good starter boat

[nstuart]

Hi.my name is nick and ive taken a big interest in sailing.im going to be taking a basic sailing course in a few months and soon after getting a boat. i was wondering if anyone had any advice on a good starter boat or on sailing in general

[smackdaddy]

I've sure enjoyed my Catalina 27, which is the first boat I've owned.

While you're waiting for some other responses you can start poking around in this thread: The Salt's Corner Table

It's a thread with some of the best info to some of the most asked questions around here - including yours. And you can see who some of the go-to guys are.

Enjoy.

[JimMcGee]

Nick,
It depends on where you'er sailing and what kind of sailing you want to do (day sails, overnights, cruising or racing).

My first boat was a Catalina 22 that I day sailed and she was a great teacher.

The advantage of the Catalinas is there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of owners who can give you help and advice.

Welcome and good luck,
Jim

[bljones]

Where are you from, and where do you want to sail out of? When it comes to reccomending a great boat, it's just like real estate- the three most important factors are location, location, location. Catalinas are a great North American recco, but a Hartley maybe a better choice in Oz, while a Westerly centaur is a great Brit starter boat, and a Tanzer 22 or 26 would be the perfect great lakes starter boat, or C&C 25 if you want to race more than cruise.