HELP for a soon to be brand new cruiser

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by annegibsonwaco

Thank you all! I am really excited about all of this information. Boy, do I have a lot to learn! But, to me, the challenges are what makes this lifestyle so appealing.
defjef - I've added those things to my list. I really appreciate your encouragement. I hope you don't ever regret telling me to "ASK, ASK, ASK"!
Kanani - I appreciate your explanation about ketch rigging (size, etc.). We had a broker tell us to stay with a sloop rigging. He probably had ulterior motives, as he had a particular boat he was really pushing with us. As far as what type of cruising - we live closest to the Gulf and will start out there until we have a lot more experience. Our real dream is to do a transAtlantic to France. We are not even ready for "baby steps", we're still crawling. But, my husband masters things easily and quickly, so I'm sure we will be "toddling" along soon. Twenty years ago, these two city slickers bought a farm and ran it without any prior training or knowledge, while living on a shoe string budget. My husband bought some old farm equipment and taught himself how to keep all of it running. When he got off work at 5 PM, he would head straight to the fields and work well past midnight. I can still remember him out in the field with a flash light held in his mouth as he repaired that old baler we had. Anyway, all that to say, where there's a will there's a way. And, thanks to the investment of the farm, we now have the money to buy this boat and retire.
rtbates - What a confirmation! I had just bought Vigor's book and have been reading it daily. Thanks for the good word and wish of luck. I really appreciate that.
slomotion - I, too, had read about all of us baby boomers in the Caribbean. It'll be great to fit in so well. Thanks for the logs, and for understanding about those queen size berths.
Can't wait to read this forum each day. Thanks again.
Anne

Anne,

It sounds like your husband has the #1 quality required to have a successful cruising carreer. The ability to "Fix anything" is paramount in my mind. There are no mechanics or shipyards at sea. In most developing countries, you don't want to have to take your boat to a "Professional".

Starting your cruising on the East Coast can be challenging. IMO, I would avoid Fort Lauderdale, FL like the plague (No offence to any Floridian's). I have never seen any one single place on Earth that has so many "Cruising yachts" that have been preparing to "head-off" for so long, in one place.

It just seems to me that there are so many fearful people that gravitate to that place. It was amazing to me, that there were scores of people that had been sitting there for (literally) YEARS with every excuse in the book for not leaving. It was always...."Oh, the weather isn't right"...or...."We just have to work one more season"....or...."We have to do a final haul-out"...or....."Now my sails are getting a little old and I need a new set". The next year, it would start the same cycle over again, for the same people. They never went anywhere.

I am serious. My wife and I set up a canvas/sail repair business there (on our yacht). We were building dodgers, cockpit enclosures and covers of all sorts. It was like people were working at staying broke so that they couldn't leave. They would also sit around and tell outrageous stories about the boogie man. I'm convinced that Ft Lauderdale is the biggest cruising killer in the US.

[annegibsonwaco]

Interesting, thanks for the warning. We had planned to look at some boats at Ft. Lauderdale. I wonder if you could pick up some bargains there from people who got tired of putting it off.
Actually, we live in Texas and we had planned to make Kemah our home port, so we can return to visit family members.
I'm curious about the Passports. Looked at a few on line and most are out of my price range. Does yours have a teak deck?
If so, how difficult is the upkeep? Our tastes are kind of leaning toward the Hans Christian, Tartans, Passports, Tayanas. My husband really prefers lots of teak inside, but we've heard differing views about teak on the deck. Some say it's easy to keep up with, just use a saltwater wash, etc. Others really feel strongly that it is way too much work.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by annegibsonwaco

Interesting, thanks for the warning. We had planned to look at some boats at Ft. Lauderdale. I wonder if you could pick up some bargains there from people who got tired of putting it off.
Actually, we live in Texas and we had planned to make Kemah our home port, so we can return to visit family members.
I'm curious about the Passports. Looked at a few on line and most are out of my price range. Does yours have a teak deck?
If so, how difficult is the upkeep? Our tastes are kind of leaning toward the Hans Christian, Tartans, Passports, Tayanas. My husband really prefers lots of teak inside, but we've heard differing views about teak on the deck. Some say it's easy to keep up with, just use a saltwater wash, etc. Others really feel strongly that it is way too much work.

We had teak decks. Got rid of them. Anybody that would take a perfectly good deck and drill 2000 holes in has to have something wrong in their head.

[44'cruisingcat]

Ditto on the teak decks. Great for other people to have.

