Coastal sailing?

[Sch0lls84]

Good day to everyone here on sailnet, this is my first real post that doesn't count my introduction post.

As I near my late 20's, I've began to think about the things that I've done and the things that I would like to give a try. I've weeded out quite a few activities, but this one has totally caught me off guard. I used to sail a sunfish in boyscouts back when I was 11/12, I would spend my entire week at summer camp out on the lake. It was something I really enjoyed, but never pursued.

Now that I'm 26, it's finally surfaced in my mind again that I would really enjoy sailing. I've been gathering info on boat prices, which boats are used for what, terms, how to learn, price of lessons, where I can get some lessons, etc. The problem is, I have yet to find anything even close to conclusive.

My first idea when this popped into my head was "how cool would it be to sail across the world", that was actually my first google search. After some reading, I, of course, discovered that it is by no means an easy feat and it's actually can be financially taxing.

After getting that thought out of my head, or at least putting it in the far back of my head for an undetermined amount of time, I've decided that I would be content with being able to do some coastal sailing. Being able to follow the coast down, having a boat to stay on while I do so, and visit some nice coastal towns would be an interesting concept.

It's not something I would do right away of course, my plan is to take some lessons on a local lake to get a feel for sailing, then head out closer to Boston to learn some more.

I guess my real question is, what type of boat do you look for so that you can do coastline sailing, in the ocean, but not really far out in the ocean. Would a 25-30 footer be sufficient for that type of sailing? Or would I need something larger?

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by Sch0lls84

I guess my real question is, what type of boat do you look for so that you can do coastline sailing, in the ocean, but not really far out in the ocean. Would a 25-30 footer be sufficient for that type of sailing? Or would I need something larger?

Absolutely, you'd be fine in a boat that size. You could even get by with a smaller one. A lot of folks start off in 22-25 footer. More important than size would be the design and condition.

But it's probably worth stretching as far as you reasonably can, size-wise. That way you won't feel the need to upgrade as soon -- which can save money in the long run.

If you give us an idea of your budget, I'm sure plenty of folks will be happy to suggest boat models that might be suitable.

Aside from the relatively short season, you live in a great area for what you plan to do.

P.S. Welcome to Sailnet!

[puddinlegs]

Depends on your budget and what level of creature comforts you're looking for. Something like a Yankee 30 would be a great older boat if you found one in good condition or have the skills and or money to get a project boat ship shape. Even something like a Santa Cruz 27 would do the job, but certainly isn't going to be super comfy... so the answer is a qualified yes. There are some 25-30' sailboats that would work well for coastal cruising. Of course, sailing from south to north is a different thing all together, which is why something like the Yankee 30 might be appealing... not as fun off the wind, but great upwind.

[Sch0lls84]

I'm planning on spending anywhere from free (wouldn't that be great) to around 10000.. I've been checking out craigslist for all areas around me for what a general price range is and the price range is just so vast, it's ridiculous.. I've seen some 26 footers for 1000, and some 22 footers for 20000..

I believe in the whole "you get what you pay for" mentality so I am extremely skeptical about similar boats with a huge price gap. I'm not opposed to doing some work to get the boat ready for sailing though, I just don't wanna get stuck with something that is going to cost an insane amount of time and money to get in the water.

Also, any recommendations for lessons? I've checked some places out in Boston for the ASA101 course and I must say, it's a fairly steep price tag for only a day or 2 course.

There's even this place right down the road from me called "Regatta Point" (which is where I was originally interested in beginning), but if I recall, the price tag was upwards of 1000.

Thanks a lot for the help!

[billsull]

Welcome to Sailnet Sch0lls! Am I correct in thinking you're in central Mass? There's a Regatta Point in Worcester, IIRC. With that in mind, I am going to suggest a smaller, trailerable sailboat (with all due respect to JRP's opinion above). You're an hour's drive from the ocean to the east or south anyway, so a larger boat will spend a good portion of it's time waiting at the slip for you to visit again, racking up marina charges the whole time.

