Yep, one of those guys ;)

[TheRailRoader]

Howdy folks

I currently work for CN rail, at one of our last double sub terminals and I am looking into Sailing.

I have a bucket list of things I want to do in my life and sailing the world is one of them. So my wife, the enabler that she is, has green lighted pursuing this dream 👹. So I have started my plan.. saving 50% of my income for the next 5-8 years, paying down the house aggressively, taking sailing lessons, buying a boat and kitting it out extensively while do many mock 2 day to two week to month long trips before hitting the open see.

Grew up loving the water and we plan on taking our two kids with us for the adventure.. I think I am a masochistic too haha. Any rate, budgeting 50k CAD or under for the boat. Looking at a 40-45 ft, would like one able to sleep 5-6, but right now we are in the research phase. Planning to buy after the course. Watching videos on YouTube and reading the sailing bible is helping a lot, but real world experience is needed before buying I think.

Any rate, I also have the usual schtick of wanting to escape the rat race and we plan on saving enough to not have to work again and renting out the house to pay all our Bill's. Something about relaxing on random beaches throughout the world just seems nicer.. then sitting on a train that just goes to and from for hours on end for the next x amount of years.

Nice to meet tall
RR

[chris mac]

Welcome to the forum from a fellow Canadian. Take some time to fill out your profile. It will help with answering future questions if we know where you are from, hobbies ect.
You are at a place I was few years ago. We bought a lake boat about 4 years ago, took some courses, chartered, and now we have the house for sale and ready to go boat shopping once it sells. So the plan will progress as long as you follow through and work at it.

[slowneasy]

Welcome to the forum.

[TheRailRoader]

Aye will be getting the bio filled out shortly. Until I get to it I am in the Pacific NW.

And yea, plans seem to only work out when they are worked. Thanks for the welcome too guys, I am quite the chatter so I will have a flushed out bio shortly and possibly more questions but I suspect I have some reading to do first

[nightowle]

My 2 cents worth.... your long range plan mapped out is a good one. Although, I'd suggest you either buy a smaller 25-29 foot boat, older but with good sails and fittings, for under $10k. Use it, abuse it, and then re-sell it when you're ready to step up to the "dream boat." I did pretty much the same and don't regret it at all. First, it taught me how to sail. But also it gave me insight into what I would like to have in a larger boat. And, I also had gained the experience to critically look over boats as the years passed. If you don't jump in buying your own smaller craft, I'd suggest joining a sailing club where you can rent different boats and that will help in terms of all the above. I also pretty much inhaled all the info I could get my hands on either from online forums or books, and of course, youtube.

Best of luck, and happy sailing!

[Sailor 99]

You might also want to head down to the local boating club if available, and get crewing on a race boat. You will learn, in the company of others that already know, things that you will only learn the hard way, on your own.


Most cruisers will not go out in big waves and wind and most racers will. You will learn valuable boat handling skills on those days.



Good Luck!!

[TheRailRoader]

Originally Posted by nightowle

My 2 cents worth.... your long range plan mapped out is a good one. Although, I'd suggest you either buy a smaller 25-29 foot boat, older but with good sails and fittings, for under $10k. Use it, abuse it, and then re-sell it when you're ready to step up to the "dream boat." I did pretty much the same and don't regret it at all. First, it taught me how to sail. But also it gave me insight into what I would like to have in a larger boat. And, I also had gained the experience to critically look over boats as the years passed. If you don't jump in buying your own smaller craft, I'd suggest joining a sailing club where you can rent different boats and that will help in terms of all the above. I also pretty much inhaled all the info I could get my hands on either from online forums or books, and of course, youtube.

Best of luck, and happy sailing!

I did contemplate buying a smaller/cheaper boat to begin with for those exact reasons, but I feel however unwisely that I would prefer to just buy and learn one boat.

Having said that i did not consider renting boats, I did not know renting sailboats was a thing. That is something I will look into. I live closer to kitimat and prince rupert so not sure of availability, but it is worth looking into. Buy a bigger boat to tinker on and take out for longer trips, rent smaller boats for daily excursions and ease of learning.. could work.

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

You might also want to head down to the local boating club if available, and get crewing on a race boat. You will learn, in the company of others that already know, things that you will only learn the hard way, on your own.


Most cruisers will not go out in big waves and wind and most racers will. You will learn valuable boat handling skills on those days.



Good Luck!!

Again awesome advice and thanks, to be honest, I have already started reading up on how to avoid as much bad weather as possible.. but realizing I plan to live on the boat 24/7 knowing how to handle bad weather, if forced to, may make the difference between hitting a reef/w.h.y or just being mildly annoyed.

I think rupert has something, so I will check that out as well. Only problem is getting the time off on days they practice haha, great job, pays well, but does not allow for a life (which helps fuel my desire to hit the open ocean)

Thanks guy

[rsn48]

You hit a pet peeve of mine, you don't live in the Pacific North West - an American term - next you'll be spelling colour - color. When Americans in Washington tell me they live in the Pacific North West when I was living in North Vancouver, I told them I lived on the south coast, above the North West... lol. My guess is your are living in Prince George.

