Four People and a Sailboat. The Quest.

[thelifenomadik]

Same as so many before us, we are now in a pursuit of freedom and happiness, but first of all, a boat that will take us there.

We have two kids, a boy and a girl, 15 and 9. We are looking for a boat with a three-cabin layout, cutter, 45 feet+, bluewater cruiser, maximum 180K, mono hull. We will live aboard, sail everywhere.

We have no sailing experience. We never had a sailboat before.

We are considering a Wauquiez 49 and a Stevens 47.

Any advise and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

More info on us and our dreams and realities can be found on our blog
The Life Nomadik

[goboatingnow]

Sheesh, are these posts for real.


Dave

[micah719]

There's plenty of info scattered amongst the various threads on the forum....pull up a comfortable bollard, hoist the BS-filter and get into some endurance reading.

Since you haven't had a boat or sailing experience, and are mobile, perhaps a cartopper sailing dinghy would be a useful addition to your belongings. Buy or build, there are plenty of options that won't break the budget. Your mobility is an asset, and with the mobile home your first vessel doesn't have to do it all....beach cruising is the topic to research. The small boat can then serve as dinghy for the liveaboard if you decide to keep going. For fitout, repairs and maintenance, spend only about half your kitty on the actual purchase...and be very careful about the purchase.

[SaucySailoress]

Welcome aboard, Nomads!!! I love your blog, and can't wait to follow your adventures as you transfer from a caravan to a yacht...

PS - I wish my mum would have let me dye my hair red when I was a kid too!

[goboatingnow]

I'd like to expand on my first post.


The notion that a family of 4 with two small kids and absolutely no sailing experience are going to buy a 40 footer and sail off is nonsense. You might as well , suggest buying a 737 and fly off. Did you buy your camper van and just " drive off" of course not you have driving licenses and. Suspect some experience in driving cars too.

Get some sailing experience in first , crew , see of you can handle the environment. Make sure the kids can handle it. Otherwise the sea does not suffer fools gladly.

Put a toe in the water not your whole body.

Given that you are most welcome to CF of course.

Dave

[foolishsailor]

Cmon Dave,

It does happen but only to those dreamers who quickly change gears from "happy fun budweiser comericial" dreams to grasping the hard facts about boat ownership and sailing.

I read the blog seems the man has exactly the right skill set for this undertaking; diesel mechanic, cabinet maker, handyman, make-do'er and the family has been living alternatively for years.

I think they will likely get taken a bit by a broker but will essentiay end up with a decent boat. The first couple sails, or attempts, will open thier eyes and hopefully get their heads on about what they need to do.

I will be following these guys.

Welcome aboard nomads, start digging into this forum and ask questions.

Best piece of advice, as we get many "i am buying a boat and sailing around the world" types coming to this forum, is to do your research and reading on this forum before asking questions that have alread been asked a million times.

[goboatingnow]

Sorry FoolishSailor , I don't agree, I've been in enough cruising crossroads and or seen first hand what unprepared dreamers end up with. It's a tiny minority of those that succeed. Maybe the OP will or won't.

But the way to start isn't to jump in at the deep end , despite many advocates, for the few that learn most drown. The way to do it is to begin a learning process. Experience the environment by chartering, crewing or sailing with friends. Get an idea of boats and what you like and dislike. See how the wife/husband and kids actually cope.

Their experiences to date will help, but the sea isn't land and a boat isnt a water based RV. Start slow and careful, don't get anyone frightened. Etc etc.

Dave

[RabidRabbit]

Learn as you go, You'll here plenty of people with "goboatingnow's" opinion. I don't buy it. Starting small takes way too long, I bought and set off all in 18 months. So many here think that years beind the wheel, working from bigger to bigger boat is the only way. Buy cheap, and plan to fix lots. No boat is ready to go. In my opinion it all sorta depends on your mechanical skills. To be out there you need to be a tech master, have money, or be boot lippin with broken gear drinkin warm beer. Money or tech skills? So if you build race cars or custom 1000hp mud trucks you are way, way better off than a banker, lawyer or writer. If you cant see yourself engine swapping, making new rigging, or workin with epoxy. Then you will need lots of cash.

[ausaviator]

The notion that a family of 4 with two small kids and absolutely no sailing experience are going to buy a 40 footer and sail off is nonsense. You might as well , suggest buying a 737 and fly off. Did you buy your camper van and just " drive off" of course not you have driving licenses and. Suspect some experience in driving cars too.

Seriously that is the most stupid post I have read for a long time.

Just read bumfuzzle and a myriad of other blogs to see that you are so very wrong.

737? I don't think so? Almost anyone with a bit of instruction can sail a yacht, quickly learn and have a great time and potentially set off. Some might argue the bigger the yacht the easier.... how do you think Charter businesses work?????

