Wanna be sailor working on a plan : Meet and Greet

[redbeard003]

Hello to all. I have been reading the forums for a while, but just never joined as I cannot consider myself a "cruiser" just yet. I am in the education and saving stage in preparation to retire from the military in 3 years, and with my wife, planning to take our daughter on an upbringing adventure different from typical US suburbia norms. I am practicing on a small Hobie and have begun searching and seeing what boats fit our budget, wants, and needs. I have started to run thin on finding answers to some of my questions. Therefore, the next step "join the forum".

To answer a few questions I know will come:
- 3 years from leaving the dock
- 2 years from buying, hopefully
- Free time is a commodity that I unfortunately have little of - military life
- $150 boat budget (fully ready to go)
- military retirement income plus some income on the side
- I enjoy working on my home now which I assume will transfer to a boat
- Planning on using some military tuition assistance to learn some Diesel engine mechanics
- minimum sailing experience other than a Hobie. Wife and I are planning to take some ASA courses
- whole family loves the ocean, not sure how the open ocean will affect us though
- plan is to travel the world and expose our daughter to different cultures (unknown where that will take us, but presumably through the South Pacific - I love to spearfish)
- we would live in a tent camping all year if we could live where we wanted to and the conditions were beautiful. Minimalists at heart, but I also believe in being prepared for the worst.

Well, I figure that is a decent hello for now,

Think Fish,

Red


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[motaman9]

Welcome...we have been precisely where you are now and everything worked out fine, so don't give up....We bought our newest boat in 2012 and have been having a blast learning about her and expanding our sailing/ocean/cruising knowledge....don't lose hope and stick to your plan to the best of your ability ....we spent 15 years planning, looking and saving ....while it took a long time and we looked at a lot of boats it all worked out.....good luck


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[tfrank]

Not a sailor? Find a local yacht club and someone who will take you on as racing crew. You'll learn more from racing about sailing (sail handling, navigation, weather, etc.) than you will in a long time of just going sailing. I don't race anymore but always appreciated what I learned from my racing friends and situations.
Have fun.

[jmczzz]

You have an admirable organized mind. Just follow your heart and trust your instincts.
Nice to meet you, James

[svPeaceKeeper]

Hey there,
I'm in a similar spot, but I already have a boat. I have a year and a half left in the army, and cant wait to start my cruising.
If I were to suggest anything, perhaps adjust your timeline a bit so that you can purchase in a year (if possible) and be able to learn your boat and sailing for two years before heading out. Depending on where you are located (im on puget sound so there's lots of choices), you can find large fairly well equipped boats that need elbow grease more than anything. If you retire on "the Road", your whole last year is a bit of a sham anyway. I know right now of a 36 aft cabin cutter for $19K. Its ocean rigged and ready to go, but needs some bright work and tlc.
any way, point is, you can find a boat that meets your economic needs and learn how to use it. Perhaps you dont even keep it around, and can upgrade to "the boat" later on. Ask to crew for races on saturdays, sailors love showing off their boats. You can get an idea of what you really want after seeing it in action.

Best of luck!

[Ex-Calif]

Welcome aboard Red and thanks for serving. What branch?

Your current boating options are largely dependent on where you are located? Care to share?

Also you aren't a wanna be sailor. You are sailing a Hobie. You might be a wanna be liveaboard/cruiser.

Depending on age of daughter schooling is a trick. Also, my humble opinion is get going before she reaches the "age of change" - taking her from her friends on shore during that age could make you an enemy of the state (of mind - LOL)

My 9 y/o son loved me, loved sailing, hung out with me 24/7 and anything I did was magic. When he turned 16 or so he buried his face in a smartphone (texting etc) and lost all interest in anything but girls.

He is in the final throes of Navy enlistment. And I think he still might love me...

[redbeard003]

Thanks for the warm welcome. Ex-Calif, My daughter is 2 now and I have read what you have said multiple times. That is one of the reasons I want to make sure this plan is set so we can start while she's still young. I can see that if one waits too long, you can miss the prime window and could have to wait till the little one is out on her own. I'm currently land locked with the east coast a couple hours away. We road trip often as possible. Tfrank, good idea about the racers. I will look into that. Peacekeeper, I wish I could find a seaworthy boat that just needs some tlc for 20k. I am not afraid to put in the work, but I have made the mistake of buying an older cheap van then remodeling the interior for a camper too. Replacing the transmission that dropped out was going to cost more than everything I had spent to make it look like new. So, I am skeptical of good deals that just seem too good to be true. There is some comfort in knowing you have a strong, well built ride ride to add your personal touches to.

Red


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[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Red.
As has been said, you ARE a (Hobie) sailor. Small craft make for very fast learning.

[Tingum]

I don't know where you live but there has to be water somewhere. Buy a little day sailor and get out on the water. Sounds like you are military. Possibly the base has a sailing club you could join. Small boats are much more forgiving, and cheaper, than big boats.

[svPeaceKeeper]

Hey red
I don't wanna say too much, but if you are where I think you are, there are a ton of great boats just a couple hours away.

Besides, I already found the boat for you lol. Work a deal and maybe I'll sail her ever for ya! Been itchin for some yuengling anyway.

Best of luck in your search though. There are always boats out there that need new homes, and if you have a couple of years to work with I'm sure you can find a deal that will work just fine.