If you have space to keep a boat on a trailer and the vehicle to tow it, (two big ifs), a trailerable sailboat would give you a lot of flexibility. You could sail off the Mass coast or in Narraganset Bay, or even in the Quabbin reservoir, which I believe they just opened to boating last year. And when you're not using it, it wouldn't be a drain on expenses. You could even figure out what you save on slip and storage charges and put that away towards the "next boat". There's always a "next boat" ;^).

Small boats that come to mind are the Compac 16, Siren 17, or a West Wight Potter (15 or 19). Please take all of this advice with a large grain of salt, because its coming from a guy with marina bills that are only exceeded by my tuition bills! Good luck with the boat search!

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by Sch0lls84

I'm planning on spending anywhere from free (wouldn't that be great) to around 10000..

Decide whether you want to work or sail. If you want to sail, get the best possible boat you can get for the money - meaning a boat that you don't have to work on a lot BEFORE you can go sailing.

Buying a cheap 30' basket case is tempting, but sailing is what really counts. Not sanding.

[klem]

Another option might be to do something like join the Boston Sailing Center. They have a whole bunch of boats that you can take out whenever and they are decent boats in the size range that you gave. I have a few friends who started by doing that and felt that it was definitely the right thing to do. It was much cheaper for them, they didn't have to worry about maintenance and they got to try a few different boats out. Some of the boats are large enough to camp aboard and take for an overnight or two. Also, a center like this has instruction available and you are likely to meet other people who you can go out sailing with an learn from.

It sounds like you have big dreams which is great and probably means that this would not be a permanent solution but might be a very good thing to do for two or three years. You would be more likely to buy a boat that will be what you want with some more experience on various boats. Not having to do maintenance is great but you do miss out on the learning curve on that stuff.

If you want to buy a boat, you obviously have tons of options and it is very hard to narrow it down. Really complicating the matter is that all of us on this board are very opinionated as to what makes a good boat so you will have to carefully read through the responses and figure out what best fits you.

Good luck.

[sailor50]

Great advice! I was gonna suggest that he sail OPB's too!
Other Peoples Boats!

[sailingdog]

Being a member of OPBYC before buying is a good idea, as that often gives you a basis for what you're actually looking for in a boat. Boston Sailing Center or one of the other sailing clubs in the area are good choices, especially if you need to take a refresher course or want to take more advanced courses to get your ASA bareboat certifications.

What part of Massachusetts are you in, since that would affect your choices. BTW, if you do decide to buy, you may find it is more cost-effective to keep your boat down in the South Coast region rather than up in Boston.

[Sch0lls84]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

What part of Massachusetts are you in, since that would affect your choices. BTW, if you do decide to buy, you may find it is more cost-effective to keep your boat down in the South Coast region rather than up in Boston.

I'm from Worcester so heading down to the south coast to pick up my boat to sail for a weekend doesn't seem like the option I would be going with. I'm still working out the storage options, figuring out which would be the easiest for me.

I haven't figured out what the biggest boat you can trailer is yet so I'm not even sure if that's an option. Slips/mooring for the marinas around Boston are fairly expensive as well. So many things I still need to look into.

On another note:
I checked into Boston Sailing Club and they have a couple packages I'm interested in. The one I seem to be more interested in is the cruising course for $1249. It includes the $800 daysailing course, basic navigation, coastal navigation cruise, a 7 hour lesson in night sailing and to top it all off you get a 37 day student membership which means you get some practice time included on their boats.

The more I look at the site, the more excited I get. It seems to offer everything I would need to know to get on my feet and begin sailing. You even get to practice on 4 different boats throughout the course. The Boston 27 for the daysailing, pearson 26 for the basic nav, Albin 28 for the coastal, and then a pearson 31 for the night sailing.

Definitely seems like one of the routes I could go. Regatta point doesn't offer nearly as much as that, however, it's a lake so I would assume lake sailing is a bit different then sailing in salt water. As I mentioned above, I'm more interested in coastal sailing, being able to take out a boat for a week and sail up to ME, or even figure out how long it would take to sail the coast down to FL and spend some time there.

I'm not going to get too ahead of myself. Thanks a ton for all the help and shedding some light on the options I could take to get there.