Newbie's first thread :)

[DavidB.UK]

Firstly a hello to all

I have been a leisure sailor since the age of 15 and love sailing and generally being out on the water.

However, all of my sailing has been smaller craft, the usual, toppers, lasers, wayfarers, hobby-cats etc.

I recently sold my last boat 27' soling.

My life-style has changed somewhat of late with a new career change also, this means I am now working from home (thus I could do my work from anywhere) this got me thinking about fulfilling a dream...

So I am now starting to look into the realities of buying a small yacht as a permanent live-aboard.

Storage space will not be a problem as I have spent years on the road, so my worldly belongings have been parred right down anyway.

I'm looking at something between 36-42ft in length.
I believe (though please correct me if I'm wrong) this will be big enough to be comfortable year-round and small enough that I can sail her single handed.
I will be the only permanent resident though having (convertible) space for occasional guests (nieces, nephews etc) would be nice.

A few things I must have, decent shower and toilet facilities, and also decent size galley.

I openly admit I currently know nothing about boats of this size or the realities of living on-board. save for those stories related to me by my father but his boat is very different (a 1960's broads river cruiser).

I will sooner or later want to venture forth from the marina and sail down to the Mediterranean (for starters).

Al though I am a confident sailor, I plan to get myself through STCW95, day skipper and Yacht-masters eventually.

Are there any particular boats/makes/models which are more suited than others?

Any recommended reading/resources?

Budget is a factor, but flexible(ish) around £40-50k (GBP)
But I am not averse to (if recommended) to buying something cheaper and spending some money on it to bring it up to scratch.

Any advice gratefully recieved

[DavidB.UK]

Please come on, chime in.
tell me about your experiences, preferences?

If you were starting out what would you buy and why?

[TQA]

A lot is going to depend on where you are going to keep the boat. If it is in the UK then I would suggest something with a pilothouse and a good heating system, if you are thinking about marina living then simple electric heaters work well but off the grid you need something like an Eberspächer diesel heater.

1986 Cascade 42 Pilothouse Ketch Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com Too far away I know but the right sort of thing.

[DRFerron]

Welcome, David!

I have no thoughts on your other thread about using the boom as a crane for your bike, however, it is one of the methods for retrieving an MOB so I don't see why it can't work, or why it would give offense.

Below are links to previous threads concerning reading material:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/genera...d-reading.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/genera...ter-blahs.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/genera...magazines.html

I would also suggest that you look through the threads in the Learning to Sail forum as this question has been asked many times. You might find some interesting answers there while you're waiting for a response here. And, as TQA said, it depends on what type of sailing you want to do and where, solo or with family, inland or blue water, etc. Without knowing more details, it's a hard question to answer.

[DavidB.UK]

Hi TQA,

Thank you for posting.

Initially I'll using the boat as a live-aboard in a marina, as I get some more experience piloting bigger craft I'll become a little more adventurous and do some coastal cruising.

And when I feel confident enough I'll look to doing some longer voyages, down to the Med and then wherever the wind takes me...

I do really fancy taking myself around the world, but its a big leap from sailing a soling on Scottish Lochs to sailing around the world...

Have any of you made the leap from smaller craft to yachts as I will be doing?
How do the bigger craft fare in terms of handling etc?

[ccriders]

I have no experience with live aboard, so....
You want to singlehand and go to the med. Think about doing a med-mooring into a space about equal to your beam width with wind and/or tide all by yourself. That scarey thought would push me toward the smaller end of the size range.
Also, a big galley? One of the best meals I have ever eaten was prepared in a New York City apartment with a kitchen that was no more than a closet. Efficiency is more important than size.
Good shower though, that is important.
Also, it would be interesting to hear from single handers on the topic of full keel vs fin keel.
Good luck, look at a lot of boats.
John

[DRFerron]

Originally Posted by DavidB.UK

Al though I am a confident sailor, I plan to get myself through STCW95, day skipper and Yacht-masters eventually.

Any advice gratefully recieved

STCW training is for professional mariners working on commercial ships. It's a bit of overkill for a recreational boater.

Your time might be better served first obtaining the International Certificate of Competency

[DavidB.UK]

Thank you everybody,

The part about the galley, yes I agree.
Perhaps a better choice of words would have been, well designed/efficient layout.
I was a professional chef for 15 years and in my time performed miracles in tiny spaces. But given my culinary past you can surely understand why I would favour a well equipped kitchen

picking up a mooring single-handed with a 27' soling in high winds was fun enough, though after a few times it became quite fun to do.
But yes I see the point about handling a larger craft in adverse conditions.

[DavidB.UK]

Thank you for the links DRFerron

[DavidB.UK]

In an ideal world I would have company when embarking on voyages to unknown lands and such, but my (by default) first mate may have little or no boating experience. That's my primary reason for wanting something that can be sailed single handed.

But then again I may meet my bride to be before I've found a boat and she may well be a more competent sailor than me!
I've learned long ago that you never can tell just what's around the next headland...