Suggestions on a beginner sailboat

[David_Old_Jersey]

Whilst some of the responses have been blunt - nonetheless helpful. Ignorance always costs......and with boats of any size that can really add up .

Up to each to educate self - or take a blind punt......both approaches work, just one more than another. The sales medium is irrelevant, buying anything sight unseen or seen and not understood is a blind punt.

Getting aboard a few boats is what op needs, and doing so whilst also learning to sail has much merit - but not compulsory.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Oh, and pretty much anything with a sail on it would suit (subject to any hard requirements like being trailorable and having an outboard - imo on that size of boat and age / value and likely day sailor / weekender use an o/b is the most prudent choice.......a performance penalty under power worth the trade off for an engine that is likely not original and way cheaper to replace than an inboard).

The secret to a happy first boat experience is not buying a money pit. Get the best condition one you can find, even at the price of less toys onboard.

[happyboatguy]

Thank you all so very much! Great information and needed advice! :-) Keep them coming.

[ErBrown]

We where in the same...boat...last year and chose the Catalina 22 because it was cheap, available, and there are so many folks around that have them the support network is excellent. That being said I doubt you can go wrong either way. My suggestion would be to find one at a good price and get out there and sail it as much as you can. I'm sitting on the deck right now looking at the Catalina and thinking I'll get her out for a sail this afternoon to take advantage of an 80 degree day today.

In short try not to over analyze and just do it.

[bauer965]

Happy,
I have a Capri 25 for you. Great daysailer and beer can racer for the $. Typical Catalina build. Enjoy the search, and concur, "pretty much anything with a sail" will do. And don't let anyone convince you sailing is rocket science.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by happyboatguy

Thank you all so very much! Great information and needed advice! :-) Keep them coming.

Well ok. I'll jump in then. I owned a Catalina 22 for a time and found it to be a very fun boat and a good training platform as well as good quality. Our club has a West Wight Potter 19 and that too is a great training platfrom but a bit cramped in the interior for one who is 6 feet and getting less flexible. I'd consider either of them a good choice and the Catalina will be less expensive to buy initially and is not expensive to maintain.

Try to find someone familiar with sailing vessels to help you look. Its hard to say if a survey would be helpful with a boat and trailer that might not add up to $2500 but if you have a question about anything you can always take a photo and ask the folks here on the forum if it is an issue.

Good luck in your search. I also recommend that you take a basic sailing class just to learn the very basics. They don't cover boat buying but they will cover things you need to know like sail trim, man overboard drills and rules of the road which are sometimes not thoroughly understood until after a dangerous mistake.

[lonesoldier0408]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Well ok.

Good luck in your search. I also recommend that you take a basic sailing class just to learn the very basics. They don't cover boat buying but they will cover things you need to know like sail trim, man overboard drills and rules of the road which are sometimes not thoroughly understood until after a dangerous mistake.

Those rules of the road, should be taken with the understanding that everyone on the water may not be alert to the situation and rules pertinent to that situation. Case in point, a pontoon boat cutting across my bow, almost T-boned him. I diverted. I'm sure his insurance company thanks me.

[Thin Line]

Catalina 22 was the first boat I bought and we used it as a jumping off point. We agreed to sail the Catalina to learn before we bought a bigger boat and moved to FL.. It was only 2 months after we bought it that I had bought an Endeavour 32 ;-) Buy your second boat first ;-)

[SweSailor]

Look at Vega Express. A 26 footter with reasonable cabinarea and were produced in thousands. One of the most used sailboats for beginnerclasses around Scandinavia. Sails beautifully in moderate wind. Top 5 most popular boat in Sweden. That's for a good reason..

