Boat buying help

[dougweibel]

Originally Posted by Mag3

i've found shows invaluable as you can in 2 days step all over and crawl all through 30+ boats!

-mag3

I love going to boat shows, particularly the Annapolis show. It can almost be counterproductive, though, if you don't hold yourself back a bit. My wife and I have had good arguments trying to remember which feature/layout/whatever was on which boat a week after the show. When you go through "30 boats" they can start to all run together in your mind a bit.

One thing I found particularly valuable on years I hit the show when I was actually in some phase of deciding on a boat purchase was to identify 2 or 3 boats that I really wanted to get a more in-depth look at. I found that if you are respectful of the representatives and don't hinder them from interacting with others you don't have to follow the herd and march through and back off the boat. You can hang around and have an in-depth conversation, sometimes with frequent interruptions (which is fine, just be patient), and learn much more about a boat, the manufacturer, the owner base, etc. Admittedly, this does work better if you target times when the crowds are not the heaviest.

[denverd0n]

I will say that, based on the postings I see hear, and the folks I've met and talked to over the years, the biggest "first boat" mistake that people make is this...


Little or no sailing experience, little or no knowledge of all the many different types of boats out there, yet they have decided that the first boat they buy must be the ultimate, perfect boat for the rest of their lives.


The truth is that a small percentage of the people who plan to cross oceans ever actually do. And those that do almost always spent several years doing coastal cruising and shorter trips before they set off over the far horizons.


If you want your first boat to be your ultimate boat, then you need to spend a LOT of time sailing other people's boats before you buy your own. Charter. Offer to crew. Get that coastal sailing experience without buying your own boat. Take the time necessary to really educate yourself so that you know what is available, what different boats are like to live on and to sail, and what you like.


Either that, or get into something relatively inexpensively, that will suit your immediate needs for a couple of years, with the understanding that you are probably going to be buying another boat before you actually set off across any oceans.


And who knows? Maybe you'll end up deciding that the boat you bought will suit you just fine for all of the sort of sailing you ever want to do.


Good luck.

[lars]

45 is way to big and expensive. You wil be intimidated by this hulk. Also if you decide 3 days after you made this purchase that. This boat stuff ain't for you the chance of losing a fortune is a real possibility. I'd go with a generic 25-30 footer for a few thousand bucks and learn something before you jump off the deep end.

[Jdege]

I had no meaningful sailing experience, when I decided my future would include a liveaboard cruiser.

That was a few years ago.

Since then I've been taking ASA classes, and have sailed on four different boats.

My ideas of what I want in a boat have changed dramatically.

I still haven't bought a boat. I'd planned on doing so this year, but things happen. But what I'm looking for is nothing like what I thought I'd want, before I started.

[Landsman_Jason]

@Flighttime

Here some advice from a fellow newbie. First an foremost take a lot of what is said here with a little salt (Enough to make a freshwater lake taste like the ocean.) The advice can be found when you dig for it with less sarcasm easier then straight out asking. but i digress

There is a lot of information needed to give you a valid answer...mono/cat/Tri hull? winter or summer sailing. Deep Blue water or simply coastal cruising? How many will be living on board? and a lot more... the easiest way to answer is by watching youtubers and previously similar discussed topics in the forums to get a more narrowed down list. with that you can ask more specific questions relevant to what you are looking for.

Also I would recommend looking through the classified on here for a crew position before you buy a boat. That will allow you to learn about sailing and as well as help you develop a list of what you like and don't like about various boats. Thereby narrow down your list of what you want.

hope this helped.

[Mag3]

+1 on finding a crew position!

Originally Posted by Landsman_Jason

@Flighttime

Here some advice from a follow newbie. First an foremost take alot of what is said here with a little salt (Enough to make a freshwater lake taste like the ocean.) The advice can be found when you dig for it with less sarcasm then straight out asking. but i digress

There is a lot of information needed to give you a valid answer...mono/cat/Tri hull? winter or summer sailing. Deep Blue water or simply coastal cruising? How many will be living on board? and a lot more the easiest way to answer is by watching youtubers and previously similar discussed topics in the forums.

Also I would recommend looking through the classified on here for a crew position before you buy a boat. That will allow you to learn about sailing and as well as help you develop a list of what you like and don't like about various boats. Thereby narrow down your list of what you want.

hope this helped.

[Landsman_Jason]

Originally Posted by lars

45 is way to big and expensive. You wil be intimidated by this hulk. Also if you decide 3 days after you made this purchase that. This boat stuff ain't for you the chance of losing a fortune is a real possibility. I'd go with a generic 25-30 footer for a few thousand bucks and learn something before you jump off the deep end.

I agree with Lars. although i will point out that if you are planning on doing a live aboard i would not recommend less then 30'. Highly recommend buying a used boat but get a survey (trust but verify).

[gonesail]

I'm with the other guy: take 5 or 10 feet off your desired length and get yourself a nice boat. one you can handle yourself and is big enough to stay aboard

[boatpoker]

May I suggest that the OP read this and consider some new questions.

Marine Survey 101, pre-survey inspection

[flyingfin]

First decide where you will keep the boat,,,,, Melbourne or St Pete are the closest sailing grounds to Central Florida.
Lots of buyers wind up with problems when they find out how hard it is to find decent dockage in a location they want.

#2 Decide what you want,,, a day sailor, a weekend condo with A/C, a cruiser ready to leave on your voyage in 4 weeks?

Then start looking at vessels. The guys at Whiteaker Yacht in Palmetto FL usually have high quality listings. Check their website, then check out the many sailboat listings on themariner.com