Firstly, thanks to all for taking the time to try and help me out.
DOJ :I'll be sure to browse the info in your sig. I'll come back once I've read a good bit of it.
Doodles : The
Beneteau was also my 'pick'. However I don't
recall seing a 'sale pending' notice on it so it might be new. I'm in no actual hurry to buy a boat, just taking a serious, long hard look at options right now. Keeping the
draft shallow is something important. Thanks for pointing that out. I would hate being kept out of beautiful lagoons or bays for fear of running aground. That O'day looks nice, clean and maintained (on the pictures at least). I'll send the
broker an
email.
Boatman61 : Thanks for the link. I'll take a look with my spouse!
carstenb : I'll see if I can get thebook locally and if not, I'll get it online. I may be dreaming of cruising, but in the meantime I still need reading for the daily commute.
sww914 : I'm sorry to hear that it took you 15 years to get cruising but at least you are cruising! Some never leave shore. That bit about exploding dinghys made me take a peek at your blog ! About the size issue... I hear you. I was thinking I'd get a 100 footer for the
price I'm seeing the 50 footers sell...
ArtM : Too late to split it I suppose. About the property, I'm glad to hear that at least one other person is cruising successfully while owning rental property. It just helps me feel I'm not doing something impossible. The property is sufficiently profitable to still have good money left even after paying mor management. (which is getting rare considering my neighbour just
sold his building for 22 times the yearly rental
income. That's IMPOSSIBLE to be profitable).
About being burned out, If we
live aboard for a few years it'd be in or around St-Barths because... well... because. I have the option of earning revenue there if I want.
About the 'now' boat. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied. I'll always want bigger, newer, shinier. (Have you seen the
beneteau sense50?) You might have an objective boat however...
Paul L : I'll take a look at their blog with my wife.... you know, to help convince her we should ditch the arctic in favour of warmer climates.
Lake-Effect : What you are describing seems like a reasonable plan. It would seem like it might actually be an investment seeing as to how real-estate would tend to appreciate rather than depreciate. It might appeal to me for a
retirement but doesn't really sing to me right now.
Lac des deux montagnes is actually where I take my
sailing lessons. Problem is the lake is running dry and low. Lot's of the 30' sailboats running out of the marina I go to are hitting the bottom too often. Some people didn't take their
boats out all summer because of this...
Nevertheless, our plan, which was reasonable, was to do exactly what you described. It's just that after being 'free' for a year living in the north, where you could literraly just point your snowmobile in any direction and ride for days on end or stop in a
remote bay and watch the belugas migrating, or find polar bear tracks and follow them for miles and miles just to try and find one... 9 to 5 jobs are slowly killing us inside. Cruising sooner rather than later, or at least being on a boat, would seem like the next step.