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kevinbrand · 20-01-2012, 01:29

My wife and I have just finished a 2 year round the world back packing trip. We now fancy the idea of doing it by yacht. However we cannot sail. We are about to move to India to work, so we thought we would fly down to Phuket to see how to go about it. We went to a boat broker to see what he could offer us. Well what a w****r he was. He made us feel because we were only looking to spend $80000 that we were not worth talking to. He was the first person we have met in the sailing world. Please please please tell me the whole of sailing is not filled with people like him!!!

We are not sure what to do. We are in Phuket until 6 th feb 2012 and all we wanted to do is meet some nice pleasant yachtie people.

I should say we plan to live in this yacht for a couple of years and sail around the pacific.

Can anyone please help us? Should we just keep on trying to look at yachts from the web? Should we take some sailing lessons? Or should we hang around yachtie looking bars and chat to normal types?

Is there anyone in Phuket who can help??

Would love to know what to do?

Rhapsody-NS27 · 20-01-2012, 01:36

First, Welcome!

Second, don't get discouraged by him. He doesn't want the business then there are more brokers/private sales out there.

I took some lessons myself this past summer in Texas and had a great time. I've read the books but had a different perspective actually seeing everything first hand. I would recommend lessons to start with while there might be others who will say just buy a boat you love and just go for it. It depends on what works for you.

Best of luck to you.

kevinbrand · 20-01-2012, 01:45

Thanks for your advice

**boatman61** · 20-01-2012, 03:23

Hi Kevin...
Welcome to CF...

First you have to realise there are snots and dickheads in all walks of life... its just in the cruising world we seem to have a few more than usual on the fringe...

Most brokers live on commission so its only natural they're gonna steer you towards their next luxury holiday/replacement car etc... but there are realists out there who'll work for you as well..
You'll find your boat never fear.. this is but a test to see how much you want it...

**Boracay** · 20-01-2012, 03:44

In your price range, for what you want, boats are going to vary from totally unacceptable to marginal.

So your first priority has to be working out which is which. Being able to see that a stunning looking boat is useless for what you want is essential.

Surveyors are useful, but they're expensive and it can be hard to find a good one.

Rather than looking in brokers windows can you walk the docks and boat yards? Ask questions of yard workers and those suspicious looking characters that "meerkat" out of boats from time to time.

But do take your time.

justwaiting · 20-01-2012, 04:28

I would rather have 80000 in my pocket looking to buy a boat than be trying to sell one for that price at this time, there are a lot of very nervous people out there.

Free advice (worth all that you are going to pay me for it) work out what you really want and need in a boat to achieve your plans. The only way that you will do that is to spend time on a range of sail boats. 2 things that i pick up from your post that your traveling style is back pack, the other is that you will not be setting sail around the pacific for a couple of years. Given that your idea of what you need in creature comforts may be a lot less than some others on CF. So you have time to look around for a boat, take lessons, sail on OP boats and perhaps charter a boat for a period of time to make sure that this is some thing that you want to do rather than a nice idea.

Sam Plan B · 20-01-2012, 05:20

This may seem harsh but here it is. You say you don't know anything about sailing but you want to buy a boat and sail around the world. You also say you have just finished a two year round the world back packing trip. And you are going to India to work. If I were the broker in Phuket I would assume (rightly or wrongly) that you were not for real and I would not give you any more of my time either. I would assume (rightly or wrongly) that you two are berkenstock Occupiers off to save the world one poor Indian at a time.

Reality check: To think you can buy a boat with zero knowledge of sailing and then sail around living on it is a fantasy. It's like buying a Dremmel tool and thinking you can set up a sidewalk dental practice.

tmsmith · 20-01-2012, 05:21

I agree with "Justwaiting".
Buying a boat is a serious decision. Hold on to your money or use some of it to take some RYA classes.

And if I may be bold, you are not ready to buy a boat. You need to be looking at crewing possibilities through agencies like crewseekers. This will tell you if you even like sailing.

I would crew on several small yachts and read as much as you can about the cruising lifestyle. Talk to owners of boats in the 27 to 36 foot range.

A good book to get you thinking in the right direction is "Self Sufficient Sailor by Lin and Larry Pardey. For a good book review of this book and other helpful articles about crewing, visit my website at The Competent Crew | Get the most out of your crewing experience..

Fair Winds,
Tom Smith

denverd0n · 20-01-2012, 05:32

Yeah, well, that was a little harsh, but pretty much true nonetheless.

You need to learn at least a little bit about boats and sailing before you go expecting a broker to spend significant time with you. Hang out at the docks and volunteer to crew if you can. Or take some lessons, if you have the time and money for that.

You need to get a feel for sailing and living on a boat before you are going to be ready to buy one.

Good luck.

**atoll** · 20-01-2012, 05:48

there might still be a few yachts leaving phuket/langkawi to sail to south africa at this time of year,other wise get down to darwin,join a yacht on an ocean passage leaving from there in march/ april,check out phuket yacht club notice board or online crewing sites. Yacht crew agency, yacht crew vacancy, sailing crew from Crewseekers is a good one,with quite a few boats looking for crew in your area.

try before you buy,lots of cheap boat's in sa,and after a long passage you will have a better idea of what you are looking for.

