Howdy - new guy to SailNet

[ilikerust]

Hello all. The forum title said "Introduce Yourself," so here I am introducing myself.

My name is Bill, I live in Richmond (actually far western Henrico County), Virginia, USA, with my wife and two daughters (ages 12 and 16).

As far as my boating history, it's almost exclusively been on power boats. When I was about 5 years old, my dad bought a used cuddy cabin cruiser and we created a lot of really great memories on that little motor boat. The most memorable trip being when I was about 9 or 10 years old, and my dad, my sister and I spent two weeks living on the boat on the Chesapeake Bay. We cruised and explored all over the place, did a lot of fishing and swimming and crabbing.

When I was in my 20s, my dad bought a nice 37-foot Cheoy Lee trawler with twin Volvo Penta diesels, and we did a couple really great trips cruising up and down portions of the ICW in SC, GA and FL.

I currently do not own a boat, but that will be rectified within the next month or two. I've been totally jonesing for a boat and to get back out on the water for a couple years now. I've been hanging out at the Wooden Boat forum for a while, and I plan on eventually building a boat of some sort. I am a hardcore do-it-yourselfer and have a very full (too full) woodworking shop behind my house. I am an avid antique woodworking tool user, buyer and seller and also have some blacksmithing tools and small knowledge of that as well. As an old man I once knew said, "I have more tools than brains." Lucky for me, I have plenty of both!

My day job, which I engage in primarily to fund my tool habit (and now my developing boat habit), is as an environmental attorney with a large, international law firm. That's more than enough said about that, lest those of you who made it this far fall asleep from overstimulation.

Although the vast majority of my boating experience has been on power boats, I've decided I want to sail, so I have signed up for an ASA-certified sailing class, which is coming up in May. I'm really looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I've been scouring Craig's list and the internet for a decent, cheap, used sailboat for my "first" sailboat to learn on. I've eyeballed everything from Minifishes and Sunfishes up to a Catalina 22. I want to keep it relatively small, simple and inexpensive - small enough to tow behind my truck, and maybe take out, launch and retrieve by myself, should I want to, but big enough that my wife and daughters can come with me for a day sail, or maybe an overnighter with just my wife or one of my daughters.

I'll pursue the "what first cheap small simple reliable roomy compact easy to handle fun safe comfortable boat do you recommend" question in the appropriate forum section, though.

Thanks,

- Bill T.
- Richmond, VA

[smackdaddy]

Hey rust - welcome to SN dude. It's a great place to hang out and wast WAY too much time.

[poltergeist]

Bill, I live in western Henrico, too, and day sail on Swift Creek Reservoir. Sounds like you're eventually thinking Chesapeake, but if you want to quell the jones in the meantime, I'd be happy to have you aboard sometime.

My answer to "what first cheap small simple reliable roomy compact easy to handle fun safe comfortable boat do you recommend" is a Flying Scot. But that's only one of a bunch of reasonable choices. If you'd like to get out some weekend or evening for a Scot introduction, send me a PM.

Kurt

[ilikerust]

Originally Posted by poltergeist

Bill, I live in western Henrico, too, and day sail on Swift Creek Reservoir. Sounds like you're eventually thinking Chesapeake, but if you want to quell the jones in the meantime, I'd be happy to have you aboard sometime.

My answer to "what first cheap small simple reliable roomy compact easy to handle fun safe comfortable boat do you recommend" is a Flying Scot. But that's only one of a bunch of reasonable choices. If you'd like to get out some weekend or evening for a Scot introduction, send me a PM.

Kurt

Wow, thanks!

Let me think about it for a little while...

OK, time's up! ABSOLUTELY.

That would be terrific. I'd love to.

Unfortunately, as I am brand-spanking new to this site and have only two posts to my name, it will not allow me to send PMs yet. I'll need five posts to win that privilege. So I can either spew some additional nonsense in a couple more posts to jack up my post count, or you could contact me at w.taggart (AT) verizon (DOT) net and I can give you my phone number.

Thanks VERY much!

[bljones]

Welcome, Ilike. Giood to see you migrate over here from the WB forum.

Get the O'day!

[BiaA]

welcome

[ilikerust]

Originally Posted by bljones

Welcome, Ilike. Giood to see you migrate over here from the WB forum.

Get the O'day!

Hehe - yup, I'm branching out all over!

I did a little more research on the O'Day, and it looks to me like it's a dog. Turns out the previous owners moved out of state and listed it for FREE on CL (apparently it needs that much work). The current guy jumped on it and acquired it for free and has been trying to sell it ever since. He started at something like $2750, then went down to $2500, last I saw he was at $1,500 with a "make me an offer - you'll be surprised how low I'll go."

It must be thrashed. I want something I can pretty much jump in and go - I don't want to have to spend a year and a couple thousand dollars getting the thing ready to sail.

[eherlihy]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the fray.

Ask good questions, and you find that there are a lot of people willing to help you out. There is a lot of knowledge here, and a lot of other stuff too. Soon you will learn which is which.

RE: the boat purchase; I suggest that you buy something in good condition, "ready to sail," as you want to experience sailing, and not refitting a boat.