New Sailor/Lyme Disease

[DannyB2525]

Subject: Purchasing First Sailboat (Recovering from Lyme Disease; Unique Case)

Hello Everyone. New to the forum. Seems like a great community with a ton of knowledgeable and helpful sailors. I was hoping to gain some insight regarding the purchasing of my first sailboat. I am completely new to sailing, just completed my ASA 101 Basic Keelboating Class, and plan to work my way up through every level as my skills improve.

I have somewhat of a unique case, as I am still recovering from a five-year battle with Lyme Disease, so I am restricted due to the amount of physical labor some boats require. My goal is to work toward obtaining my captain’s license, while learning to sail proficiently, and then start some kind of boating business down the road once I fully regain my health. I am not working right now, so I am quite capable of getting out on the water for 4 hours each day in pursuit of my captain’s license.

I am looking for something I can singlehand. However, boats like Lasers or a Sunfish, or any boat where hiking is required are too physically taxing for me at this time. After doing a little research online, I came across a boat called the 2.4MR. It serves primarily to accommodate sailors who are handicapped, or older sailors who are no longer capable of constantly ducking under the boom. So it is specifically designed to be very easy to handle in a physical sense.

My 101 instructor was intrigued by the 2.4MR, but since it only seats one person, he recommended the Flying Scot, in the event that I wanted to bring some family or friends aboard for the day. And with some practice and more lessons, I would eventually be able to single hand the FS. (The fact that the 2.4 only seats one person is not a deal breaker for me, but my instructor thinks I will appreciate the extra passenger space down the road.) The FS seems to get great reviews online, however after watching some videos and viewing some pictures, it seems that while sailing a FS, people do quite a bit of hiking, which physically I may not be capable of for quite some time. Is hiking required on a FS? Its other drawback is that it is not a keelboat. I have read that it is pretty hard to capsize, but not impossible. Given my physical condition, I would prefer the reassurance of sailing a boat that in fair conditions, simply is not going to capsize (keelboat.) Another downside to both the 2.4MR and the FS is that there is no cabin space to get away from the elements. My instructor mentioned a Trimaran that could be sailed single handedly, would not be too labor intensive, and would also have sleeping quarters in order to get away from the elements, but I believe these are a bit more expensive, and I can deal with the lack of cabin space if need be.

So I am wondering if there is a boat out there that would be best fit for my situation. Are there keelboats for a novice sailor that are capable of being sailed single handedly, not too labor intensive and also provide a space to seek shelter on a rainy day? Also, are the boats I have mentioned best suited for sailing in a harbor? Or are they capable of also being sailed in slightly rougher waters at sea? (not too far off shore of course.) I would really appreciate any help or suggestions anyone can offer. Thank you very much.

[accomplice]

You said you wanted to work toward your captian's license -- by which I assume you mean 6-pack or X-ton masters. For either of those licenses, you're required to have documented seatime on a documented vessel. I don't know what the minimum requirements are for a vessel to be documented (easy to google), but I suspect that a FS would not qualify. Choosing a vessel on which you can build qualifying seatime may be a factor.

[lifeofreilly57]

A friend of mine has a flying scott he races in club races on a nearby lake, it definitely requires a bit of hiking and ducking, etc, etc and definitely has the capability to take on a little water if your not fast enough on the mainsheet. He's 50'ish and in decent shape and is usually a little sore by the end of a day of racing on it.
What it sounds like is your looking more for something like a Catalina 22 or something in that vein, small cabin, simple sail plan and very little hiking involved. Otherwise, most of the smaller boats, although fun and cheap to sail require a bit more physical effort to sail, and can tend to be wet and tender on a puffy day.
My wife was a home IV infusion nurse who has treated quite a few Lyme Disease patients so we're familiar with some of the fatigue issues that come with it. You need something low effort, with a simple sail control plan and a forgiving nature.
Good Luck, hope all goes well.

