Too Late To Start ?

[scorpio49]

you sound like me.my kids major concern is if i have a will.i bailed out in 1999 and moved to southern baja.i also have 2 anchors.both are pure blooded mexican street dogs.annie is the size of a very small pony.buddy is a scraggly little terrrier (i think)if it wasn't so terribly hot here on the sea of cortez,i wouldn't think of leaving in the summer.as it is i'll be going to portland,(most likely) buying a small boat learning to sail and and keeping cool.i'd like to take both dogs but i don't know about annie.i'm trying to get into shape.i'm 74 years old with 2 steel knees.i've lost over 30 pounds in the last 4 months.25 more to go and i should be able to handle about anything that comes along.i may be a little dingy but i'll be ready to go.

[Epsilon]

Hello,

I am 77 years old and last year Ijust baught à 31.6 Feet motor sailor, as I did not hold a helm for more than, 60 years I started slowly.
To day I have done 1400 nautics miles over Greece sea without problem, and I live on board my boat 10/12 month year.

It is never too late and ... if you want you can.

Sorry for my broken english I am French (nobody is perfect)

[MANLEYONE]

Your English is fine. I got the message and good for You. I've already been convinced that I am going to do it; just got to get out of the Midwest and moved to the coast where I can begin the process. Thanks for the comment. :-)

[Irish rambler]

Do you know what ? Go for Adventure before Dementia, you have one life, Live it ! anyone starting out can get all the info from the good folks here on CF, anything you need to know just ask and someone will help you.

[Wavewacker]

Well, counting my nickels to see where I am. After the sewer went through I'm losing equity and I started a project that needs more money thrown at it before it will sell....hmmmm, my bad as the kids say. I'd like to walk away but can't do that, I have very good credit.

So far very good advice and you guys are great! The older ones here are making me more optimistic and making me look silly at my young age.

Guess I could go down to Texas where my son is and try out the live aboard lifestyle at the lake on his 50' Sundancer, I wouldn't want the fuel bills on that thing so I'm sure I'd stay at the docks! LOL Afraid that wouldn't last long, second thought.

Saturday, I'm headed up to Stockton lake. It's a small lake where most of the sailors are around here and snoop for "for sale signs", there is a small Morgan up there.

It's a romantic notion I've had since I was a kid that comes and goes, but it's on the front burner now and I need to get out there. Need to get on some boats and see if I can see myself actually doing it.

I'll bet there are some project boats out there that could work, though about making a strawler, a sailboat with a 20/25 horse OB and taking the mast down....probably a sin to say that here.. Since I have no real ambition to cross any oceans and cruise rivers and the ICWs, it's a thought as the conversion is way cheaper than a Hatteras, almost at a throw away price.

[Irish rambler]

Every body has a dream of some sort but when looking at boats, it's especially very easy to look at them through rose tinted glasses, your maxim should be, buy with the wallet, not the heart. When most people dream of retiring they often forget that their income will be slashed too, while that may be fine for a week or two you must look at the longer term to be realistic. Think of what you wish to do ? where you wish to go ? how long for and how quickly ? on what income ? that will determine your hull shape. Before you go looking at boats write down all the things you would like on a boat, take your camera and a clipboard, don't be suprised if none ticks all your wish list, why do you think there are rarely two boats the same in a marina ? Patience pays off. Good luck in chasing your dream.

[Don1500]

I hit the water one year ago. I am 64 and now I can not see me ever going back to a grounded house. Every night I sit on deck and say "It can't get any better than this." and it does.

[tager]

Too late to start cruising? How about too late not to?

People tell me I am too young and broke to be retired, but I am doing it anyway. Do what your heart tells you to do!

[Wavewacker]

LOL, Irish, you're right! I have owned boats before, the hole in the water in which you fill with money! As I've mentioned, I'd probably end up as a river rat along the major rivers in the mid west and east. Not really sure, for one thing, I haven't sailed for about 40 years, while it may be like riding a bike, I wasn't that good at it to go off shore, so from any river I could always swim to shore!

Went to Stockton and toured around, a few boats were out in Dec! Nothing seem to press any buttons for me at least in the initial price range I'm thinking.....like cheap!

Don, I know you pulled the trigger, gosh, it's been a year already? Seems you started here about the same time I did as we had some discussions about getting away. I guess I need to get my azz in gear!

I have messed around insisting on taking that dual sport motorcycle with me somehow and started thinking on building a wood landing craft with a aft cabin, 30' and a small OB. Drew sketches, researched, asked questions and figured I could do that, then reality hits and says it's much, much cheaper to buy a boat!

