Where
budget is a concern, I would buy an IF, fit it for
offshore and sail it till I am ready for a bigger
boat.
Our friend sailed an IF from
Germany to
Canaries / West Indies /
Azores / home.
Minimum initial outlay, very easy to offshor'ize and bang easy to resell at the end.
I regularly see IFs for way less than 5k so I assume a seagoing package can be set up for less than 10k. I believe some 75% can be retrieved at the selling point.
They are smallish inside but when you are young and in love (with the sea) you are supposed to be a little bit silly. Otherwise it is not love.
b.