Is this a good first boat?

[kmacdonald]

Yes it is. A great gift boat in fact.

[JPA Cate]

The OP asked is it a good boat.

So, now we've learned it is a cult boat like a BCC. (Bristol Channel Cutter.) Some of our friends have had them. Most complain how much water they can scoop up when a Coromuel starts up in Baja California.

If the OP had asked what do we think is a good first boat, someone might have mentioned the Yankee or the Dana. Me, I would have started talking about trailer sailers, because of low costs, and flexibility. Some of you don't know, but before Jim and I met, he and his first wife trailered his Catalina 22 to Pt. Townsend, from SF, and then sailed it to Victoria, and then to Vancouver Is. They had a super time with their kids, on that tiny boat. So, a whole lot here depends on the OP and his/her values and needs vs. wants.

Any small, light boat will do him well for learning to sail.

Ann

[Island Time O25]

Here is how I see OP's future dilemma.

If Dana24 does its job as intended i.e. be a great learning boat, he will soon want to upsize to 30-40 footer or some such for real cruising. If it does not he is stuck with a $50k to $60k overpay.

Depending on OP's individual situation a traiiler sailor can be a better choice. Or a 25 to 28 ft boat for about $20k or less. Perhaps $30k if in very good shape. Unlike their bigger versions, in this size segment there are literally tens of thousands to chose from in all kinds of conditions and configurations.

The cost diferrence between $70k and $20k will cover about 8-10 years worth of running expenses on a boat that size. But if OP's finances allow for risking $70k on a first trainer boat I guess this one is as good as any.

[PaulCrawhorn]

Boats develop cult followings for good reason, just because most USians prefer to "go big" doesn't mean the "Small is Beautiful" crowd is wrong.

The Dana is "trailerable", that is what I like about it most compared to bigger ones.

Obviously not a "trailer sailor" but certainly transportable by road, so from the PNW if you decide Baja's where you want to be, or Florida to do the Caribbean

you just go, start your sailing saga right where you want to, rather than entertaining the daunting - and likely DELAYING - idea of beating your way there at sea as a learner. Much less going through the canal as opposed to I-90 east.

And exactly because it is a "cult boat", if you do decide to go bigger, time it right and you'll likely get most - if not all - your buy price back without waiting too long.

Lin and Larry Pardey's “Go Simple, Go Small, Go Now” still applies these days

[letsgetsailing3]

The problem with that level of expense on a "starter" boat is that you'll lose money in the transactions, taxes, insurance, etc.

It's a great boat for what it is, but you pretty much have to "stick the landing" preference-wise on the first try.

Where if you get a less expensive, more prevalent boat, you'll likely be able to use it for a few years, and if you're ready for a change, you can get your money back out, or at least minimize your expenses.

You may outgrow or have other preferences in a few years. Something to consider, anyway.

[Don C L]

I came at this from an economic standpoint too, given the price of a Dana. But while most of us do recognize that you can get other boats that to us may offer more for the same amount or less, or will give us a better chance to recoup the initial expenditure, that is irrelevant. To the OP, and to anyone, the questions are: Is it safe, does it make you happy and can you afford it? That's about it IMO. But, now, is the Dana a good boat to learn on? That's different. To my way of thinking there would be much better choices for that purpose, but even there you could easily make the argument the Dana could be fine for that too.
I confess I fall into a judgemental state at times scrutinizing others' choices of boats, and I have to remind myself of a man I met many years ago. He built his own boat, which to my eye was a monstrous contraption, and he pulled into the anchorage beaming proudly and proclaiming it only took him 7 hours to cross the channel here. That put his average speed at about 4 knots on a breezy day. I thought I wouldn't brag about that, but he was so happy, who was I to judge?

[Baby tug]

I owned more than 20 boats In the last 30 years mostly trawlers , my most recent Boat is a 31 Fisher bought at auction in Canada , rough around the edges didn’t pay much for it at all you can go that route . I had it towed To Roche Harbor where it’s sitting waiting for me to do some repairs and for a weather window .I will do a refit this summer to my liking it will be a combination sailboat/trawler capable of crossing oceans. I thought that would be fun to do before i die . On the other side of the coin there is a boat in the next slip a 45 Peterson 1982 owned by a very nice husband and wife team, They have done extensive cruising Over 15,000 miles In the last 20 years they are leaving for Alaska May 1 it’s the second boat they have owned Both boats were bought in good condition , they spent their time cruising I have yet to make it to Alaska , my recommendation is to go small and go now at the very least you won’t have trouble finding a slip for a smaller boat and it takes less time to wash it just my opinion

[laika]

Whiteoil, your story sounds familiar to me. I bought a Vancouver 27 in 2010 and before that lived and crewed on a larger 37' for a couple years. I bought my 27' in a similar position.. the PO had kept her in immaculate shape and I paid a pretty penny upfront. I've still put a lot in over the years, and he did have some blind spots, but it was especially helpful those first few years that the owner had a vested interest in her. We still are in touch to this day.

