Too Much Boat Too Soon?

[Classicsailboat]

WHOA ! You want to follow your dream, good, but you have a responsibility to your wife and son to do it right. Just because they are willing to do it doesn't make them prepared. 10 years down the road you will be 72, that's not young. I would suggest that you consider an alternative where maybe you live in the Caribbean and keep a more manageable boat. That boat will cost you a lot to maintain and will be worth maybe half what you pay for it now, not good financial decision. Buy a house in the Caribbean and it will be worth twice as much in ten years and you can probably enjoy it just as much. This is a big decision you are making, you can't afford to make a mistake because you don't have time to recover as if you where 30 years younger. Not saying don't do it, just be sure you are being realistic, it's easy to assume the good life sitting in the comfort of your home. Good luck.

[crankysailor]

Dude .. Age is just a number. It is all in the head. My father in law is 65 and he has no problem keeping up with me on physical tasks where I have seen 25yr old desk job types huff and puff. He drinks red wine everyday and eats mostly cake it seems. I plan to be like him when I grow up ;-)

Seriously though.. There are no rules. I find most people saying you can't do something are the ones who can't do it themselves. Thus they are afraid to be proven wrong. All that matters is how bad u want it.



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[crankysailor]

Oh und btw .. Why would one get a smaller boat than the one you can afford and are able to sail just cause of what might happen in 10 years? You don't know how much time you have left. That is the only thing not left for you to decide. Decide what is right for you NOW. Leave fear out of the equation.

$0.02


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[millhouse_44]

You'll be totally fine. My wife and I had zero experience with sail only 22' power boats inshore. We bought a Leopard 40 and off we went. Biggest challenges had very little to do with sailing or seamanship but everything to do with understanding the boat's systems and how to fix them ourselves. We are young (46) and even at that we find this cruising thing a lot harder than we thought it would be. How old is your boat? You say 'older' bug don't expand. Ours is a 2007 and had light use. Just a word of caution get a good survey. If the owner is that accommodating you may find some hidden problems. Also you might have problems getting insurance as another poster mentioned. Check that out before you buy. We had to promise to get formal training which we did via ASA and a few other caveats but we went through about 10 companies before we convinced one to insure us, and it ain't cheap. Enjoy it!! Definitely not too much boat for you at all. Cats are pretty easy to sail, just follow the sail plan in the owners manual initially then as you get more experience tweak that a bit. Good luck!!!

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Nothing I would like to see more than a Hobie 16 hanging off a 45' Cat... Something poetic about it.

Well, the Hobie was for training but now you got me a'thinkin!

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Lockjr

If you are a bit uncomfortable ask the couple you are dealing with if you can take her out with them on board for a day trip or even just a four hour deal. You can gain the added confidence and having the previous owners on board help out with the questions you will undoubtedly have that don't come up until you are sailing a new boat. Or take a quick course with a sailboat captain post purchase for a weekend on your boat so you can pick the brain of someone who has sail experience and they may pick your brain about motor experience and towing experience and the trip becomes enjoyable and informative to all aboard. A lot of six pack captains looking to get out on the water for a cheap sum when you think about the sharing of ideas and techniques.

Either way you decide to g will be good for you since you have to do it. You have the experience and know what works for you. You won't be that guy who buys the boat and thinks he has it all down and plows into the neighbors in an anchorage since prior to purchase your already asking for assistance.

Good Luck and Hope you and your family have all the fun a sailboat does bring.

The seller loves to sail but for reasons not for this thread can't do it anymore. He bought a similar sized power cat but still wants to sail. Part of the deal is 2 weeks with him on the boat teaching systems, technique and the art of relaxing once on the hook!

Absolutely agree with everybody, besides taking things slow and gentle we also need instruction and in my book, the more the better. My old boss used to say "you can never be shown or told too much".

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by RafaCavi

SV Bacchus I feel very well understood by you. I have 64 years old and a boy aged 11 and a woman 15 years younger. We are looking for a sailboat easy to sail (electric winches, bow thruster, AC...) 45 to 55 feet to navigate the Caribbean, then cross the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. (It can be reversed) Are we something crazy? but I still feel young and eager to do things. (I have experience sailing)

Nope, I don't think we are crazy but I do know we are not getting any younger! Do it now~!

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by crankysailor

Dude .. Age is just a number. It is all in the head. My father in law is 65 and he has no problem keeping up with me on physical tasks where I have seen 25yr old desk job types huff and puff. He drinks red wine everyday and eats mostly cake it seems. I plan to be like him when I grow up ;-)

Seriously though.. There are no rules. I find most people saying you can't do something are the ones who can't do it themselves. Thus they are afraid to be proven wrong. All that matters is how bad u want it.



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I am with ya brother! You've got to follow your own path to really be happy. Folks on this thread have offered very positive support and some have thrown out very realistic options. I am thrilled I posted because the insight is great!

Part of my thinking, that I didn't post earlier, is all my grandparents lived from 88 to 92 years of age. Mom just passed at 89 and my dad, at 90, still plays golf 2 days a week and tends to the cows and his garden the rest of the time. In my mind, I'm still young!

