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Old 04-05-2020, 10:34   #1
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New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Hi all,

Thanks for this great forum. I'm sure I'll be back here a lot. I think I have decided, if I can't reopen my business after the quarantine, my plan is to buy a multihull sailboat and spend the rest of my life cruising and having fun. I plan to come back to land for a few months each winter to snowboard Mammoth.
I have been reading tons and watching lots of videos about sailing life. When I have a general question, I look it up on google. "Can I live with my dog on a boat?"etc.

First, some details. I'm 46yo, single, no kids. I have a puppy doodle that has been learning to swim and water retrieve during quarantine.

I currently live in LA. I want to buy a boat on the east coast and spend the first LONG leg in the tropics where I plan to get PADI certified and learn to sail. I've co-owned smaller boats before. Had a center console for deeps fishing and a wake boarding lake boat.
- I don't get sea sick. I sort of enjoy inclement weather.

Boats i'm considering: 2-3 year old Owner versions, 45' - 50' but probably 45'. 50' seem to start in 4 bed configs and that's more space than I think I need. Gonna buy used:
Leopard 45 - 50
Lagoon 45 - 50 or
Fountaine Pajot 45 - 50
Right now the front runner is the Leopard 45.
I get that I will have to make sacrifices somewhere, speed/comfort/cost.
I think comfort and cost are my two most important.

Things I like: protected raised helm. sky lounges, forward cockpits, big galley (I love to cook.)
I know it's the least important part, but I'd also like to get a center console tender that I can wakeboard behind if it's not insanely impractical.

Things I think I will need to not go crazy:
Internet, satellite and AC for when it's just too damned hot. Lots of refrigeration. While I love to fish, I can only eat shellfish (reverse allergy of everyone else.)

I am marginally handy but not VERY handy. I'm assuming I will become more handy as I learn the ins and outs. But I'm also okay calling a specialist when I need one.

One of the things I'm nervous about, I have a huge social life. I date a lot. I have plans with friends a lot. I'm worried about the lifestyle change but I also make friends everywhere I go. I'm not very good at slowing down, I don't even know how to read a book. But i'm hoping to change some of that. I'd like to learn to be happy in some solitude.

Also, I'm a hobbyist DJ and have been spinning for 20 years. My plan is to bring a controller on the boat with me so I can still enjoy dropping tunes when the mood fits.

I guess the first question is, am I crazy? lol.
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Old 04-05-2020, 13:31   #2
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Welcome.
Anybody that wants to become a sailor is crazy.

If you are single the boats are probably too big for you.
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Old 04-05-2020, 13:40   #3
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adelie View Post
Welcome.
Anybody that wants to become a sailor is crazy.

If you are single the boats are probably too big for you.
I don't plan on sailing alone. If I was going on a long or short trip, I'd find crew, friends, etc. I even have this romantic notion that by the time I'm ready to fasten the hatches, hoist the main and walk the plank, I'd have someone to intimately share the experience with.
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Old 04-05-2020, 14:16   #4
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Much of what you state you want in your sailboat is budget dependent. So, if you have the budget then go for it. Sailing those large cats by yourself may be challenging.


I encourage you to learn more by asking questions and reading/watching as much as you can about sailboating. I did that for the past year and my wife and I just bought our first monohull last month. A 47 footer no less. We will retire in a few years and do the tropics. Until then, we are works in progress and enjoying the weekends on the boat.


Welcome to CF!
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Old 04-05-2020, 17:18   #5
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Not crazy at all. If you have the budget to buy a 45 - 50ft 2 year old cat and want to socialize a lot, have a lot of boat toys, then you have targeted the right boats, your budget will need to extend to a hefty maintenance regime too. They are all pretty similar, the one big differentiating factor is whether you want a fly bridge or not, plenty of strong opinions on this forum about that. The Leopard 45 may be your choice on paper at the moment, but finding one will be an issue, as opposed to the highest selling 45footer the Lagoon 450 fly, by a country mile.
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Old 04-05-2020, 21:08   #6
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

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Originally Posted by Bean Counter View Post
Not crazy at all. If you have the budget to buy a 45 - 50ft 2 year old cat and want to socialize a lot, have a lot of boat toys, then you have targeted the right boats, your budget will need to extend to a hefty maintenance regime too. They are all pretty similar, the one big differentiating factor is whether you want a fly bridge or not, plenty of strong opinions on this forum about that. The Leopard 45 may be your choice on paper at the moment, but finding one will be an issue, as opposed to the highest selling 45footer the Lagoon 450 fly, by a country mile.
Great comments and thoughts. I've read the countless arguments about flybridge vs. sport helm. Seems like there as many arguments as monohull vs. multihull. lol.
I think that's why I like the Leopard. That raised helm seems to be the best of both worlds, you get contact with the galley and cockpit and still get the raised visibility. Additionally, the sky lounge's make the raised helm the center of the action.
Think I need to test them out though. Thanks for the comments.
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Old 05-05-2020, 04:09   #7
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

I would start by making your own list of the basic questions and then searching the forum using its own search functions in the the categories that address your needs.
Some questions will be specific to specific boats, some to sailing, electronics, diving, insurance, mail, etc...

