Embarrassingly New and Most Likely Misinformed

[Skowey]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I've been lurking for some time as google searches for anything sailboat related seem to always point me back here, so I thought I might as start asking some questions of my own.

I've always enjoyed spending time out on the water, and have dreamt about owning a boat for quite some time. I hadn't done much research in regards to cost however, up until about three years ago when I decided to lookup the price of a used sailboat online on a whim. I was actually quite surprised to see the prices were much much more affordable then the ungodly numbers I had come up with on my own. Needless to say, my interest and desire to learn to sail has been growing ever since. I plan to buy a boat in the next year or two. Seeing as how I'm such a novice to this, I want to take the time to figure out what I'm looking for, talk to people, and get all the training I need before I dive right in. No matter how hard it is to resist.

Lately I've been doing quite a bit of research online, alt+tabbing between sailing forums and sailing terminology dictionaries and feel I've learned enough to atleast have a general idea of what I'd be looking for to start.

I live pretty close to Toronto Ontario, so my longterm plan would be to tool around lake Ontario for a bit, spending a fair amount of time out on the lake getting a feel for what I'm doing and learning all the different ways to fall overboard. I'd eventually like to work up to sailing down to the Caribbean, and maybe even across the Atlantic several years down the road.

The three big names I'm constantly seeing are Hunter, C&C, and Catalina. I have read up on several of their boats from the 20' - 30' range and seem to be leaning towards a Hunter 27. Preferably a 1989 - 1994 simply because I like the cabin layout much better than the older models. (Mainly the aft berth) The prices I've seen have also been quite reasonable, starting only at $9,000. (Although I have no idea whether or not you'd get something that floats for that price.)

Based on what I'd like to do longterm I'd like to know if this is a good stepping off point. I have read a few forums where people discussed taking a Hunter 27 from the great lakes to the Caribbean but it was pretty dicey. Basically I'm looking for anyone that can tell me what a ship like that is actually capable of, and how comfortable it is to stay on for a while, or maybe point me in a better direction to start.

I'm aware I would need to upgrade to a much larger ship to do a trip across the Atlantic regardless, but if the price is right I'd still like to be able a find a ship capable of making it south to the islands as my first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Therapy]

Welcome Skowey.

Just keep reading. Go backwards in the posts. Lots and lots of info here.

Some of it actually true.

[boatman61]

Hi there Skowey... welcome to CF..
A Hunter 27 can get you down to the Islands... most of the trip is down the ICW in sheltered waters.. with the odd pop out to play when the weathers fine... then its Island hopping all the way... a bit lumpy till you get to Antigua due to wind n waves on the nose... good engine important..lol
Personally I'd go for something a little tougher though... maybe a 30ft tartan or pearson...

[Bash]

For what you want to do, you might want to kick it up half a notch and look at the Hunter 29.5 or 290. The reasoning here is that you'll probably outgrow the 27 pretty quickly, while the slightly larger boat will be something you can grow into.

I chartered a 29.5 for a week, and found it to be ferocious fun. It might cramp my style being aboard for more than a few weeks, however, especially if I needed to carry a lot of provisions.

[bljones]

Good to see another Great Lakes sailor here. If you want to get some time on the water under sail, hit me up. we are always looking for new vict, er I mean, crew.

[nes]

I took lessons at a marina in San Diego on a 22 foot. (Sorry don't know the brand) This was about 4 years ago, then when I could no longer stand the limitations ($55 a month in dues that went to the boat rental). Being a bit of a cheapskate, only getting to sail for 4 hours a month just did not cut it. So, I also spent a lot of time looking at boats for sail, on line, in the paper, in the magazines, and of course at the boat shows. From there it was a pretty short trip to looking at used boats with a dealer. One thing led to another and I found my boat on USEDBOATS.com the price was about what I expected, and the size was what I was looking for (32' Hunter) the boat was fairly new 2002, so I went and looked at it. OOPS! I got hooked, the previous two owners had only put 250 hours on the engine in 6 years. The stuff that did not work mostly was due to lack of use. A little elbow grease, and in most cases "it" worked. I had to convince my better half that I really needed this boat, and the rest is history. We have had MAKE ME LAUGH for 2 and half years, we have put an additional 200 hours on the engine (usually used for getting in to and out of the harbor). We sail about 40 times a year some times more sometimes less. This was probably the best investment (in my sanity at least) that I have ever made.

