Found a dream boat, just to realize I'm financially not yet there.

[Lightwave99]

I think it is GREAT that you have reached the point where you recognize the beauty and opportunities of sailing to faraway places on your own vessel. And it is GREAT that you are only in your 50's and have figured everything out... well except the wife that is. Just wondering, from a First Mate/Wife point of view: how do you plan to maintain your closeness and happiness with your wife if she doesn't join you on this wonderful plan? Having her visit once or twice a year does not sound like a very good plan... I have a friend who years ago sold his coastal cruising sailboat (Catalina 30) because his wife didn't really enjoy sailing and I think her skin was sensitive to sun. But I think he was never happy with that decision. And he seems to have an ongoing grump on as a result...

Anyway, Peter (?), another question I have is: why a steel boat? Are you planning on sailing through the Northwest Passage or to the Antarctic? If not, you will have a wonderful experience on many different types of well-found, well built fibreglass boat. We built our own fibreglass catamaran, so we KNOW it is well built, and, as previous posts have suggested, if you dip your fingers into boatbuilding and construction (maybe just visiting boatyards and offering to help), you will soon find out what is absolutely essential to fibreglass boats (like overdrilling the bed for all fittings and filling them with epoxy, so there are no possible leaks into the fibreglass and it is super-strong). We don't really trust factory-produced boats, for that reason...

It seems good advice from a previous post to sign on as crew and then you will really begin to understand what is important, what is not important, and what is downright a bad idea in boats. Too big a boat can be a problem. You have to be able to single-hand, as a couple of previous posts have suggested. You have to be able to handle your boat with ease. And you want it to be comfortable under sail. Having a ton of room for family, guests, etc., means the boat will be very hard to handle. Our advice to everyone is: get the smallest boat that can fit your needs and be sure you can sail it on your own/ one person can handle it (don't have to walk onto a pitching bow to pull down the sails; one persona can raise and lower the sail; all lines lead back to a safe, protected cockpit; etc.)

Please do not listen to the naysayers and negative-speakers above. But do take heed that single-handing capability of you and of the boat is essential.

I think over the years, we have seen many boats that we desired but were not within our reach at the time. We created/found the perfect boat, for us.

It is interesting that we are all individuals--whether related by marriage or by birth--and have our own path to follow, our own potential to fulfill. Perhaps that potential goes beyond sailing into one's mind. Just a thought.

As noted by another poster above, I encourage you to get a journal and write down, very specifically, what you want in a boat, what you understand to be absolute necessities in a boat. Then write down a solid plan about how you will get there. Then write down what you want to happen, realistically, with your family and how you can get to the point where, if that is what you want, you are all working together. Writing down your thoughts clarifies them.

I think many of the posters here are offshore sailors, but maybe they have grown a bit jaded over the years. It is WONDERFUL to have this dream. We encourage everyone to do this. If you have created the stability you have "on land," I am sure you can create an equally stable, promising existence at sea.

But there is so much beauty to be experienced, and so much mental freedom. I did my best writing, had the clearest perspective, when I was on watch in the middle of the night, on the pitch-black ocean. You can visit our site a Time For a Catamaran Adventure – Isn't Time For Yours?. Maybe it will encourage you.
Best of luck!

[edlepera]

I found my big sailboat. Thinking about cashing out my of my insurance policy’s to buy her outright, with enough to have a slush found for surprise this needs fixed ASAP. Still Got another one for the kids.

[Tanqueray]

Originally Posted by Windinyoursail

Just a wite up to vent my feelings and who knows this great community can add some thoughts that could help....

I stumble upon my dream boat:
SIze is roughly what I had in mind, big enough to accommodate family and even some hopefully sometimes paying guests...
Two masts, limiting single sail area to be handled by one.
Steel, strong enough, so suitable for all destinations.
Suited with some limited modifications to fulfill most of my wishes.

To do the rough calculations and find out I'm financially not ready yet, sorry it sucks...

Some context, I am going for this to be my work/retirement/dream.
In my 50's so extremely lucky for just being close to even seriously thinking/realize it.
Rough financial plan; buy boat, have enough money to cover 10 years of sailing, have set aside some money for the kids to support their student time.

If things completely go wrong small but survivable pension after 68 in place.

As it stands now: wife won't join permanent, we have a paid house, she has a full time job.
Current financial status, invested some 70%, enough to buy and get ready mentioned boat but not yet to cover other targets.

If history is my guide I will get there in 4-8 years.

But as most ? time preference is slowly kicking in...

Any wise words?

