I may be in a different situation than most prospective
live aboard sailors. My occupation bounces me in and out of the country at year stints. I am sick of throwing
money into rentals and do not want to get tied down to a house again. I grew up
racing sailboats of all types. I maintain an unlimited tonnage Coast Guard
license. Other than some one-design
racing a year ago I have been landlocked for quite awhile, due to my career.
Soon my
family and I will be moving to the Bay Area of
California. At first I was planning to
purchase a
race boat for the weekend sailing fix. My wife said that she would not be able to crew due to the attention required by our infant son. I know if they are not included I will never get an opportunity on the
water. This led me to think about a cruising
boat.
A cruising boat has always been a desire of mine for later in life. Traveling is one of my greatest joys of life. I have visited or lived in 44 countries (not always under ideal circumstances). My plan has always been to circumnavigate upon
retirement.
Soon I will be living on the
West Coast for a year before again going abroad. It is ridiculous to
purchase a high priced house in Monterey for a year. Again I do not want to flush my
money away in rent. I am considering
purchasing a boat for my
family and me to
live aboard during that period of time. I think it will be a good primer to a later
circumnavigation. Anyone can put up with anything for a year. Military members are doing it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti… right now.
Other than cell phones and
insurance I have no financial constraints going into this idea. I do not want to get wrapped into a vessel over my
head financially. When all is said and done I would like to be under 100K. I enjoy working on houses, cars, boats… but I do not want to invest time in something unseaworthy. Likely all maintenance/improvement will be done by me. I have built a house, restored cars, done plenty of boat
repairs, and even apprenticed in a sail loft. One of my priorities is to be sailing from the date of purchase though.
The reason I am writing this Thread is I know nothing about heavy
displacement sailboats. I am not a total neophyte as I do know about naval architecture, seamanship, navigation… What I am lacking is knowledge about actual
blue water cruising boat brands, models, capacities…
My initial thought was to looks for something in the 35-42 foot range. I need something that my wife would be able to stand a solo watch on confidently. At the same time I do not want her to feel claustrophobic down below. I would also like to have at least one enclosed stateroom for privacy.
I appreciate any and all
advice you are willing to provide.