable run of the mill production boats are not large enough and most at Stockton are older fixed keel boats, and many without trailers having you "buy in" to morrages on the lake and that's not where I'm going. Even when they are suitable, prices are not in line with other areas and the difference in price pays for the trip...for sure, what I should do is talk seriously with owners and brokers, get more pics and dig in.

I know stockton, Table Rock and Lake of the Ozarks pretty well. Probably the better deals are at Lake Ozarks on a larger boat, on a cruiser and they will usually have twin V8s as that's what is most common in the area and I had a gas guzzler and it took awhile to dump it, I'm not going there again.

And, I also have some other things to get straight before taking the plunge. If I found a heck of a deal that met my requirements I'd go for it, but so far it's run of the mill.

I'm also undecided about buying the best I can or getting a deal and building it suit. Money is an object.

I'm really leaning toward a build, I can't get the quality of a production boat but it could meet my requirements.

That's why my first question was really,are my goals reasonable considering my age and beginner abilities. I'm getting past that....

No, I really don't want an eye sore or a shanty, unique is OK, but not an Ozarkian Cruiser, lol.

[jannpage]

Hello. Great question and great to see there is still some sense of adventure left in both of you.
I am 82 and the lady who shares her life with me is not far behind. We started "living aboard" in 1998. Since then we have 3 600 mile and another 2500 mile trip plus months and weeks in one marina or another and thousands of short trips.. I admit we are both pretty healthy for our age and have a fairly liberal cruising budget. And we live a lot larger than we ever thought possible to do on that budget. We are not limited to $500 a month.

First I would say that "living aboard" is very very individual. Some peaple almost never leave the marina. Some are in a different port every night. Some are almost never in port. Some have a winter spot and a summer spot. Almost an infinite variety of styles. Some of their slips look like they are transplanted farmers or gardeners. Some alternate between the boat and an an RV of some sort. Sone have no other transportation, many have a dinghy and some have a car. Some have bikes and some some seem to have a whole bunch of things. So " living aboard" is a lot of different things.

And of course marinas differ. Some virtually prohibit working on the boat, others are almost exclusive do-it-yourself boat building/rebuilding. Some are darned pricey and some are nearly free. Some marinas have a courtesy vehicle that is nearly free. and loaner bikes.

And cruising grounds are as varied. I know people who trailer a small boat using it and a a tent or a camper and spend a lot of time in State and Federal forests for a few dollars a day and water so clear you are temped to drink it straight out of the lake. I have even seen the like in the Keys. On the other hand I have been in slips next to million dollar vessels. In Monico I have been surrounded by dozens of 150ft yachts each burning more fuel keeping the Air Conditioning running for the night than I use in a year.

The point is there is an infinite variety or ways to go and do and enjoy it all. They are all - right. And fairly easy to change about.

In most cases, it you buy your boat with reasonable care you can always sell it fairly quickly for most of what it cost you. Sometimes even make a dollar or two. So it almost never needs to be much money down the hole. So don't overly worry about making a fatal mistake.

If you learn to read the charts and pay attention to the weather and listen to the chatter about the dock you will be able to avoid danger and as well or better than the less mobile land lubbers.

Frankly, we have never had a scare. Now and then after it was all over we realized it could have gotten scary, but it did not. Perhaps because we were careful and prepared and reasonably skillful.

May I suggest that if you can, try to find a Catamaran in you budget range. YOu will both like the stability of it. It isn't just the heeling us older folks mind. It is the rocking. You can't safely walk anywhere. I lean to a sailing Cat. When the weather and wind is right it is cheap way to go. Even under power we tend to motor along at 5 or 6 knots - all day on 10 gallons. Much better than 10 gal or more an hour. I have a frinnd who tows and lauches his 20ft gas powered boat cause it is so much cheaper to tow it at 10 or less MPG than run it on the water. Course he is just weekending. On the other hand, there is lots of stink pot "bargains" out there.
And watch out for cramped beds. I want a dedicated bed that is comfortable for the two of us.

Good luck . Cheers

Page

[Wavewacker]

Thanks, very good tips and I am probably over concerned about the depreciation aspect. I don't recall a baot or any other vehicle that I did not sell for less than I bought it for.....so, I expect a loss.

Hopefully, it will be my last boat, sure hope so!

