Full Keel Sailboats

[lyl]

Originally Posted by Don C L

There are books, but when it comes to diesels I think it is probably best to just get a basic "How do diesels work" book and then wait until you get your boat and then focus on that particular diesel and its own set of quirks.
This link may be a good place to start.
https://www.amazon.com/Caseys-Comple.../dp/0071462848

thx, i'll buy this one. Man, even used books about sailboats are expensive.

[lyl]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Well, every one learns differently but it doesn't take much depth to sail. Maybe 3' of depth for some small boats.

As far as fixing things on a sailboat, it's depends on how complicated the systems are on the boat you buy.

Some folks sail engineless and use small computers.

my boat has an outboard and I have had those since I was a teenager so they are easy to maintain.

Maintaining my boat at least has just involved multiple bottom jobs then I decided to paint the rest of it.

Replaced the mainsail, dodger, autopilots, tiller, cabin lamps, curtains, etc

I replaced the packing in the stuffing box when it had a diesel but after it failed I pulled all that crap out along with the 352 lb diesel.

I didn't read any books on maintaining it. I've had it for 9 years but it's a fairly simple old 27' cutaway full keel blue water cruiser.

I also added solar which powers every thing on my boat. I'm an electronics/computer tech by trade though.......tech manager now

of course, I won't learn anything extensive from a book. I also learn hands on, but I'd love to read during this strangely idle times when ever I can make time. It wouldn't hurt, i thought. I'm talking about 27ft keels, it'll probably be very simple.

[lyl]

Originally Posted by thomm225

An IP27 will cost you though and you will still have a slow 27' sailboat. (and the IP27's Capsize screening formula is a tad high at 2.10. Mine is 1.71 by comparison)

The Bristol 29.9 is pretty nice and a lot faster than an IP27.

This one has AC, pressure water, and head with shower. (and is a Bristol so it's a good offshore boat)

There's a couple on CF that is in the Bahamas on theirs right now. They did do a massive refit though. Their boat was here recently so I got to see it at Cobbs Boat Yard which is where mine was in the photos above.

https://adventuresontheclub.com/

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197...-29-9-3709162/

It's PHRF is 183 whereas the IP27 is 234

Yours also has a nice looking keel; it's different than the other similar Bristols - yours is better, I think. I'll put this on top of my list then - if I can find one like yours when the time comes - hopefully...

[lyl]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Marine diesels are pretty simple to work on compared car engines.. No computer tech to make life difficult.. I stripped down a Volvo engines cooling system to clear blockages and reassembled using just the owners manual, also have bled fuel systems, cleaned/replaced injectors the same way.
These are the main jobs apart from servicing filters and pumps that you will be doing unless you want to get to changing out the bottom end, pistons, skimming heads etc..
The workshop manual is all you need and laying out the bits in the order you remove them and reverse the procedure when reassembling.

I cannot fix my car engine anymore. Everything is out of reach, sensor here, sensor there... I suck at mechanics anyhow, but marine diesels seem to be pretty simple as you said. I can pick a manual and figure many details out easily. I'm very good at fixing computers. Electrical and mechanical stuff, I'll have to learn. A workshop manual on a simple one will be fun to have a look at. Nothing compares to hands on experience though...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Full

I cannot fix my car engine anymore. Everything is out of reach, sensor here, sensor there... I suck a mechanics anyhow, but marine diesels seem to be pretty simple as you said. I can pick a manual and figure many details out easily. I'm very good at fixing computers. Electrical and mechanical stuff, I'll have to learn. A workshop manual on a simple one will be fun to have a look at. Nothing compares to hands on exprience though...

I had none when I started though I did service my own motor bikes.. had to learn 'on the hoof' when I sailed down to the Med and the engine overheated in the Ballearics due to the tubes in the block being gummed up really bad.

[lyl]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I had none when I started though I did service my own motor bikes.. had to learn 'on the hoof' when I sailed down to the Med and the engine overheated in the Ballearics due to the tubes in the block being gummed up really bad.

thnx for sharing this...

