The Sailor's Life for Me

[Pilgrimtex]

Originally Posted by zeehag

hay pilgrim.... have you considered sailing with others first before buying your own boat..i found that was a good move when i was trying to get this formosa out of san diego. run¡ng away from home to see what other boats were like in cruising conditions....just a thought...

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Good thought. If I were a younger man I Lets say 66. LOL I probably would. Story too long to enumerate on. One reason I'm on this forum. Not enough life left in me to test drive everything out there. I've sailed in the past from a sunfish to a trimaran. Presently sailin a 17ft Com-Pac Suncat. Largest sailboat I can tow behind my jeep that has 34" Dia tires.

[ontherocks83]

The choice between the 2 for me is easy. Catalina all the way.1) Lead keel (cheap and easy to repair and little maintenance, steel keels can be a hassle maint and repair wise). 2) Crash bulkhead, you can cut off the first 4 feet of the bow and she'll still float. 3) Attention to detail and overall construction seems more sound i.e. the mast stays, ball and socket design to help spread loads lower in the structual grid etc.... 4) Taller life lines. 5) Ease of filter replacement. Overall Gerry seems to have put a lot of thought into making a better boat not just a pretty one (I mean no offense to Beneteau I just mean that as a general statement) Lastly Catalinas customer service is phenomanal! I have emailed their engineering dept on repair questions and their response time has never been more then 1 business day. The last time I emailed them they forwarded my email to Gerry due to a very specificand question i had and he got back to me personally. I vote Catalina

[zeehag]

how bout a combo of both worlds--tow that beastie to a place you like and sail then go to another place..until you find what you really like--is a continuing adventure.

[Pilgrimtex]

Originally Posted by zeehag

how bout a combo of both worlds--tow that beastie to a place you like and sail then go to another place..until you find what you really like--is a continuing adventure.

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Planning on moving to Port Aransas as soon as I can sell the house and liquidate my assets. When I lived near S Padre Island I looked for the perfect sailboat for 7 years. Sea worthy shoal capable, easy to sail etc. etc. I don't think they change all that much since I left. I know the TX coast and the Corpus Aransas area has a lot to offer. Water is cleaner than Galveston Bay as well. S Padre and Port Isabel too close to Mexico.

[zeehag]

uhoh....but mexico is great after you pass the lousey border towns..i am in mexico now, on southwest coast.is gorgeous, cheap, and politer than usa. i love it.
i have yet to explore the eastern coast of mexico. i will do that after i transit panama canal.

[Pilgrimtex]

Originally Posted by zeehag

uhoh....but mexico is great after you pass the lousey border towns..i am in mexico now, on southwest coast.is gorgeous, cheap, and politer than usa. i love it.
i have yet to explore the eastern coast of mexico. i will do that after i transit panama canal.

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I really like Port Isabel but it is a border town in reverse. Example: We were at the boat launch one day and watched two guys get in a truck. No biggy. Thought it was theirs. Next thing you know the truck backs up fast with the boat trailer. jackknifes it ripping the trailer from the truck and off they go. Watched them drive over the causeway while on the phone with the police. I also was involved in a couple of plants in Mex. No flames. Both my daughters are married to Mexicans and they are both great husbands and good fathers. To me it's what's inside a man that counts.