Is this even a feasible idea? living far away from your boat

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

...I gotta go with sailorboy here.....something I've learned in the many years of owning a boat.

The simple truth is...if you don't use it, you will loose it !

Stuff on neglected boats will rust, get mildew, mold, leak, break, etc, ad infinitum. A diesel engine that sits for months on end without being turned over is an invitation for trouble, etc, etc, etc.....
Condensation in fuel tanks, etc, etc, etc.....
Same goes for batteries. Batteries die without attention.

A big nightmare for you would be to ensure ALL your bilge pumps are working and the batteries maintained. Just one " tiny" leak somewhere....anywhere.....a porthole, hatch, fitting, etc can grow to be a monumental problem.

Off course, you can have the boat hauled and stored, but I can assure you this is not a cheap option and a " tiny" leak on a hauled boat can also accumulate inside the boat.

Every time you get back on the boat, expect to spend a reasonable amount of time and money to fix, repair or replace stuff.
At age 50, climbing up the mast to fix something becomes a challenge, so you may likely need to hire help.

By your own admittance, your boating experience is practically zero, so you will have to find various and sundry mechanics, electricians, etc, etc to come and fix, repair, maintain, etc..

In the meantime, while you are gone, the bills don't stop...dockage...insurance...utilities...etc..

And finally, yes, your " dream" boat will devalue year after year, to the point where selling it will be a nightmare, living away from the boat you will be entirely at the mercy of the boat broker, yours and the prospective buyer, who will not be motivated to sell it, without you in close attendance to ensure the boat remains in " prime" selling condition.

Check out the internet, there must 100's, probably 1,000's of boats for sale. At one time, these boats were all somebody's " dream". Many of these boats have been "on the market for years".

I can tell you from experience, that I've witnesses countless middle-age people chase the horizon, but one storm can change your tune in a second. If not yours, your wife.

Every year you will have to plan for " hurricane" season....this is a whole chapter on it's own.

Having said all that, if you have the financial ability to have a hired hand check on the boat in addition to all of the above, you could pull it off.

Working or fixing or replacing something on a boat can be viewed as therapeutic by many, so yes, people's reasons for buying a boat can vary.

That is the magic of boating.

Good luck !

Great summary of all the reasons to not own a boat. For all these reasons it is impossible to explain to a lubber why we MUST own a boat.

[sepharad]

I live in Portugal, my boat lived in Denmark. It was a fail. Covid closed borders, weather was an issue, air travel was an issue, added expenses were an issue, Maintenance was an issue.

I had planned on going up and sailing 4 months a year (seasonal issues).

It just did not work.

I ended up spending $10k moving the boat to where it needed to be.

No one wants to pay big money for a rental, but it ends up being bigger money to not be where your boat is.

[Jolly Roger]

You ask if it's a feasible idea? The answer no, in your present situation.
You’ve got to get some sailing experience in first, not least to find out if you like it. You can’t bareboat for the same reason, so the only way is to find a skipper/owner who will take you out and include instruction in the deal. You don’t have to go to some expensive/exotic place to do this. There are boats in every port and people who will take you out for a day, a week, or a month.
After that you just walk away, thrilled or scared to death, but much more knowledgeable than when you started.
DO NOT BUY A BOAT until you clear this first hurdle.

[avnbuff]

[QUOTE=Debmar;2964013]

RE: Owning
YOU ASK:
We would be looking at buying a used but decent seaworthy sailboat in the 35-40 ish foot range we think. (remember, we don't know what we are talking about, but have tried to research this and be grounded in reality in the process)

I 'owned' a 5M Sovereign (yes, that is about 16 ft) cruiser and managed to put a small family of 4 on it for a weekend at a time. It worked for a while. AND THAT IS THE KEY.

Don't buy a 'fixer upper' unless you are dedicated to that task. Buy a sailboat that you can manage. I FINISHED MY sailing adventure with a 35 FT. That I 'could' just manage alone. REMEMBER you may need to go back for your MATE when they fall overboard.

Or at the very least toss them a life ring.

Spend the money: Yes, yacht brokers are the equivalent to pimps in many cases, but they KNOW MORE THAT YOU DO. Use one! FIND A SURVEYOR 'of your own choosing' don't accept the broker's or seller's survey or surveyor.

If you are lucky, you can find a real 'friend' that sails and go out with them for a long weekend or perhaps share a rental for a week. You will learn much that way.