As to whether it's the right boat, I don't have much to add. Where I'm at 10 years later is that whether it's still the right boat for me depends on the year.. Ive only been cruising winters these last few years with my now wife. If we were to ever move back onboard full time we would probably be looking for something slightly bigger and faster now. But as it is, we know this boat inside and out and feel comfortable with her. It doesn't break our bank to look after her in this part-time manner, and we have a trailer for her which, if she ever gets back to the states, we plan on hauling her to our home in WI and sailing summers on the great lakes. Then maybe haul her back down to FL and do winters in the Bahamas. Then maybe..

Anyway, the long and short is that, over 10 years in, we still don't know what our cruising goals are, but we like the flexibility our pretty little pocket cruiser affords. The caveat is that it probably would not longer be the right boat for us if we decide to hop back onboard full time with a young family.

Good luck in the search! Over n out.

[MikeHoncho]

Well known and capable boat. Given your description of what you want to do with it , it should do the task. The question is do you want to be on it while it’s doing it?

[thomm225]

So I don't know the age of the OP, but for my first boat I paid $300. (16' Chincoteague Scow with plywood bottom and 40 hp Johnson plus rusty trailer)

My first sailboat was a dinghy sailor which I traded my 7 mm deer rifle for.

My first actual sailboat a Hobie 16, I paid $1700 for.

After 11 boats ......I bought my first Bluewater Cruiser a 1974 Bristol 27 that is at least as seaworthy as a Dana 24, and I paid $2,000 for it.

It's just something to consider as the price tag on that Dana 24 is $69,000 and it may be able to sail as fast as my boat......maybe

Just sayin .....it's all about what you want but you need to know what it is from your previous experiences before you pay too much for something that looks nice but may not be quite the right thing.

An Alajuela 38 was mentioned earlier asking price of $50,000. That is one hell of a boat as compared to a Dana 24

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/alajuela-38

[shrspeedblade]

Originally Posted by Whiteoil

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/199...na-24-8226330/

I know she's small and slow, but figured I might be single handing quite a bit. Also if you go with buying the previous owner's maintenance she looks spotless. Also maybe I can get her a few thousand cheaper.

Should I go for it? They're decent little boats. I would sail down the west coast maybe eventually going through the canal and into the Caribbean. I mean no idea how far I'd make it but it would be fun to try and get some experience. As of now I only have a few thousand NM miles doing the english channel, coastal Europe and Bahamas as crew.. but I really want to take on the role as the mentally questionable captain.

Give me some encouragement to go for it.. i already know all the reasons why I shouldn't.

I'm quoting the original post as a lot of people are seeming to ignore it or didn't even read it!

He knows she's small.
He knows she's slow.
After a few thousand nautical miles, I think we can assume he knows how to sail.

People are (rightfully) giving you reasons why they wouldn't do it, and some even why they would, but it's hardly pertinent to act like it's an "intro to sailing" boat for you. I'd talk to some Dana owners, and see if what they say resonates with you.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by shrspeedblade

I'm quoting the original post as a lot of people are seeming to ignore it or didn't even read it!

He knows she's small.
He knows she's slow.
After a few thousand nautical miles, I think we can assume he knows how to sail.

People are (rightfully) giving you reasons why they wouldn't do it, and some even why they would, but it's hardly pertinent to act like it's an "intro to sailing" boat for you. I'd talk to some Dana owners, and see if what they say resonates with you.

Some of us with a bit more experience on small boats would talk to some Alajuela 38 owners after comparing it to a Dana 24.

But maybe I like the Alajuela 38 because I have 26 years sailing experiences on 6 different small sailboats.........

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/alajuela-38

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/da...cific-seacraft

[PaulCrawhorn]

Different strokes...

No one "ideal" even for a tightly defined use case.

We each have our own unique set of "rational" preferences

and then the emotional, aesthetic and subconscious even, factors come in, usually far more important

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Can we get a little realistic here? The op is talking about sailing south through the canal and to the Caribbean on a 24ft. $69,000 boat. All that bling on that little boat is not going to make it any more comfortable bobbing around out their. While sailing down the west coast and a bit offshore, I was caught between two tropical depressions with 45+knots of wind and 18ft. seas on an Ingrid 38. A 26,000 lb. full keel locomotive. I was still being launched off waves and crashing down in troughs. It wasn't fun and I sure as hell would not have wanted to be out there in a 24ft. boat.
I am assuming the op lives up around the Seattle area. So I will just posts a few boats that, for the money might be a better choice...


https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/198...sloop-8049269/
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/197...la-38-7276473/
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/198...37-ct-7855039/
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/197...sloop-8047992/

When I was down in Mexico I met 4 different people all with boats under 30' that had sailed down from Canada (although the smallest was 26' , not 24') It's very doable if you are smart about weather and coastal hop. We were all going to cross the Pacific to FP together till covid hit, 1 sailed back to Victoria in one go, 2 went to Hawaii and then back to Victoria and the last one carried on to FP.

Small boats can do great things

Totally agree with you on the price though - is the keel made of gold or something?

[BoatBumm]

I have a 1987 Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34. As others have pointed out all the Pacific Seacraft boats have marvelous build quality. But what I’d like to add is that the owner support I’ve gotten from the factory in North Carolina has been wonderful. I’ve not had to contact them often, but when I’ve had a question they’re there. Get that boat surveyed, and unless they find significant issues with that boat - go for it!