[Charlie]

While I am a proponent of jumping in with two feet and have done it many times I think that part of your research should be chartering a few sailboats. That is what I did before we bought. We chartered a Morgan Out Island 41 Ketch and an Etap 32. We figured that our boat size was in between those two. We looked and looked and fell in love with the Sceptre 41. (Oh yeah we also onwed a J105) What boat to choose is a very individual choice. The performance of the boat, its sailing characteristics, and a number of other factors are so indvidualized that no one can tell you what kind of boat to buy. The more boats that you sail the more basis that you have for making an informed decision. Chartering will allow you to go to school so to speak. And charter companies are located in some of the most beautiful campuses in the world.

[annegibsonwaco]

Kanani - I see your point about the teak decks. I have noticed that many boats with teak decks are listed as "odor free". That must mean that problems with leaking are commonplace due to the "2000 drill holes".
Charlie - I'm going to take your advice and look up charter companies right now. Anytime someone tells me to go to a beautiful location and enjoy myself, I'm going to listen! Finding a boat is going to be way more fun than I anticipated!
Thanks for the push.
Anne

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Anne,
Welcome aboard!! Good to read that you are getting lots of answers. I always say don't go with anything longer than 36 on deck unless you have lots of stuff you can't do without or lots of kids going with you.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Sell and Sail]

Hello neighbor, my wife and I are in the same boat with you. No pun intended he-he. We live in Leander just down the road from you. We have been looking at center cockpit ketches in Kema, Corpus, Port Aransas and the internet. We have a lot in common send me a PM so we can exchange ideas etc. My wife said she would like to meet the two of you. James

[annegibsonwaco]

Hey, John L. My husband was also a Navy man, from 1967 to 1972. I appreciate your advice about 36' on deck. One of the things I look forward to the most is getting rid of all this excess stuff. My husband can't believe his ears when I say that; but, it's true. I'm ready to chuck it all and go and quit letting all this junk weigh us down. And, thankfully, all our children are married with famlies of their own. I would like to have enough room to take them on SHORT cruises but not enough space where they would want to stay! LOL
Have a great day!

Anne

[Celestialsailor]

Hi Anne...I helped tear up teak decks on a Peterson 44. What a mess! Trust me...there are more than 2000 holes! We did find water intrution in half a dozen areas. Luckly, It had been that way for a short period of time and it was an easy fix. Of course it surveyed 100% before the decks were removed.
You mentioned Tartans. Great boats. If I might suggest a great sailing boat with good construction and sized right for two people learning the ropes if you may, I would say the Tartan 37.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Anne,
I was in Milton (Pensacola area) FL, Vietnam, San Diego and Germany in the years '67 to '72.
Celestial's comments about the Tartan are right on. I would make an exception to the 36 rule for a Tartan 37 or even Ingrid 38 just because I do like their designs a lot.
Hans Christian 36 is a very nice boat.
There are a lot of boats to consider and I do like cutter rigs and aft cockpits but it really boils down to which boat you fall in love with. For discussion of quality and purpose you could mention certain boats you see on this forum and you'll get lots of opinions.
JohnL

[annegibsonwaco]

John L- My husband served aboard the USS Dubuque during the Viet Nam war. It was an LPD that carried Marines in and out of the bush.
I have read from many sources that the most important thing about liveaboard sailing is that you have got to be in love with your boat. We are trying to keep that foremost in our minds during this quest. We don't want to settle for a boat, no matter how highly recommended, that we aren't just ga-ga over. I'm sure it's like a marriage - there are times when you are just madly in love and other times when you wonder what you ever saw in each other! I'm just hoping there will be more of the former than the latter!

Celestial Sailor - I appreciate the input and confirmation. The Tartan 37, which is high on my list, is listed in Used Boat Notebook as one of the top ten sailboats 37'-42'. I would love to find one in our area so I can go get a first hand look.
Cold and rainy today, yesterday it was near 80. The old saying still goes about Texas - if you don't like the weather here just wait a few minutes and it will be changing. At least today, it's beginning to feel more like Christmas!
Have a great day!

Anne

[Celestialsailor]

Hi Anne...Normally there are some in your area but I see in boatingyellowpages.com there are none at this time. I looked in Latitude 38, another good source for California and did see this site. At least you can see how pretty they are. They are a Sparkman/Stevens design which makes them a pedigree in my eyes.

El Milagro- powered by SmugMug

[Seeratlas]

Anne,
There is a web site for Mahina Expeditions (assuming someone else hasn't mentioned it before) google that and review his very good comments and opinons.

Second, everyone can give you advice about a boat, but if you look out in the harbor, you'll see lots of different kinds of boat, why? Because everyone has their own opinions and not all that often agree on what's best. What's going to count is what YOU are comfortable with and like being on/in. Now the only way you're going to find out what YOUR boat has to be, is to go sailing. Hit the marinas, talk to the managers, meet some people who are willing to talk to you, show you their boats, and with luck take you out for a daysail.

