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Different take on the first boat

9K views 34 replies 13 participants last post by  drynoc 
#1 ·
While reading all these posts about people looking for their first boat, I always wonder if the posters end up doing the kind of sailing they thought they would. Many of them are searching for relatively deluxe boats as their first ownership experience assuming that their sailing life will be what they imagined. I know that my plans changed after I bought my boat, and would like to offer this:

Many people don't hold on to boats for very long anyway, so, while figuring out what you need, why not buy a boat designed for racing? They tend to be simpler inside, have a more intriguing rig, and a smaller price tag. They can be fun to learn to sail well on, can usually accomodate some short cruising, and give you time to decide what kind of sailing will actually be happening before spending the much bigger bucks on a more complicated boat. They tend to be set up to be sailed by a crew, as mine was, but minor adjustments can fix that. You can find them as stripped out hulls and including some minor sleeping arrangements, so they can be a way to get into fun sailing without spending the big bucks before you know how to spend them.
 
#27 ·
Some masts do not need runing backstays for stifness, just for mast shape.

The GibSea 421 that belongs to a friend had them, and he removed them..with that boat he sailed from poortugal to Cuba and back...without them.

So...on some boats it has not structural effect whatsoever, serves just as "mast bending device".

Should ask whoever made the mast if it is acceptable to move.
 
#28 ·
sailingdog said:
Valiente-

A preventer being used with out proper knowledge of how to use it can be just as dangerous as not using one. If the boat gybes, and the preventer line isn't release, it can cause the boat to get "pinned down" by the mainsail. While this may not be as dangerous as an uncontrolled boom swinging across the boat, it can cause its own share of problems, including heeling the boat over enough to have crew fall off. It also requires someone to go forward to release and re-attach the preventer lines each time you gybe-not an ideal situation for novice sailors.
That's why I have my non-standard ones rigged on both sides. It's somewhat like a boom brake or twinned vangs, I suppose, but with the cams down on deck running aft. The blue and white is starboard (they were out of green and white that day!) and the red and white is port. They can be used under tension as a replacement for the main sheet when gybing normally.

I'm aware that there are large stresses at play here and I wouldn't use this set-up above 25 knots or so, but I find it's simplified my single-handing.
 
#29 ·
Having yet to purchase my first boat, (going to wait until the transfer comes in) I do already know what I am looking for and what I am going to do with it. Primarily cruising, Daysailing, weekend trips with a weeklong adventure 2-3 times a year. Fishing for fun and lots of diving. My competitive days behind me, I have little to prove and just want to enjoy the water, the sun and the serenity of the day. I have been looking at older Bristols and find that with little modification they could certainly handle what I am wanting to accomplish. Maybe I will "race" friends to the best dive Mooring or something along those lines. All that being said, comfort above and below, combined with ease of handling is primary. We are planning on going to the Offshore Sailing schools for their fast track to cruising. Then additional experience on a friends Columbia 34, until the time comes to buy our own. The KISS system is envoked heavily IMO. I don't care to have more rigging than I really need. Just want to have fun. What do you all think?
 
#30 · (Edited)
I'd love to be able to use my sailboat for diving so if you've thought it through and have a good way to do it, I'd like to know.

I never thought that a sailboat made a very good dive boat. It would probably be ok for once in a while, but not as a primary means of going diving. Gel coat damage seems inevitable from tanks and weights. The freeboard on my boat is too high. The newer designs with walk through transoms may be better.

The way I look at it, when the wind is down, I can go diving and when it's windy and rough weather for diving, I can be out on my sailboat.
 
#32 ·
CapnHand said:
I'd love to be able to use my sailboat for diving so if you've thought it through and have a good way to do it, I'd like to know.

I never thought that a sailboat made a very good dive boat. It would probably be ok for once in a while, but not as a primary means of going diving. Gel coat damage seems inevitable from tanks and weights. The freeboard on my boat is too high. The newer designs with walk through transoms may be better.

The way I look at it, when the wind is down, I can go diving and when it's windy and rough weather for diving, I can be out on my sailboat.
One couple I know that has the same boat as me, bought it for use as a scuba diving mothership. They told me, one of the major factors in purchasing the boat was the fact that they can drop their scuba tanks onto the amas and then climb out of the water unencumbered by the weight and bulk of the tanks.

I would have to agree that a standard monohull sailboat is generally a lousy scuba diving platform... but multihulls seem to work quite well.
 
#33 ·
"Gel coat damage seems inevitable from tanks and weights."
Happens on any fiberglass motor craft as well. Some ways to minimize it:
Doff your tank and lead before boarding, clip it onto a line. After you board, haul them up carefully, or use the boom or a davit to hoist them aboard without having to work so hard.
Then when you drop them--don't drop them on deck. Use a rubber mat or some rubber tiling (i.e. "Dry Mat" plastic lattice deck tiles, or a rubber strip floor mat) when you put them on deck, and they should be chocked or bungeed anyway so they can't slip around.

A little work, sure, but the same think you have to do with any fiberglass boat if you don't want to chip it up. Unless you've got a bare metal work boat...dive gear is going to bang things up!
 
#34 ·
The couple did line the ama deck with rubber matting, to protect the fiberglass decking.

Some of the best SCUBA tank mounts I've seen were made from Schedule 80 PVC pipe, which is what they had on their boat.
 
#35 ·
Backstays

Thanks for the concern all, but my boat also has an adjustable permanent backstay, so the mast is well supported without the running backs. It was a very experienced sailor who suggested to me that I get them out of the way temporarily while I learned more about sailing, and the rigger who stepped the mast said they weren't necessary (while admiring the fact that I had them). Also, I sail on the Potomac River, where winds are light.
 
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