[Cruisingdad]

For your price range, Baba 40 or Tayana 37 would be my preference. They are very traditional and can pretty much go anywhere. They will suck in light winds... you WILL use your motor. Not sure of what exceptions there are in that price range. Some of thosse boats I just do not have a lot of first hand knowledge of, so will give way to others with more knowledgeable.

I will say with though that the gulf is often misscharacterizdd as a great place to cut your teeth. I dare say it can really be a bad place. The seas are not like what you get in the Atlatic and Pacific in a storm. THey do not roll, but tend to build square and break. THere are a lot of dicussions on this, but I can honestly say the worst storm I have EVER been in was in the gulf after a northern came through that was not suppsed to and brght 1000 miles of fetch with it.

Between the hurricanes, the strong northerns, rigs, and shallow water, I find many people get more than they bargained for. Of course, these are just my opinions and there are others with more offshore experience than I have. Just another thought to consider in all these thoughts.

Don't forget my warning on insurance. Getting a policy for the Western Carribean will be difficult at best. Also, if you have not started checking into financing, I would suggest it now. I just spoke with a lady from Essex last weekend and things are tight for them too. They now really like to see 12 months liquidity AFTER the down payment on the boat. You also better not tell them this will be a liveaboard. You will likely need a residence (preferably a house) in addition to the boat. I think if you have great credit and the total note is under 100k, then you get some flexibility on income verification... but lending seems to have gotten tight in the marine market, just like the housing market.

This is what I have been told, so I cannot verify it other than to say it came straight from Essex.

- CD