Jumping with both feet blindly into bluewater cruising can be a disaster.
Do you know how seasick you get yet? How you'll react when you're damp, the bed is damp, the seats are damp and you can't seem to find a way to dry everything out, it's starting to smell, and your husband is yelling at you to pull on this line or that line or drop the anchor, or bring it up or whatever?

You need to get some experience, or you could very well make some serious mistakes. There are lots of ways to get in the water, everyone has a different opinion on the appropriate size, weight, configuration, rig..the whole nine yards....they can't pick for you, only you can do that, but to make an intelligent choice, you guys need to get in the water.

I'm not trying to throw a wet blanket here; looking at, thinking about, and planning for your first boat purchase is probably 3/4's of the fun but as in dealing with most things that can get you killed, its best if you do as much preparation as it takes to make you confident in your decisions. And yes, there are success stories of people who just "dove in" and did it, but there are far more broken dream stories and yacht for sale signs in places like San Diego, coastal Florida, etc. where a short first cruise ends in the wife stalking off the boat swearing to never step foot on the boat again.

My present 44 footer got to me by way of 3 divorces for previous owners...(heheheh its set up for single handing

Oh, one more thing, buy a dirty boat subject to a comprehensive survey. You'll make gobs of money just by washing the thing. There are a great many well equipped cruising boats sitting in the storage areas of yacht yards all around major boat centers, just waiting to be spruced up and taken back out to sea. There are some amazing deals out there just waiting for you to find them. If it's any consolation, some old salts claim that a ship knows it's proper owner and will seek them out. I'm inclined to agree. When you see her, you'll know her. Good luck.


seer

seer

Originally Posted by annegibsonwaco

John L- My husband served aboard the USS Dubuque during the Viet Nam war. It was an LPD that carried Marines in and out of the bush.
I have read from many sources that the most important thing about liveaboard sailing is that you have got to be in love with your boat. We are trying to keep that foremost in our minds during this quest. We don't want to settle for a boat, no matter how highly recommended, that we aren't just ga-ga over. I'm sure it's like a marriage - there are times when you are just madly in love and other times when you wonder what you ever saw in each other! I'm just hoping there will be more of the former than the latter!

Celestial Sailor - I appreciate the input and confirmation. The Tartan 37, which is high on my list, is listed in Used Boat Notebook as one of the top ten sailboats 37'-42'. I would love to find one in our area so I can go get a first hand look.
Cold and rainy today, yesterday it was near 80. The old saying still goes about Texas - if you don't like the weather here just wait a few minutes and it will be changing. At least today, it's beginning to feel more like Christmas!
Have a great day!

Anne

oh, on size, I had a 54 sloop for 14 years and I single handed it a lot, moving down to a 44 which is still a sizable boat but I have a unique rig which is easily and safely handled. I think the 36 to 45 foot range is the place to look depending on how its set up. I've known an awful lot of people that get smaller boats and start looking for one only a few feet bigger. If you can get by without refrigeration, frequent hot showers, and a small washer/drier, then 33 to 36 is fine. If you want the foregoing, you're going to have to go bigger. As far as fees, slips, docks and whatever, 40ft seems to be a magic divider. Oh, and we're talking 40ft LOA..not necessarily LOD. With your budget, I wouldn't settle for anything but exactly what you want. People are going to toss their boats before there houses and in the US , the housing market is going to be in big trouble for the immediate future, accordingly, It's a serious buyers market for boats at the moment.

again, good luck

seer

[Seeratlas]

Header says it all. Tons of good boats for sale in Lauderdale and some of the smaller yards north of there.

seer

Originally Posted by Kanani

Anne,

It sounds like your husband has the #1 quality required to have a successful cruising carreer. The ability to "Fix anything" is paramount in my mind. There are no mechanics or shipyards at sea. In most developing countries, you don't want to have to take your boat to a "Professional".

Starting your cruising on the East Coast can be challenging. IMO, I would avoid Fort Lauderdale, FL like the plague (No offence to any Floridian's). I have never seen any one single place on Earth that has so many "Cruising yachts" that have been preparing to "head-off" for so long, in one place.

It just seems to me that there are so many fearful people that gravitate to that place. It was amazing to me, that there were scores of people that had been sitting there for (literally) YEARS with every excuse in the book for not leaving. It was always...."Oh, the weather isn't right"...or...."We just have to work one more season"....or...."We have to do a final haul-out"...or....."Now my sails are getting a little old and I need a new set". The next year, it would start the same cycle over again, for the same people. They never went anywhere.

I am serious. My wife and I set up a canvas/sail repair business there (on our yacht). We were building dodgers, cockpit enclosures and covers of all sorts. It was like people were working at staying broke so that they couldn't leave. They would also sit around and tell outrageous stories about the boogie man. I'm convinced that Ft Lauderdale is the biggest cruising killer in the US.