JohnL,
Thanks for the post. I've been doing a bit of
research, mostly searching for
budget info, i.e.,
purchase price,
insurance,
maintenance and operating costs, slip
fees and amenities, cost of surveys,
taxes,
registration, and moving of a boat overland, if need be. I'm hoping to contact some acquaintances who are in the know. There's nothing like getting advice from those who have done it.
As far as my experience is concerned, I'm not entirely new to
boating. The majority of my experience is inland
motor rafting on 35' rubber pontoon rafts. That being said, I am not without a limited amount of sail experience. That is to say, I've done some sailing on sailboards, sun- and sailfish, some Hobie Cats in high
school (oh, getting to be well over twenty years ago!) and few outings on some 20-30 foot boats more recently. While I can't say I participated too much in the actual sailing, I was fortunate to be part of the crew on a magnificent 75' cat in the
Caribbean in the recent past.
My situation is as follows. Instead of bankrolling a land
purchase with intent to build and settle down, I've decided to try to parlay my experience and desires along with my cash into a future on a sailboat. When I say "bankrolling" and "cash," I mean the not inconsiderable amount of $25k for purchase
price, with other sums in reserve for the above mentioned inevitable costs. As with other pursuits I've entertained in the past, I have become somewhat loathe to divulge the actual amount in my purse. Visions of vultures sweeping in with flashy deals and disappointing substance cloud my mind. While I am doing my best to educate myself to what is solid and fitting, I shrink, out of fear I suppose, from getting bested in a bad deal or putting myself in an untenable situation. However, "Chipper," I tell myself, and I must remain so to look to the future with an unjaundiced eye and open myself to the good of what is to come. With that in mind, I lay out my situation to those who would hear it, and who would come forward in the spirit of camaraderie to offer perspectives and information that this willing fellow human would have.
To verbally summarize what I've come up with for myself (and hopefully bounce it off some willing ears):
1. At 5' 10", 180 lbs, I'm not overly nor underly sized. Get a large enough boat to live on comfortably. Get a small enough boat to handle singly. I am in my pursuit by myself, save for my canine companion. Twenty-eight feet seems too small; 40 seems too large. In between is a good range to explore possibilities.
2.
Fiberglass for
maintenance, durability, adhesion to a common standard.
3. For now, ability to
cruise the coastal waters of the coast of
California seems to be as much boat as will be necessary. Being able to safely venture beyond the line demarcating inland and near coastal waters is a must for my future plans.
4. Turnkey for
living aboard. I have been without a place to call my own for some time now. I need a space without living in a
work zone. I've gone that
route before. Not interested.
5. Turnkey for sailing. I am not willing to be frustrated by working on a boat I want to be sailing on. I know the excitement of getting underway and, while enjoying the fruits of one's labors is fulfilling, I feel I've labored enough to exchange my
money for the fruit of actually sailing.
With the above in mind I've started looking:
34'
Hunter Sailboat
Hunter 34 - $23000
(
34' Hunter Sailboat Hunter 34)
The
posting is sparse. What does it come with? The list of what needs to be on the boat I eventually own is long and there's nothing on this post in that regard. That being said, this is, from what I've seen, a
hull type and manufacturer I may seriously consider. I probably wouldn't consider this particular boat, it being already listed as needing some work. I'm not afraid of the work that I know will eventually come with boat
ownership. I am leery of any work that will prohibit me from sailing or
living aboard immediately.
There are many more I have filed in my mind as considerable, but in the interest of concluding this post, I will have to let that do for now. JohnL, if you have actually made through to this point in my ramblings, I thank you again for your response and your time.
Joe
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