Shopping for a Sailboat, General Question

[tikirawker]

I think I had this exact post a year ago...

The basics things regardless of brand:
*keep your draft under 5 feet - especially if you are on the gulf side of Florida.
*When choosing a surveyor - ask for a previous survey so you can evaluate his work - then list expectations you may have. ie. different angled photos of problems, method of examining hull, what happens when you find out he did a horrible job.
*keep some cash for repairs and upgrades - don't be cheap with safety gear (life jackets, VHF, and epirb)
*consider your personality - are you the type that likes everything 100% perfect? or are you the type that is comfortable with 'pretty close'.

I am from the second group - done is better than perfect. It is unlikely this will be your LAST boat so get something that gets you learning and out on the water.

rather than renting a boat go to the nearby yachtclubs and buy a round or two of beers... Don't let the term crew scare you away - for newbs that basically means helping carry stuff and cleaning up at the end of the trip.

have fun and don't let the old salts intimidate you.

[skipmac]

Also a bit more information would help.

How many people will you cruise with? Single hand, wife, wife and four kids and two Great Danes?

Do you like to poke around in unexplored places, gunkhole, rejoice in the sailing, go fast, take it slow?

[TomLewis]

Originally Posted by Sdwcheney

Aaron, where are you? I am in Port Orange Florida, and am getting my boat ready to go to the Bahamas. I have a 1988 Nonsuch 30, and would be interested in someone to share expenses of the trip, food, fuel, fees. If you would like to get a taste of open water sailing, let me know. Steve

Hi Steve, you didn't happen to purchase the nonsuch from a nice gentleman in Cambridge, Maryland? I helped deliver one from Ft. Pierce. I loved this boat, and was offered to me for sale. It has a ton of room, solid and sailed great with the exception of fluky downwind. There was no way to whisker pole the wishbone or tie it off so it is a bit hairy downwind. You have any luck figuring this out? Otherwise, very seakindly.