retirement

[outbound_308]

@letsgosailing
Yes I understand your concern, was hoping it would not devolve into that. More of a here is what I would do and what I would buy, that suits me and here is why. Someone else should have something different and maybe we learn from an idea that someone has had that hasn't occurred to us yet.

For instance I get it Oyster and Hallberg Rassy are great boats, no arguing that but I personally am of the opinion that yes I love both of these brands and think they are great and would do what I want.....I'm just not a fan of teak decks, I think it's an unnecessary maintenance hassle and while beautiful it just creates more maintenance than benefit.

[goboatingnow]

You have not indicated AFAIK , what sort of capital budget you have available

I’d look at a big Beneteau or similar , Fit it out well etc.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by outbound_308

@letsgosailing
Yes I understand your concern, was hoping it would not devolve into that. More of a here is what I would do and what I would buy, that suits me and here is why. Someone else should have something different and maybe we learn from an idea that someone has had that hasn't occurred to us yet.

For instance I get it Oyster and Hallberg Rassy are great boats, no arguing that but I personally am of the opinion that yes I love both of these brands and think they are great and would do what I want.....I'm just not a fan of teak decks, I think it's an unnecessary maintenance hassle and while beautiful it just creates more maintenance than benefit.

I think the teak decks are optional if you decide to buy new.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I did retire at about that age, but with a wife and a bit less income.

The 34' catamaran I had was perfect for one person (a little larger if mono) up to a week or two. Any more boat would have just been more work. For long term cruising, I'd probably go to about 36-40, but maybe not. The sails just get heavier. Obviously, you can afford a boat in ready-to-go condition, but likely you will make a few changes, just because you want to. You don't need to make them the first season--as you know, it takes time to get to know a boat.

As for what you like to do... that's on you. But most sailors come back to land after a few years. Maybe you'll like the Caribbean, but maybe not. Keep your options open and don't get hung up on a "dream" that may be just a result of office burnout. There are good lives everywhere.

Pretty close to our experience. Also went with a 34ft catamaran for the two of us.

If the $250k a pension or something else where annual income is more variable? You should certainly be able to afford a wide range of boats even into the quite expensive ranges but if you buy a $5million dollar boat and decide 6 months in you hate the lifestyle, odds are you are looking at a fairly large loss when you sell. Are you going to be happy with that loss? You can certainly get a very nice and reliable boat for a lot less.

[outbound_308]

@goboatingnow,
Excuse my ignorance but what is AFAIK?

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by outbound_308

@goboatingnow,
Excuse my ignorance but what is AFAIK?

As Far As I Know

[outbound_308]

Oh I'm sorry, looking at 175 liquid for down payment, and just borrow the rest.
no other expenses other than health insurance and whatever the boat expenses are.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by outbound_308

... Want to sail and see as much of the world as I can while I'm still young and then maybe settle into the Caribbean when older. ...

may or may not have an so that can help with longer passages, but would also like to use crewfinder just to meet other sailors and share in the experience.

The world is a big place.

One of the first things the wife and I did when we started talking about The Boat Plan, was to prioritize the places we wanted to see, visit and live in for a short time. The purpose of the boat is to take us to different places but also to allow us to see those places once we are there.

This has made us really LOOK at the places we want to visit and maybe spend more than a short time. That LOOK has then driven what we want in a boat.

First and foremost, we want a boat that has minimal draft, can dry out, and has decent/good upwind performance, which for a sailboat, means having a boat with a keel that moves, or a maybe a centerboard. This minimizes the number of boats to even consider.

Another desire/requirement is a low air draft which is problematic with a sailboat.

Forget the boat for a moment. Go figure out the places you really want to visit, and spend time, then figure out if there are boat capabilities that will best fit those places.

Later,
Dan

[outbound_308]

Good tip Dan, that's kind of what I've been doing. As I would love to see the places less traveled at first hence thinking about a north Atlantic loop still want to visit the more tropical places as well. As we often find out some places people like are not that great and some that others don't like we fall in love with.

I like the idea of something like a Garcia 45 or boreal 44 but these boats are few and far between. So as with all things it will also come down to what's available when the time comes.

Thanks again for the input.

[Newb2020]

I would probably go for a Seawind Cat. 1260 or 1190 Sport. Some people don't like the galley down arrangement because it's less social. If your single handing, a separate galley away from the socializing area really isn't an issue.

I think right now in your situation I would go with an 1190 sport. Better performance with similar comfort.

Of course as my name implies. I'm new with no sailing experience but researching as much as I can to learn.

[outbound_308]

Thanks Newb2020, as I said earlier no wrong answers, more interested in what you would do than what you think I should do. I think there is a lot of insight that can be gleaned from what other people would choose for themselves.