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by jannpage

Hello. Great question and great to see there is still some sense of adventure left in both of you.
I am 82 and the lady who shares her life with me is not far behind. We started "living aboard" in 1998. Since then we have 3 600 mile and another 2500 mile trip plus months and weeks in one marina or another and thousands of short trips.. I admit we are both pretty healthy for our age and have a fairly liberal cruising budget. And we live a lot larger than we ever thought possible to do on that budget. We are not limited to $500 a month.

First I would say that "living aboard" is very very individual. Some peaple almost never leave the marina. Some are in a different port every night. Some are almost never in port. Some have a winter spot and a summer spot. Almost an infinite variety of styles. Some of their slips look like they are transplanted farmers or gardeners. Some alternate between the boat and an an RV of some sort. Sone have no other transportation, many have a dinghy and some have a car. Some have bikes and some some seem to have a whole bunch of things. So " living aboard" is a lot of different things.

And of course marinas differ. Some virtually prohibit working on the boat, others are almost exclusive do-it-yourself boat building/rebuilding. Some are darned pricey and some are nearly free. Some marinas have a courtesy vehicle that is nearly free. and loaner bikes.

And cruising grounds are as varied. I know people who trailer a small boat using it and a a tent or a camper and spend a lot of time in State and Federal forests for a few dollars a day and water so clear you are temped to drink it straight out of the lake. I have even seen the like in the Keys. On the other hand I have been in slips next to million dollar vessels. In Monico I have been surrounded by dozens of 150ft yachts each burning more fuel keeping the Air Conditioning running for the night than I use in a year.

The point is there is an infinite variety or ways to go and do and enjoy it all. They are all - right. And fairly easy to change about.

In most cases, it you buy your boat with reasonable care you can always sell it fairly quickly for most of what it cost you. Sometimes even make a dollar or two. So it almost never needs to be much money down the hole. So don't overly worry about making a fatal mistake.

If you learn to read the charts and pay attention to the weather and listen to the chatter about the dock you will be able to avoid danger and as well or better than the less mobile land lubbers.

Frankly, we have never had a scare. Now and then after it was all over we realized it could have gotten scary, but it did not. Perhaps because we were careful and prepared and reasonably skillful.

May I suggest that if you can, try to find a Catamaran in you budget range. YOu will both like the stability of it. It isn't just the heeling us older folks mind. It is the rocking. You can't safely walk anywhere. I lean to a sailing Cat. When the weather and wind is right it is cheap way to go. Even under power we tend to motor along at 5 or 6 knots - all day on 10 gallons. Much better than 10 gal or more an hour. I have a frinnd who tows and lauches his 20ft gas powered boat cause it is so much cheaper to tow it at 10 or less MPG than run it on the water. Course he is just weekending. On the other hand, there is lots of stink pot "bargains" out there.
And watch out for cramped beds. I want a dedicated bed that is comfortable for the two of us.

Good luck . Cheers

Page

+ ... Great post, and truly inspiring.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Wavewacker

. . . While my thought was using tubes, it's not modifying an existing pontoon boat. I wish I could load pics, I'm technologically deficient. More like a hull with amas, cabin forward...might be too wild, marinas might not let it in...LOL. . .

That sounds like a main hull with outriggers/amas or in other words a "trimaran." Personal opinion, but for speed you cannot beat them, but for comfort and live-aboard, they are a bit of a challenge due to size and weight distribution limits.

If you are talking of "circumnavigating the eastern US via the Mississippi; Gulf of Mexico; Atlantic Ocean; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; Hudson River and Erie Canal; then Great Lakes back to the Mississippi - then a power yacht is probably what you want. Since most of the way you will be motoring on down canals and waterways that are too narrow or sheltered for sailing in a sailboat.

- - One "hybrid" might be the Corsair F-27 folding trimaran (white with red hull). See: Corsair F-27: Popular foldable sports-cruiser trimaran

- - Or the shorter F-22 version (blue hull): Farrier F-22 Trailerable Trimaran

[Soundtrackzz]

Tristan Jones crossed the atlantic alone on one leg. then he lost the other and did it again! you can do this

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Soundtrackzz

Tristan Jones crossed the atlantic alone on one leg. then he lost the other and did it again! you can do this

Yes, you can!.....I love the Tristan Jones stories, but they're not without some embelishment,- fun, but incredible for a reason.

