Advice for a want to be....Sailor

[Redbikemark]

First of all I have never sailed other than taking my ASA 101 class in Key West this past Feb. I have the dream of buying a boat and sailing. I was wondering if I purchase a boat can I have an ASA instructor finish my ASA certification 103 and 104 on my boat?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Redbikemark

First of all I have never sailed other than taking my ASA 101 class in Key West this past Feb. I have the dream of buying a boat and sailing. I was wondering if I purchase a boat can I have an ASA instructor finish my ASA certification 103 and 104 on my boat?

I would guess yes, why not? However I am not ASA certified. Maybe I should do that one of these days. My insurance company might give me more of a break I guess. But what are your sailing goals? If I were you I'd buy a Hobie Cat or Laser and just sail everyday after work to get confidence in your skills. Once you know how sails work you only have to get adjusted to the greater inertia of a larger boat and how to motor around. BUT, before you go out and make that big purchase, the benefit of taking lots of lessons BEFORE purchasing is that you will get to know reputations of various boats, their performance characteristics versus YOUR preferences which are likely to change as you learn more. Some people want to go fast right out of the block so they look for fast boats. Some want a heavier boat. If you know for sure what kind of sailing you want to do, and your experience can reliably inform your judgements on boats, then you can relax and start having fun in the boat search process. It's no fun to jump into a good-looking boat only find out 3 months later that you paid too much for a boat that is not up to par. You can always throw some boat makes and models at us and I'm sure we'll be glad to give our unvarnished opinions!

[chris mac]

We have a few instructors in my area that will teach you on your own boat. Should be some in your area, just might have to talk to a few.
Don cl is right though, get on a few boats before buying. Whether through lessons, race crewing, or just joining someone for a friendly sail. Every boat is different and has its own positives and negatives. See what appeals to you before you buy.
As an example I did my first lesson in a dingy, and hated it. The sailing aspect was great but I didn't like the confined space, always wet and uncomfortable seating. But I learned from it and that helped me choose a beamier boat to counter what I disliked and capitalize on the aspects I do like.

[s/v Beth]

I got here (ocean sailing, short handed, great adventures and lots of fun) by just doing it. Go sailing. I don't care how you do it. Eventually you will see what you need. Classes- not at first. Big boat?, what you want to throw money in the water? If so I will come right by and you can stand at the dock...

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mark.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by Redbikemark

First of all I have never sailed other than taking my ASA 101 class in Key West this past Feb. I have the dream of buying a boat and sailing. I was wondering if I purchase a boat can I have an ASA instructor finish my ASA certification 103 and 104 on my boat?

consider meetup.com, a site that allows people to form groups that share a common interest to get together all over the country. i'm a member of a sailing meetup group where i host meet ups on my boat with members of the group. the group was started by a couple who'd just bought a catalina 27, had just finished asa 101 and wanted experienced sailors to help them learn the ropes. [pun intended] after a week they had over a hundred members and three other boat owners like me to enjoy getting out on the water together.

you may or may not run into an asa instructor, in my fifty years of sailing i never have run into any instructor, but my guess is you'll learn much from old farts like me who love to share thier love of sailing on your boat or mine.

happy sailing.

[RickDelaune]

Hey Mark,
Welcome aboard. So there has been a lot of good ideas about how to get into the sailing lifestyle. And so here are my two cents...... First where are you. I saw you took lessons in KW. But I will not assume that is where you are from. I retrain a number of people who have taken the ASA 101 course. Please go to my website and see if what I have to offer helps.
Delaune Yacht Brokerage-Home
Multiple testimonials about who I am and how I teach there. So if I can help will be happy to. Oh, and by the way I use Gary Jobson's Book as part of my course. It is the ASA manual for some of their courses.
Good Luck and Smooth Sailing, Capt. Rick Delaune 504-458-1013

[Greenhand]

The direct answer to your question is: yes.

As others have noted, the direct path rarely works out. You will likely find that what you really want is to have an experienced instructor on board, but you don't actually need the certification. If you get a smallish boat, you may just want a refresher course, since it has been so long since you took 101. On a bigger boat, you may want lots of practice docking your new investment.

It is much more cost effective to join a sailing club or use meetup.com or the local racing clubs if you just want experience daysailing. We started weekending from the first time we put the boat in the water. It was probably a year before we did a day sail, so it made sense for us to buy.

[seasick]

My wife and I ran a sail training operation for couples and individuals who wanted a safe, well perhaps safer, way to be introduced to seafaring and navigation on extended passages.

All great advice so far. I especially agree with s/vBeth in that there is no better school than that of hard knocks (usually, directly to the head)

Find a safe place to practice. Lakes are usually forgiving. If you're a couple, don't hog the helm. Let her practice being the pinball sailing through the marina. Don't let her first shot at steering be when she has to sail back to pick you up.

[Paul J. Nolan]

Originally Posted by Don C L

If I were you I'd buy a Hobie Cat or Laser and just sail everyday after work to get confidence in your skills.

This is excellent advice. I would add that of the two, a Laser is MUCH easier to self-rescue after a capsize... and you will capsize! Lasers are fast, exciting, safe, cheap, and ubiquitous. Hard to go wrong, but before you buy, contact your local fleet. Lots of help, support, and advice. You might also want to pick up a copy of 1) Laser Sailing and 2) The Sports Illustrated Book of Small Boat Sailing 2nd. edition.

Good luck!

Paul

Paul

[ArmyDaveNY]

Hello RedBikeMark and welcome to CF. As others have pointed out, there are many great ways to learn and experience sailing. I am a fan of yacht clubs because you will sail with many different people on many different boats. You will see different styles of sailing and learn what you like and don't like in boats. This will help you buy a boat you really like.


Remember that the real cost is not the purchase price of the boat (unless it is new or big!). The real cost is keeping it somewhere, restoration and to a lesser extent, the maintenance. First, if you keep it in a marina, while it may be the most convenient storage method, it will be the priciest. Your marina costs will be many times the purchase cost. Many yacht clubs are much more reasonably priced but even then the cost will add up to more than the boat. Don't let this discourage you since to me it is worth it, but do budget for this.


Many people confuse restoration with maintenance. When you buy a used boat you will have to restore it to a level that you are comfortable with. This doesn't mean that you have to make it like new. A used boat however will almost always have things that need fixing. Once you get these things done, then you can maintain the boat.


While at times the costs may seem overwhelming at first, if you stay on top of things, the costs can be reasonable.


Good luck with you sailing and welcome aboard.

[Mithril Bham]

Very common to have instructors teach on owners boat and a good idea.