How Did You Decide?

[Martinini]

In the next 5 years ther might not be any live aboard marinas left! And those that are there have waiting lists sometimes years long. Marinas like those transient fees way more than the fees they can charge the live aboards.

[rramsden]

I've seen several post about no live aboard marinas. They obviously aren't in the Annapolis area. Perhaps a lot of the east coast.

It depends on how you want to cruise. When I go to live aboard, which may be this year. I won't be concerned about a marina. I'll primarily live on the hook. I can go totally off grid. I'm working on some improvements to do it more comfortably.
As others have noted. Getting work done on your boat is expensive. The more you can do yourself helps.

[bookdocking]

As our plans form and we move forward we will be looking for a boat that is sufficient for our needs and comfortable as well. Anything we'd like to have that can be added later or upgraded is part and parcel of buying anything not bespoke.
Fortunately we're handy, my honey was in construction and is a skilled and useful tradesman.
Solar and wind energy generation, inverter, lithium batteries are all on our wish list. Whether they are on the boat or we add them they will be there. A water maker too, is an eventuality.
Our goal is to have a boat and crew(us) capable of crossing oceans, and ready for any challenge. So much still to learn, so much to look forward to.

I've a thirst for adventure, a well of optimism, a knack for contentment, and my favorite person beside me.

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by bookdocking

Yes I do have to wait 5 years since my teenagers do not want to live on sailboats, or have cruising be their lives. Because my sons are not extensions of myself but free thinking individuals my husband and I won't force them into it.

When I was 22 I was offered the chance to go live on my uncle's boat and work at Boeing where he was a mucky muck. I wish I had had the guts to make that move then. Or my parents had pressured me into doing it.

I would someday like to hear that you just put your boys on a boat and gave them cruising experiences. Even if they "hate" it. I know as a little $&#@ teenager I too would have balked, but the experiences, independence, self confidence, etc. that they'll gain they'll thank you for later.
Just like the myriad of things I thank my parents for that I hated at the time.

Boat children are the best. They're like miniature adults that aren't bitter husks from working.

- AT

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

When I was 22 I was offered the chance to go live on my uncle's boat and work at Boeing where he was a mucky muck. I wish I had had the guts to make that move then. Or my parents had pressured me into doing it.

I would someday like to hear that you just put your boys on a boat and gave them cruising experiences. Even if they "hate" it. I know as a little $&#@ teenager I too would have balked, but the experiences, independence, self confidence, etc. that they'll gain they'll thank you for later.
Just like the myriad of things I thank my parents for that I hated at the time.

Boat children are the best. They're like miniature adults that aren't bitter husks from working.

- AT

Not sure it's the best idea to isolate a young person on a sailboat with little to do all day.

The lack of exercise alone wouldn't be a good thing then the small space to live in with your parents.

Teenagers usually want space away from parents.....

[Amapola]

Our first sailboat was a Tayana 37. We chose her by research to find what we wanted in a boat. It had to be a blue water boat, something either of us could handle, well maintained, and within our budget.

[Pegu Club]

Originally Posted by bookdocking

As our plans form and we move forward we will be looking for a boat that is sufficient for our needs and comfortable as well. Anything we'd like to have that can be added later or upgraded is part and parcel of buying anything not bespoke.
Fortunately we're handy, my honey was in construction and is a skilled and useful tradesman.
Solar and wind energy generation, inverter, lithium batteries are all on our wish list. Whether they are on the boat or we add them they will be there. A water maker too, is an eventuality.
Our goal is to have a boat and crew(us) capable of crossing oceans, and ready for any challenge. So much still to learn, so much to look forward to.

I've a thirst for adventure, a well of optimism, a knack for contentment, and my favorite person beside me.

Sounds to me like you guys have the prerequisites for the adventure you are heading out on, the details will fill themselves in with time and experience,

Oh, outside of the endless boat things to become proficient at, become very good at weather and sea condition knowledge, this is extremely important, but it sound like you will in short order learn and understand how important it is,

Enjoy the process, Fair winds,

[Don C L]

Actually the first real boat I got was kind of chosen for me. At first I was not enamored with it, but the price was right and it was from a family friend who assured me it was a good boat for me. It was not a boat I would have chosen but it turned out he was absolutely right, in many ways I could not have imagined because I had so little experience.
Maybe we should have a matchmaking service for those searching for a boat? A boat is chosen for them based on their skills and needs and they are stuck with it for a year or two and then see how they like it!

[dannc]

For the OP, go to this link and download all four books. They are free and a great source of information.

https://setsail.com/making-it-happen...er/#more-48085

The Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia is just that and has information that should be of interest to the OP. Some of the technical information is getting outdated but there is still much of value in the book. It is a large book.

Later,
Dan

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by dannc

For the OP, go to this link and download all four books. They are free and a great source of information.

https://setsail.com/making-it-happen...er/#more-48085

The Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia is just that and has information that should be of interest to the OP. Some of the technical information is getting outdated but there is still much of value in the book. It is a large book.

Later,
Dan

These folks are beginners which for many here is a distant memory.

Well, I doubt too many beginners will be out trying to survive the storm.