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Full

Although, I think I've found the perfect boat, IP27. The only thing I don't like is they don't have tiller rudder; I'm not fond of a wheel steering at the size, but definately not a deal breaker. One of them in good condition answers all my needs as a beginner. At 27ft, I have not seen all the luxuries like pressured hot water or AC on other sailboats. Most of the IPs still have clean looking interiors despite their age; their rustic designs will be my selling point. Large heads, and all those listed amenities, most 'advertised' in working condition on ads. If a thrushtworhty surveyor oks a clean looking well maintained one, then I'll be sold at 30 - 40k.
On the half way to the Bahamas, I'd hate to be in a situation where I end up saying, "Honey, by the way, I've decided to be real cheap and save money, so we don't have hot water or AC."
She wants a Leopard 50 and I'll show up at the marina on an old beat up 27ft full keel; I don't think I'm a very wise man, huh?!
My bad jokes aside, my wife is a very positive, loving, and quite reasonable person; she'll probably ok many things as this will only be a beginner boat, not a permenant thing - as long as there is a large clean head, AC, and pressure hot water... And what other 27ft-er will provide them all?

AC and pressure hot water on a 27 foot boat? Those things take up valuable volume... but ok! By the way you might also check into Rawson 30s for the heck of it. They are pretty roomy too.

[lyl]

Originally Posted by Don C L

AC and pressure hot water on a 27 foot boat? Those things take up valuable volume... but ok! By the way you might also check into Rawson 30s for the heck of it. They are pretty roomy too.

I saw it on an ad. Not sure if it's even accurate or in really working condition.
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...utter-3034273/
Rawson 30 is more of a West coast boat, if we end up heading that way, why not...

[Jim Cate]

BTW, Full, you do understand that on this putative IP27 the A/C will only work when you are plugged in to shore power, don't you?

Jim

[lyl]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

BTW, Full, you do understand that on this putative IP27 the A/C will only work when you are plugged in to shore power, don't you?

Jim

I sure didn't know. I love this reply. Laughing at myself now. Yep, would be a huge deal breaker.

Dude, you see... I'm desperate. I should've called myself fool, not full!?
https://www.sailingmates.com/20-more...ing-sailboats/
The lovely list up there at the link is probably full of surprises like that, huh?
Okay, from now on, I'm all ears. Help me, save me from myself!? Just for learning purposes, suggest me a first boat - you know my whole story... Doesn't have to be a full keel; YES, you've just changed my mind.

[thomm225]

There are so many other things like the fact that you will have no AC on a small sailboat when not at a marina.

For those that actually cruise as in sail the boat rather than sit at a marina and post on CF, sailing is hard.

Many times when you are tired you have things to do. If you get seasick, you can't just quit and go lay down.

As an example, I remember fixing a jammed roller furler while seasick. I had the boat on autopilot. Winds were about 18 knots on the beam and I was nearing my creek so I would need to furl the jib soon.

I had to keep going to the cabin for tools and then back to the bow to work on the furler. A couple time I blew chunks over the side just before I went down into the cabin for more tools.

When I finally got it unjammed I was near my creek and soon as I entered it was beer time!

Then there's sleeping onboard which takes time to get used to especially at anchor with all the squeaks and movement and sometime noise from the anchor rode if it's rough. And if it's hot that's another problem if you aren't used to no ac. usually it is cooler on the water though but 90 and above is still 90 and above especially if there is no wind.

And speaking of sleeping, you always have to be thinking about your anchor and is it set well.......especially if you are anchored on a lee shore.

And that's just for starters.

It's also a very slow lifestyle (with times of sheer terror!?) which takes a while for anyone living a "normal" life to adjust to.

Then there are the squalls coming through.

You can deal with it all but you need to know what you could have to deal with. I don't enjoy the lightning though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okRZs6os5Eo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gcZKr25UUM

[lyl]

Originally Posted by thomm225

There are so many other things like the fact that you will have no AC on a small sailboat when not at a marina.

For those that actually cruise as in sail the boat rather than sit at a marina and post on CF, sailing is hard.

Many times when you are tired you have things to do. If you get seasick, you can't just quit and go lay down.

As an example, I remember fixing a jammed roller furler while seasick. I had the boat on autopilot. Winds were about 18 knots on the beam and I was nearing my creek so I would need to furl the jib soon.

I had to keep going to the cabin for tools and then back to the bow to work on the furler. A couple time I blew chunks over the side just before I went down into the cabin for more tools.

