So I finally did it (step one)

[DMF Sailing]

1) Early retirement (I'm a 'young' 59): ✔️ (NEW as of this July!!!)

2) Coastal cruising certification, sailing acumen & experience: ✔️

3) Own boat: NEEDED, as of July 2022, when my club membership ends.

3a) What I'm shopping: Monohull 35' range, stability and safety over speed, able to shorthand for long coastal passages with occasional offshore bits and overnights, comfy enough to live aboard;

3b) Budget: ~$100k available for purchase + ~$70k for outfit & initial repairs + monthly maintenance&upkeep budget ~ $3,000:

NEED TO NAIL DOWN TYPE OF BOAT

4) Technical acumen needed to maintain and repair own boat: SORELY LACKING

5) Home port: SEE (3) above and question 2) below

QUESTIONS FOR CF TO CHEW ON:

1) I feel like my purchase-to-outfit ratio is realistic, given that I'll likely end up buying used and 20 + years old. Do you?

2) I think, judging from budgets I've seen on this forum, that my monthly maintenance budget is realistic as long as I learn to repair things on my own and don't expect to live in expensive marinas. Am I out of my mind?

Can't decide where to live. Candidates are the

1) Northeast U.S. coast, advantageous because I know it very well, kinda expensive though;

2) the Salish Sea, entirely based on reputation;

3) the Chesapeake, based in no small part on Thom225 (sic; the guy with the Bristol 27) which also seems like one of the best places to shop and buy;

4) more of a pipe dream, Sicily, since I'd have to almost certainly buy a place on land to be able to reside there full time.

There. Have at it, forum.



Attached: Some classes of boat I will not be shopping for.

[SeaStory]

I think your numbers are pretty reasonable for the size and age you are considering.

You don't say how old you are, but a yacht club membership may actually help control costs, as slip fees tend to be less and you get reciprocal privileges when cruising.

As for nailing down the type of boat, go to boat shows that include used boats, find a broker who delights in helping people find the right boat for them (there are a few, we just don't tend to stay in the industry long), and just generally get your feet on deck to get a feel for how different boats would work for you. Is it set up for single handing? Does the interior layout make sense to you? We weren't interested in our boat when we saw the listing, but fell in love quickly once we were onboard.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by SeaStory

I think your numbers are pretty reasonable for the size and age you are considering.

You don't say how old you are, but a yacht club membership may actually help control costs, as slip fees tend to be less and you get reciprocal privileges when cruising.

As for nailing down the type of boat, go to boat shows that include used boats, find a broker who delights in helping people find the right boat for them (there are a few, we just don't tend to stay in the industry long), and just generally get your feet on deck to get a feel for how different boats would work for you. Is it set up for single handing? Does the interior layout make sense to you? We weren't interested in our boat when we saw the listing, but fell in love quickly once we were onboard.

Updated my age, thanks. Sounds like good advice. Definitely the boats my feet have been on helped me rule them out (all production 'performance cruisers')


Just curious Sea Story: What'd you end up buying? What turned you off at first?

[LittleWing77]

DMF You are a hoot!

Of *course* you are on the right track.

Don't doubt yourself so much!

Just keep moving in the direction of your sailing goals and you'll be amazed how things fall into place...

LittleWing77

[dougweibel]

You have a check next to your to-do number 1 - early retirement. That makes your third question - home port - hard to answer without additional info.

Are you planning to live aboard? What sort of lifestyle do you envision? We see many sorts of people and lifestyles. Some are tied to a single marina while others move about from time to time or, like us, move frequently. For us a home port is just a place written on the stern. There is no place we actually consider a home port. Our boat moves with the season and our whims.

So, what are you envisioning for yourself? Also, given your potential multiple choice answers, do you like cold water and cold weather at least part of the year?

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

DMF You are a hoot!

Of *course* you are on the right track.

Don't doubt yourself so much!

Just keep moving in the direction of your sailing goals and you'll be amazed how things fall into place...

LittleWing77

Yeah, Wing, you saw that, a post written to pre-empt absolutely every possible CF jab I could think of.

