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What was your first sailboat and how old were you?

21K views 142 replies 120 participants last post by  ceol 
#1 ·
The title says it all. i was just wondering what kind of boats people had for their first sailboat and how old you were?

i'll start.

11.5ft Laser Pico
19 years old

-kai
 
#109 ·
Usually, 11 or 12, unless you were kept back a year.... ;) Most kids graduate 12th grade at age 17 or 18...
 
#110 ·
10 years old, and styrofoam sunfish in the river in Philly....

May have been sailing before that in camp, as I went when I was 6 and that was on the Chesapeake, but don't exactly remember....

Then....didn't sail from 12 years old until this winter (lessons in FL)......
 
#115 ·
2000 - age 48 - 1964 12' Penguin with trailer (bought it from the builder. Asking price was $500. I offered $100 and he said yes. Went in to get the papers and came out crying. Said it just isn't enough. I said "Hold your hand out, tell me when.." and started putting $20 bills in his hand. He stopped at $240.)
2001 - age 49 - 1966 20' Paceship Mouette $600 with trailer.
2002 - age 50 - 1976 37' Irwin $18,500
 
#116 ·
An 8' wooden pram. I was 11. I learned to sail it on the estuary of the Croton River off the Hudson. One day we "discovered" that it would make under the highway bridge at dead low tide. It was not a planned discovery. It cleared by about 6" under the middle span of the old 5 arch cement bridge that carried Rt. 9. That event attracted some attention we were not aware of until we heard the crash. A couple of spectator cars collided watching our expected misadventure. That was the day we made "sailing the bridge" an event we planned for. Low tide at rush hour was often exciting. Ha!
 
#117 ·
1983 - An Olympic class OK on a trailer, that I would pull by hand down the road. So many fun times were had in that boat the sailing around parts of the Gold Coast Broadwater (Qld Aust.) . Aged about 13.
 
#118 ·
I grew up sailing and kept on sailing well into adulthood on my dad's Hinckley B40 (including with my wife and sons after I got married), until I bought my first boat - a '70 Columbia 28' at 38 years old.
 
#120 ·
My father bought a 14ft Falcon when I was 11yrs old. We found it in this guys back yard full of rainwater and leaves. "At least it doesn't leak" he said, but it did. I got tired of waiting for him to come home from work to sail with me. I swam out to the moored boat and sailed it alone for the first time at about 14. Scared myself silly almost hitting the jeddy! Freedom, Fun and Sun!
 
#121 ·
I sailed a 14 foot Flying Junior with a trapeze and spinnaker. It motored with a 2.5 H.P. outboard and was trailered and setup in under 15 minutes. It was mahogany with a sandsprinkled on varnish floor for traction. I learned a lot about sailing with that boat and suggest everyone learn on a seat of your pants boat to get the feel of true sailing.
 
#127 ·
Funny you should ask... I just had a reunion with my first adn wrote about it here with photos...
Zach Aboard: My First (it was a MiniFish and I was 9)
After that I had a Rainbow 24 junker that I co-owned with a racing friend (I was maybe 22-23 then). Then I met my future husband and we went in on a PDQ36 cruising cat that we moved aboard together (age 25) and never looked back. 11 years later we're still aboard full time, now on a St. Francis 44 cat.
 
#128 ·
22 ft Jaguar [ think Catalina 22 ] at the age of 37. Trailored it to the west coast of Scotland and down to the Adriatic and had a fantastic time. It is hard to beat the Hebrides or the Kornati as long as the weather remains kind. It got me hooked on the liveaboard life.

I am currently in Florida after two years touring North America in a RV looking to sell the RV and buy a boat.
 
#129 ·
1991 I bought Frolic a 1972 30ft. Columbia at the age of 40. Had her up until a year ago. I couldn't bring myself to sell her:( . Even though I had been on the cat since 4/03, and over 3k miles away. Here she in P.V. Mexico after sailing down from S.F. Ca.:eek: .....i2f
 

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#130 ·
When I was 17, my dad picked up an old SunFish for free from one of his teaching buddies. He gave it to me. After having spent the previous two summers sailing a 16-foot Hobie Cat owned by a friend, it was less than inspired sailing. Nonetheless, I know I learned from it. When I got married, my wife and bought an old 16-foot Hobie and had a riot. That is, until children came. Darn if I couldn't convince her we could strap a car seat to the trampoline. Ending up selling that and started sailing with an older gentleman friend on his 31-foot Pearson. My wife and I chartered a few times and then made the leap to our current Beneteau 36 Center Cockpit. Perfect boat for us and our three daughters.
 
#133 ·
My first sailboat was a snark,It was styrofoam with a sail. I think it was about 10' I was 12 at the time. Since then I have had 4 other boats, another snark(14' styrofoam covered with plastic) it was free, and fun, then a West Wight Potter P-19, then A MacGregor 26S, then my Hunter 30. I'm still searchin' for the next one.

Dave
 
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