When I finally got it unjammed I was near my creek and soon as I entered it was beer time!

Then there's sleeping onboard which takes time to get used to especially at anchor with all the squeaks and movement and sometime noise from the anchor rode if it's rough. And if it's hot that's another problem if you aren't used to no ac. usually it is cooler on the water though but 90 and above is still 90 and above especially if there is no wind.

And speaking of sleeping, you always have to be thinking about your anchor and is it set well.......especially if you are anchored on a lee shore.

And that's just for starters.

It's also a very slow lifestyle (with times of sheer terror!?) which takes a while for anyone living a "normal" life to adjust to.

Then there are the squalls coming through.

You can deal with it all but you need to know what you could have to deal with. I don't enjoy the lightning though.

My life is far from being 'normal' nowadays; I'll get used to life on board. And no, I'm not planning to hang out at the marinas too long... Man, so much to learn...

[NedX]

Originally Posted by Full

I sure didn't know. I love this reply. Laughing at myself. Yep, would be a huge deal breaker.

Dude, you see... I'm desperate. I should've called myself fool, not full!?
https://www.sailingmates.com/20-more...ing-sailboats/
The lovely list up there is probably full of surprises like that, huh?
Okay, from now on, I'm all ears. Help me, save me from myself!? Just for learning purposes, suggest me a first boat - you know my whole story...

You're no fool. You're like every other guy who has the dream and wants to give it to someone else. That's...normal.

At the risk of being the guy who jumps in late in a thread to say something obvious, I've found that the biggest turnoff for new crew is when they sense that the skipper doesn't have the answer to a situation that pops up.

Growing up on a ridiculously small boat (Bristol 22') that my dad thought was fun to cruise up and down the Maine coast in all weather (man Bristol makes good boats) I remember that the thing that would make me scared was when I could tell that he was scared.

So if, for example, he asked my mom to ease the main sheet, and she instead released the main halyard, we could all see the panic when the mainsail dropped all over the deck and he didn't know what to do (we survived, and later, the running rigging was color-coded and labeled, but man did I hate sailing).

So I'd say it's a pretty big deal to know your boat before you bring the wife on board, whatever make of boat it is, if the goal is for her to fall in love with the occupation of live-aboard sailing.

I keep coming back to the idea of chartering something as similar as the one you're going to buy so you know what everything does and where everything is (and where she'll bump her head or stub her toe or put her weight on the wrong thing in a seaway). Maybe charter it with an experienced sailor on board to help walk you through. I bet you'd have no trouble finding someone on this forum who'd do that.

So it's not the boat you choose; it's you learning the boat you choose well enough to be able to translate it to the crew in a way that they'll be able to digest and enjoy.

Unless of course your wife wants a deck salon 42 footer that is fast but doesn't heel and negates the effect of swells, and can run AC/freezer/heat all at once, and has wifi and electronic winches and a microwave that works at sea, and never runs out of fuel and has an endless holding tank. In which case you are me, and you become a singlehanded cruiser. Or buy a trawler.

PS: There probably are sailboats that do a lot of that ^ but they are expensive. You've got to identify which are the most important boxes to check.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Full

My life is far from being 'normal' nowadays; I'll get used to life on board. And no, I'm not planning to hang out at the marinas too long... Man, so much to learn...

Learning is the fun part.......and by hanging out at a marina I wasn't talking about you.

Also there are several islands offshore you can sail to once you move over this way as a prelude to the Bahamas.

There are the Dry Tortugas and several Islands off the Mississippi Coast.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dr...!4d-82.8731874

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by NedX

You're no fool. You're like every other guy who has the dream and wants to give it to someone else. That's...normal.

At the risk of being the guy who jumps in late in a thread to say something obvious, I've found that the biggest turnoff for new crew is when they sense that the skipper doesn't have the answer to a situation that pops up.

Growing up on a ridiculously small boat (Bristol 22') that my dad thought was fun to cruise up and down the Maine coast in all weather (man Bristol makes good boats).

Some guy sailed a Bristol 22 from Port Townsend Washington (which is just north of Seattle) to Australia.....a few years back.

https://sites.google.com/site/bristo...els/bristol-22