Your wisdom on which vessel?

[OrignalBudman]

I need guidance on what type of boat to look at. Here are the considerations:

• Comfortable for four people, two heads and two berths if possible
• Easy to single-hand if necessary
• Ready to sail with minimal upgrade or repair

Here's the backstory:

We are starting the third chapter in our careers after my wife's recent retirement. I have been in vocational Christian ministry for 40 years; during that time we have had to provide counsel for ministry couples under duress. We were pretty good at it, and we'd like to continue that ministry in a way that combines our years of experience, training, and expertise with a love of open water.

Our vision is to offer couples an immersive counseling experience in an environment that:

1. Takes them away their normal environment
2. Isolates them from social media and electronics
3. Forces them to interact with each other 24/7 for 5 to 7 days
4. Requires them cooperate on simple tasks that require planning, communication and execution
5. Affords a novel experience they're unlikely to encounter elsewhere
6. Provides ample time for client counseling sessions, mentoring, reading

We are both in our early 70s, in excellent health, have been physically active for many years, and we both want to continue to make positive contributions and add value to the lives of others.

So I'm thinking of something in the 35' to 45' range, but beyond that I haven't got a clear picture of what we should be looking for. Ideally I suppose we should consider a multihull for the sake of passengers, but those are beyond our price range. We need to be in the mid-five figure range for a good used boat; that will leave plenty of $ for upgrades & etc.

So here's my question: What type of craft would you recommend?

[Manateeman]

Hi. You should begin by reading Vincent Bugliosi...The Sea Will Tell.
It’s a true story and will be of immense value as it provides an in depth analysis of a sailing adventure .
Happy trails to you kimosabi.
Mark, a Melville kinda manatee

[a64pilot]

Well you don’t tell us where you are or what type of cruising you expect to be doing or anything, your experiences level or anything.
Budget is going to be tough though

[OrignalBudman]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Hi. You should begin by reading Vincent Bugliosi...The Sea Will Tell.
It’s a true story and will be of immense value as it provides an in depth analysis of a sailing adventure .
Happy trails to you kimosabi.
Mark, a Melville kinda manatee

Read it years ago. Great read. Thanks for the reminder.

[OrignalBudman]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Well you don’t tell us where you are or what type of cruising you expect to be doing or anything, your experiences level or anything.
Budget is going to be tough though

I debated about whether to go into that or not on this post.

I grew up in and around boats as a kid in Minnesota. Everything from 12' rowboats, canoes, ski boats to 40' cabin cruisers (on the Mississippi River). Boats are home to me.

Wife and I are both ASA certified for bareboat charter and coastal cruising. But it's been ten years since we did any significant amount of sailing. I've chartered and sailed the BVIs/USVIs, Panama (Bocas del Toro), San Diego, and several times in and around Hawaii. Also crewed a reverse transpac from Kaneohe to Santa Cruz.

So not extensive sailing experience, but I know my way around a boat, how to handle it in weather, maintaining some of the systems & etc but could always benefit from further training and experience. Part of my plan is to hire a captain to spend several days with us making sure our skills are up to speed and helping us fill in the blanks.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and interacting.

[Manateeman]

Hi. Thank you for giving us all a bit more information. It’s good to learn you have on the water experience. If you can document that experience, it will contribute to an application for a Coast Guard license. For a six passenger license, you can find numerous Sea Schools.
Your guests are passengers. Once anything of value is given to the vessel owners, guests become passengers. Anything. You cannot call it a donation or shared expenses.
If your voyage is longer than 12 hours, the vessel requires two licensed captains.
Obviously with sail endorsements and proper safety equipment on the vessel.
The paperwork and startup costs for a commercial charter company are increasing each year and the regulations outside the U.S.A. are even more complex. Without a specific track record, insurance rates are steep.
Happy trails to you.
Captain Mark and his Silent manatees

[Don C L]

Well... how about a Peterson 44? It's got the two cabins and 2 heads you're looking for, you MAY find a good one for the price you seek if you are lucky, good performance, I have some reservations about singlehanding it, but it could be rigged for that.

[OrignalBudman]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Well... how about a Peterson 44? It's got the two cabins and 2 heads you're looking for, you MAY find a good one for the price you seek if you are lucky, good performance, I have some reservations about singlehanding it, but it could be rigged for that.

Definitely going to look into that one. Thanks for the tip.