Not sure the words will help, but I found myself in a similar situation buying my first ever sailboat...found the boat of my dreams...price was reasonable, and I had a lump in my throat as I dove home from an inspection, thinking “this is THE boat”....

Only to have the Admiral say “can’t you wait until we know where Brian (youngest son) is going to go to college”? We already had one son at school at Note Dame.

I waited (impatiently) for about a month, when Brian made his college decision, discussed with the Admiral, and got the green light to move forward!

I called the broker the next day to make an appointment to see the boat on the weekend and make an offer....and he said....sorry Greg, I sold it last week

Man, was I depressed (and a bit pissed at the Admiral!).

Bought the next boat I looked at (sort of a “rebound” purchase).

I had gotten to know the guy who bought my dream boat (an O’Day 322) because I was posting my sad tale on a forum like this and he read my note and reached out to rub in how well the boat sailed).

Anyway, 5 years after he stole the boat out from under me, he emailed and said he had moved, the boat was available and to make him an offer!

So, I low-balled him a little (the broker told me what the boat sold for and dropped the price a bit from there), and he took my offer.

I ended up with a fleet for about a month before I sold the “rebound” boat, and got the boat of my dreams...

So, don’t despair. You never know how things will work out...

Good luck,


Greg

[Lightwave99]

Originally Posted by Vasco

That boat is still around, now on it's 3rd owner....it just turned 40 years old. The new owner intends to take it to Antartica. Nothing like a steely for peace of mind floating around icebergs

Remember the Titanic?

Ummmm...I think the Titanic was steel! With supposedly watertight compartmentalizing...

[Luv2Sail2020]

Originally Posted by Windinyoursail

Any wise words?

Thirty eight years of sailing with the wife. We are now in the search for boat number six. There is never one perfect boat that checks all the boxes. Every boat ends up being a compromise.
And you learn with each boat things wanted on the next boat.
And every boat is going to have problems you did not expect.
And every foot you add to length exponentially adds to the up keep costs.
And everyone on this forum is full of opinions and in the end it is your choice that you must live with.
The mistake you made was finding your dream boat 4-8 years too early. Stop looking at boats and get your finances in order. Determine just how much boat you can actually afford and then start the search when you are truly ready.
The wife not on board 100% is a red flag.
I predict your current boat plan will ultimately fail.

[LifePart2]

The most expensive part of sailing is not sailing. Living on a boat on the hook costs very little. Putting it in a marina or on the hard and flying home is very expensive. Personally my wife and I figure that you need to be sailing it AT LEAST four months of the year, preferably six, to make financial sense. Any less than that and you are better off chartering - fixed cost, and no worries about repairs and maintenance.

One year we met a Frenchman who was chartering the boat for 6 months. Excellent plan. At the end he just hands back the keys and flies home.

Don't be in a rush to buy a boat.

From what you have written it seems very unlikely that your wife is going to be joining you for several months of the year, which then raises a few questions and eyebrows:

Are you happy to be separated from her and your children for all those months at a time? What does that tell you?

The more times you head off and go sailing by yourself, the more likely you will be doing that again, and the less likely she (they) will join you.

Here is my suggested plan (based on personal experience):

1) Say to your wife, 'Honey, what do you think of going sailing in the Caribbean for a week or two, with a captain to keep us safe?" Make it a vacation. Go with a captain or, perhaps, with an instructor who can teach you more (no idea what your current sailing experience is). It will reasure her and make her feel safe. DON'T expect her to take part in the teaching course (yet).

2) When you get home, say, 'So what did you think of that? Good fun, eh? How about we do it again, maybe in a different type of boat?' (Always good to have experience of different boats)

3) Rinse and repeat until it the future becomes clear:

a) you both (all) love it and decide to sell the house, buy a boat, cut the dock lines, and more on board. By then you will, together, have a good idea of just what type of boat you want.
b) she hates it, and you realise you will either have to abandon the dream and find another one, or else take off on your own without her (them)
c) it is fun for a few weeks at a time, but not a lifestyle option - great, so charter boats in different exotic locations each year, have a blast, and strengthen your family.
d) the sailing is fun, but the living on board could get old. So how about day sailing, maybe in a small keelboat or even dinghies - both available through local sailing clubs. Go out for a nice sail, come back, have a hot shower and drink some beer. What could be better?

A happy wife is a happy life.

[captainwd40]

Good Luck!

I hope you make it.

Usually ...... by the time you can afford your dream boat ...... you're too old to enjoy it!

If you're in your 50's you may consider partnering with another party to share expenses and get some enjoyment now. Then when you get older just sell your share and move into the old folks home!

Cheers!

