Over the past six months or so, I have done a pretty exhaustive search to find the right
boat for me. And thanks to some great
advice and shared experience from members here, I believe I found, at least, the type of
boat I intend to buy. Not to mention, I read about 30
books and countless articles.
But, that is only step one. Being new to all this - cruising,
liveaboard, sailing, etc- I naturally have a long list of questions.
First, should I get a hard
dinghy or
RIB? I read that RIBs do not last long and require periodic patching,
repairs, etc. I cannot see that problem with a hard
dinghy, such as a Walker Bay.
The cost is not a consideration as they are about the same.
Storage and weight is an issue since I will have to haul it aboard and store it. (I am looking to buy a
catamaran so space is not as big a factor as if I was considering a monohull)
Second, should I go with oars or get an
outboard? While the
outboard has its advantages, it does come with many disadvantages such as hauling it up on the
davits,
maintenance, cost of the
motor, the necessity of needing a gas can. With a
catamaran, I can
anchor close to shore so rowing may not be as big a factor and frankly, the exercise may be a good thing.
Third, is it a good idea to Start off with a year's
provisioning -
food, etc? How difficult is it to replace simple things factoring in both cost and availability) when outside of the US? My plan is to
cruise around the
Bahamas and
Caribbean before embarking on a transatlantic
cruise and possibly continuing on from there.
Fourth, since a catamaran can
anchor close to shore, should I still use a safe 7-1
scope? Wouldn't the proximity of the shore be a factor to consider along with tide changes? 3 feet of
depth along with 3 feet of freeboard will mean an approximate 42-45
scope, I guess that is not very much and shore should not even play a part, but that close,
depth might.
Lastly, at the least, these are probably very remedial but
advice from the experienced is always welcomed.