new sailor

[GBB]

I recently retired and want to start a new chapter in my life while still relatively young enough to do it. my dream has always been to have a sailboat that was able to take me anywhere i wanted to go. i have done quite a bit of research and the Bristol Channel Cutter always comes as one of the top boats. i should say that the majority of the time it will just be me on the boat. i know i have a mountain of things to learn but i am willing to invest the time to reach my goal. I know everyone started where i am now at one time, so i was wondering if anyone could give me advice on the Bristol or anything else i may be over looking.
thanks

[Lizzy Belle]

Welcome to CF, GBB!

As to your question: almost any well built and maintained boat will get you where you want to go.
What boat fits best with your wants & needs depends on those wants, needs and of course your budget

[boatman61]

You've picked on a sweet little boat there.. just about perfect for the long distance solo small boat cruiser/live aboard..

[GBB]

thanks Lizzy.
budget would be $150000 US dollars or less

[Lizzy Belle]

As boatman61 said: very sweet lil boat that'll definitely do the job. Easy on the eyes too

If it's the right boat for you, I can't say.
I live on 29' which is usually fine, tho at this moment (it's winter here) I do have a serious case of cabin fever and am debating maybe going slightly bigger.

But: going bigger means more expensive, more to maintain, more boat to handle ... There is a lot to be said for keeping things simple and small.

Having said that: nothing more personal then boat choice. What fits perfectly for one person won't fit at all for someone else ...

My advice is usually: but the smallest boat you can comfortably live on and keep things KISS. But plenty of people out there who go as big as their budget will allow, and won't leave the slip unless they have every possible gadget and comfort ready to go.

Again -- very personal choice, the trick is to know what you want and need to be comfy and happy. When you're completely new to boating, figuring that out is the hard part

[GBB]

thanks for the help Lizzy. I live a pretty minimal life style. I'm not looking for something too big to handle on my own. Its the adventure and experiences i am looking for. I i checked my ego a long time ago and I am not the person who thinks they have to have the biggest thing on the block. Plus, remember I still have to learn to sail the thing.
thanks again

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

As boatman61 said: very sweet lil boat that'll definitely do the job. Easy on the eyes too

If it's the right boat for you, I can't say.
I live on 29' which is usually fine, tho at this moment (it's winter here) I do have a serious case of cabin fever and am debating maybe going slightly bigger.

But: going bigger means more expensive, more to maintain, more boat to handle ... There is a lot to be said for keeping things simple and small.

Having said that: nothing more personal then boat choice. What fits perfectly for one person won't fit at all for someone else ...

My advice is usually: but the smallest boat you can comfortably live on and keep things KISS. But plenty of people out there who go as big as their budget will allow, and won't leave the slip unless they have every possible gadget and comfort ready to go.

Again -- very personal choice, the trick is to know what you want and need to be comfy and happy. When you're completely new to boating, figuring that out is the hard part

Welcome Aboard GBB! And… What Lizzy said. Definitely do not go large quickly. Your budget will easily encompass a Bristol Channel Cutter, and that is an excellent craft.

I had many of my happiest days/years sailing on an Albin Vega 27, when I would say that my sailing to work on the boat ratio was 20:1 or better. I now live aboard a 55' sloop and my sail/work on the boat ratio is closer to 4:1, and sometimes worse!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, GBB.

[gamayun]

Welcome, GBB I don't know a thing about this cutter, but I see there are only 3 listed on YachtWorld ranging between $70 ('77) and $250K ('05). If your total budget is $150K, then I'd suggest finding a boat for about half that and using the rest of the money to upgrade especially as you sail it more and will know what you and the boat really need. It could easily take another $50-70K to do that...provided you do much of the work yourself. Even the newer boats always seem to need something. Let us know what you do and post pics! Good luck!

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Welcome, GBB I don't know a thing about this cutter, but I see there are only 3 listed on YachtWorld ranging between $70 ('77) and $250K ('05). If your total budget is $150K, then I'd suggest finding a boat for about half that and using the rest of the money to upgrade especially as you sail it more and will know what you and the boat really need. It could easily take another $50-70K to do that...provided you do much of the work yourself. Even the newer boats always seem to need something. Let us know what you do and post pics! Good luck!

Quite true. And the BCCs are indeed surprisingly pricey for such compact vessels. I would shop around a fair amount prior to making any decision, and that definitely includes sea time aboard a few. The earlier vessels can be internally very small indeed for length, though may be more strongly built. Consider that far more of your time will be spent alongside and on the hook than at sea in hard weather.

[Stu Jackson]

I have an acquaintance here who has TWO! He really likes them. One is an outboard, the other an inboard with associated systems. Great boats, lots of knowledgeable owners - gotta find them online, they will be there somewhere. Sweet boats.

[StuartBaker]

GBB,
Chapter 2 is for sale! Great 2010 33 ft Jeanneau SO33i with two sets of sails. Boat is like new. Great single hand, fantastc room and a clean and bright interior, fresh water boat. yachtworld listing:
79356-2901480

Check it out!

