Aloha

[awr401]

I have been lurking on these forums for 3-4 years now and I am still dreaming. I am boat shopping but the selection here in Hawaii is not much. I am in the Coast Guard, but I am on the aviation side so don't hate. I am looking to buy a boat real soon for my wife and I. I'll keep ya posted.

[AKCoastie]

I'm in the same boat your are in, no pun intended. I am at Sector Juneau.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard awr401.
Hope you find your dream-boat soon.

[cdennyb]

I saw a couple of Beneteau's there in your locality for sale, less the 175K$
If interested I'll try to find the links I was looking at and send them to you. Don' have a clue what you're in the market for, but I was in the same boat (LoL) and was looking in the 40-50 range, less the 150K

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Coastie,
Welcome aboard! I moved aboad a Mariner 35 in '81 while stationed at Camp H. M. Smith and in the Navy. There are boats here for sail and if you are patient you'll find the right one. Or, you could sail one over from the mainland. There currently is a LeComte 38 on Craigslist for the mid 30s and an Allied Princess 36 for 25K. You may want something smaller and cheaper.
Good luck.
If you're looking at something in $150K range then I guess the Armed Forces is making a lot more money than they used to.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Vega1860]

Aloha no awr,

I bought my boat in Hawaii 20 years ago. Lived aboard in the Ala Wai until we sailed away in 2007. There are boats for sale there but you need to do some digging. Much better selection up here in Puget Sound. Might be worth buying here and sailing back to HI but be sure to check into the moorage situation first. The state run harbors suck. But then, you may have access to military marinas.

Persistence my friend.

Malie ke kai

[awr401]

Thanks for the post, I am considering a Cal 2-30, but its located on the big island.I don't think that will be to bad of a sail but I have heard to avoid the channel between Oahu and Molokai, any thoughts. Yes, persistence is the key, many fishes (boats) in the sea. See you out there one day.

[Vega1860]

The Kaili channel, between Molokai and Oahu is no big deal. It's the Alenuihaha channel, between the Big Island and Maui, that you have to watch out for.

The easiest sailing route is to go South out of Honolulu and well South of Lanai. If you are coming from Hilo take the long way, around South Point and stay out to sea South of Kahoolawe, Lanai and Molokai. If you try to go the shorter route to the North you will be on a lee shore until you clear Hawi. Then you will be in the Alenuihaha channel and could encounter winds that have dismasted a good many boats.

The farther away from the islands you go the more consistent the winds will be as the volcanoes on Maui and the Big Island create a venturi effect that generates some dangerous wind conditions.

I don't mean to scare you. Just pointing out the safest, most seamanlike and comfortable route between Oahu and the Big Island. There is no reason you could not stop in at Lahaina or Kaunakakai but it would be trickier sailing.

Malie ke kai