What would you do? Go or No-Go?

[contrail]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Maybe you wouldn't have to keep pushing your boat off grounding situations if you stopped using 30-40 year old charts along with a handheld compass.

Now maybe we can get this thread back on track, or do you intend to derail it with another bunch of your personal musings about how everyone should hand steer a 27 foot, 50 year old boat inside the safety of a bay just like you?

I wish the OP well in whatever decision he makes, adventure awaits him outside the bay.

Agreed!!!

[Fore and Aft]

I think Ann nailed it by saying post divorce blues. The OP seems to be making a hash of things on land and what looks better than swinging on the pick with a coldie in hand.
Only the OP knows if he has what it takes to face those bad days when you wish you never owned a boat.
Cheers

[mglonnro]

Like Ann said, if OP is processing a recent divorce then better to make sure there is a good way of ”undo” when the mood changes. Maybe not the time for further huge life altering decisions.

As a side note, I don’t believe any specific gender roles are needed in bringing up children. I never had a father and I think things turned out quite well.

On the other hand, I know almost nothing about OPs life and won’t pretend to do. Make smart decisions, be the best person and parent and sailor you can

[Sojourner]

My morning coffee thoughts:

1) Agreed that OP's life changes should settle down a bit first. I'm a big fan of changes on changes but he hasn't got the cash to make a 200k boat a disposable whim.

2) Agreed for same reason (no cash reserve) the boat should be cheaper. We bought a ready to go world cruiser from a truly stellar owner. Nothing hidden, every flaw pointed out by him (and confirmed by survey). Refit still cost as much as an entry-level Beemer, and put us on our backs. No guarantee (indeed, probably the opposite) that OP's seller will be as forthcoming.

3) Before he ever sails off once, the survey (1000-1500)+ registration (1000) + 1 year insurance (2500) +extras (reprogramming radios/SSB; mods for registration like inspecting liferaft; haul for survey; airfare to get to boat) alone is a quarter to half of OP's cash reserve. Throw in a year's slip to get started, and it's done.

4) In support of Ken, tho, my winter neighbor here in Mallorca has a Hanse something or other in the 60-65 foot range. He's awesome, a little pocket-sized argentinian the build and stature of a jockey. All winter, he goes out sailing for a day or a week single handed, no worries. Leaving, he waits for a calm moment in the morning, engine ahead, drops slime lines, eases both stern lines and walks her out, easy as pie. Coming home, he yells for whatever passerby to throw him one of his lines, or hooks the upwind one himself, engine ahead, boat just sits there while he finishes up. It can be done. Home port advantage for sure, but still. Or do what we do even triple-handed on bad days...drop the hook outside the port and wait till morning calm.

5) And yes, the first boat can be big... our first and hopefully last boat is 53 foot. But you have to know you want it, you want it bad, and you want it for good. Seems the OP might not, going back above to (1).

Final call would be to go.... of COURSE go! It's a blessing to be so young and sailing, traveling the world. Just be damn smart, which is to say within your means and without expectations. Life is the adventure, sail off into that sunset! We ditched our lives at the same age, one year in it's as amazing as we had hoped. But get some lessons first....

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Seriously!?

You are recommending to a guy that has never sailed and is trying to decide what to do to go out and buy a very expensive big boat that he wouldn't have a clue how to handle?

As far as your single handing, it seems in all your videos you have crew.

You must be talking single handing at your home dock in zero wind right?

On a 27' boat, just walking from end to end to secure dock lines makes it simpler. And as a beginner, if you run aground you can jump in the water and push it off, but I doubt you can do that on your boat.

Looks like you are telling the OP everything NOT TO DO!

1. The OP wants to buy a 40ft catamaran which isn’t a “very expensive big boat”

2. I live alone on each of our two boats for several months of each year, moving them from one location to another without crew.

3. We don’t have a “home dock,” neither boat spends more than a few days each season tied up to a dock, we live at anchorages throughout the Med, and next year... in the Caribbean.

4. The idea is to NOT run aground and need to “jump in the water and push it off.” Using proper navigation gear certainly helps to minimize the possibility of running aground.

[Fore and Aft]

Kenomac I think you mean modern navigation gear. I and a lot of people reading this post would consider paper charts and hand bearing compasses “proper equipment”. Personally I love a paper chart and hand bearing compass. I love to keep busy while sailing and taking three point fixes on land marks and plotting my course on a chart. My old man taught me that way and I will teach my kids the same skill. I realise a lot of people reading this have probably never cruised without a GPS but it’s not hard to keep your boat of the rocks even without “Proper navigation gear”
Cheers

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Kenomac I think you mean modern navigation gear. I and a lot of people reading this post would consider paper charts and hand bearing compasses “proper equipment”. Personally I love a paper chart and hand bearing compass. I love to keep busy while sailing and taking three point fixes on land marks and plotting my course on a chart. My old man taught me that way and I will teach my kids the same skill. I realise a lot of people reading this have probably never cruised without a GPS but it’s not hard to keep your boat of the rocks even without “Proper navigation gear”
Cheers

Thomm uses 30-40 year old paper charts and a hand held compass, which is probably why he’s needing to push himself off the shoals so often. Anyway... enough of this nonsense, this thread is about an entirely different subject.

I think it’s a good idea for the Op to find a boat in the $100k-$150k price range and try cruising for a year or so.