While the bike is bulky, it's only 325 lbs empty, a 650 Honda Transalp, but that's another story.....

I figured after Sandy there would be all kinds of boats for sale in need of some repair. I might be dumb enough to chase down a good shoal draft boat that had been demasted and slap an OB on the back may be add some fuel tanks. I know, that's a sin....lol

Have made some progress I think, told the college kids it was time to fly the coupe. Told the gf to get this stuff gone. Made arrangements to give the kids the gradma stuff passed down from the family that we seem to be the heirloom guardians of. Paid off some bills and rearranged some others with the prospect of selling one of my vehicles. So, I am moving along!

Back to boats, I need one that is bomb and fool proof, simple to maintain, easy to operate alone, can be well insulated and store enough cold beer.

I may stay at a marina awhile but I think I'm really going to be on the hook most of the time. If I wasn't cruising I see myself gunkholing.

I've been reading the cruising with pets threads and I'm not sure how two large smelly dogs would work out. They have both been on my cuddy at the lake, one loves it, the other tolerates the water but puts up with the ride. But that was not living with them aboard and one makes piles like a horse! Gag!

Also, still trying to better define the dream as Irish mentioned, what actually to do? Has anyone pulled a smaller boat, like a 22-26 footer with a truck, hit the road jumping from one lake to another? Anyone live aboard while on the trailer? Crisscrossing the country and hitting different cruising areas might be entertaining. If I ever got brave enough to head to the Bahamas I could always store the truck and trailer.....

[Don1500]

Wavewacker. Only one thing to say: SOGOTP! Stop planning everything and do it. You'll make mistakes, I did, we all do. But until you're out there it's all talk.

Well, I sanded and varnished one handrail today, time for a nap.

With apologies to Willie:
On my boat again,
I can't wait to be on my boat again.
Living life the way I like,
Getting groceries on my bike,
I can't wait to be on my boat again.

(wrote this while aground for a week and a half at Seabrook when the boat was being painted.)

[Irish rambler]

What about a 30' single inboard cabin cruiser on a 2 axle trailer ? small enough to tow with something like a Mercedes sprinter van (bike and tools inside), large enough for coastal hops and just great for the Intra-coastal. You can trail n sail wherever you the notion takes you and sleep in it when moving between cruising grounds, I'd give the dogs to a good home. If the kids are over 21, stop the free board, laundry and feeding, they'll soon leave and fend for themselves. Actually you'll be doing them a favour by learning them to be independant and stand on their own two feet, if they've got no money,tough titty, tell them to find a job.

[Wavewacker]

Don, actually it's not just SOGOTHP, life goes deeper than that in reality.

Short of a law suit and havung the sherrif toss the littlr ungratefuls out, I've made it pretty clear! The gf is a horder who has clogged up the house to the point I can't make any improvements to get it sold! We are not married and I can force it, but it's going to take time either way.

Oh, I'm ready to go, besides the dogs!

Oh, believe me, I'm more than motivated!

Saw some nice boats searching today, spent about 6 hours on line. Saw a nice S2 30 footer that seemed to do the trick and an older trawler, so much more room on the trawlers with real refigerators! Tempting! A 36' Trojan with seperate staerooms means the dogs can have thier own room !!!! But I do want to sail...

[Irish rambler]

Stop putting money in the house and they'll get the message.
You what ! you want a cabin on board for dogs ! I think your spelling dog backwards.
I went through similar and it can be soul destroying if you let it, after trying to be gentlemanly with everyone I found they were only hanging on for what they could get. Check out the legal side and shift them sharpish. Good luck.

[GaryMayo]

Really enjoy this thread.

[Hudson Force]

I remain all in favor of the boat as a single unit with nothing owned ashore. The idea of traveling with a truck and the boat on a trailer sounds appealing when you consider the many opportunities for quickly changing cruising areas, but there is a great appeal in the long slow cruise without complications. With every launch of the trailered boat you must find a location to store your shore property and then cruise back to your starting point and this requires a suitable ramp with likely storage fees. We keep two small folding bicycles aboard, two small kayaks on the deck and an dinghy on davits. These are all fairly slow means of transport, but they easily remain with us and our life doesn't require that we be at any place quickly. We crusie to higher latitudes in the summer and low in the winter. You only need to average about 13 miles a day for this. 'works for us, but there are many different good plans.