Cruiser Wannabe

[RiverRat]

Hello all,

My husband and I are hoping to become cruisers (at least part of the time) after he retires in 7-10 years. I've been lurking here the last few weeks trying to get a sense of what it involves, how it works, what it costs, etc.

Currently we have a 22' Avalon pontoon boat for use on the Magothy River. That's roughly between Annapolis and Baltimore off the Chesapeake Bay.

We're members of the Carefree Boat Club and that's where we get our 22'-26' power boats we use to go across the Bay. It's been a perfect option for us so far while we're working and don't have time for upkeep.

We've never been sailors and last night we were trying to figure out how many times we've actually been on a sailboat and we only came up with 2 instances. So, we'll probably get a powered boat for the cruise. Our primary options at this time are trawler and trawler cat. But, we've got time.

We hope to get the cruiser boat a couple years before retirement so we can 'work out the kinks'. We also plan to use marinas and slips more than most 'real' cruisers seem to. We'll be looking for a definition of 'stinkpotters'? LOL

Anyway, that's our current situation. Almost all of our family is on the Gulf Coast (Texas and Louisiana) so one plan is to split our time between here and there. Not sure how that's gonna work, yet...

I'll be lurking mostly and occasionally posting. See ya!

[James S]

Welcome to CF RiverRat.
Loads of Trawler folks around here...

[RiverRat]

Thanks!

[Ocean Girl]

Don't forget the Trawlers, they are great cruisers and wonderful live aboards (they got character!). Also Clear lake TX (near NASA) is a great place to walk the docks and look at boats as there are about 10,000 of em, should give you some good ideas of what you might like.
Hope you are the water sooner rather than later.
Cheers,
Erika

[sailorboy1]

welcome to CF, I read this for a couple of years before I ever stepped onto a sailboat, so enjoy the journey

[Drew13440]

I would learn to sail. Fuel costs in 7-10 years are likely going to be prohibitive to cruising in a trawler. Just my worldview. Chinese car sales are up 20%, y-o-y. Think about it.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Its good to have you here. Good luck on finding your perfect boat.
kind regards,