CharlieSailorwannabe

[mct111]

Hi , Getting ready to retire and buy a csy 44. Wife does not like sailing,but enjoys "laying out" and going to dinner every night.
Is the csy 44 too much boat for me? I would have to do most of the sailing myself as not to disturb her sun bathing.
ANY info would be greatly appreciated so I don't have to deal with "I told you so"

Regards

Charlie cdocwilliams@aol.com

[Charlie]

Welcome Charlie,

CSY 44 is alot of boat. If you are planning on sailing locally with occasional longer trips I think a smaller boat might be more appropriate. These type of questions come up on a regular basis. In order to help you answer the question you will need to include info about where you are, and what kind of sailing you intend to do. CSY looks like a heavy boat. You could get something smaller and newer (read requiring less work) for the same money and then if you have to do all the work of sailing and docking by yourself you'd be in good shape.

[Pblais]

The actual sailing is not so much to handle, but the docking and undocking can be. It does take two people to dock these boats some also add a bow thruster. I've seen and been on them and they are as noted a heavy boat even if attractive. At very slow speeds they can continue right through the dock with barely a scratch to the paint. The destructive force uncontrolled is dangerous to life and property.

I think you really need to better understand your wifes aversion to sailing. Unless she likes to be on the water and travel I really think you could end up owning a boat that never goes any place. If she really does not like the water there is no boat big enough for you. A much smaller boat you can day sail would at the very least be a lot of fun and easy to handle alone if that were the case. The CSY 44 is a great boat to take off for extended trips and carry a lot of stuff.

There are a million ways to enjoy sailing. You need the one that works for what you really want to do in a way you can do it.

[chad.lawie]

Charlie,
When we first started, my girlfriend really didn't like to sail the boat. she enjoy being on the boat while it sailed.
She was still happy happy to stand on the bow and toss a line, or to jump off to help tie off the boat.
Slowly through the years she has learned more and more, and now we take shifts sailing the boat.
So you never know. If your wife will at least help you dock, you might be in business.

All the same, I agree with the first two posts. if you are just looking to day sail get something smaller. We are full time liveaboard/cruisers and for just two people, our 35 footer is enough.

[mct111]

I appreciate the insights

Regards

[maxingout]

One advantage of the CSY 44 is that it is a proven world cruiser. I've seen them sailing all the way around the world. If your wife decides that she likes sailing, you will have a good sailboat on which to cruise. The fact that the boat is large enough to be liveable might increase the chances that she will like it. If it doesn't work out, and you decide to sell it, it's often easier to sell a proven design like a CSY 44.

[David M]

Get your wife some sailing lessons..professional sailing lessons done by a good sailing school and not lessons that are not done by you or a friend of a friend. For those who do not understand what is going on, sailing can be anywhere from boring to frightening. If someone understands what is happening it makes sailing more interesting. Your wife probably has an aversion to it because she does not understand it. You WILL need her help on a boat that size. You need to get her trained if you are serious about this. At the very least, she will need to know the man overboard procedures should you fall in the water. There is plenty more that a good crew needs to know. In my experience with teaching people sailing in the past, it is never a good idea to have a husband and wife on board in a teaching situation...as much as they always seem to ask if they can be placed on the same boat.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by David M

Get your wife some sailing lessons..professional sailing lessons done by a good sailing school and not lessons that are not done by you or a friend of a friend. For those who do not understand what is going on, sailing can be anywhere from boring to frightening. If someone understands what is happening it makes sailing more interesting. Your wife probably has an aversion to it because she does not understand it. You WILL need her help on a boat that size. You need to get her trained if you are serious about this. At the very least, she will need to know the man overboard procedures should you fall in the water. There is plenty more that a good crew needs to know. In my experience with teaching people sailing in the past, it is never a good idea to have a husband and wife on board in a teaching situation...as much as they always seem to ask if they can be placed on the same boat.

Here Here or is it Hear Hear.