There are some decent charters out of Comox into Desolation Sound, and one company offers training on their sailboat. I've never taken the course but I've been moored beside their boat and talked to the owner/trainer when they were tied up at the Texada Boat Club (notice they don't use the term "Yacht Club.")

[TheRailRoader]

Haha I was raised by an American and I work on the railway.. so programmed differently then most Canadians.

Also living 6hrs from the coast, is definitely not on it, I am 5 hrs west of PG. If your a local, I'm in New town. Texada boat club eh? Do you recall the name of the outfit? I have spoken to one school and checked out a few others. I am going to be in Vancouver next week and going to some brokers down there, just to climb on a few boats and feel how they are layout/size wise and hopefully meet some instructors in person. Big believer in meeting people face to face, I like judging who I want to learn from in person.. kinda hard to do it over the phone or online.. new people tend to "wow'd" easily and want to avoid that if I can and get the best instruction possible.

Were you at these days rsn48 still out west? I'll try to avoid your pet peeves if I can, no need to pick fights as the new guy haha.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard Railroader, there are a bunch of folks here who can help you get to where you want to go. Fire away with the questions! Do you have a body of water nearby to practice the basics on with a small boat?

[TheRailRoader]

Yea I am close to the Pacific. Also many little lakes within 10-15 mins.

[rsn48]

I've seen the training vessel in the back of Pacific Yachting, I'll see if I can find it and pass it on to you.

I live in Qualicum Beach (from North Vancouver) but my boat is moored in Comox, probably one of the best locations for moorage. If I cross to Powell River and hang a right, I'm reasonably close to Jarvis Inlet, hang a left and I can get to Desolation Sound quickly, go further up and you are into the Broughtons. Most who live in Qualicum Beach keep their boats moored in Ladysmith as it is close to the Gulf Islands (Pamela Anderson was a former local). I personally think Jarvis, Desolation and Broughton to be more interesting and more places to see.

My grandfather and uncle were engineers out of Jasper, then Edmonton for my uncle after a nasty mud slide into a river in the Jasper vicinity riding his engine down. My grandfather engineered the Super Continental (to become Via) to Edson and back. Been around a lot of railroading types.

I did live in the States for 9 years, 2 in Madison Wisconsin and 7 in Chicago. Don't forget to check out the Island for boat deals, often cheaper than Vancouver as less competition. You should find some in Victoria, Nanaimo and Courtney/Comox and sometimes Campbell River.

Here's one - a motor sailor - my favourite in sail boat styles, due to off season use in rainy weather: https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/74883 (This is just to wet your appetite).

[TheRailRoader]

Jasper has some beautiful country the rail covers there, I have a couple buddies over there. Can definitely understand how guys make a life of it, CN sounds like they plan on sending everyone around my seniority for engineman training soon could be neat. Does your uncle still run for VIA?

I spent a few weeks in Chicago and Detroit four years ago, interesting cities those. Will admit never went to the south side of Chicago though, albeit in Detroit, if I didnt have a chap showing me around.. I figure I'd be a little broker today.

Okay, I have to admit the term "motor sailor" confuses me, I was going to look it up in a bit. I suspect it has been covered, from what I have seen "most" boats have engines for propulsion either internally or externally mounted plus the sails.. and the motor sailors have basically the same set up an engine plus sails. So where does the classification as a motor sailor happen, I'm assuming it comes from the amount of force the engine can supply where non-motor sailors can only reach a lower cruising speed?

Now having said that I am also surprised how little hybrid engines have not hit the water... working with trains that have diesel generators powering electric traction motors.. I figured boats especially cruisers would have it. A diesel engine as a generator, solar panels for day travelling and use the sails predominantly and then use the electric engine as a main power source (battery banks of course), I just see potential for it.. another reason I want one boat and to stick with it.. simply so i can play with these scenarios after proper research.

I warned you guys I'm a charter right?

[Tayana42]

Hello Railroader. What is a motor sailor? Well, boats are boats. Some are designed primarily to be sailed but may have a small auxiliary engine. Some are designed primarily to be engine driven but may have small auxiliary sails. A motor sailer is designed more as a balance between those two ends of the spectrum. A motor sailor often has a bigger motor more tankage for fuel and inside steering. Some motor sailor designs work out quite well. Some other are such a compromise that they aren’t sterling sailers and aren’t great motorboats. There is no clear demarcation point as some sailboats have bigger engines. Without going into too much design detail that is a nutshell covering the differences.

[KTP]

We are going the hybrid route, although I don't think our boat is big enough for a diesel gen set so will have to be a EU2200i for now.

I think your budget might be a bit low. I can't even walk past the marine store without dropping a kilobuck each time.

I recommend getting a marine survey and then crumpling it up so it is really soft and can be of some use in the head. Everything that is expensive to fix, they miss or don't inspect because it isn't part of the standard survey. They are dang good at reading expired labels on $20 fire extinguishers though and putting that large and clear in the survey.