Sugestion for a first boat Cruiser and Racer?

dumbguy · #1 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

Hey all...
I just got into sailing this summer and am loving it.... I"m racing two nights a week with my girlfriend on someones J/36 and we take classes one other night, and I'm trolling this forum extensively... it's a great resource

I'm on the east coast of Canada, we are both young, and other then a mortgage a fairly disposable income.

So my question is that I like sailing enough that I want to buy a boat anywheres from 1 year to now, to 3 years from now and I"m wondering what would be a good boat to buy that would be a good boat for club racing as well as limited to medium cruising or if such a thing exists and if I should jump into this boat right away or I should buy a "starter" boat first?

So... should I skip the starter boat? I have people recomending a Tanzer 22 for it's racing prowess and favorable rating, I also see a ton of people on here raving how great Tartans are for cruising... is there a hybrid to be found that would accommodate racing 2 nights a week (competitively) while allowing us to experience some cruising in a safe/reasonable/halfways comfortable manner?

My budget could be anywheres from 10K (for a starter boat, if I go that route) to 50K for an unbelievable deal that couldn't be passed up...

I appreciate your comments and suggestions... thanks for the help

Twizzler · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

Family member just gave us a new boat.
We have a Dufour 27 up for sale.
good learning boat and starter boat.
Ad posted below.

http://www.boats.com/listing/boat_de...tyid=105220851
Boat Make: Dufour
Boat Model: 27
Boat Year: 1974

sailingfool · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

For racing and crusiing capabilities I would recommend you focus on C&C and CS models, as both are brnads popular and available in your neighborhood, and IMHO offer the best combination of both. The CSes are a little more pricing but they tend to be more boat...the C&C 25 would make an excellent first boat and you should be able to get a very well-maintained version for under $10K. For $50K you can fit into an excellent C&C 35 Mark II or a CS 33.

Ask around to speak with people who have these boats and see why they are special. Tanzers and Tartans are nice boats, but not that special (except the T30..)

Valiente · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

C&C and CS between 29-35 feet fall in your budget and are both common enough and seaworthy enough on the east coast to command a range of prices. There are Viking 33s down there that are a tad more racer than cruiser, but built well by Ontario Yachts.

I think a Tanzer isn't a sea boat and their boxy cabins mean little or no side decks. Hughes made good cruisers that could race and are seaworthy. "Comfort in a seaway" is going to be a factor for you even in coastal Atlantic conditions that it isn't on the Great Lakes, where tall rigs and light hulls predominate that aren't always the best idea for the ocean.

Put in a size range, a price range and your location in yachtworld.com and see what you see, then post your ideas and we can help you more effectively.

dumbguy · #5 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

Well it seem like people seem to think the CS and C&C are the popular choice so far...

I did a quick search on a local site and I came accross this

http://classifieds.atlanticcanadaboa...uery=retrieval

I also found a C&C 30, made in 77 for 35K...

The thought also crossed my mind of waiting till the end of season and then go looking to buy, then I would have the winter to do any fixing/upgrades and hopefully would provide some more leverage on a potential seller.

I have been scouring yachtworld for a couple weeks now... I guess I do need to figure out when/what to buy as well how much I want to spend.... or if I should cool my heels a bit and just enjoy sailing on somone elses boat for another year and pay down the mortgage some...

Faster · #6 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

This site http://sailquest.com/market/ has a good listing of Canadian built boats typically on the used market. The values listed may not be valid today but its a great way to compare various models and relative values may be helpful.

And, of course, a localized search on Yachtworld.com is always fun.

Second the recommendation for the C&Cs, CSs, Vikings and would add Ontario Yachts (who built the Vikings and others)

Valiente · #7 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

Only problem with these older Canadian cruiser-racers is the bloody balsa-cored decks. They sail superbly, but if the core gets wet and then is subjected to a freeze-thaw cycle, it's delamination city.

Pick yourself a model that at the very least has a fully solid FG hull. Then you'll just be recoring the deck for the rest of your life!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that 1970s Pearsons are pretty nice boats currently going cheaply, too. Being down East, you'll get a greater range of New England classic plastics from which to choose.

Here: I found you a nice 35-footer. Totally representative of a 1970s cruiser-racer: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1601614/0

dumbguy · #8 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

I'm assuming the greatest protection from the cored deck is a quality survey of such a boat...(in regard to it having issues)

I showed the boat I linked above to the GF and she was prety happy with that price range... would something like that be a reasonable price for such a boat? Would I still probably be looking at 10-20% in upgrades and such?
http://classifieds.atlanticcanadaboa...uery=retrieval

I'm still kind of torn as I'm new and all to sailing, weather to continue to learn on someone else's boat for another season... not that I can't probably hop on another boat if it beyond my capabilities on a rough night...

Anyone have any thoughts on the "size" of boat to buy as well? jump into a bigger boat that I could plan on having for a couple years or a starter boat I would be flipping in one or two... and obviously I know I don't want to get too over my head for my first boat.

Thanks for all the feedback folks...

Faster · #9 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

Given the apparent upgrades, and especially with the trailer, the price seems about on track. Of course, typically you would expect to get the boat for something less.

That vintage will have a solid glass hull, no coring except in the deck areas, so that worry will be gone. She looks well kept, but of course the survey will be key in making sure she's not just prettied up for sale.

Given the relatively recent sail inventory, I think you may not need to budget a great deal for immediate upgrades (pending survey, of course)

sailingdog · #10 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007

Don Casey says that most people, regardless of how much research they do, will learn a lot about sailing from their first boat, and a from that, learn what is really important to them and buy a second boat based on that. So get a boat that you can learn on, easily handle, and in good enough shape that you could easily re-sell it in a few years, if you realize that you need something different. I'd start in the 25-35' range... since something smaller is probably going to get outgrown more quickly, and something larger can get pretty expensive to store/moor/dock/maintain and repair, especially while you're in the early learning portion of your sailing career.