First Boat? Any of these: O'Day Mariner, Balboa, or Capri 14.2

[BarryL]

Hello,

The O'day looks like a nice boat. Too much money IMHO, but it looks nice. I would offer more than $4K WITH the new sails. Anyway, the boats you are considering are ALL small. Really, learning on anything smaller than 25' should be easy. And you don't need to worry about capsizing like on a real small boat.

If the idea of boat camping or overnighting on the boat is appealing to you, then you should consider boats like the Catalina 22, O'day 222 or 23, Hunter, etc. A boat around 22' has a lot of benefits:

• Trailerable and can be set up / taken down by 1 person
• Spacious enough for 1 or 2 people to spend a night aboard
• Can have a porta potty / marine head and space for a camp type stove or maybe a marine galley
• Stable enough to handle decent wind
• Light enough to make docking / launching / recovery / etc fairly simple
• cheap enough for you to find a nice one for not too much money
• easy enough to resell when the sailing bug bites you and you want a bigger boat.

You should be able to find a nice Catalina 22 with trailer, OB engine, decent sails, etc. for under $4K.

Good luck,
Barry

[jp375]

I kind of thought the price was a bit high as well. From what I've seen online, I'm starting to think sailboat prices here in Minnesota are a bit on the high side in general.

This is the Balboa that is up for sale:
Balboa 20' Sailboat

[Brettms]

About 15 months ago with no prior sailing experience, I bought a Balboa 21.
It was a marvelous first boat for San Diego's Mission Bay and eventually some out on the ocean experience.

I started out just motoring it and then sailing with just the main, then the jib also and eventually a 160% genoa. Leading the main and jib halyards back to the cockpit was the next thing I did after trying to put them up on the water single handed.

After the first month I took ASA101 on a Capri 22 and considered it well worth the effort. Focusing on points of sail afterward, doing figure eights and triangular patterns really helped bring it together.

I told a friend at the marina who has a Catalina 27 that I planned to keep the Balboa 21 for two years before moving up. He said I wouldn't last a year.
That's in San Diego where late December is good sailing weather. He was wrong. I lasted 13 months before buying a Pearson 30 which I'm now single handing comfortably at age 60.

21' was a great size for a first boat. I'd advise don't buy a boat that is too small for what you want to do. Get what you want and get an ASA instructor to spend a few hours with you. I did that with the P30 and it was worth every penny.

Have a great time sailing! You only go around once (unless the jib is backwinded).

[jp375]

Well, after getting a bunch of pictures from the owners, I think the best boat of these three is the O'day. If I go take a look at it, what are some things I should look for?

[cb32863]

JP - As a fellow MN beginning sailor I would be very interested in what you end up buying. I too took my ASA 101 this year, late September on Minnetonka. Joined a boat club so I think I will spend a little less than you in buying a boat but you will have the freedom of going where you want with it. I would look in to a trailer-sailor myself but I have a small car that has over 118K on it and can't quite swing the new vehicle yet. Good luck!

[klem]

The best thing that you could do would be to talk the owner into a test sail along with a visual inspection. During the test sail, watch everything that is done, see whether it makes sense and try everything you feel comfortable doing. Unless the boat has been significantly modified, it was a relatively good design to start with.

In your inspection, really take your time and go over every inch of the boat. Some areas to pay particular attention to would be the condition of the rigging, sails, centerboard and pin, chainplates, and rudder. Bring a digital camera so that you can show the pictures to others and they can help. Depending on how you work, this process could take a few hours to go over the boat. Don't be afraid of crawling into every place accessible with a flashlight.

[jp375]

Still looking. Saw this today:
22' Chrysler Sailboat

Thoughts? I haven't read much about Chrysler boats, are they any good? 22 is getting a bit on the big side, but it looks like it has a nice cabin which is a big plus.

[Ippa2]

Was just reading this thread and i was in a similar situation this summer. I learned on a sunfish and a 14' Tanzer. This summer I went in on a 23' O'day with a friend. It was a slight adjustment, but the basics are the same. I had been looking for a 19' O'day, great day boat/trailerable and also accomodating for a night on the hook. I wouldn't go any smaller than the Mariner though, especially if you want the option of a night on the water. 19' to 23' I think would be good for you.

Good luck!

[csaintg]

I bought an Oday Mariner 2 months ago. You are right, the prices are much higher where you are. Here in Wa. I would be looking at a full size boat 26+ ft. For $4000-$5000. Picked up my Mariner for $600, with trailer, and though it needs some tlc, that is what I wanted in a starter boat. It floats well, and has a full sail inventory. My son and I have taken it out, and even spent a night on the water. Best nights sleep I've had in years!

[BubbleheadMd]

I got greedy. I bought a '69 Coronado 25 for my first boat. Hull, deck and standing rigging in great shape. Very few gelcoat cracks, no blisters, soft spots or delamination that I could find. Serviceable sails, 4-stroke 9.9 Honda outboard with about 100 hours on it. Fixed keel.

The reviews I read state that it's a solid, durable boat that is very forgiving to the novice, so I figured it'd be ok as a first boat and I'd be able to resist the urge to upgrade for longer.

And yes, with boats (as well as RV's and other items) age isn't the issue, it's how it was maintained that dictates price and whether or not you should run away. I've noticed that many people here are sailing some pretty old boats.