Need Advice for First Time Cruising

[mman30]

No, I bought, planned, and retrofitted in 3 years. I am heading south this oct.(six month's of cruising), from the annapolis area on the Chesapeake, and can hardly wait. It depends on the condition of the boat, and how many systems you want to know inside and out. If you are doing the work on the boat yourself, it takes lots and lots of reading to do a job, and most importantly do it right. I have learned so many valuable lessons on this site. (saving time, money, and headaches), so you are in good company. Good luck

[Omatako]

Getting a boat ready to cruise will take you as long as you want it to.

[brady5]

I have been thinking about the Florida panhandle lately. There have been some posts about Florida but does anyone else have good starting locations in this area of Florida?

My idea of a good starting location would be a place with reasonable prices on things like slips and supplies.

I think my kids will do great but my kids have not been out for long periods of time. So I may need to ease into it the first month. That said a location that is kid friendly will be needed as well.

We are also looking to meet other families with children on this trip so we need a family friendly location. We have two girls and a boy. 11, 8, and 9

[SelkirkGrace]

Originally Posted by brady5

I am considering the suggestions about chartering but we are really wanting our own boat. This will be the first of many adventures for us and it would be nice to have our own.

Does it really take 4 years to get a boat ready to cruise? That is a long time.

I would not be too rash about jumping into a boat that you are planning to put your family in for long periods of time. The chartering suggestion is more than intelligent. Call Footloose (since older boats should not be an issue to you). Take the whole family and go down to the BVI and sail a reasonable size mono and a cat for at least a week. (You can get both boats into one week if you have to). They can provide a captain who can teach you the basics for each boat type, or you can call Rob Swain in Nanny Cay.
Make a determination of what you need for size and boat type. This simple and relatively cheap trip (you have no idea how exact these words are!) will probably be the difference between an adventure and a GREAT adventure.

As to the question about getting a boat ready, all you need to do is read this site. If you can find a "well cared for boat" you can cut the time significantly. If you are "handy" and can get the work done well yourself, you can save both time and money. The equipment you will want to add are determined by where you plan to sail and the nature of the boat you are buying. Most boats are NOT setup for cruising. They need things like: watermakers, radar, SSB, solar charging, navigation software and a computer, special sails ( spinnaker?), and the list goes on.
Fairwinds

[camaraderie]

Assuming an older stock boat in good condition, a decent marina/boatyard and the ability to pay to get stuff and have it installed for you. It takes about 90 days to prep a boat fully for family cruising in my experience. Moving yourselves aboard and prepping for the cruising lifestyle and skills required can take considerably longer. Part of that skill is figuring out how the marina whould spend its' 90 days!

[Cptken]

Your enthusiasm is great, but I think it will get you in the long run. I have known and helped too many "I'm just learning to sail" families that show up at the marina with their new to them boat. In every case within the first season they have decided they bought their first boat in haste and it is not right for them. They have enjoyed their time on the water and then in the off season go through the expense of getting rid of the wrong boat and finding the right one. Unless you have deep pockets and can afford to throw tens of thousands of dollars away I would try chartering a few different types of boats and spend some time with a broker looking at different boats. Then make a list of what you need to have, what would be nice to have, and things you don't want. Once you have that done you can probably find the boat that is right for you. My search took about a year to narrow down the list and an other year to find the right boat. I'm still happy with it almost 10 years after the purchase so it was worth the time and effort. Boat shopping can almost be as much fun as sailing if you approach it correctly.

[brady5]

Thanks for the straightforward advice. I am taking this very seriously and looking at all my options.

What is a ballpark figure for chartering? I am looking for something around 36' to 38' that will be comfortable for 5 people.

[Faster]

Cptken has some good advice for you... in the meantime if you're near an active lake try to hook up with someone needing crew (casual weekend racing, for example) - you'll learn a lot at little or no expense, and perhaps get some exposure to a variety of boats so you an refine your own goals.

Re chartering, without doing any reasearch, I'd guess your looking at between $2K and $4k/week depending on area and boat, perhaps more in some cases. It should be easy to google up some rates.

[brady5]

Originally Posted by Cptken

Your enthusiasm is great, but I think it will get you in the long run.

Yes it could, that is why I am getting as much education as I can right now. I want a well thought out plan.

Exploring all my options with the host of peers on this site has been very rewarding and educational.

Thank you for your honest advice!!

[brady5]

Thinking about getting this book. Anybody have it? What do you think?

Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia
by: Steve & Linda Dashew