You’ll find years of experience and information; once you get through that, and still have unanswered questions, then ask those individual questions. This will prevent you and members going down rabbit holes as one topic leads to the next, and will prove less daunting.

I think it’s a great goal(s) and certainly doable if you truly have the desire and resolve. Lots to learn and many challenges ahead.

Good luck!
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Old 05-05-2020, 08:27   #8
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

I think it would be worth your time to watch Ruby Rose on youtube, he did a review of a BUNCH of cats and knows what he likes.
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Old 05-05-2020, 08:37   #9
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Why don’t you just learn to sail before spending a lot of money. You might not even like it! Dreaming and doing are quite different.
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Old 05-05-2020, 09:01   #10
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

The words you use, and the things you want....you are describing a house. A house is a boat so poorly designed, that it does not even float!

A boat is not a house on the water. A boat is something different.

I suggest you keep your money, and get a smaller mono...mid 30's perhaps. That's plenty of space for one person and their dog, and their occasional crew when its time to go sailing.

If you have a big, fancy catamaran, and you are paying for the boat, dock, fuel, beer, drinks, food, etc....I'm sure you will have lots and lots of friends with you. Well, I use the word "friends", but they are not your friends. Your friends are the guys who show up when its time to do the dirty work of boat ownership...which is maybe 90% of maintenance. If you are lucky/rich enough to just "pay someone else" to do this, then you don't need us at all.
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Old 05-05-2020, 09:13   #11
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plan D View Post
I don't plan on sailing alone. If I was going on a long or short trip, I'd find crew, friends, etc. I even have this romantic notion that by the time I'm ready to fasten the hatches, hoist the main and walk the plank, I'd have someone to intimately share the experience with.
I also had that thought, but in practice (assuming that most folk go back to their lives after covid) it can prove quite difficult to find crew for long voyages.

A combination of factors applied to our situation; The vast majority of friends/family had no experience and would have been a liability, with unknown weaknesses; another group would have loved to come and would have had sufficient knowledge/experience to add value to their presence, but could not work with our timing, or had competing priorities for their valuable time, jobs, families, commitments. For a wage earner taking a couple of weeks or more off means using up most of the typical American's annual vacation allowance. Finally, personality clashes can become quite serious on a boat.

We added (2) crew for 6 ocean voyages of between 10 days and 44 days. I would say that 3 of those were amazing experiences, 2 were OK and 1 was bad.

2 amazing ones involved two lifelong friends, that made a significant effort (over 6 weeks!) to stay on really good terms with my wife, that they did not really know. (They did two voyages, wanted to do more but jobs got in the way). 1 amazing one involved two recent friends, also boat owners, that wanted to learn cruising skills, very communicative and willing and socially aware. The poor ones involved people I did not know well, that did not have awesome social awareness, and were middling or poor in ability.
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Old 05-05-2020, 09:18   #12
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Having a big boat is very different than a small boat. The big boat will generally have LOTS of complex systems: a fancy electrical system, big refrigerators, lots of pumps, electric heads, windlass, winches, etc. All those systems will require on-going maintenance. Unless you are competent in the servicing of all these, you are going to be completely dependent on finding competent people to do the work for you. And if you’re not competent to DO the work, you’re likely not going to be competent enough to know whether they’re doing the right work in the right way for a fair price.
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Old 05-05-2020, 09:38   #13
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

@hamburking described that very well. I'm going through something similar, and his words were helpful.

Also, I'm going to second the suggestion of @Avionics_Joe. Nick and Terysa (from Sailing Yacht Ruby Rose) did a big series of catamaran reviews. The cool thing about that was that after cruising for as long as they have, they've got solid ideas as to what they want, and in those review videos, they explain their decision and why they made it. A lot of things you were talking about (flybridge, protected helm, etc) were brought up.
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Old 05-05-2020, 09:48   #14
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Welcome to this forum.

It sounds like you have already made choices.
This forum might become more helpful as you move forward with your new lifestyle.
Opinions vary, but there is a real wealth of experience here if and when you need it.
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Old 05-05-2020, 10:04   #15
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Re: New here: lots and lots and lots of questions :)

Welcome to the forums.
My wife and I are looking at similar choices for catamarans.
My first step was RYA sailing training in Asia.
Our next step, and what I recommend you do is something like this:
https://charter-catamaran.com/sailin...1-103-104-114/
Right in your back yard.
Get certified, get some experience residing on a catamaran, then start chartering the models you're interested in and/or check out some Yacht shows and apply your new experiences to your decision making process.
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