Is it just me, or are the YT videos discouraging to beginners?

[thomm225]

You don't need to spend more than $5,000 - $10,000 for a decent boat.

I'm not sure why so many people think you have to spend a lot for a boat.

Mine was $2,000 and I have been sailing it for over 12 years.

I started sailing it about 2 weeks after I bought it.

I'm not one of those refit guys that buys an old boat, spends a ton of money and time working on it for 5-10 years before sailing it.

I have upgraded many things on this boat but did it during the Winter months.

I did grow up near the water and have had many boats around 12 I guess but most were old.

Btw, Wind Hippie didn't just buy an old boat, fix it up, and start a circumnavigation of the world. She grew up on a boat and sailed across several oceans before she was 10 years old.

Here's a list of some inexpensive boats that will take you most anywhere.

https://atomvoyages.com/classic-smal...ers-list-html/

A final word of advice to the novice sailor – resist the temptation to undertake a major refit and extensive modifications on your new old boat right at the start. It’s best to make only the obvious repairs needed and go out and sail locally and on some limited coastal passages to learn exactly what is and what is not needed for you. Otherwise you may end up spending years and many thousands of dollars more than expected modifying your boat and then find out on your first ocean crossing that the boat is not right for you or those great ideas you had during the refurbishment did not work out that well at sea.

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by thomm225

You don't need to spend more than $5,000 - $10,000 for a decent boat.

I'm not sure why so many people think you have to spend a lot for a boat.

Mine was $2,000 and I have been sailing it for over 12 years.

I started sailing it about 2 weeks after I bought it.

I'm not one of those refit guys that buys an old boat, spends a ton of money and time working on it for 5-10 years before sailing it.

I have upgraded many things on this boat but did it during the Winter months.

A $2,000 Bristol 27 in 2012? I mean... I bought my Co26 in 2011(?) and there were no ready-to-go boats for $2,000 anywhere that I could find. (I was looking at Albin Vega's, Contessa's, Cape Dory's etc in the 26+/- range. Everything was $5-15k+ back then) $2k is a great deal for that time period! How much did you put in it to be able to do the type of cruising the OP is talking about? He says, "to the tropics, or even across the ocean over into Europe". I don't think $2,000 would include a life raft, dinghy, rigging, sails, radio etc. that you would want for crossing an ocean...


edit: Remember, OP is talking about YouTubers living and working on their boats, traveling to the tropics and Europe, not just day sails in a local area.

[Virginia y Kelo]

YouTube channels are after sensationalism to get more followers. When we run aground in Brazil and almost lost our boat, we had more viewers than ever!!!
If you start slowly, step by step, taking clases first, sailing lots of hours on your area, making some longer trips as crew, and then buying your own boat and starting the process again (getting to know the boat, sailing lots of hours on your area and then making longer passages ideally with someone with more experience than you and finally then, you’ll be ready to go further on your own. Of course you can also go Riley’s from La Vagabond way. Buying a boat without knowing anything and learning as you go.
All the best!!
@Sailing Izarra

[Slovak]

Originally Posted by Matt300ZXT

tons of YouTube videos I've been watching from some popular channels, they almost all seem to be subtly discouraging to anyone wanting to get into it

Years ago we went to a popular YT channel meetup hosted close to their previous home base. We expected room full of sailors talking shop. We were the only ones of about 70 people besides the YT hosts who owned a boat. Any boat. Not even an intention of getting a boat. Though, there were loads of Tishirt and ball cap sales. We quickly learned that most “subscribers” are fans living vicariously while grinding away at their job and dreaming through the weekends.

The average YT audience has very little common with you or us. The purpose of most sailing channels isn’t to get others into sailing. It’s to capture eyeballs, and maybe buy stuff from their online store or sponsors.

[ChrisPuget]

That Cape Dory looks great...excellent suggestion.

[Foswick]

Originally Posted by JordanH

A $2,000 Bristol 27 in 2012? I mean... I bought my Co26 in 2011(?) and there were no ready-to-go boats for $2,000 anywhere that I could find. (I was looking at Albin Vega's, Contessa's, Cape Dory's etc in the 26+/- range. Everything was $5-15k+ back then) $2k is a great deal for that time period!

It probably depends on where you live and where you were looking. Around here (Pacific Northwest), decent boats can still be had for $2000, if you know how to avoid buying garbage. People need to get rid of good boats quickly all the time, and price to sell - or agree to pretty much the first offer that satisfies their immediate financial needs.

Originally Posted by JordanH

I don't think $2,000 would include a life raft, dinghy, rigging, sails, radio etc. that you would want for crossing an ocean...

True enough ... not unless you got very lucky.

Although the original post suggested a desire for offshore cruising, the inquiry was about beginners. And, I think that a beginner should generally not be thinking of an offshore cruiser for their first boat. I think a good first boat should be small, simple, safe, fun, and cheap.

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by Foswick

Although the original post suggested a desire for offshore cruising, the inquiry was about beginners. And, I think that a beginner should generally not be thinking of an offshore cruiser for their first boat. I think a good first boat should be small, simple, safe, fun, and cheap.

I totally agree with you about new sailors, but he's asking why Sailing YouTubers aren't running those same boats.