[Dulcesuenos]

Accomplice is incorrect, it does not need t be a documented vessel. However before you spend $$ on classes etc check a the UScg. Regarding your health. I was almost declined licensing due to ct wrist surgery and my wife was denied over something even more minor. They are very strict on medical issues

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[DannyB2525]

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the suggestions, as well as the encouragement regarding the Lyme Disease. Lifeofriley, it definitley makes sense that I should have something low effort with a simple sail plan. Other sailors have suggested a few different boats to fit my particular situation:

-Hunter 27
-Newport 30
-Cal 28
Potter 19
-Ranger 23
-Catalina 25 or 27

My Basic Keelboat 101 instructor says that when looking for a boat to purchase, I should stay away from boats that are designed with the winches on the cabin tops (since I am looking for a boat I can single-hand.) He says it will be harder to steer and work the sheets simultaneously on boats such as these. (unless I added a tiller extension.)

Which boats that would fit my criteria are designed with the winches closer to the cockpit? (and not on the cabin tops.) Are any of the boats that I listed above designed this way?

I am looking to keep the purchase of the boat under 15K, and I am living in the Charleston, SC area. Any suggestions you guys have would be a tremendous help. Thanks again.

Danny

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by DannyB2525

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the suggestions, as well as the encouragement regarding the Lyme Disease. Lifeofriley, it definitley makes sense that I should have something low effort with a simple sail plan. Other sailors have suggested a few different boats to fit my particular situation:

-Hunter 27
-Newport 30
-Cal 28
Potter 19
-Ranger 23
-Catalina 25 or 27

My Basic Keelboat 101 instructor says that when looking for a boat to purchase, I should stay away from boats that are designed with the winches on the cabin tops (since I am looking for a boat I can single-hand.) He says it will be harder to steer and work the sheets simultaneously on boats such as these. (unless I added a tiller extension.)

Which boats that would fit my criteria are designed with the winches closer to the cockpit? (and not on the cabin tops.) Are any of the boats that I listed above designed this way?

I am looking to keep the purchase of the boat under 15K, and I am living in the Charleston, SC area. Any suggestions you guys have would be a tremendous help. Thanks again.

Danny

your original post shows a much different boat than the boats listed in this post.

i have a cal 27 and love it. (next boat is going to be a cat for the family)

i started on a sunfish as as child and built many a sailing and rowing dinghy in my life so small boats are very familiar to me. the nice thing is that it gets you out there cheap and fast.


***
***
***
the best advice i could offer is that you will not buy your last boat first
***
***
***
so get something that works for you now and lets you learn what you want in your next boat without breaking the bank. if you buy a boat now with everything you have and find out that you really want x,y and z, it could be harder to get out of what you got and recoup all of your money to apply toward what you have learned you want.

what is your budget?

[brookiesailor]

What about a J 22? Lots of them around, simple to sail room for a few and a cabin to get out of the elements.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[cabo_sailor]

There are two issues that I see here. First, finding a boat you can physically handle. This is a bit difficult since only you know how much exertion you can handle.

That said, almost any of the boats you list such as the Newport are fairly easy to sail. Just be prudent in choosing the weather you go out in. The more it blows, the more exertion it takes.

I somewhat disagree with your instructor on winch placement. Most modern autopilots have an auto tack mode. You can be standing in front of the helm, initiate the tack and handle the winches. I find a good autopilot makes single handing much easier.

The second issue, as has already been pointed out, is your health and the Coast Guard for a license. For that, I would recommend contacting them directly. My license was delayed almost 6 mo because I had coronary bypass surgery. My doctors signed off on me. They listed no restrictions and no symptoms post surgery. Still I had to apply for a waiver and it took forever. You may need a waiver yourself which I recommend you investigate. You have time because at the moment you don't have enough documented sea time for even a 6 pack license.

Feel better and good luck on your plans.

Rich


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[paxfish]

Having owned a Scot for 23 years, I remain a fan. it is a nice stable boat that requires neither hiking straps nor trapeze. At 10 knots you move from the seat to the gunnel. At 15 knots, it is doing well and heeling upwind. The boat has a nice turn of speed, and we once did 90 miles in 10 hours with 20 knots on our starboard quarter.

That said, given your current physical limitations, consider a smaller multi Like a tramp. I see there is one avail on cragislist and they pop up occastionally. Heeling/hiking is a non issue, easy to single hand and you can sleep out overnight on a nice weekend. Plus, you'll be smokin' all the leaners on the lake!

20' Super Tramp Trimaran Sailboat

[allanbranch]

Unrelated to sailing, my father hosts a lyme event called LymeCamp.