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[SweSailor]

Sorry! Albin Express is the correct name

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[lifeofreilly57]

Either the Catalina 22 or 25 would be a good choice. The 25 is a little more comfy if you want to spend a weekend or week aboard ( with two people). The upside is that there were ton of either model built so comparing them by getting aboard boats for sale would be easier. There is also an excellent support network for either model which gives excellent advise on the strengths and weaknesses of those models.
Myself? A Catalina 27, sweet sailing, easy to handle and quite seaworthy, one of the better hulls they produced, and there's thousands of them with both inboard and outboard motors. Very forgiving sailing characteristics too.
But of course it all has to fit your budget and needs.
As much of a boat fanatic as I am, and towards higher quality boats, I have always appreciated what Catalina was able to supply for the money. I even owned one many years ago, beat the tar out of it and it still sailed decently, I've always been a sucker for value and they do deliver a lot for the money.

[Flamingo1]

Originally Posted by Stevediveski

While we're on th e topic. I'm a newbie too. I've been trying to get some sailing experience by crewing but havent had any luck so far. I'm getting rather disheartened waiting for my sailing to happen and I was considering buying my own boat so I wasn't reliant on others. But I would probably make a bad decision and do my dosh. So what is a guy supposed to do?

I had a similar experience. I wanted to learn to sail locally and went looking for opportunities. They were not easy to find. I responded to crewing opportunities on this site and actually went out on a 40+ foot boat helping crew on one occasion - but the learning opportunities are really few and far between.

So, I bought an inexpensive trailer sailor to learn on. I ended up purchasing Macgregor Venture 21. It was cheap (under $1000) and had all the pieces to be on the water immediately. It isn't pretty, but it's functional to learn on and frankly, I didn't want anything "nice" to learn on. I wanted something that already had some character so when I bumped the trailer while loading it or scraped a bit of dock coming or going, it wasn't going to break my heart.

I have liability insurance - so I am not putting you at risk.

I am very respectful of other boats and give wide berth to others. I'd rather stop my boat in its tracks than worry about which boat must give way. I haven't been within 100 feet of another boat as a result - except while sitting at the dock - and that's the way I want it at least for now.

In the interim, I've joined a local yacht club and I'm working hard to volunteer, become involved and take advantage of educational opportunities. Unfortunately, I missed the beginner sailing class which started February 15 - but I'm in contact with the individual who organizes the classes and I will certainly be signed up for the next round - but in the interim, I am not going to sit and wait for that opportunity, I'm going to get out and practice/learn.

I went out on Sunday. I make mistakes - and there are certain things that I just don't understand yet - but sailing on my own has really helped me determine exactly what I don't know. When I do get into the classes, I will have a very good idea what I don't know and I will spend more time focused on those issues.

So, I guess I fall somewhere in the middle, too - but more toward the end of the spectrum recommending that you buy the boat and get out there sailing it - just do it responsibly, make sure you have liability insurance, and get into sailing classes as soon as possible. Practice, practice, practice....

[happyboatguy]

I have found that the 101 class in this area is around $700. To me, that is worth the price for the amount of knowledge one is to receive. As my family and I all want to take up sailing and I plan to make it my retirement plan in the future. I understand that finding a good boat can be difficult although I have found a man who will look at a few different ones (has 20 plus years experience) for a very small amount as well as go out on the boat as soon as it is purchased for a first time run.

Everything ya'll have put out is great! Thank you!

I'm here in South Carolina on the water. I would be sailing it in Georgetown, motoring the icw, and perhaps Charleston all in good sailing days of course. Just to learn and get a feel for the world of sailing. Just a small bit before taking a huge bite.

[markpierce]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Toro_(dinghy)

[campuscab]

There are free online classes through a university club. I taught myself by reading, watching videos, and sailing a sunfish. I learn every time I go out and I let other sailors sail my boat. I make mistakes every time but when she hits that sweet spot and everything's going good it makes every hour and dollar spent worthwhile. I am not putting down classes because you can never learn too much but there is always an old timer willing to teach for a steak or a beer. I had one literally sailing circles around me last summer. Every time he went by he yelled out another pointer. It was kind of funny but by the end of the day I was sailing better in light air.
I got a Cal 20 I picked up for a grand. It sails great but there is no substitute for comfort. My next one will have standing room and an inboard diesel. I have a trailer but kept it in a slip. With the economy down there are deals on everything.
The most of important thing is to have fun.

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