[Fore and Aft]

Kenomac what happened to the bromance with Thom225? You even agreed with him in one of your posts. Now you are acting like a jilted lover.
I love this nonsense, a difference of opinion makes for a spirited debate.
I agree 100-150k is plenty to spend on your first boat. Boatyard bills can be brutal to a newbie. A customer of mine just spent 32k on some new paint and engineering on his 40’ cruiser and you would be hard pressed to see where the money went.
Cheers

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Maybe you wouldn't have to keep pushing your boat off grounding situations if you stopped using 30-40 year old charts along with a handheld compass.

My boat came from a boatyard that you could only reach near High Tide and I only draw 4'. It's on the Eastern Shore way up the creek on the bayside. Deep Creek Boatyard and Marina. It's way out in the boonies. There used to be lots of watermen that lived there. We used to buy live peeler crabs directly from the Crab House for fishing as teens. (The one in the distance on the link below. The dock is gone now)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/De...!4d-75.7504475

https://www.google.com/maps/place/De...!4d-75.7504475

A couple times I pushed on thru the low water anyway to get in to the dock. There was only like a 400 yard stretch of low water and with a keel like mine you can do that sort of thing.

The point is you can take a few chances going in past where the channel markers end on smaller full keel boats because you can usually get them off a grounding without much effort and it's fun to explore. (and their keels are strong enough to handle it) Plus many times you can find a deeper spot to anchor in really calm water

My charts are fine. you have to remember that I've been on the water since child hood and use other navigational aids along with my 30 year old charts, compass, and 1990's era Garmin 120 GPS.

Remember, this is the first boat I've owned with any electronics out of 12 or so

Besides, I think I've only gone through just one layer of fiberglass on the keel. There's plenty more to go on a 1974 Bristol

[Sand crab]

Remember that the OP said he wanted a cat and they are easier to maneuver with the twin engines. I do believe he should go a touch smaller like the L380 but I'm not sure a decent one could be had for $140,000. Also some features just make it easier for a novice (or anyone) like a self tacking jib. And it is not a buyer's market for cats after the losses from the hurricanes.

[Sailor 99]

You have to much money in the boat and not enough left over for the boat.


All boats required maintenance and if you can't see any on this boat your note looking hard enough.



These are ultra long term,expensive purchases that basically eat money.



Boat is an acronym for Break Out Another Thousand


On 200K 42 foot boat you can be prepared to spell boat Boatt.. Break Out Another Two Thousand.


You will go through 10 or 15 thousand faster than you can blink.



That boat is a depreciating asset. First if you don't like the life and you can sell the boat for the same as you got it for then you will immediately losee 22K for brokerage. Likely the boat will sit around for several years as you try to sell it further depreciating and costing money for docks and insurance and maintenance.


Do you even know if you like the life style. What do you plan to do there.


Do you have hobbies related to the boat, scuba, kitesurfing , swiming , snorkeling or will you be board. At 40 waking up each day and hitting the bottle at 10:30 because your board is a hard life.


Buy a much smaller boat for next to nothing and see if you like it first. A 42 ft boat that your not using and trying to sell is a big anchor on your life.

[Sand crab]

I'm not totally in agreement about all boats being a (greatly) depreciating asset because many popular older boats just about bottom out in price. Take the Lagoon 410 or the FP Venezia for instance. I can't see them coming down much more especially with new boats getting more expensive. The trick will be to find a well kept one so you don't have to put too much in at least not right away.
These may depreciate a little and you will have broker's fees on resale but I think you won't see major depreciation hits like on a new one.
There's lots of other classic boats that are well regarded including Seawinds, L440, many Leopards and lots more. For some strange reasons the L380s seem a bit high priced right now. Maybe it's that end of an era mindset.

[Miguelso]

Financial security, time and health. What else?

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

I'm not totally in agreement about all boats being a (greatly) depreciating asset because many popular older boats just about bottom out in price. Take the Lagoon 410 or the FP Venezia for instance. I can't see them coming down much more especially with new boats getting more expensive. The trick will be to find a well kept one so you don't have to put too much in at least not right away.
These may depreciate a little and you will have broker's fees on resale but I think you won't see major depreciation hits like on a new one.
There's lots of other classic boats that are well regarded including Seawinds, L440, many Leopards and lots more. For some strange reasons the L380s seem a bit high priced right now. Maybe it's that end of an era mindset.

Well today you can go online and find a 1986 Beneteau Idylle 51 for sale in Florida asking 72K. The original fit and finish on that boat is second to none. Big heavy boat that will take you anywhere in the world you want to go. In build quality, displacement, rig it is similar to a Hylas 49( center cockpit vs aft cockpit)

A new Hylas is about 1 million US by the time your all said and done and building that Beneteau new you would likely spend close to that today. Remember it is not one of those cheap javex bottles they sell now. It is all wood interior, not fiberglass and particle board.

You will get that Beneteau likely for 60K. 6 cents on the dollar

You could not lay up the hull and deck for the asking price.

Boats never really die so there are lots of used ones around and they are cheap cheap cheap.

My next boat is a 42-45 foot trawler and I don't expect to pay much more than 50K for it and I expect it in good condition.

[Amapola]

Go for it, you are still young enough if the boat lifestyle doesn't suit you.