Thinking about jumping the shark.

[valhalla360]

Unless you are set on the west coast, don't think you have to move to mexico to make it work.

Reality is if you live the same lifestyle, it will cost about the same in mexico as it does in the USA. Much of the cheap lifestyle in the sea of cortez can be traced to anchoring out all the time. Anchor out all the time on the gulf coast and keep engine use to a minimum and it won't cost much different.

Your budget for buying it tight but doable. Particularly if you are mechanically inclined. But I wouldn't suggest a project boat. Get something functional that just needs upgrades.

[JPA Cate]

Someone above suggested you take a little time to go and visit and chat at the marinas in the Seattle area.

This seems like an excellent idea to me, because you could meet someone quite knowledgeable who would be willing to offer advice on specific boats. Your only big problem with this is your unfamiliarity with sailboats. Lots of older people would be happy to mentor you, most likely.

When you look at the older boats, there is usually something seriously wrong.. The biggest repairs, money-wise, are engine replacement, repair of wet cored decks, and re-rigging. You can get 2nd hand sails. Lots of photo ops in the PNW, too, but lots more crowdy than Montana. If you're the kind of guy who doesn't care for population pressure, remember Calif. is chock-ablock with people and taxation.

If you think you will want to sail off into the blue after you learn your way around sailing, then you will probably want by then to upgrade. It is hard to pick the right boat the first time, but lots of us got here via a progression of lesser vessels to better ones.

If you're a tall man, when you start looking at boats, check out the berths for adequate length. There are some guys here on CF who already have learned which boats have long enough berths for tall men.

Cheers, mate, and good luck with it.

[BigNickMontana]

The plan is forming up, I still own my old truck that I kept in case of emergencies, gonna go hook back up to her and get my blue truck up for sale, once sold Blue will provide me with the funds to buy the boat, and I can keep running my red truck to keep making money in order so I can get the boat fitted out the way I want it, since the other truck is paid for, I can do all the sailing I want to.

[BigNickMontana]

Hey guys, thank you for all of the advice here, I am about mentally exhausted right now, it has been a day. I am gonna go veg out for a bit, might get back online tonight or definitely in the morning I will get to reply to posts here and those who sent me PM's.

I have been looking around more at boats between making phone calls.

did see this one pop up. 1974 Pearson Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

I just can't remember if lake Michigan is fresh water or not?

Might be a contender if I get the truck sold fast enough.

[kennyarmes]

Nice boat the numbers are good except for the fuel tank so you won't be able to do a whole lot of offshore work but the boat looks good in the photos

Sent from my VS985 4G using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by kennyarmes

except for the fuel tank so you won't be able to do a whole lot of offshore work

Double what my boat carries, and she's been to the Azores ...
Just how much diesel does a small sailboat need to carry to sail offshore?

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Double what my boat carries, and she's been to the Azores ...
Just how much diesel does a small sailboat need to carry to sail offshore?

Might need some fuel capacity if he intends to bring her down river, no matter which river he chooses. (I read that there are stretches along the Tenn Tom where marinas with fuel are widely-spaced.)

[Hearts Content]

6' works great in the deep water off the left coast but it would be a nightmare in Florida and the Bahamas. Just the difference between 4.5' and 5' is huge. It's a non-issue if you plan to stay out west and that's a solid boat for what you plan to do.

Once on the east coast, you have the ICW for protected waters. Meaning you could buy anywhere on the east coast and pretty much motor it to where you will keep it in protected waters. Bought mine in NC and brought it to Clearwater, Fl. Just watch the air draft.

The trawlers don't go anywhere (dock queens) due to the cost of fuel. I take my boat out nearly every weekend and just putz around for maybe a dollar or two. Ah, Florida. I have no need or desire for a change of seasons.