[jannpage]

I recall a bridge tender many years ago near Tampa. A fellow who was behind my little old H Cat Ketch (Not Catamaran but Cat rigged) with a lovely fairly fast French Monohull was harrassing the tender on the VHF to get it open so he could be on his way. Finally the tender reponded with "if you are in a hurry. you have the wrong mode of transportation" I always think of that when people talk of speed and sailboat. Particularly newbees and wanabees who combine cruising BS with speed and long distance and time low cost and low depreciation. Most Monhull are as fast (or faster) than Catamarans or Trimarans under long distance cruising circunstances. Ask any cruising sailor. I recall passing a couple of Tri's that day. Course my cat rig was fast for a Mono and though I was "cruising" it was only a 2 week lease so I was fairly light and was only carrying a little water. I typically carry nearly 150 gallons of water and and 80 gallons of diesel in a 10 meter Catamaran and 10 gallons of propane.

The points are:
fast is rarely comfortable for long.
It is hard on the boat and on the occupants
It limits supplys
It limits range
It adds cost
The first mate rarely likes it
It is tiring
Often the wind is not very cooperative.
The direct route is often the less interesting.

And do you want to guess who took his good old time moving ther next several miles up the narrow and busy channel after the bridge opened? The guy in front of me!!

RE doing the great loop. Most any boat will do. A sailboat with a tabernacle rig would be the cheapest operation. A Nimble wanderer? Or a Cat like a Gemini would do it pretty nicely and still be comfortable. (They both have great berths for a couple, anchor well, get into shallow water nicely, carry a good load and enough water for several days, generally park easily and cheaply in most marinas.
\But there really are a lot of great boats for the job.

But fast isd not my way to do it.

Cheers

PJSSAILOR

[Wavewacker]

Yes, to me speed is no longer much of a consideration. The furtherest out I would be is from the northern gulf coast southerly to Florida, I understand it's 160 miles of open sea. This is a shory cut but you could still hug the coat. I'd rather make it in 10 hours than 20, but what is the cost of those additional 10 hours?

I also understand that alot of the trip would be in speed zones and no wake areas anyway. My thought, if not a specific build, is a larger sailboat with an outboard. Lower the mast or even take it off and use it as a Strawler (sailboat trawler). Economy is paramont, small outboard.

So, a mono is faster than a tri or cat on long runs?

[osirissail]

A sailboat without a mast is nothing you want to be out in the ocean with. That mast is the main stability engine for a sailboat. The inertia of the mast keeps the boat from rolling gunwale to gunwale even in mild seas.
- - A multihull without a mast is an entirely different animal. The wide "footprint" of the two or three hulls effectively limit or stop the rolling.

[Soundtrackzz]

but a monohull wont pitchpole like a multihull will

[osirissail]

Where did you get that from? Mono or multi-hull - when the boat are driven down-wind/wave in wave heights equaling or exceeding the LOA both will pitchpole. This happens to mono-hulls out of So Africa in the southern ocean.
- - Roll-overs are more frequent in mono-hulls but more problematical in multi-hulls. Although if you are in seas big enough to roll the boat, most likely it will roll upright again.
- - In all cases going out in such conditions with either a mono or a multi is not exactly prudent behavior.
- - Don't confuse "Hobi-cats" with cruising multi-hulls. They are different animals.

By the way Tristan Jones is best known for his fiction than the reality of his exploits:
Tristan Jones

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tristan Jones at book signing, Annapolis Sailboat Show 1987


Tristan Jones (May 8, 1929 - June 21, 1995) was an author and mariner who wrote numerous books and articles, many in the first person, about sailing. His stories tended to be a combination of both fact and fiction in the tradition of Welsh story tellers and it has often been difficult to tell these apart.

[Wavewacker]

So, a sailboat under power will be rocking like that?

[osirissail]

A moving monohull sailboat in the ocean swells/waves without masts will roll dramatically - obviously it is under motor power since there are no masts/sails. A monohull sailboat with masts but without any sails up will roll almost as dramatically.
- - The masts provide large moment of inertia to stabilize a sailboat. When the sails are up and sheeted in, the side surface and wind pressure on the sails will stabilize a sailboat.
- - Monohull power yacht will also roll dramatically in the ocean unless they have stabilizers. Which is one big reason that "power-cats" are becoming very popular.