[SeaStory]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

Updated my age, thanks. Sounds like good advice. Definitely the boats my feet have been on helped me rule them out (all production 'performance cruisers')


Just curious Sea Story: What'd you end up buying? What turned you off at first?

We have a Pearson 39-2. DH was adamant that he did not want the mast or compression post in the middle of the saloon, which put a lot of emphasis on a forward head. Turns out, he likes putting his feet on the cool mast on a warm day. Moreover, having the head at the bottom of the companionway is priceless when underway. Totally makes up for the extra walk from the V berth in the middle of the night, even when it is cold.

We chose the boat for it's overall condition, the warm woodwork, the shower stall on a sub 40 (not really, marina length is 41'), and enormous nav table/workbench, none of which was obvious on the listing. We have never actually take a shower in the stall, but the laundry basket fits and it makes for an enormous wet locker.

[Joh.Ghurt]

DMF,

you're absolutely on the right track. The budget for the boat is actually quite reasonable.

One small advice: Forget about comfort ration vs speed and that crap. Look for a boat around $100k that captures your heart. And you should check out the owner's version of all the common boats. Those are often quite comfy and very good value for the money. Only because the charterversion with 10 berths and 8 heads on a 35' isn't for you, doesn't mean the boat itself needs to be discounted.

I'm looking for a dear friend for a similar boat and we basically made the criteria:

• around 35'
• Only 1 head, no 2 head version
• 2 cabins, 1 master, one guest
• decent bed in master cabin. Can be aft with centre-cockpit, can be in the bow, but needs to feel right.
• Comfy cockpit
• Well loved. Preferably from an owner who loved the boat.
• Needs to capture her heart

Notice what's missing: Keel-form, rudder-type, wheel or tiller (prefer tiller), reefing system, brand, technical gizmos, bathing platform etc.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

DMF,

you're absolutely on the right track. The budget for the boat is actually quite reasonable.

One small advice: Forget about comfort ration vs speed and that crap. Look for a boat around $100k that captures your heart. And you should check out the owner's version of all the common boats. Those are often quite comfy and very good value for the money. Only because the charterversion with 10 berths and 8 heads on a 35' isn't for you, doesn't mean the boat itself needs to be discounted.

I'm looking for a dear friend for a similar boat and we basically made the criteria:

• around 35'
• Only 1 head, no 2 head version
• 2 cabins, 1 master, one guest
• decent bed in master cabin. Can be aft with centre-cockpit, can be in the bow, but needs to feel right.
• Comfy cockpit
• Well loved. Preferably from an owner who loved the boat.
• Needs to capture her heart

Notice what's missing: Keel-form, rudder-type, wheel or tiller (prefer tiller), reefing system, brand, technical gizmos, bathing platform etc.

Thanks, Joh. Good insights. I think what I mean by comfort over speed is that I'm not interested in a "performance cruiser" i.e. a boat made for racing. All those capsize ratio numbers are not what I'm talking about.

What I'm talking about is there's a Beneteau 36.7 I've sailed with a 7'3" keel and a narrower beam that's set up for racing around the cans. Fun to daysail. Not what I'd buy.

[thomm225]

This guy says he has done a few trips to the Bahamas etc on this boat which he mentioned has a newer engine.

It might be too slow and narrow for you, but a one owner boat is rare.

Plus it has heat if you want to hang out up North in the Winter.

I called the guy a while back, but I'm too busy at work to fully investigate and buy with the 4 hour drive

And BTW, my boat is from Falmouth, MA. The guy left it near here on his return from a 2 year cruise to Florida and the Bahamas.

Southern Cross 31.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/southern-cross-31

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...ss-31-3821489/

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by thomm225

This guy says he has done a few trips to the Bahamas etc on this boat which he mentioned has a newer engine.

It might be too slow and narrow for you, but a one owner boat is rare.

Plus it has heat if you want to hang out up North in the Winter.

I called the guy a while back, but I'm too busy at work to fully investigate and buy with the 4 hour drive

And BTW, my boat is from Falmouth, MA. The guy left it near here on his return from a 2 year cruise to Florida and the Bahamas.

Southern Cross 31.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/southern-cross-31

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...ss-31-3821489/

The guy, checking in with his usual wit+wisdom.

