Hello from Northwest Georgia

[exterran]

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Just wanted to take a moment and introduce myself because I'll probably be needing your advice in the near future.

I'm Dave, from Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia. For some time now, I have been looking at acquiring a live-aboard boat and cruising around the world as time allows.

I'm actively seeking advice on many topics, such as the best live-aboards that can accomodate 2 to 3 people and also have lower maintenance costs. I know I will have very many questions for you all, and I hope I don't drive you bonkers by asking them.

Right now, I am in the learning and research phase of this, as I'll want to be sure I am making the best move I can when I do acquire a boat and begin this process. I look forward to chatting here with you and learning as much as I can in order to prevent myself from making common mistakes.

Thanks for reading this far. Have a good weekend and thanks for putting this board out here for dreamers like myself to learn online what would otherwise be much less pleasant to learn out at sea.

-Dave

[sawingknots]

hi ex,my boat is a few miles north of your location[watts bar lake]with the economy right now its an excellent time to buy! boat size depends entirely on the individual and their percieved needs,i would rather have a smaller but good condition boat than a larger hole in the water.this forum is a great place for info even if some of the members are a bit opinionated lol.again welcome aboard.sawingknots

[exterran]

I agree with you, now is a good time to look, find something and plop down an offer. There's a lot of motivated sellers out there these days.

Right now, in terms of size, I am looking in the 60-80 foot range and have been looking pretty seriously at a used M-65, but I hear both good and bad about those boats. (The good: easy handling, low maintenance. The bad: some say they make some odd noises and the shape can distort noticably when sailing in heavy winds, but this is just what I have heard. Of course, fiberglass is somewhat flexible) I wrote the MacGregor folks a week ago, but they have yet to write back with any answers, so they may get scratched from consideration soon. (I prefer buying a boat manufactured by someone who will be around to answer questions, so I often email manufacturers and ask lots of questions before buying. I figure if the manufacturer cares about the customer, they probably also care about the boats they make.)

Basically, I'd love a good world class cruiser that's comfortable, fast, requires a minimal crew (so I can sail solo, if needed) and relatively easy to maintain. Before I drop an offer, however; I intend to take a few months learning the ins and outs of boat safety, emergency management, sailing training and any certifications I think I should need. I've also been reading this board pretty heavily in order to learn by reading rather than sinking.

Right now, I am leaning toward fiberglass hull, aluminum or steel and wanting to avoid wood hulls. The main question I have about metal hulls is how good a protector anodes really are, especially if you wind up docked near another metal boat.

Also would want the boat to be pretty much energy independent, so I'd probably toss on some wind generators and solar cells. I'd rather have the generator as an afterthought than a necessity, especially if I am crossing an ocean somewhere.

Part of what I am doing is for my dad too, he always wanted to sail the world too, but he's getting older and I expect my first few trips he'll be there, but after that, probably not. In a way, this also is a good opportunity to spend some quality time while there still is time left.

I just don't think I'll find a better time to pursue such a dream as this again, therefore; if I am to do this, I need to get started soon.

Feel free to try and talk me into anything or out of anything. I basically value advice at this point and want to make the best decision. Thanks again for the reply too. I look forward to talking to many folks on here and learning many new things from others' perspectives.

Sail on.
-Dave