I was a FC on a destroyer out of San Diego. We'd go to San Fran to shake down new crew in rough seas. It gets nasty out there and shelter is sparse and far apart. I can keep every leg under 24 hours all the way to the Bahamas. But I usually just run Clearwater to Key West in around 40 hours. But I have been caught in some unpredicted nastiness and just ducked into a safe harbor. That's not going to happen sailing down the West coast. You will endure it.

Just keep researching, you are definately on the right track.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Double what my boat carries, and she's been to the Azores ...
Just how much diesel does a small sailboat need to carry to sail offshore?

Lizzy, et al,

We (Jim and i) sailed his Yankee 30 (one of the boats Big Nicksaid he's considering) to Hawaii and back to SF. We used the engine to enter or leave till we got the main up. Did not use it for whatever others have in mind when they say you need lots of fuel.

As you know from your own boat, it's fine.

Many modern expectations seem to me blatantly unrealistic, especially for the lower budget sailor.

Ann

[mawtty]

Go for it bro.
I sailed off in a 26 ft plywood sloop when I was 33 and spent 14 years up the coast of australia and into new guinea.
Mostly with little to no income.
I had a ball.
met wonderful people and had many adventures. I now have a 33 ft sloop that seems like a palace.
Make sure it sails well to windward and avoid a motor sailer otherwise you will get stuck in one place for too long. ( sorry you guys who dont sail to windward much, but there are still places worth visiting in the world where you cant get diesel fuel).
Tulku Tim.

[Gone2long]

Don't know if anyone has said this yet, as I haven't read the whole thread, but - Seattle is expensive, though the out islands may be a way to go, if you don't mind the rain and cold winters.


California is expensive, and nowadays pretty regulated, but, maybe you might like putsing around up in the SF Bay basin/river system.


I'm doing something like what you want to do in Asia. If I was where you are, I'd certainly think about Mexico as the best option. Lots of expats and yachties. Relatively cheap, warm, somewhat exotic and very beautiful in the right places.


By lhe way, used to hang out in Kalispell on occasion, back in the 1980s. Pretty nice up there.


Regards,


G2L

[kennyarmes]

Lizzy belle. I second what jdege said. That is all I ment by it m8ne is a 33 foot and if I have 100 gal fuel. If he wants to travel the world or (just some islands) fuel is not available everwhere. If it was me I would still go for it and add more tankage that is all I was saying

Sent from my VS985 4G using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[barnakiel]

Re Pearson boats: a friend of ours had one. That was a 365 ketch boat. Looked very nice in and out (maybe not a lot of wood inside but then again not everybody loves tonnes of wood). He sailed some too and said that boat was easy to sail and comfortable to live in.

Last time in Martinique I spotted an Ericson 35CR - the funny looking one. It seemed funny looking until I looked at her up close - WHOA - huge deck area, huge volume inside - possibly the most spacious 35'er around.

I think there are many fine boats from that era that are great choices for anyone willing to try this lifestyle.

b.

[Scout 30]

Good point on considering draft. For Florida & the Bahamas try not to exceed 4'. For the west coast don't worry about it.

Regarding trawlers not going anywhere because of the price of fuel I don't get that one. We burn less than 1 gallon per hour. A typical Taiwan built trawler with the usual Ford Lehman 120 will burn about 2 gallons per hour. The fuel expense on a trawler is a small percentage of the cost of ownership & usually not a concern. If you compare the costs of maintain a rig & sails to a trawler's fuel costs you'll actually come out ahead on a trawler, especially when you consider the fact that most sailors motor a significant percentage of the time. Of course the reason someone buys a sailboat is not because they want save money, it's because they love to sail.

[lesterbutch]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

One thing to remember about living on a boat in FL. It's in the 80's in March. It's in the 90's from May to September & crazy humid. Pretty much the opposite of Montana.

Yes you are correct if your inland but the East coast is usually middle 80s in summer due to the proxinmity of the ocean, humidity is of course another question. I'm from the Northeast so it took a bit of time but you get used to it.