I'm not much of a cat person, I've sailed on a couple of production ones. If I were to go that route I would definitely want galley down as I wouldn't use the other hull much otherwise. Feel like galley down gives you a better galley and a better salon.

But that's just my opinion.

[outbound_308]

I like the idea of something like a amel. Everything has a place and is in it's place and you have good access. I don't like the idea of things retrofitted into areas of a boat because it will fit, even though that space was never designed for xyz. The amels are big boats though.

The garcia seems like a smaller compromise if you get it with the dedicated mechanical room.

[bdgWesternMass]

Look at a Boreal they are similar to the Garcia but I prefer the details of the Boreal.\\https://www.boreal-yachts.com/portfo...-44-2/?lang=en

[Overdue]

Ok, so you've provided us with "what" you want to do, and "where" you want to go, and you ask about how we would pick a boat. You have a good amount of sailing experience to start a "wish list", but your experience does not exactly match your future plans (larger high-end live-aboard), which is a significantly different use than your experience.

Since you are solo, you are on your own schedule. Asking for the collective wisdom here and doing research helps, but there is no replacement for actually living on a boat for a period of time (IMHO), to get the feel of longer-term live-aboard.

After doing your research, maybe narrow your potential models/manufacturers to a list of 5, then see if you can charter each for a week, with a captain (understanding it may not be an "owner's version and may be beat-up a bit). If the captains are "career captains", they'll have years of experience aboard larger high-end live-aboards, so I would ask lots of questions about what they like and don't like about different manufacturers, models, etc. If 1 or 2 of the boats feel better than the others, I would then bare-boat charter them for another week each, and see if you have a winner. The investment of a couple/few months is really insignificant, compared to the years you intend for your quest.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[JPA Cate]

We bought a 46", modern composite western red cedar strip plank and glass mono built by a boat builder for his own use. It is a very basic boat, not full of mod cons, more KISS, because we'd rather be sailing than fixing. It has a U shaped galley. One head with shower in it. The other space that could have been another head is a pantry and hanging locker. Two aft cabins, one set up as a workshop, with two singles; the other, a double (takes store bought sheets, way more convenient that me having to make fitted sheets for oddly shaped berths). Another double in the forepeak.

She displaces about 11 tons, without all our worldly possessions, probably 14 now. Why a lighter displacement fin keeler, because most of the airs we planned to sail in were under 30 knots? and we wanted a boat that would sail well in light airs. Our boat's mast has swept back spreaders and theoretically doesn't need her running backs, but she does because there's too much luff sag on the head sails if we don't use them. It is solent rigged. Imo, in line spreaders and a plain cutter rig would be better. The forestay tensions can be better managed, and you can wing out the main all the way for sailing DDW. Somehow, over the years, we have found ourselves in situations where we have wanted to sail DDW rather than gybing downwind. Also, very glad to have a boat that will sail well to windward. The chap who designed her is Jon Sayers, and the builder asked for more rounded sections forward, so that she wouldn't pound like the race boats. Still, if you sail her hard to wind in the open sea, you can make her pound, but by shortening sail, or by cracking off a bit, you can also stop it doing so.

The boat has a U shaped saloon with leather interior. It has worked out very well for us, we have lived aboard her since 2003, and one seat cushion needed to be replaced, and we found a good color match--no one notices that one is different. It is expensive, though, but it has been in almost daily use for almost 20 yrs., an other materials would have had to have been replaced at least once in that time.

She has lots of storage space, and is laid out so that the cover over the engine forms one side of the U shape of the galley. That work bench is hinged and opens, providing almost 360 degree access to the engine. This is a shaft drive, and for Jim, he would not want a saildrive, for many reasons (which we have written about, if you're curious, a CF Custom Google search should find some discussions on that subject). The U shaped galley is a lovely, safe place to cook. If you have a linear galley like the Allures, you probably want to have a butt belt, as well as a guard rail to help keep you secure while cooking in a seaway.

Our boat has crash bulkheads: two forward, and one aft. Feels pretty safe when you think about it.

The point here is that one-offs can be great boats, and name brands searches eliminate all of them from consideration. So, if you feel you are knowledgeable enough to survey your own boat, and know what design factors matter most to you, and don't mind thinking outside the box, there's a smallish number of some very nice boats out there to be hunted down and offered on.

If you're wanting to do the Faroes and Iceland, you really are looking at an expedition type boat, and probably aluminum, you have different needs than a milk run boat. You might investigate also the Bestevaers, and Kloopman's in the Netherlands, and there may be some Scandanavian boats that would appeal to you. The moderators here, Noelex 77 and Seaworthy Lass shared the building of their Bestevaer 49 in a thread here on CF. You might be interested to have a look at that.

Cheers,

Ann