Hello everyone, I've always wanted to get my own sailboat and go see all the wondrous places this world has stowed away. I had always thought it impossible due to cost, until recently. My Dad lucked out and got a 42ft 1969 Trojan that was, for the most part structurally intact with much cosmetic damage. Its a great
project boat, for just a couple hundred dollars. So i realized you can get deals on boats, talked to a few friends(of whom I've in the past lived with cram packed in a small house for a time,) started looking for a boat(my father is also a master with construction and especially
wood.) and gathering info. Thats what brings me to this forum. From what I've gathered so far, i need a
boat with with a heavy
displacement, a thick
hull,
full keel, over sized
rigging, small thick portholes, general design, the appropriate
navigation gear, and such. I really want to accomplish this while i am still young and resilient. My plan is this; learn to sail on this huge lake in
Texas on my fathers buddies 22ft sailboat( and make a point of it to
head out during bad storms,) find a
seaworthy sailboat that will sleep about 3 people, prep it with the right
gear, Navi systems, communication systems ect,
Sextant, physical maps,
water treatment and back up
water treatment
equipment, add a set up for deep sea
fishing, possibly take some appropriate
classes, save up some back up funds, and gather my shipmates. Once i have done all this, I want to start off by sailing down the coast from
Houston to Galveston and South Padre Island, then come back up to
Houston and take a few skirmish's a couple miles out to sea to get a feel for the real deal. From there I want to follow the coast(out at sea, but with land in sight) from Houston all the way down to the tip of
Florida, then, finally break off land and take my first stretch of open water to the Bahama's, roughly 100miles i think, then go from there(all the while relying on the bounty of the sea to provide
food for me and my shipmates, i figure one catch is a weeks worth of
food due to the size of the fish) . Now I think i have a good plan and a rather safe one at that for starts at least, but I am completely inexperienced. I think with the
history of human seafaring and modern day technology this dream is somewhat achievable, but I would love any kind of input or insight on everything.
What kind of ship should i look for?(that a poor person could make due with, but would still stand up to the sea)
What should i avoid? (besides hurricanes and area's with dangerous people and light unstable ships)
What else should i get on my boat, or need on my boat?
What other questions am i forgetting to ask?
Again any input is appreciated. I think there is more to life then living for a paycheck, and i want to go for this, but I must be smart about it. =)