Getting ready to break away.

[Bucky205]

Hi everyone,

My mate (Reese) and I are putting everything together to locate a boat and move aboard. I am retired Navy but have no experience sailing anything over 3o'. All of my sailing is limited to weekend trips. I did however grow up on a 65' power cruiser.
We are in the looking at boats stage. So far my two favorites we have seen are a 40' Nordic and a 44' Beneteau. Do you guys feel that a couple could efficently manage this size boat cruising the Carribean? The owner is convinced it would be no problem. He has the boat set up to pretty much single hand.
We have a million questions now that we are a short time from leaving.

Chuck

[Charlie]

Good Luck Bucky:

Lots of boats out there. Supposed to be a good time to buy as well. There are alot of threads on what type of boat to buy and it all depends on what you are going to do with it. Welcome aboard. Here is a link to the first step I used in selecting a boat.Mahina Expedition - Offshore Cruising Instruction

[Troutbridge]

No problem for a couple to handle a boat that size.

[Bucky205]

We are hoping to make homeport somewhere on the west side of Florida or the panhandle for a year. Hopefully this will give me enough time to complete a sail endorsement on top of a six pack.

I am hearing a lot of scuttlebutt about insurance requiremnets for liveaboards and cruisers. Have to start working on that.

Ordered a hard camper for the truck yesterday. We figured since we were keeping the truck it would give us some additional storage space.

I still have not figured out what to do with my Harley. I love riding but wonder if it is better off sold.

About us:
I am 46 she is 38. Both in good shape. We are trying to find a good course on marine diesels. Currently I have an FCC technician license that I am upgrading to general. I am fluent in electronic, computer repair, general power boat maintainence and have been a certified diver for about 30 years (US Navy). We are thinking that maybe a couple of semesters of Spanish would help since our primary destinations are the Carribean.

Sorry for rambling on, seems like every thought provokes another thought.

Chuck Buchanan

[Ex-Calif]

1/ Get a place to store the boat that allows liveaboards.
2/ Get the boat.

Everything else will start falling into place.

Store the Harley. Or send it to me - LOL. Seriously - You will be in Florida for a year. Plenty of time to figure out what to do with the Harley. No. Really seriously. Send it to me - LOL.

[Jim Thomsen]

Chuck,
First, my wife and I sail a 40' without problems. Just make sure that it is set up for one person to sail from the helm.

Charlie's suggestion about reading John Neal's thoughts on Mahina Expeditions site is excellent! John also has a great service that people we know have used. For about $300 he will help you find the right boat. He is also completely honest. You may want to see if he is giving any seminars near you this Spring.

Have fun!

Jim

[Bucky205]

Charlie,

Thanks for the link. I noticed Benateau did not make the list and was wondering why. They seem fast and capable. We have about 125000.00 to put into a boat. Is this going to be adequate if we shop around?

[slomotion]

Benateaus are the most popular charter monohull in the Caribbean. Personally I think the twin aft cabin models are a silly design for private cruisers - I'd probably cut a hole in the bulkhead and make one 'real' aft cabin. But, Benateaus are proven Caribbean cruisers and in good condition they will serve you well for this kind of cruising.

[camaraderie]

Bucky...that is a bluewater boat list and one experienced guys opinion. Lots of pretty experienced folks would add a number of other fine boats to that list. PLUS...what you are proposing does not require a bluewater boat. Many other decently built boats that will better suit your cruising lifestyle for the same $$ can be found and I happen to think that the Benteau 44 is one of them...wouldn't be my choice...but it obviously works for a lot of folks.
You CAN handle a 44 foot boat as a couple...but you need things set up properly for ease of use and safety.

[dquinn]

Bucky,I went through the same dilema 3 years ago,what to do with the bike ,what to do with the truck,storage units ,etc.My advice is to sell them all and commit to the cruising lifestyle,you wont be dissapointed!

[Charlie]

Bucky:

Beneteaus don't make the list b/c there is a prejudice against them. I am sure that they would be fine for cruising the Carrabean. They wouldn't be my first choice. Looking over the characteristics of a good boat will be helpful in deciding if a Beneteau is right for you. If you have $125k I would look for a boat in good shape that costs about $80k or $90k so that you will have a nice nest egg to fix the boat into the shape you want.