[ErnestV]

Well, this sounds familiar. My plan always was buying a boat for my retirement, being in Europe this conincides with my 65th bday.
So I started monitoring the used boats market some seven years ago, crewing as deckhand and occasionally skippering on diverse boats so I could find out what I'd require, and what I want for my target boat. And I can tell you, by getting older and more mile-"wise", of ideas I had, or "requirements" I had, many vanished, many lost in importance, and some other came up.
Last year in September I happened to be able to see a boat that has been on my virtual list for almost a year now (a Van de Stadt 36 Seal, homebuilt steel), during a summer family vacation - and now in December I finalized the contract (as I am 64 and hardly a year before retirement). Something to do and correct (mainly electrics and LPG), probably renewing standing rigging as I go in 2022.

So what I wanted to tell you - if your plan is to buy a boat for retirement, the boat you just saw is NOT your dream boat, a lot of other boats that may be equally matching will come along, and I promise you a lot of requirements or ideas will vanish or shift in importance. I also initially thought of a bigger boat where I could take "paying guests" - but at a size where it would be a requirement to have paying guests to be able to afford boat costs and maintenance this idea gradually vanished and made room for a "big enough for me and my friends or family". And "I need to be able to handle her alone". BIG requirement.

Take your time until you really have the time for your boat. She will be like a woman, you need to look after her if she is to look after you.

[chalupo]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I'm sure you are familiar with the expression that every battle plan changes the moment the first shot is fired....

So it goes with sailing....the moment you untie the dockline, any plan you may have had, goes out the window.

Forget budgets, plans, talking to other sailors, etc....the more you talk to other sailors, the longer you will stay tied up. Their plans are not your plans. You will meet new people tomorrow, the next week and the week after. The weather tomorrow will not be the same as it is today.

The biggest hurdle for most wannabe sailors is untying that dockline....consider it an umbilical cord...you can stay hooked up to mama...or you can strike out on your own...talking about it resolves nothing.....zero...nada...zilch..

Which is it to be???

Now here is someone who "gets it. Best post of the thread in my opinion.

[Dave9111]

A lot of good advice.
I would like to repeat a few points.

1. Your wife won't be with you most of the time.
2. Kids are still growing up and in school and will be in college.

You are looking at a fairly large steel boat. Likely a ketch. Very few steel boats are under 40 ft, otherwise they would be too heavy.
So this boat is likely 40+ ft and 12+ tons.

Everyone who I talk to says that they have a big problem handling their 40+ fiberglass boat by themselves in and out of marinas and those would be lightweight compared to your steel boat.

I have heard some say they have 50+ ft boats but they have electric furlers on all of the sails, and likely a big bow thruster. That does not sound like the steel boat your looking at.

Have you considered how you will weigh anchor by yourself?

The "DREAM":
Years ago I had a dream as well and it was fairly modest in comparison. Buy a 29ft fiberglass sailboat and sail with my wife and kids.

Reality:
My kids were in grade school living at home.
We took out the boat all together maybe 8 times in 6 years, me and the kids.
The kids had a lot of stuff going on and I wanted to be part of their lives as they grew up.

My wife decided she hated sailing!

The kids went to college. No time for sailboats with school and summertime work, friends, and boy friends.

The kids got married and moved away! I am lucky if I see them 6 times per year now. They are fine, but they have their own lives.

I took friends out of the boat a handful of times over the years but 95% of the time I was single handing.

I wanted a larger boat and bought a 33 foot fiberglass boat. My guess is that a 36 footer is about the limit for single handing a modest sailboat (not a robotic remote control everything model - with electric furlers and bow thruster and big $$).

If you are singlehanding and limited to about 36 ft, that means that your boat must be fiberglass and not steel.

Consequently your "Dream" isn't realistic unless you plan on only sailing with a crew. Forget about the money. You are looking at the wrong boat.

You need to buy a boat that will be singlehanded 95+% of the time. Sitting in a harbor is not "sailing".

My recommendation:
Buy a 33-36 ft fiberglass boat of the highest quality you can afford. Make sure it is setup for singlehanding. If and when a crew of people can meet you, they will likely have to fly in. So get a hotel on the coast and rent some rooms while the boat is docked or anchored.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by Cabot36

I once found myself standing on the dock looking at my 30ft. sailboat and thinking "I rally can't afford this. Then I said "if I am going to own a boat I can't afford it's going to be bigger than this!! I then went out and bought a 38footer!!

