What sailboat should i get

Maybe… but not now. What is Your Budget? This is the second most important question to answer, which should be thought about in conjunction with your sailing plan, as it really helps to validate your ideas. Or poke holes in it.

Were you really being honest with yourself? Or are you still dreaming? Setting a budget for buying a sailboat can also help create a timeline. Our plan started over 10 years ago.

At that point, we were fresh out of college with minimal sailing experience, and still tens of thousands of dollars in debt from school. We had ZERO budget. This was our reality check, we knew we were still dreaming. There was no way we could afford both a sailboat that could take us where we wanted to go AND a place to live that allowed us to keep our jobs on land so we could pay off our debts. So, we chose option 2 — continue saving and sail other peoples boats.

This happened today. This is especially true if you do not have much sailing experience. Once we decided how we were going to use the boat we looked to others who were doing what we wanted to do. We paid attention to the types of sailboats they had, to the names of the manufacturers, and the designers. Then we started looking at the details — what was the boat made out of, what type of keel did it have, how was it rigged, etc.

Starting there helped us narrow in quite quickly. But this was only after…. We began our search the wrong way. We desperately wanted a catamaran and tried to adjust everything else to fit that desire.

Once we got honest about our budget and how we intended to use the boat, we realized quickly our budget , intention , and desired type of boat were not compatible. Once we were realistic with ourselves and our goals, things started to come together much more quickly.

Many of the boats from this era are significantly overbuilt because there was simply a lack of knowledge of just how durable fiberglass really was. We looked at hundreds of boats online. Boat hunting. Condition: Sail Away? This is a touchy topic. Everyone wants a deal. There are thousands of boats sitting around in boatyards that you can buy for next to nothing. Surely these must be a steal right?! We knew that any boat we bought would need some work. It was up to us to decide what type of work we wanted to learn how to do and how much of it we were willing to do.

Do not underestimate this. Ep 5 is now live on YouTube! Location, Location, Location All else being equal, location can play a major role in which boat to choose.

Given two similar boats, one in your neck of the woods and one on the other side of the country, the choice is obvious.

But, unlike real estate, boats are not immovable objects, nor is their pricing the same around the world, or even around the country. Or, given your sailing plans, you really need to focus your search into one geographic area. In the beginning, our search literally spanned the globe. As we got more and more serious, we narrowed our scope drastically.

We spent time looking at sailboats on the west coast of the U. We looked at a catamaran in Mexico , then went to see another catamaran in Seattle , and eventually we saw a few sailboats in our backyard, San Diego. We became hyper-focused, looking only for sailboats located on or near the Great Lakes, and more specifically Lake Michigan. A few shots from our sailboat recon mission to Mexico, when we were suckers for catamarans.

We still are. It can tempt and beguile. A beautiful woody frees the imagination — you can easily see yourself, as clear as day, bounding over the waves in a knot breeze, smiling with the sun glaring off your brand new aviators. You should also imagine yourself cutting checks because that will also be involved.

The same is so for a fiberglass fixer-upper. The end goal is to sail and no one sails broken boats. Is it for you or you and others? You must think of who will be part of this adventure. What do they really cost? This is the dose of reality that is no fun conveying. Break out another thousand! One way is to learn how to do stuff yourself and another is to sail in a more basic way. When shopping, look around inside and outside and imagine how much things would cost, should they need replacing.

And because it can be dry sailed down the Interstate, you can buy it in New Jersey next week and sail it in Florida next month and pay winter prices to sail in summer weather without having to spend a month delivering it down the ICW in winter.

Spice girls aside, you really need to know what it is you want in a boat and that is exactly why many start out sailing in community fleets or chartering in the Islands. Do you want a catamaran or a monohull? A cat is all the rage right now and the epitome of comfort, but finding a place to dock a boat with a 15 to 20 foot beam is impossible in some places.

A keelboat, while easier to dock, can often force even the stoutest of souls to the leeward rail in even the most minor chop. Do you want to lay out your hard earned cash to find that no one in your family has the stomach for your newest toy? A boat can be a lonely place when your wife refuses to join you. My friend got a great deal on a Gemini Cat in Connecticut two winters ago.

He offered the family a fire sale price and stuck to his guns and he got a great deal to show for it. But soon enough he realized that the boat was not to his liking and proceeded to spend the next year gutting the craft and rebuilding it from the ground up. Think about what you NEED in a boat and not just what you want.

Physical limitations including proclivity to sea sickness are a factor. Do you want to spend weekends on this boat or just day sail it?

Numbers of berths, layout of the boat and galley contents can all make or break a love affair with your new boat. So be honest with yourself and ask the tough questions.

Do I really need a whosywhatsit or can I get by without it? Some things that the buyer lists as perks and value-addeds are not really worth it and there is no reason to buy something you know you will never use.

Now I am a sailing expert, but opinions are like So start shopping and pick your favorite and comment on this post so that others might learn from your experience. The hours of sanding and painting was undone in the first ten minutes after launching as the tide smashed me sideways into the dock putting a giant gouge in my brand new paint job. They built the vast majority of recreational craft out of wood using skills passed down through generations.

By the middle of the 20th century, something big happened. Engineers pioneered fiberglass boat construction which allowed factories to mass-produce standardized sailboats.

Hundreds of models from dozens of manufacturers soon flooded the market. These days, many excellent used sailboats go up for sale every day. The majority are fiberglass boats, but some wooden designs pop up occasionally. But before we dive into the specifics, ask yourself a few questions. That being said, the opposite is also true. For coastal cruising or occasional overnight trips, a pocket-cruiser or day-sailor is a better choice.

Marina and dry-storage fees increase with every foot of length, which makes a smaller boat more economical. For occasional sailors, a tailorable cruiser is a great choice. Many people spend multiple days on their boats. Sailboats over feet in length usually have cabins with amenities, and many include full showers and kitchens.

Thousands of people live aboard their sailboats full-time and enjoy the many freedoms that come with it. Oh, and bathroom facilities are a must. If you have no interest in sleeping aboard, you can sacrifice cabin space for lower mooring fees and upkeep costs.

Cabin space is imperative for extended voyages with other people. While you might be okay with sleeping in a pipe-berth above the stove, your guests might not be. Many boats are single-handers, which are easy to sail without an extra hand.

Before you buy, be sure to determine how you want to crew your vessel. The size of a sailboat can play a significant part in its capabilities. However, sailboats like the West Wight Potter 19 and the Cal 20 offer comfortable cabins. For single-handed offshore passages, boats between 26 and feet are often sufficient.