Are we crazy? (please be brutally honest)

[rookiemoon]

we'll try to keep the virgin islands as a home. Seems like a good place for rookie cruisers. Definite dates would be from march-july

[SunDevil]

July is the start of the hurricane season isn't it?

Read up on the fees and other info here:
Noonsite: British Virgin Islands

Watch out for the forced mooring fees if you are on a tight budget.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ean-72824.html

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

come to NC and buy my Pearson 33 and when you get to Fla you will know if you are ready for the tropics..its a good boat at a good price...

6 Grand?

[rookiemoon]

yes July is the start of Hurricane season, and yes 6 grand.

[rookiemoon]

oops sorry sand crab I see that you were commenting on the Pearson for sale

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by rookiemoon

I've been hooked on this forum ever since my wife and I have been trying to plan an extended stay in Caribbean for our honeymoon. We both want this trip to be as much of an adventure/learning/bonding experience as possible. We love the idea of island hopping with a roof over our head. But are we realistic is my question to you gracious readers.

Here is the scenario in detail:

-We have no real sailing experience to speak of(I can sail a sunfish on a small lake with ease ).
-We don't have much mechanical repair skills to speak of.
-My Grandparents spent 20 years living on and off of their sailboat, live in Tampa, FL and could teach us (though I want to ask your advice before I hit them with our bold plans)
-We have a budget of $5-$6k for purchase and initial repair of a sail boat with a sleeper cabin
-I've noticed that on Craigslist in Tampa there aren't any shortage of sailboats for sale (and in the water) for $2-3k
-We need to find a cruiser that can handle a trip from Tampa to the Caribbean and stay in 1 piece
-We can afford to budget $1000/month while we are out exploring

What do you experienced sailors think? Is this idea insane or just so crazy it could work?

P.S. Another hypothetical option would be to buy a sailboat in the Caribbean if it would be more realistic and cost effective. Then however we would be passing up the wealth of knowledge my grandparents have to offer on the subject...

Thanks in advance for any opinions you share

Here's your problem: in the Tampa Bay area (where I live) you aren't going to get much for that price. It will be a real "project" boat, and may well not be completely safe ... and how will you know? You're probably not going to get a survey on the boat before purchase.

There ARE a lot of boats for sale here, but ... lots of them are boats that have been allowed to fall into a significant state of disrepair.

It's unrealistic (to a fairly high degree) to expect to get anything in your price range.

You need a LOT more than a "sleeper cabin" to be up to the kind of trip you want to take.

I just can't imagine finding a boat up to the trip you want to take in your price range. I'm sorry. Why not spend it instead on a barefoot cruise? You can learn more about sailing bigger boats. Really grill them about the mechanics of sail boats, so when you do buy you'll better judge what you're looking at.

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

... and how will you know? You're probably not going to get a survey on the boat before purchase.

Maybe his grandparents can look at it, if they have been sailing for 20+ years, they can check it out and know what looks good.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by rookiemoon

-We have a budget of $5-$6k for purchase and initial repair of a sail boat with a sleeper cabin

I believe the term "sleeper cabin" applies more to tractor trailer trucks than to boats. The nautical equivalent would be a "cuddy cabin." Boats with cuddies are generally considered daysailors, with the understanding that a hearty, adventurous couple can spend a long weekend on one, especially in fair weather.

If someone gave you a $10,000 boat free of charge you'd be lucky to get it in cruising condition for $6,000, even if you did all the work yourselves.

To purchase AND fit out a boat on your budget is a bit unrealistic. It can certainly be done, but it won't be much different than if you and your partner decide to purchase a car for $6K and live in it. Either way, it's a grand scheme until one of you needs to use the toilet.

[Khagan1227]

@ Rookiemoon, yes, you are certifiable. That said, most dreamers are crazy, but determined. More importantly, without crazy people, we in the U.S. would still be living in Europe.

Don't just look in Tampa, look in Panama City, Destin, and other small markets. The smaller market means the boats there are usually known to the locals. For example, I have personally dealt with Panama City Yacht Sales. I found Dave to be very knowlegable about the boats he has for sale. He also had the history on quite a few of the boats and in some cases sold them to their present owners.

