Is 3 feet worth the cost ?

[blt2ski]

Another boat to look at in the same range price etc, altho maybe hard to find on this side of the contenent, is a Jeanneau 30 or 33. A bit more sail area, higher Ballast disp than the bene's.

Moorage here a bit south in Wa st sounds the same as up there, up to 32 is not tooo hard to find, over 32 into the mid 30' range, can take upwards of 3-5 yrs to get your own slip! You may want to look at some of the higher prices YC's too vs public moorage. Your YC cost along with in some cases, really discounted prices per foot, are worth it. A friend with an Islander 40, found the near him YC at 2000 a yr, along with the 150 per month moorage was worth it vs ShilShoal at 450 a month! Along with ShilShoal being a bridge across Lk Washington etc from Bellevue.

I have a small 85 Jenneau 30'ish foot boat. I can say some nice things about it, but will admit, a 33-35' boat would be nice. If I go bigger, it will be a 36-40'. OR, if I get my dream per say, only 3' longer to Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200, which is a Volvo 70 cut in half for the most part!

Marty

[CharlieCobra]

Hell, I went from 21' to 40' and an extra mast without issue. I single hand her too in lighter weather. With the bigger boat you need crew when docking but not really when sailing. I wouldn't go back at all. If anything, I'd go bigger still...

[baboon]

Another consideration as to driving distance is to factor in trips to the boat for things other than sailing. I check on my boat fairly frequently in the winter, particularly after storms. It is not uncomon to find roller furling sails flailing about at the docks after a windy day (I keep mine very secure for this reason). Checking the bilge, making sure the batteries are not dying, looking for frayed lines are all things most of us keep up with when boats are in the water year round. Maintence on a new boat is less, but you will be going to it for some woodwork, cleaning and maintence of the engine etc. We often think these things can be combined with a sail, but friends and spouses are usally not to thrilled about watching me make a mess of the oil filter for half an hour, so I make a separate trip for those things.

I moved from a 15 foot dingy to a 30 ft sloop, and after two years have no desire to go bigger (no kids). What I have now meets our needs, and going longer with added costs etc. does not pencil out. When you get much bigger than 30 feet you are going to have trouble physicaly moving the boat about when docking etc. As you gain experience this is not needed as docking technique improves, but I would second the previous advice about either getting some hands on intstrution, or just accepting that your new toy will get a bit banged up for a while.

[PacNorthWestNewbie]

RE:

If anything, I'd go bigger still...

boy, you'all are hard on a guy's wallet.

[CharlieCobra]

Nah, I want the waterline and the speed that comes with it. A 90' Staysail Schooner would suit me just fine cause I can always get enough crew to cruise her. Now I've owned and am restoring a wooden yacht, having something like that does scare me in the least.

[dvideohd]

If you check local marinas, and see what the slip availability is, that might help decide. If there is a wait list for slips -then what is the wait time versus length?

perhaps some "looking for" postings to local sailing clubs/yacht clubs...

always good to compare...

--jerry