[Srqdiver]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

A 45' cat is a piece of cake compared to a young wife and a 10 year old kid.

Having an 11 year old, I agree!

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

As a lifelong sailor/cruiser, it is readily apparent when somebody is new to boating. It can be particularly frightening (even dangerous) when they are new and have a large boat. From the way they dock to the type of line ("rope" or even clothesline) they use, to the sail shape


Ahhhhh, the sailor's version of powerboaters putting their boat on the trailer, parking then watching, sometimes for hours (very entertaining) as "newbie" boaters try to dock, back trailers and trailer the boat. All the while they are yelling at their wife/girlfriend making her feel stupid when all around them know he is trying to shift his blame to her (not teaching her properly, heck, not even knowing the right thing to do himself). A couple of times it was so sad I, very kindly, offered to assist. Always appreciated by the lady and only sometimes accepted and/or appreciated by the man.

to the repeated anchoring (or "kerplop!" as it's thrown) or the fact that they park right smack dab in the middle of the long pier.

The anchor is a dead give-away! Pick up a 25 lb anchor, loop up some line and heave it as far as they can, which is usually about 5 to 8 feet. It lays on the bottom a tangled mess and almost never catches. What do they think the extra 5 to 8 feet will do for them? I hate the long pier/middle dockers as much as the guy who, finally, gets his boat on the trailer and thinks he has to lock everything down, put on all the straps, stow the rods, etc., all while sitting on and blocking the ramp. Move out of the way for gosh sakes, others want to go home as bad as you do!

Now, I'm not nocking anyone. I'm just saying that I can spot a new boater with a fair amount of ease. And they're the ones that need help when something goes wrong (as one would expect, yes?).

No doubt about it..

So if OP is rather new to larger boat ownership, go ahead! Just play it real conservative for a while. Look at how other people do things (not just sailing- docklines, quiet rigging, watch the weather, learn to use the VHF properly, etc.)

Agree completely, you are spot on and that is our intent! The seller is going out with us to assist, he agreed to two weeks but his wife told my wife he will gladly do more. He loves to sail but simply can't do it anymore. Interesting side note: You can learn from the darndest places! We follow a couple of families on YouTube that are keeping vblogs (video blogs) and when one of the families was putting out their first videos the halyard slap was very annoying. A poster explained how to tie the halyard off away from the mast to avoid the slap and not "p-ss off" your neighbors while in a marina or at a secluded anchorage.

The worst thing you can do is be arrogant.

We are pretty humble and learned long ago it is easier to admit you know nothing and get valuable assistance from someone with experience than to act like an as-, do really stupid things thereby showing everyone you know nothing. We don't want to be the subject of water cooler gossip because someone/everyone watched us sink or ground our boat OR WORSE, someone else's boat!

So be polite, keep in mind that the guy with the worn 30' boat might just know what he's talking about.

Spot on and agree with that completely.

On another note, make sure you have a method to get somebody back on board quickly (don't count on USCG); keep your life jackets real handy, and make sure everyone knows the rules (e.g., nobody on deck after dark). Make sure your lovely bride and child know the basics of steering and starting and using the motor and how to use the VHF radio and GPS.

Absolutely! Safety is paramount. One of the vblogs we follow is SV Delos, a 53' Amel Super Maramu. and their last couple of uploads (episodes) were each tailored to a specific emergency. One was a MOB drill, another was hull breach and the water tight bulkheads and one was fire coupled with abandoning ship, ditch bags, etc.. The wife and kid can both run our present powerboat, can use the GPS and we have practiced MOB drills. The drills will continue on the new boat.

One last thing: most anyone can handle it when one thing goes wrong. The experienced can handle two. When three things go wrong at the same time is when people fall apart. Keep calm figure out which is the most urgent issue, and work on that.

Great advice!

Enjoy your new boat, lifestyle and family!

Thanks for your insight and comments, they are appreciated!

[Tayana42]

As Crankysailor said "age is just a number."

But the older I get the number I get.




With a nod to the new joke thread


S/V B'Shert

[barnakiel]

All experienced sailors were greenhorns once. And so the way to learn is thru doing, not by taking courses and making dry rehearsals.

One does not learn to ride a bike by reading a book about riding, and one does fall down a couple of times before the balance and the skills is found.

Yes, rookies crash into you now and then. Non rookies crash into you too. No worries.

Get a boat, go sailing. The more sailing the better.

b.

[SteveSadler]

Great plan, good boat choice. Although I feel monohulls give more boat for the money. Save yourself a lot of trial and error and take an experienced sailing instructor with you for a week to show you all the tricks, skills, safety issues, etc. Learning from a pro launches you to success way faster than from your mistakes.

[SV Bacchus]

Thanks Steve, couldn't agree more. This journey has taken a year to get to the point of untying the lines but it is finally here and I intend to do as you and others have suggested.

Agree with Barnakiel, not gonna get it out of a book (although I've done a lot of reading this past year).

[AKA-None]

One thing that may not have been stressed is get the boat you need now not the boat you need in 10 years. I think you'll be happier if you do so.