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First Sailboat
Hello all - New member from RI here. I''ve been a powerboater for the past two seasons and am looking to make the switch. The only thing that''s stopping me is of course that I don''t know how to sail - yet!
I plan to take the basic keelboat course next spring in Newport, RI at either Offshore or J World School. Both are well known schools and are week-long courses. Any recommendations on either?
My thought is to sell my 30'' powerboat and transition into a similar sized sailboat (28-33''.) I think this is feasible as I do have a fair amount of navigation and boating knowledge going into it. Do you think the size range is reasonable for a first-time sailor?
Although my family would be involved (wife and 13 yr. old son) I''d like to be able to single-hand her at times. We are looking at mostly bay crusing until the comfort level is up and then maybe near-coastal or over to Block Island. Overnight weekends and maybe an occasional week-long cruise are a must due to the distance of where we''d slip her and where we live.
Not looking for a new boat, rather late 70''s to maybe early 90''s. $5,000 to $40,000 and I know there are a ton of boats in that range. But, I''m really looking for opinions and thoughts on good solid boats that I should put on my short list. What do you think?
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