[Paul Annapolis]

There have been many, many, many such posts and they seem to pop up every month or so and you will find it useful to study them here as you are brand new to CF. However, I caution you not to choose or focus on a specific boat. While there are hundreds of millions of cars, most are pretty similar and made by a handful of manufacturers and generally familiar to everyone. On the other hand, sailboats are measured in perhaps the hundreds of thousands, or maybe fewer yet come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, configurations and capabilities. I doubt that you are anywhere near enough along to narrow down to a specific boat. Instead, think a lot and study a lot about what kind of sailing you wish to do and criteria are important. Otherwise you risk spinning your wheels and kicking keels. You have to see and try out and read and it is a steep learning curve to find the boat that is right for you. The choices are overwhelming and your learning curve is pretty steep. Find all the ways and places you can go sailing, charter, sign on as crew, look at videos online, or whatever, but don't be in a hurry as it is likely to spell disappointment, wasted time and money. Otherwise, I suggest you start small and cheap with a 18' or 20' used daysailor or a little bit larger weekender for under a few thousand dollars and sail as much and as often as you can and it will be a year well spent and your learning will have advanced quickly and prepare you for a larger and more capable and complex boat. Then you may be ready to find the boat of your dreams. In summation--slow down and narrow your criteria, not your choice of specific boat.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

There have been many, many, many such posts and they seem to pop up every month or so and you will find it useful to study them here as you are brand new to CF. However, I caution you not to choose or focus on a specific boat. While there are hundreds of millions of cars, most are pretty similar and made by a handful of manufacturers and generally familiar to everyone. On the other hand, sailboats are measured in perhaps the hundreds of thousands, or maybe fewer yet come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, configurations and capabilities. I doubt that you are anywhere near enough along to narrow down to a specific boat. Instead, think a lot and study a lot about what kind of sailing you wish to do and criteria are important. Otherwise you risk spinning your wheels and kicking keels. You have to see and try out and read and it is a steep learning curve to find the boat that is right for you. The choices are overwhelming and your learning curve is pretty steep. Find all the ways and places you can go sailing, charter, sign on as crew, look at videos online, or whatever, but don't be in a hurry as it is likely to spell disappointment, wasted time and money. Otherwise, I suggest you start small and cheap with a 18' or 20' used daysailor or a little bit larger weekender for under a few thousand dollars and sail as much and as often as you can and it will be a year well spent and your learning will have advanced quickly and prepare you for a larger and more capable and complex boat. Then you may be ready to find the boat of your dreams. In summation--slow down and narrow your criteria, not your choice of specific boat.

Yep. I previously sailed and lived aboard for many months at a time an Albin Vega 27. I sailed it in high latitudes to within a few miles of the Arctic circle and in many tough conditions. Fantastic boats as Matt Rutherford recently proved, regardless of age. They are cheap to purchase (averaging 15,000 USD), do up and maintain, and offer a remarkable maintenance to sailing ratio (I would say somewhere between 5 and 7 percent by my decade long experience, very far from my current rate of perhaps 30 percent at best). There are many others which would qualify as well.

[Sandero]

Welcome to the madness! As far as boat size goes.... if you are single handing... from the get go... you will want to go smaller than larger. I started with a new 36... it was kinda crazy and it was jumping into the deep end of the pool and learning to swing.

It was 30 years ago and with no net I had to buy books and magazines to educate myself, and take classes... coastal navigation, meteorology, celestial and of course learn to sail. I had one close friend who was a great sailor and helped me out... with sail trim and so forth... You need to bet a lot of practice with all weather and sea conditions.

Although my boat was certainly fine for coastal work when I got her... I spent almost 6 years and probably $25K fitting her out with upgrades... Loran first then GPS, an AP, a fluxgate compass, cockpit repeaters, manual then electric windlass w/ all chain, solar panels, secondary winches, roller furling, jack lines, storm sails, cabin heater, refrigeration, radar, then an MFP, SSB, VHF upgrade, new dodger, new head, new pumps, sole grates, new batts, high output alternator smart regulator and electric monitor, inverter and renew cushion covers and so on.... Each of these upgrades involved lots of thought, planning, research and most were done completely alone which is the best way because you learn your boat and its systems.

When you buy a well found used boat you will have to learn what someone else has done for you... their solutions... which hopefully were good ones. It's faster but not necessarily better. In the 6 years I sailed as much as I could and finally felt confident to take the boat offshore... and live aboard and cruise for 4 years.

Best 10 years of my life... Shiva is certainly comfortable, for one or two, plenty of stowage space...(you can always use more) enough that I can't find things! I can easily single hand the boat, dock it and that was mission critical for me. I need to feel I don't NEED someone else to sail. However sailing with sailors is a real treat.... unfortunately usually they are sailing their own boat!

At the time of purchase.... 36 seemed huge... over time it felt perfect... and now I would be OK with perhaps about 5-6 feet.... a but faster and more spacious. On the other hand the older I get the more the 36 seems to be a size I can deal with.

Sailing - the best discovery of my life and it never ceases to amaze me, teach me and give me pleasure.

I am one who didn't start small and manageable but stepped right into a size that I would have "ended up with"... I think this is perhaps a good approach for some... it worked for me. And the thought of repeating all the work on the next boat is a huge motivator for me to get it all right the first time. Of course you will be upgrading equipment over time. I am on my 3rd VHF generation, 2nd radar, 3rd suit of sails, and 4th gen GPS etc. These upgrades keep the boat close to state of the art... maybe not in hull form.... but are a real thrill to do. The boat is constantly evolving, improving ...yet the same!

Go for it!