Hello from the Chesapeake Bay are

[Atlbsky]

Hello everyone. I just want to say that after months of trolling various topics and posts that I am really impressed with the candor and quality of information that is shared here.

I'm still stuck on dry land. I've been searching for my first sailboat for about eight months now. Unfortunately I spent a great deal of time searching Craigslist...and while I'm sure that good boats get posted there, for the most part I've found that it's a lot like online dating. If people have a picture of themselves that they really like, that's what they post - even if that photo is 20 years old!

I've started crawling marinas now, and I'm determined to find what I'm looking for ( 26-30 feet, daysailor for coastal cruising). Ultimately I want to go live aboard and long distance cruising, but I need to start small and learn first.

Thank you all for the amazing amount of information posted here. trust me, when I do find my boat, I'll probably wear these forums out with questions!

Best to you all,

Michael

[CalebD]

Greetings.
There was a Tartan 27' available in Annapolis for $2500 recently. The boats name is 'Scot Free'. I am reasonably sure that everything works on the boat as the owner spent about a year overhauling the boat.
What part of the Chessy do you hope to call a home port?

[Atlbsky]

Hello CalebD. I'm in the Hampton Roads area, and from everything that I've seen and heard, Portsmouth is probably where I'll end up putting a boat.

Would you have a link for the Tartan 27? That would be a good boat for this area and for my first sailboat. There's a Pearson 30 that has caught my eye that I'm hoping to see this weekend.

[SailKing1]

Have you checked craigslist in the hampton roads area? There are a lot of boats for sail around here. Also walk the docks, check cobbs marina and cutty sark for abandon boats they might have for sale.

[Atlbsky]

Thanks SailKing1 - I haven't been to Cobbs or Cutty Sark - will definitely add them to my route!

[CalebD]

Michael,
You would do well with a Pearson 30' or a Tartan 27' as a first boat. I run a yahoo group for the T 27' called T27Owners which has a lot of T27 specific info and conversation.
I will also say that you might want to look at either the Catalina 27' or 30' as they have more space down below.
Others to consider are Bristols, Cape Dories etc.
If you are considering living aboard you should look at as many different examples by different makers of different ages. Older boats should obviously be cheaper but there are some that are well maintained that might be a bargain.
Annapolis is a bit far from Portsmouth but it would be an adventure to take the several days (to a week) to bring a boat down from there. Another place closer to you would be Deltaville to check for boats for sale in the marinas.
I use this website a lot to get specifics about the various boats discussed here and there: Sailboatdata.com is the worlds largest sailboat and sailing yacht database with more than 8000 sailboats, sailing yachts, and sailing dingies listed.
Sailboatdata.com is no substitute for actually inspecting a given model but it is still useful. In an ideal world you would get to sail on each model you are considering as well.
My best.

[vistastang]

I just made a deal to buy a Coronado 25 in good shape with a kicker for $400 on Craigslist so don't be too anxious to discount them as an option. I live in Pasadena, MD and I'll be keeping the boat at my Sisters and her husbands house. They live on the water. This is my first sailboat and I can't wait to take her out!!!!! My wife says she wont get on it because she's afraid it will tip over. Hopefully after I've had the boat out several times without incident (assuming I don't tip it over of course) she will change her mind.

[chuck53]

Check yachtworld.com and boattraderonline.com for additional listings.

[HPLou]

Also, check out sailboatlistings.com