I know of a nice looking boat called an Amel 41 that is not quite on the market yet. The owner is asking around $90k. Might not suit you b/c it is on the west coast. It is a Center cockpit Ketch. If you want I can give you the fellows email address. I have no financial or other interest in this boat.

[Bucky205]

Thanks everyone, your input is greatly appreciated. I have tried to focus my search down to capable boats. Charlie..Special thanks..The mahina expeddition link contains some very good information.

The Financial plan is 125K in the boat, 200k in savings. I have a residual income of 1700 a month from my Navy retirement with medical and dental. I plan to work a littlle as a computer analyst. I am very capable at repairing just about anything on a boat including the full electronic suites. I am currently working on improving my Diesel knowledge. I have owned a diesel truck for about 7 years and have taken care of all my own maintainence, but I would like to be certified to work on marine diesels. I am hoping between fixing computers, boat electronics and diesels that I can supplement my income somewhat.

I grew up working for a marina here in Alabama and lived on a 65' Rainbow Cruiser(Power) for 3 years. I lived in Hawaii for 10 years and was co-owner of a 37' Trojan. The owner of my company has a 65' Hatteras in Orange Beach and I spend some time there. I have enough time that the skipper that works for the company is willing to sign off on my six-pack. I still need a sail endorsement and my experience with sail is limited to under 30' and I have no experience night sailing, so I know am going to have to gain some time and experience.

We hope to spend a great deal of time on the hook and cruising, so I definitely want a very capable/comfortable boat. You can get into bad water on a large lake if the weather goes bad. I saw a 44' Nordic on a listing that seemed to fit the bill (Any input on this boat would be appreciated) , I do not know a lot about Nordic's but is seemed well equipped, including a dive compressor. The boat is in Maine. The owner is asking 185k, I am trying to find out how motivated he is to sell it.

I want to fit the boat with as much as possible to allow for cruising and single handing. I want VHF and HF radios with packet in the communications suite, Auto Pilot, a failsafe if not dual steering, auto furling/reefing, Radar/Plotter, GPS, Radar Detector, Water Maker, Wind Gen and Panels, Fridge/Freezer, dive compressor, AC/Heater, good dingy and outboard. A good life raft with EPIRB and a hadheld vhf are also on my want list. I am sure I will alos throw a sextant and a paddle in as well. (This list seems to grow)

My mother passed recently and I have her house on the market. As soon as that one is sold this one goes on the market. The only thing that has kept me away from the ocean for the last 7 years was wanting to be close to her. I figure I have right around a year before I will be aboard full time. This has been my dream since I was 14 years old. I told my girlfriend for watever reason I felt like this was somthing in my life that had passed from a want, to something that I have to do.

I know I get long winded in these post. This is a borderline obsession thing with me (LOL). I spend hours a day pouring over charts, boat charcteristics and listings, insurance requirements, anchorages, marina fees, boat logs, lessons learned..etc.

[Charlie]

Good luck Bucky:
Sounds like you have the skills you'll need. I don't know anything about the Nordic 44 but I can give you my reasoning for the type of boat I looked for. 1)I come from a racing backround so the idea of a full keel was not appealing. 2) on the same note I have read too many stories of rudder failure so I wanted a skeg rudder. 3) Although I wanted a fin keeled boat I also wanted a boat that had good attachment to the boat (I believe Beneteaus have long thin keels providing lots of leverage for the keel to seperate from the boat when you hit ground. Thus causing a leak) 4) a well draining cockpit that was both large enough to accomodate people and small enough to not be too heavy when pooped. 5) The pilot house was another feature I liked after having done the Baja Bash a couple of times-- but it wasn't a deal breaker. 6) easy safe walking path from cockpit to foredeck. 7) Decent sail area to displacement ratio. 8) Good stability, storage, tankage, 9) I wanted an inner forestay where I could rig a storm staysail. 10) Again not a deal breaker but a flow thru transom.

PS: Sorry about your Mom. Dad passed 1 year 1 month and 11 days ago but whose counting LOL Mom's still around though.

[David Pritchett]

Go for it Bucky, I lived on a 30 Catalina for a few years on a lake in NC, got laid off at age 53, traded for a Endeavour 42 and singled handed it to Grenada and back, not a problem. 5 years later and I sold the Endeavour and looking at a more practical boat, a 32 sloop. Good luck PS Get yourself some good ground tackle

[Bucky205]

What do you guys think of the Endeavor 43 Center Cockpit?