And this bird you cannot chayyyannge... nice boat, Freebird

i just found this. No heater, but "checks a lot of boxes"

https://www.boats.com/sailing-boats/...-32rk-7279824/

[JPA Cate]

Hi, DMFSailing,

Are you a city person or an outdoorsy one? High population on the eastern seaboard; Salish Sea basically offers the whole Pacific Northwest when travel restrictions are lifted, with lots of nature, sweet smelling pine forests. Your opinion of what the pandemic will do might affect your location decisions. Lots of hassles with Schengen if you go to the Med; no cyclones, but cold winters.

There are some basic books that can help with your lack of background with things electrical and mechanical....A CF Custom Google Search will lead you there. (You will enjoy learning stuff by doing it; it isn't magical, it's practice and memory, and will be satisfying.)

As to choosing a boat, I think Joh. Ghurt has the right of it. Find one that makes your heart go pitty-pat from not-the-bottom of the market. Avoid liner built boats. Generally speaking, most of your sailing is likely to be in lighter airs, except when you are on long passages. For this reason, I suggest to you to include the performance cruisers in your consideration: you will enjoy the opportunity to sail in light airs and not have to motor. Read this before you go look at boats: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1-a-78671.html

A little story. A long time ago, when we were looking for what turned out to be our first Insatiable, we went to look at boats on a rainy Saturday. The broker had tried to switch us up to a boat well outside our price range. I must say we were glad to see it in the rain. Every single port leaked! Forty years later, i still think it's a good idea to look at boats in the rain, and to not go look at boats 40% above your budget, too!

Ann

PS. I see I wrote while you were also writing. Sorry about that. Re: what thomm225 wrote, we have an acquaintance who circumnavigated in a Southern Cross 31.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hi, DMFSailing,

Are you a city person or an outdoorsy one? High population on the eastern seaboard; Salish Sea basically offers the whole Pacific Northwest when travel restrictions are lifted, with lots of nature, sweet smelling pine forests. Your opinion of what the pandemic will do might affect your location decisions. Lots of hassles with Schengen if you go to the Med; no cyclones, but cold winters.

There are some basic books that can help with your lack of background with things electrical and mechanical....A CF Custom Google Search will lead you there. (You will enjoy learning stuff by doing it; it isn't magical, it's practice and memory, and will be satisfying.)

As to choosing a boat, I think Joh. Ghurt has the right of it. Find one that makes your heart go pitty-pat from not-the-bottom of the market. Avoid liner built boats. Generally speaking, most of your sailing is likely to be in lighter airs, except when you are on long passages. For this reason, I suggest to you to include the performance cruisers in your consideration: you will enjoy the opportunity to sail in light airs and not have to motor. Read this before you go look at boats: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1-a-78671.html

A little story. A long time ago, when we were looking for what turned out to be our first Insatiable, we went to look at boats on a rainy Saturday. The broker had tried to switch us up to a boat well outside our price range. I must say we were glad to see it in the rain. Every single port leaked! Forty years later, i still think it's a good idea to look at boats in the rain, and to not go look at boats 40% above your budget, too!

Ann

Dear Ann,

Your wisdom, as ever, is much appreciated.

I memorized that Marine Survey 101 thread a while ago. That thing is brilliant...

And Mike O'Reilly months ago sat me on "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual."

I agree with you that I will enjoy it, once I get there. Doing is mindfulness.

While reading responses to my thread, I found a Hunter e36 that pushed a lot of buttons. So maybe I have to get off the no-performance-cruiser thing.

The joy of the shop. The shop is everything.

PS: I am a city person who spent his career in the most outdoorsy places on Earth, for reasons.

The most.

But not in a good way.

On a boat, I like being on anchor, not far from a nice little port, alone.

[JPA Cate]

On a boat, I like being on anchor, not far from a nice little port, alone.

I'm not familiar with the eastern seabord's quiet, natural places. Maybe good for you to explore, then decide???

Ann

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I'm not familiar with the eastern seabord's quiet, natural places. Maybe good for you to explore, then decide???

Ann

There are none. Therein lies the rub.

Definitely, you are right. I must explore...