Totally New to Cruisers Forum and Sailing

[ub1]

i'm in narragansett if you want to discuss stuff, have done extensive cruising cruising down south, send a pm.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Pblais

This all cuts into time on the water and a trip that long should start when you are familiar with the boat and not in a hurry. It's the one bit of advice I would emphasize.

Really great points Paul. I bought a boat for 82000 about a year ago. I've put over 20000 in and a lot of sweat and time. Of course some of it wasn't an immediate requirement (or maybe even a requirement) but a bunch of it was. Some of it was stuff that needed to be done for safety that could have gone unnoticed except that I had commited myself to doing some upgrades and discovered work that needed doing.

That said a month to get the big kinks out and I was cruising - I've covered a lot of water in the last year - in between repairs and upgrades

Welcome!

[Drew13440]

cheerfulkitty Wellcome! I am not able to give you any advice, ( I am a Newbie also) but is this not a great group of people ready to help? I am in the same monetary range as you are. I am a little frightened by the fact that a few people here believe that 80K to 100K usd is not quite enough to get a "ready to go coastal" boat. I plan on buying in Florida and learning my way across to Bermuda. I think that might be an easier destination than you are planning.. So, Paul and others, what is a realistic $$$$ number for actually buying a sailing vessel ready to go coastal? I am a group of one. I want 27 to 32 feet?

80 to 100K for a boat 27 to 32 feet is a LOT of freaking money in this market. Who told you it's not possible? You should find a very capable vessel of that size, in that price range, and have plenty of money left for rum!

[cheerfulkitty]

Hi everyone thanks for all the advise. We are retired so we don't have to be back in june. As far as Costa Rica goes we are already set to go. I am confused about the outfitting we hope to find a boat thats has the electronics already done....so we are very new what other things need to be outfitted?
We are also planning to sail as much as possible around florida before we venture off to Narraggassett. I am very happy to get all this information it has help us alot.
And we do want to take time to learn, we are pretty adventerous and just feel that this is going to be a fun new adventure in life.
We really don't have a set time frame that was a guess.
Have a nice day and thank you all for the information.

[slomotion]

I think your budget is fine. Hunter Legend 40s typically have asking prices in the 50s and 60s. These are very fast, moderate weight, roomy, easy to sail boats which make an excellent liveaboard platform for Bahamas/Caribbean cruising. And yes, the centerline queen is a very desirable feature. One thing to be aware of is that these boats came in deep draft (6'6") and shallow draft (5') versions. The shallow draft version would be more desirable for the Bahamas and the ICW.

However, these boats are getting old. So it’s all about condition. You should look for the best price/condition boat you can find regardless of how well it is equipped. All boats always need something repaired/replaced/serviced. If the basic boat and its systems are all in good condition, the rest of outfitting for cruising is mostly a matter of your personal lifestyle needs/wants. Eg. Assuming you will mostly be at anchor:

Do you want a hot fresh water shower every day? We had a $3,500 watermaker. What is your electrical demand? Is the refrigerator big enough? If you expand it, will you need more batteries? How will you charge them? We spent $10K on batteries, solar panels, wind generator, arch and charger because we "needed" those things to support our particular lifestyle. Does the boat come with a dinghy? Is it big enough for two people and two dogs and some stuff? How will you store it? After two weeks in the Bahamas we decided that we "needed" davits. Do you need radar? Well, if you feel unsafe without it, you probably do. Do you need a dodger for cruising? Yes.

[Kimarah]

Check out Beth's book "The Voyager's Handbook: The Essential Guide to Bluewater Cruising". Includes an amazing amount of detailed information.

Amazon.com: The Voyager's Handbook: The Essential Guide to Blue Water Cruising (9780071437653): Beth Leonard: Books

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
You are starting on an adventure with a steep learning curve. Good luck.
kind regards,

[cheerfulkitty]

Hi, thanks I know we are starting out with a steep learning curve but we are also safety awared. We don't care how long it takes we just want to enjoy meeting new people and having our own adventure. I sure other people have done the same...Take care everyone

[markpierce]

If there is a "must" reason to be in Rhode Island with a boat by June 1, buy the boat there and skip the long 2011 coastal trip. Otherwise, stay a year in Florida to work out the boat's kinks and acquire the necessarry skills for sailboat handling, maintenance, piloting, navigating, and so on. You don't want your dream to turn into a nightmare.