New to the sailing community

[flyandsail]

Hi everyone,

I am completely new to the sailing community. Finding myself watching videos on how to sail and liveaboard lifestyle. Could anyone point me in the right direction for a great liveaboard? Single guy in his early thirties? I have a few specific criteria for the boat.

-liveaboard
-blue water (transpacific capable)
-freshwater maker
-self sustaining solar or wind generator
-Davit and dinghy
-shower and toilet separate
-dive tank compressor onboard
-auto pilot and can be single handed
-not a wooden boat
-mono or cat

Budget varies. I could afford something less than 50k cash or finance something around 250k. I wouldn't mind not having some of these features for a lower price, as long as the boats capable of having them installed. I do prefer to pay cash if possible. I am very mechanically handy, so if a bargain could be found, that might strike my interest. My time is limited though, as I work quite a few hours. Concern with the blue water capability is that my work requires I move often, and I could be working anywhere from Jacksonville Fl, Sicily to Hawaii. I am looking to purchase by the fall of 2016 in Pacific Northwest. Thanks everyone in advance for suggestions and advise.

[s/v Beth]

Time or Money- which one do you want to spend. To get a boat as outlined, you will probably have to pick up a boat that ticks most of the boxes and then do the rest yourself. This is a big project. Two things that stick out in my mind
Mono or Cat- better sail both to see which one you like and eliminate that fork now...
Can be soloed- by whom? I can solo most boats, but work pretty hard on something over 40 feet and I am really tired without a windvane or autopilot. Have you tried soloing the boats you are looking at? Do you have the personality to solo? and the knowledge?
I am not trying to be critical. Just see if you can fit in the niche you have outlined. You have a lot of groundwork to lay, and I noticed you said you do not have a lot of time...
Welcome to the forum BTW

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and Welcome Aboard the Forum Fly and Sail!

You posted some good info in your intro. But, I think it also leaves some unanswered questions that can really matter.

You mentioned something about learning to sail, live aboard, AND crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Those three things are very broad topics that can take a lot of research and there are many ways to go.

I will post some of my suggestions below. They may not be what you expect, but I believe they will help you in the near term and in the long run if you intend to spend much time here on this forum and if you wish to gain the most from the knowledge available and shared here etc.

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Quick Comments in Response to Your Introduction:

According to your introduction post, it appears you have very limited to no sailing experience at this point (if I am wrong about that, feel free to correct that or edit post a correction here to prevent others from thinking that). IF so, that is OK, as we all start that way.

I advise you spend some time getting aboard as many boats as possible to see what you find most comfortable and fitting your desire or comfort level to "live aboard." Leave the "cross the oceans" issues till later, after you know how to sail and what you really need for water sailing">blue water sailing.

Put another way, and very simply: Learn Boats and Sailing Before Buying a Big Boat.

If you have a boat budget of "up to $250K" you will have a LOT of potential boats (a very broad scope) to consider. So, it is best to learn what you like first and what you really need, based on getting ON boats (even at docks) so you can get a feel for the space and layout. You may think you are already at this point, but I suspect not.

Put another way, there are just TOO MANY possibilities with such a broad scope. You need to get some experience (sitting and standing and sailing) on a variety of boats (yourself) before anyone can help you narrow the field significantly and to get the best fit for you.

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A few of my favorite tips for a new member:

Since you are new to this forum, let me mention a few things you might miss but that could help you more enjoy your time here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ics-19760.html

There are even forums within this site that focus on living aboard, seamanship, and other topics (food, medicines, repairs).

There are also some "social groups" that are more focused on special interests. I am not a member of those groups, but you should be able to find them if you do some exploring of the forum website, look for "groups."

Cruisers & Sailing Forums - All Groups

There is also a related (linked) "Cruiser's Wiki" that contains a wealth of information, much of it contributed by the members here.
________________

Profiles Help People Relate

You can also post a profile (when you sign up you can create a profile on this site or edit it later) and in that you can also post photos and a description of your sailing desires or experiences.

You may click on a member's name (avatar) to see their public profile and through that page you can also send them private messages if you wish. You can look at mine for an example, and see I have written something and also posted some photos in an album.

I encourage you to complete the profile early in your membership in the forum, so those people who would like to know something about a new member can learn. I did not post a complete profile (due to ignorance about that feature of the site), until after I noticed that my empty profile page had already had 1,000 views by forum members. This meant I missed sharing information with those 1,000 folks who had some level of interest in who I am.

Not everyone does post any written "bio" or even a photo of themselves, but I think it adds to the human factor of a community to see a face and know a little about that person, and makes it more "personal."

I also encourage the use of a photo of the sailor (or couple) as the avatar. I think it also adds to the "human community" aspect of the online experience.

I also suggest you take the information you posted in your introduction above (your boat wish list) and add some of it to your forum Profile. You might be surprised how many members look at another member's profile, so I recommend that everyone put something in theirs as it helps people relate.

Directions on creating a Profile and uploading photos are found in the helpful forum FAQ pages.

Photos?
There is a FAQ page on how to post photos here. 
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - FAQ: Reading and Posting Messages

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Blue Water Boats?

There have been many discussions on this forum about the topic of "Blue Water boats." The following link will take you to a custom search page with many different threads you could read and those have hundreds if not thousands of comments on the topic.

Good luck on your search, research, and making you dreams come true. 

A Google Custom Search of this site:
blue water bluewater - Google Search

A Google Custom Search of this site:
blue water bluewater - Google Search

TIP 3: A good place to start learning something about classic boats (mostly older boats from the 1970s and 1980s, so lower priced now as used boats) that are popular in the US waters is a website focused on "Bluewater Boats." Sailboat Reviews of Offshore Cruising Yachts : Bluewaterboats.org

Sailboat Reviews of Offshore Cruising Yachts : Bluewaterboats.org
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Which boat to buy for…?

There have been countless threads posted on the forum discussing many topics at length, with differing opinions. But quickly finding the right thread and the right answer could take a while, if one just browses the forum.

Since you are relatively new to the forum, here is my favorite friendly forum search tip: Look at the green menu bar on the forum pages for the drop down "Search" menu. Click on that to drop down a list of search functions. From that drop down menu select the GOOGLE CUSTOM search feature (the second box down) and then enter several different descriptive terms for your topic of interest. That will do a Custom google search of ONLY this site and it is likely to find answers to your questions or results for you. It is the best and fastest method I have found to the answers I seek here.
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[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, flyandsail.