John Bailey · 20-01-2012, 06:17

I think you have the perfect background for what you want to do. Backpacking around the world shows you've got the attitude and going to live in India shows you are not afraid of living in foreign cultures. And, I hope you are wearing Berkenstocks -- another plus in my book.

As far as boats, I just looked at an outstanding Alberg 37 ready to go. The asking price was $43,000, I had the money in my pocket and I'm sure he would have taken less in this buyer's market. I don't want a boat that big, so I passed.

My point is that you have plenty of money to get a very seaworthy and comfortable boat for what you want to do.

My advice, and I admittedly have not cruised for more than a month at a time, is to find the best boat you can find for around $50,000 and put the rest in your cruising kitty.

Of course, read the Pardey books to learn what small boats are capable of, but my favorite two books on the subject are "The Cruising Life," by Jim Trefethen, and "Sensible Cruising, The Thoreau Approach," by Don Casey and Lew Hackler. It sounds to me you may have a lot in common with the approach to cruising these books offer.

There is also a blog at theworldbysea.blogspot.com that, I think, will capture your imagination. And to boot, the boat is for sale.

Good luck. I'm envious and hope to meet you some day.

John

**boatman61** · 20-01-2012, 06:38

To me backpacking = roughing it...
Youth Hostels, Rest house's, tents and often airport/train/bus stations for one's rest time/accomodation..
So basically living on a boat and not having to pack and refind sleeping space is going to be heaven...
Bear in mind where your at... and where some are coming from is large..
All you need for your 1st boat is around 30ft with a decent V berth, a toilet and washbasin, a decent saloon with standing headroom and good seating... convertable to double berth... this I do on long trips as its closer to everything if speed is needed.
Good storage space and a sound hull/rig and easily managed sails...eg furling genoa...
I've seen an old Nicholson 32 advertised out there last year when I was browsing.. early 70's that looked pretty decent...
you don't have to be rich/flash to go to the ball... something like this is all you need...
http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/core/lis...1728&noOfPic=1

UnlikelyVoyager · 20-01-2012, 06:51

I have to agree with those that are saying, wait, get some experience, first.

There are millions of people who like the *idea* of voyaging, but actually living on a small sailboat for weeks or months at a time is something different. For lots of people the dream vanishes after a day or two of the reality. You have to at least find out if your dream (and your partner's faith in your dream) will survive a few weeks on the water, before you invest a huge amount of time and money into it.

"Other People's Boats", is the key take away. Crew members are always hard to find. Make friends with some boat owners, especially the older ones, and do some sailing, first.

One other thing... if you have $80K, figure $40K for a boat, and $40K to get her ready for voyaging. You can get a nice Westsail 32 for around $40K, fix her up, and you'll be ready to go anywhere. I just use the Westsail as an example of a boat in your price range that will take care of beginners. There are many others. (This is where people *always* jump in with the Westsail cliches... maybe we can avoid that, just this one time? Please? It's just an example!)

Intentional Drifter · 20-01-2012, 07:36

Hi, Kevin, and welcome to CF! It is unfortunate you ran right into an unpleasant and unhelpful person right off, but keep this in mind about yacht brokers -- they work on commission and unless you have a very specific contract with them stating otherwise, they have no fiduciary responsibility to you or to the seller for that matter, but only to having the sale go through. This isn't a knock on brokers, but a statement of fact so you know where you stand with them and how they view you.

Sailing, and even more so, cruising by sail boat, is an amazingly complex process. There's a reason why the old Royal Navy required midshipmen to spend at least six years at sea before they could even sit for their lieutenant''s exam! You can learn how to get a boat moving by sail in less than two hours, and 20 years later still be learning. But, lots of people do it, and the overwhelming majority of that time is fun, punctuated by occasional times of shear terror. And, of course, it is not without very serious risk. People do die. Mostly as a result of a series of poor decisions, but sometimes simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and nothing could have been done to prevent it. But, that's life, anyway.

I agree with most of the other posters: First, find out if you're going to like this before you spend your nest egg. Get some lessons, cruise the docks and talk to people who have been cruising (you can always tell the cruising boats from the dock queens -- look for jerry cans, wind generators, life rafts, solar panels, windvane steering gear, and people working on the boat in the mornings). Find out if you are one of the unfortunate few who get chronically seasick (while almost everyone can get acutely seasick, there are a few people whose brains and ears seem to be wired in such a way that they can't get over it, no matter what they do -- for them, sailing is misery, 24/7).

And, of course, CF is a great resource, too. There's an amazing amount of experience on these boards and I've learned a huge amount from a bunch of great people.

As for a boat, you can find lots of great boats for $80K US and under. E.G.; there's a fair number of S&S 34's around for less than that. While some of them would need some refitting and work, Jessica Watson recently did a solo non-stop circumnavigation on one. Ella's Pink Lady Great, strong, classic boats -- just don't do it in pink, please! And, they're not the only ones.

You can do it, if you want. Just be sure you want to, first!

ID