I'd say for beginners surviving a few nights at anchor in protected waters might be a goal without the anchor dragging too much or crossing the local bay in 20 knots winds.

Then maybe dealing with your first engine failure might be another goal and lets not forget docking without hitting the boats on either side of your slip and not colliding with the dock too hard.

I saw a beginner a couple years ago that hit the first 3 boats before his slip then when he got his boat sort of backed into his slip he decided to try and pull it in instead of using reverse. It was a late model Hunter 34 I believe.

He actually used the boat 6-8 more times but not too much since.

[Nibiruwayne]

Originally Posted by bookdocking

As our plans form and we move forward we will be looking for a boat that is sufficient for our needs and comfortable as well. Anything we'd like to have that can be added later or upgraded is part and parcel of buying anything not bespoke.
Fortunately we're handy, my honey was in construction and is a skilled and useful tradesman.
Solar and wind energy generation, inverter, lithium batteries are all on our wish list. Whether they are on the boat or we add them they will be there. A water maker too, is an eventuality.
Our goal is to have a boat and crew(us) capable of crossing oceans, and ready for any challenge. So much still to learn, so much to look forward to.

I've a thirst for adventure, a well of optimism, a knack for contentment, and my favorite person beside me.

Good luck with the dream. About 35 years ago we had the same dream. We started with a background in ski boats and bought a 22' Catalina on a trailer and began on the lake. This was super wise. We learned the basics and learned what we 'had' to have and what we could do without. But most of all, we found out we loved what we thought we'd love. Since then we sailed three different larger boats, each larger than the last. We went through a center cockpit Morgan ketch ( accommodation and comfort, not fast). Then we moved to a 60' pilothouse cutter, a real ocean boat. The last boat is a 65' ketch, which we really explored Europe and the Caribbean in. All along the way we had friends, family, and a professional captain and his wife when the trip warranted.
So,my advice is get into something, no matter what and find out if the cockpit matches the armchair experience.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by bookdocking

No we aren't buying a starter boat now since we
1) have no vehicle capable of pulling one
2) Charters are our current boat, allowing us to try different boats, and move up as we gain experience

You do not need a trailer or truck to have a "starter boat" and indeed many such boats are kept in slips at a marina and, in colder climates, hauled out and stored on cradles or stands.


A greater problem is that slips are scarce in the bay area.

[bookdocking]

Originally Posted by dannc

For the OP, go to this link and download all four books. They are free and a great source of information.

https://setsail.com/making-it-happen...er/#more-48085

The Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia is just that and has information that should be of interest to the OP. Some of the technical information is getting outdated but there is still much of value in the book. It is a large book.

Later,
Dan

Thanks very much I love to have things such as this. My sailing related library is growing quickly.

[Wolfgang.Schau]

My first real sailboat (yacht), after 25 years of watersports with was yawls and windsurfing, it was an Antigua 38, built by Wauquiez in the 1980s. Built for the rough waters of the Biscayan, rock solid, similar like the Nauticat yachts, everlasting, unkaputtbar. When I bought her, she was 13 years old, well maintained, and now she serves the third owners as their home on the water. They were beginners and I sold it to them as the ideal beginner sailing boat, from my own experience. The Thornycroft diesel still works, the fiberglass hulls were very thick, no osmosis, no problem to take a hard landing.
You never buy your kids a new car when they start driving, right? Max a 10 year's old used car. Same here, you are a beginner and need to learn a lot, make mistakes causing minor damages here and there.
These old, rugged boats have a lot of forgiveness which you need as a beginner, you may have rough landings at the quay or slip, in particular if you train your crew to dock in a harbor under sails - and you should, one day this experienced was very helpful. Modern boats are built as light weight, for the sake of cost savings and speed.
After I moved from Germany to the US, I had enough experience under extreme weather conditions, and we bought a 1-year-old Lipari 41 from Foutain Pajot. The previous owner has taken care of all the infant and warranty issues. I would never buy a new boat.
Then we boat owners start to make all kind of modifications, add Solar, wind generators, water makers, LED lights, name it. Once we are done - we sell and buy another boat to start over again. This is part of the fun.

[In Training]

my husband and I just purchased a 49 ft bavaria monohull, aft cockpit. We had seriously considered a 46 ft center console, but the center console resulted in a larger aft bedroom, but much smaller living space in front of it. We had also for several years planned to purchase a 38-42 ft. catamaran, even though we had never been on a cat. We enjoy diving and grew up on lakes skiing. We chartered and had lessons on a catamaran the year before we were to purchase and found we were always motor sailing and they slammed. We just did not like sailing the cats and found the bedrooms were small. So, we purchased the boat large enough for us to be comfortable living on, but one we enjoyed sailing also. Keep in mind we are 70 so in no rush to get anywhere.

We started to seriously plan for this in 2010, expecting to retire and liquidate in 2016. finally retired in 2020, then took a year to sell our remaining 8 rental properties. Just put the house up for sale in Indiana last week and plan to cross the gulf in 2 weeks. We prefer the Grenadines for our cruising grounds and plan to be down there before the hurricane season.

Make sure you have chartered what you intend to buy. That saved us from making a costly mistake.