Now after this long (wordy) thought, you are probably wondering what this has to do with this topic, well if you want to buy a boat, you have got to go see what they look like, the more you look, the more you will be able to determine the value of what you are looking at, the more you will be able to see yourself in which ever boat you are looking at. You also might just find a "cream puff" that is more than you had set your sites on, but in your price range. When that happens, you will probably move from the looker/lurker to the boat/yacht owner. In any case good luck to you.

My boat is a Hunter 326 2002, Name is Make Me Laugh.

[Arch Stanton]

I recommend finding a way to get a couple hundred sailing hours in before buying a boat. You'll learn how to sail, meet other sailors, learn what kind of boat you want, and ensure that it's something you can enjoy long term to make your investment worthwhile.

[S/V Alchemy]

Some of the Toronto area clubs offer "introductory crew" memberships. I know mine, National YC, does. I started that way, raced all summer and bought my first boat in the club on August 31st of the same year.

I highly recommend going into a "crew bank" in the fleet that matches the size you can afford. Not only do you get plenty of extremely practical instruction, you get to see a lot of different boats being driven hard...and Lake Ontario can get a lot harder than you may think, and you want a sound boat easily run.

As you improve, you may find yourself going from "racey" to "cruisy" or vice-versa. You may also learn what not to do from some of our less learned skippers. It's a great way to (literally, on the rail) get your feet wet.

You can buy the boat in October, when everyone's willing to cut a deal to avoid winter storage, or in February/March, when they want to dodge senior fees for the summer.

You can get something like a Pearson 30 for $10K. I would always go for the bigger boat, personally, unless it had a fatal flaw like a half-dead engine. Helps to be handy and to have a fondness for brown plaid upholstery. C&Cs are overpriced...still. The Mirage 27 and the CS 27 are excellent lake boats.

[Skowey]

Thanks for all the info. It's always a bit nerve racking to post for the first time for fear of being torn apart for asking stupid questions.

Does anyone know what I can expect to pay for something in the 30' range? As I said I had seen several very reasonable prices but I'm not sure how seaworthy a $9,000 boat is.

[bljones]

The purchase price is just the cover charge to get into the club. It's the tips and table dances that can empty your wallet. A "good" 30' boat on the Great Lakes will cost you a minimum of $20 000 in the first two years- either that is what you spend to buy a boat needing little, or what you spend to get past the surprises that a $300/ft (or less) 30 footer throws at you.

[rtbates]

Buy your first boat based on interior, no problem, as you learn.

Want to travel off shore, base your boat choice on a little more important things like sea worthiness, abliity to heave to, tracking, strength of hull to deck joint, standing rigging, etc...NOT THE INTERIOR..

[Olorin]

Welcome aboard Skowey,

My brother, who lives in Toronto, bought an Alberg 30 for around $12K many years ago. It was in OK shape for sailing around the lake. He did a lot of work on it to make it better because that what he does with boats. He sold it after about ten years of sailing for ~$27K.

If you can get your hands on an Alberg 30 its the perfect boat to take to the Caribbean, for a mono

Take a visit to the yacht clubs in Toronto an offer to crew. You'll get lots of experience with different boats while saving up your $$.

[Skowey]

Originally Posted by rtbates

Buy your first boat based on interior, no problem, as you learn.

Want to travel off shore, base your boat choice on a little more important things like sea worthiness, abliity to heave to, tracking, strength of hull to deck joint, standing rigging, etc...NOT THE INTERIOR..

Haha yeah I hear that. I'm not going to be overly concerned with the interior if and when I move to something bigger. For now the aspect that appeals to me the most is getting away, weekends at a time, and spending time out on the water. I'm sure if I ever do a trip across the Atlantic, whatever I buy will be roomy enough.

[Skowey]

I appreciate all the boat suggestions, I'm seeing a lot of new names im looking forward to researching.

[Lowcountry]

Allied makes some great cruising boats in the 30' range at very affordable prices (sea wind, princess, sea breeze). Bear in mind that fin keels and spade rudders are great for maneuverability and racing, but not so great for bluewater cruising or possible groundings in the ICW/Bahamas banks. The Allied boats have full keels with protected propellors and rudders. That would be a requirement for me.