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by RabidRabbit

Learn as you go, You'll here plenty of people with "goboatingnow's" opinion. I don't buy it. Starting small takes way too long, I bought and set off all in 18 months. So many here think that years beind the wheel, working from bigger to bigger boat is the only way. Buy cheap, and plan to fix lots. No boat is ready to go. In my opinion it all sorta depends on your mechanical skills. To be out there you need to be a tech master, have money, or be boot lippin with broken gear drinkin warm beer. Money or tech skills? So if you build race cars or custom 1000hp mud trucks you are way, way better off than a banker, lawyer or writer. If you cant see yourself engine swapping, making new rigging, or workin with epoxy. Then you will need lots of cash.

That's not what I meant, nor did I say start small. Size is a function of wealth . I've been a sailing instructor. I've seen too many wannabes, dreamers, and deep end jumpers, that ended up simply being frightened of the sea. The main problems are not about fixing the boat. You either have skills or money ( or best both) and you get it done, if you don't you never get out of the starting block.

no, the big issue is can you as a family handle the environment, the ups and downs associated with sailing, the highs and lows. For sample is seasickness an issue. ?, can you actually sail can your partner sail, can the kids handle it. Etc. more sails end because the relationship breaks down, usually because one parties expectations were totally different from the realities this is significantly exacerbated by inexperience.

The way to do this is to dip a toe in , charter, sail with others, crew and do deliveries etc.

Buying the right boat is the least of your worries.

My first proper boat was 36 foot. I have no experience with dinghies etc ( though my kids have ) what I did have was 10 years sailing with others all over the place, doing the various tickets upto Yachtmaster. Etc. all this is a long time ago, and i was young (er) and not everyone wants to do that. But don't just the runout and buy a 40 footer. Get doe experience , even a year or two. You can cover a lot of ground in 2 years experience wise if you set your mind to it.

The chances of a right decision improve immeasurably and you may find a branch of sailing that suits you. Dock queens, day sailors, dinghies, bluewater, coastal, weekenders, all this is " sailing"

My motto

Go soon, Go right, Go when you are ready

[RabidRabbit]

10-4 Dave, I get ya. I guess it all depends on what you do the day after you get your ass kicked by the ocean. Do you quit or suck it up and head back out? I bet sucking it up and getting back out is harder with more crew. More to mutiny. Plenty of wannabe cruisers dont think about the terrible, slightly scary nights at sea. Thread drift -- I seem to be one of the few here to have used a sea anchor and really liked it. 18 ft paratech, set it and got some sleep. I had been offshore 4 days, very tired, and the weather came in. There was no way i could steer till dawn, 12 -15 waves. Now I wouldnt sail or motor without it.

[Calypso52]

Try a Gulfstar 50 ketch. And start in a very protected place for a few months like the Chesapeake during the summer. If you run aground it is mostly mud and you can kedge off or get towed off with probably no damage.

[GaryMayo]

This thread is like ploping goldfish into a blender.

You guys get up on the wrong side of the birth this morning?

Welcome to the forum.

Find a good broker, working with a good marina. You will be fine. Start slow, make friends on the dock. They will help you learn.

Walk on 100 boats before you put a deposit on one. Buy a 26' foot one with pocket money, to learn on while you look for the right boat. Your experiences on your starter boat, will help guide you to a long lasting sailboat you will love. No purchase agreement without a licenced surveyor giving the boat a thumbs up. Seller should agree to pay for needed repairs by lowering sale price. For a flunked inspection, seller should pay for survey.

Remember, it costs twice as much to maintain a 40' boat as a 30' one. From 40 to 50', the numbers get even worse. Stay as small as you can to lighten the budget, and increase sailability. The larger the sailboat, the more apt it is to turn into a houseboat that never goes anywhere.

Do not adopt a sailboat, like a one eyed rescue puppy. No sails, no sale. If the boat has more water inside than outside, run, don't walk.

Everything on a sailboat has to have a place, and everything in its place. Then it is easier to go sailing.

Shame on you experienced sailors for not better welcoming this family. The numb nut that needed towed in his first time out, looking for far away islands, was treated a whole lot better than this.

The state of the world, no wonder a father would want to sail away with his family. Wonder he is not trying to stuff them back into the womb! I think the trend, will be more and more people like this. Wait and see.

Again, WELCOME !

[Greenhand]

Why not start with family camp style lessons - Colgate offers family packages, but I also know of much smaller operations that do, sometimes on dinghies, which will not lead to a certificate.

[Kettlewell]

I'm a firm believer in the start small, learn the ropes, work your way up school. That doesn't mean you can't jump in, start big, and go. We've seen plenty of examples of people who made it work, though I'm sure they waste a lot of money along the way and a large proportion of them never make it far because they find out it just isn't for them. That's the biggest problem with taking a leap, buying the big boat, and setting off. After spending a lot of money, time, and effort to go you might not like it--a lot of people don't.