Now THIS is ligic I can understand. LOL

[rossdv8]

This won't be a rebuilding project

I've always bought my yachts with that thought in mind. Never worked for me yet, however, 'rebuilding' bits of my boats gave me a thorough understanding of what I had got myself into.
It also helped me solve a few problems when I was half way up the coast and hundreds of kilometres from spare parts :-)

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Windinyoursail

Just a wite up to vent my feelings and who knows this great community can add some thoughts that could help....

I stumble upon my dream boat:
SIze is roughly what I had in mind, big enough to accommodate family and even some hopefully sometimes paying guests...
Two masts, limiting single sail area to be handled by one.
Steel, strong enough, so suitable for all destinations.
Suited with some limited modifications to fulfill most of my wishes.

To do the rough calculations and find out I'm financially not ready yet, sorry it sucks...

Some context, I am going for this to be my work/retirement/dream.
In my 50's so extremely lucky for just being close to even seriously thinking/realize it.
Rough financial plan; buy boat, have enough money to cover 10 years of sailing, have set aside some money for the kids to support their student time.

If things completely go wrong small but survivable pension after 68 in place.

As it stands now: wife won't join permanent, we have a paid house, she has a full time job.
Current financial status, invested some 70%, enough to buy and get ready mentioned boat but not yet to cover other targets.

If history is my guide I will get there in 4-8 years.

But as most ? time preference is slowly kicking in...

Any wise words?

Whenever you Commit to something...
...it is a Risk..

IF you've found the perfect Dream Boat and you can afford to buy it.....

Then... Do it !....and deal with the necessary compromises needed to keep the boat maintained and your Wife/Family happy with your change of Lifestyle.

No Risk, No Reward,.... but if the family supports your Dream, you will find a way!

[Sequoyah]

Two points:


A. Now is not the time to buy an old boat. The market is inflated.


B. Boats are like girls. Never let yourself fall into the position of feeling you have to get a particular one. The world's full of 'em.

[Elleroo]

I'm in the situation now as this guy is.


However, my dream boat that I envisaged two years ago is a long way from what I am considering today.


In my younger days, I worked as full time paid hand/skipper on racing boats, and wandered the world. I met a lot of cruising people, on all sorts of boats. I've done a lot of sailing on other people's boats in the last few years, and can safely say that I 'think' I now know what I want.


Also, there are a lot of cruising blogs on Youtube, and they can be very informative. SV Delos is well known and always on the move, and then Sail Cloudy Bay cruises for 6-8 months and dry store the boat. Both are 50ft'rs, but there is a load of blogs from smaller yachts. Unforgettable started with a small boat, now have a 43ft.



The people I encountered who were on 36-38 ft boats all wanted something a bit bigger. The people on boats over 50ft want something smaller. I'm talking about a couple world cruising, not a summer live aboard or Bahamas/Caribbean wandering live aboard. The general size of cruising boats has gone up since I worked on boats full time, and the creature comforts have increased. A generator, watermaker, and solar setup are now the norm. Big tankage is also needed for distance cruising.


Then there's the stuff of life that you need, or want, and that has to be stowed and stored.


And the wife.....if she's like 99% of most women, when the grandchildren come along, she won't want to be far away.......



Ask most about the steel/fibreglass repair and maintenance situation, and most simply don't know. But consider this, in the remotest of places, you'll always find someone with a welder of some sort to weld and repair steel. A steel fix is done there and then in a few hours(other than paint) , whereas finding resin and glass in some remote places is near to impossible. But, any fg boat will carry a few kg's of epoxy and cloth as onboard backup anyway.


You have to decide what you will be doing most. Sitting on an anchor in the tropics, or crossing oceans to see the world? If ocean crossing, you need the longest boat within reason.( and Panama Canal fees for bigger boats are a budget killer).


Modern boats are roomier inside, but generally built lighter than old. There are some exceptions which are built for proper cruising. A modern 45ft will have the same interior volume as an old 50ft. Beam and volume in the ends is the difference, and overhangs. Waterline length will dictate sped, but so does displacement. When crossing that ocean, you don't want to take a month when you could do it in 20 days. The faster boat will need to carry less provisioning.



I'm looking at the Gulfstar 50's. Yes, I know the problems, but they are at a pricepoint where sand blasting and epoxy coating is affordable. Then there are the 45-46 ft boats which are very appealing. Ex charter and need some care, but good value.



Does anyone know the mast height of a Gulfstar 50? Has anyone taken one down the ICW and under the bridges? I've asked elsewhere and got no reply.


The advice of sailing on other people's boats is well given. Find out from first hand experience what you want of the boat, then find one that fits. A summer hotel on the water in the Bahamas will be very different to a true bluewater distance cruiser. One as big as you can afford, the other will get you there safely and comfortably and in good time.



Cheers.