And the answer is that when you (skilled/ready etc) are going to go to the tropics or cross the pond to Europe, then you wouldn't be doing so on the same, "first"/small/simple/fun/cheap sailboat. The YouTuber that has enough experience to take on those voyages will have upgraded to a more expensive boat or will have invested heavily in their "cheap" boat in order to make it seaworthy.


So I 100% agree with you that someone should get experience in sailing, and they can do so "inexpensively" (that's all relative, right?). The cheapest sailboat is someone else's, so even if you have no money, you can crew on another boat. When you have a little money, you can get a little boat, when you have more money then you can buy a more expensive boat, and when you're a billionaire then you can buy the most expensive boat... but there is a certain lower limit for each type of voyage. For a fun afternoon, you can make a paper mache boat, good for the day. For a weekend, you may want a pocket cruiser, for crossing an ocean you want something fitted out accordingly... and the latter doesn't really come for $10k in my judgement.

[Foswick]

Originally Posted by JordanH

I totally agree with you about new sailors, but he's asking why Sailing YouTubers aren't running those same boats.

Yeah, fair enough. I tend to assume most YouTubers with sailing channels are trust fund babies who like to pretend to be adventurous, but who really have no idea what independence really looks like. That's probably unfair and it is definitely a broad stroke.

But, I think the point that everyone can agree on is that YouTube sailing is very different from real-life sailing - at least when we are talking about these aspirational channels. That's why I recommend this guy: https://youtu.be/ez9Cy3P1H9M. It is both both aspirational and inspirational, while pretty fairly representing the realities faced by a beginner.

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by Foswick

That's why I recommend this guy: https://youtu.be/ez9Cy3P1H9M. It is both both aspirational and inspirational, while pretty fairly representing the realities faced by a beginner.

Sweet! It's a Contessa 26. (I may be biased here)

And at £3500 ($4,500usd) that's still got a ways to go to get across the pond but a solid playform to start on.

[gsuescum]

Originally Posted by Reeve21

Matt, I don't think you should be discouraged at all.

A lot of what I see on YT is geared towards making money for the owner's of the channel, and any knowledge that gets passed along is secondary and sometimes questionable.

In addition to what you are doing and what has already been suggested, the fastest way to figure out if this is the thing for you is to get yourself a good, old, solid, cheap boat and learn how to take care of it. This is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle, even for "weekend warriors" who still have to earn a living on the dirt.

I would suggest a Pearson or Catalina between 25 and 30 feet as a place to start. Parts are easily available for Catalinas, which is a big deal when many manufacturers of older boats are long gone. You should be able to find something for 10k or less that will get you in the game for local sailing. Something as simple as a Catalina 25 or Pearson 26 with an outboard motor can be had for under 5k. No need to break the bank starting out, if you stick with it this won't be your last boat.

Good luck!

What Bob says!

I started with a 1982 Catalina 25 down the coast from him in Norwalk CT. You make so many friends by just having sailboat on a dock and they all are happy to share knowledge. From the Catalina we kept upsizing. Took charter vacations. Now my wife and I are on year 3 of cruising.

Good luck!

[laika]

Originally Posted by Matt300ZXT

Assuming Canada lets me in, I'm going to take some sailing lessons over the next few weeks from a friendly sailor up there and try to find some racers or some other people that'll teach me what I need to know that requires a hands-on approach that I can't learn from books, but with all these tons of YouTube videos I've been watching from some popular channels, they almost all seem to be subtly discouraging to anyone wanting to get into it; unless of course they spend $40,000 or more on a 25-35' boat with everything replaced or updated in the last 5 years. I hear stories of people spending $10-15k, or even less, on a sailboat and hopping in and cruising down the coastline to the tropics, or even across the ocean over into Europe somewhere but I can't seem to find many, or any videos from those people.

Are there channels that are actually geared towards people buying an affordable toy to go get wet, or are most of the popular YouTubers slightly elitist?

Good luck in your quest! Sounds like you aren't feeling rushed in your boat search.. thats probably your greatest asset. Your boat is out there. Maybe you'll befriend someone along the way who's looking to give a deal to someone they want to be the next owner.

Learning all the systems onboard and how to do your own work is the key to making it sustainable, I think. Thats probably also the side of it least-suited to YT.

[DShant]

Originally Posted by boatman61

A nice starter boat in your area..
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/198...y-26d-8853591/

Yes that's a really nice clean little boat and cheap!

[Donahue]

Second the Cape Dory. When I was 19, I bought (for $2000) another 26 foot Alberg design (Pearson Commander), probably spent another 6-8k on a "refit" and sailed from Maine to the Caribbean and cruised around. That boat had minimal systems, no comfort, no electronics, was not perfect for the offshore passages that I did on her and leaked from every port--but I didn't care because I was 19. It's possible to get going for that amount, but you're way better off spending a little more to buy a boat that someone else has fixed up or properly maintained. In that size range there are 15-20k boats that are in really good shape. In the low-mid 30 foot range, there are decent boats in the 20-30k price point and that will be immeasurably more seaworthy and comfortable that a 2-4k boat. A sub 10k 26 footer is most likely camping; but once you get a little bigger things become much more comfortable.