That said, you may very well find a 30' boat that meets your requirements for the price you mentioned. However to safely make the journey you are talking about you will need a few basic safety items that will probably blow your budget out of the water. Items such as a liferaft, an epirb, satphone or SSB Radio, safety harnesses, tethers, etc. I won't even go into making a night sail in a small boat in a big ocean.

I would strongly urge you to get a fixed keel boat, and remind you that smaller boats usually have smaller everything, are less comfortable in any kind of seas and have a LOT less amenities than their big brothers.

Many people above you gave some very good advice, but ultimately the choice and the risk is yours.

[TeMPuS]

crazy, probably but thats what life is about sometimes. I am 27y/o from New Zealand and flew half way around the world to buy a yacht in the Bahamas, spend 3 months living on it in florida before setting sail to NZ. I think your budget is a bit optimistic personally, 6k doesnt go far in the marine world! even if you want to do work yourself it will be gobbled up VERY fast even on some basic safety items that nobody should leave without...but good on you, make it happen! its an amazing place to sail. Good luck!

[Boracay]

It could be possible.

I did a quick search on Yachtworld and found 13 boats for $4-5k in the SE US. A more extensive search should turn up many more.

It really depends on just how good those boats are. If you can find one with good diesel, rigging, sails, stove etc. then it could be capable of sailing at least some of the Caribbean.

It would be very difficult to see enough boats to find a good one (sometimes called "kissing frogs"). The real skill is in being able to winnow out the duds so that you only look at decent prospects.

You'd have to start in the SE US. Otherwise you might run out of time, money or luck.

[Ex-Calif]

It is always nice in a way around here how passionately people will get behind a dream, stoutly support it, highly encourage it and vehemently defend it against the practical "no romance, no soul having, no adventure loving, lost their childhood innonence" curmudgeons who have crap loads of experience.

For those who are helping out by googling boats - Yay! OP admits to zero tech skills. He can't evaluate the boats you a sending him. He can't afford a surveyor. He can't fix anything that is wrong if he could identify it. He needs a boat that is like a rental car. Turn the key and go. He is likely to meet some salty old guy who will listen to his plan, tell im that ol' "Leaky Hull" is just the boat for and walk away with the guys 6,000 clams. Then OP will put his bride in the boat and we will never hear from them again.

For those saying fly down and try to hitch rides - Yay! At least no one is likely to drown this way.

@OP - what does Grandpa think of this plan? I'd take his advice over ours. He may be a bit more vested in your survival.

[markpierce]

Sorry, sj, but your plan displays naivety. I presume you are young and have plenty of time (if you avoid high-risk ventures) to develop skills and acquire assets to accomplish a fun, safe Caribbean cruise on your own boat. Meanwhile, however, I'm sure there are a lot of alternative, safe and affordable ways to enjoy the Caribbean now.

On my honeymoon, we went backpacking in the Olympia Peninsula and the High Sierra, but I had already gone on and organized many backpack trips beforehand.

Twenty-eight years after the honeymoon:





How about going on a river-rafting trip? Guides are knowledgeable and typically, good cooks.

[Boracay]

If it's got to be a boat like a rental car then it can't be done. Cheapest possible "renter" would be a small late model ex charter, and the cheapest of these is likely more than $60k.

They probably only have two options:-
1) Forget the extended honeymoon, fly down, charter a small boat in the Virgins for a week or two (or whatever they can get for their money), then, having blown it all, fly home and go back to work.
2) Do whatever it takes to get the required skills. One way that has been discussed a few times is to buy a smaller trailer sailer or cheaply moorable keelboat and sail that until their skills are at the level where they can confidently buy a boat for a major trip.

They sound like they have some common sense. They do need to be able to look at boats without buying.

[hogfighter]

I was anchored in the British Virgin Islands one night next to a guy in his early 20's and his (gorgeous) girlfriend. Their boat couldn't have been more than 25 feet...his surfboard, strapped along the lifelines, was almost half the size of the boat. He just returned from climbing trees to get coconuts for dinner. The smiles on both of their faces accentuated their deep tans. I'm sure he paid next to nothing for that boat, and man, if I could go back 20 years, I'd do what he did in a second.

So, yes. Go. Now.