Looking for a boat

[praxitek]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie in this sport; however my wife wants to give an affordable sailboat that we can use to travel from Oregon to Canada now and then.

What kind of sailboat should I look for (size, brand, materials, etc.)
I'm looking for the bare minimums without having to risk our lives or make out of the trip a nightmare.

What kind of equipment is a must when you are a newbie like me?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you,

Praxi

[nolatom]

It's a big question, and there are so many boats. To keep it simple and *very* general, if you're making an "outside" passage with two on board, you want a keelboat of at least medium displacement an easily managed sail plan and a deck and cockpit layout that doesn't trap too much water should you take a solid sea on board. Maybe something like a Cape Dory 27, a used 28' Triton if you want a seaworthy boat without spending too much money. These are both Carl Alberg designs, which I like. There are, of course, many other boats which would work.

I don't know the Pacific coast at all, but assuming it's long stretches of coast without harbors that are easy to get into during bad weather, you want enough water and fuel capacity to stay "out" if you have to. You probably also want a good VHF radio, a small liferaft, and an EPIRB, just in case, and a GPS and radar reflector.

And you want to pick up enough sailing experience first to be comfortable sailing offshore in that area.

[tondelayo29]

Oregon to Canada on the outside huh….”Novice”? Heed the good advice from the previous post. I just returned from 10 days of coastal sailing and it ranged from a shimmering pond of 2 ft swells to 12’ swells with breakers @ 14 seconds with 35-knot winds (not to bad for the Pacific in fact mild).
Are you near Portland? If so check out the Cascade Yachts. There are several for sale in the NW with the builder located on 42nd near Portland International Airport. They are strong and reasonably priced with traditional lines and made to travel the oceans of the world taking what mother nature can dish out.
My 29 has made 3 trips to Hawaii, 1 to Alaska and has spent the most of her life (Launched in ’71 Port Townsend WA.) in the San Juan Islands. The Cascade is agile, and easy to sail…. Darn, starting to sound like an advertisement. Need I say more, I love my Cascade and want to move up to a Cascade 44.

Good luck on your search.

[CalypsoP35]

Originally Posted by praxitek

Hi all,

What kind of equipment is a must when you are a newbie like me?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

Auto pilot is a must. I used to think it was a luxury but no longer, especially if you plan on single handling the boat.

[tondelayo29]

Boy is that a difficult question, the answers will run from spare parts and then categorize them from engine to steering to rigging, (running and standing). Or the survival list, the stuff you get what you pay for and hope to never use. Dive gear or simple snorkel gear to clear that stray net from your prop.

I think a good place to start for a novice is to read and educate yourself with as much diverse information from as many sources as you can.

The Lin & Larry Pardey DVD’s are an excellent source. Sailnet is loaded with articles to help prepare you boat and yourself. In addition there are a lot of cruising website full of cruiser logs and questions and answers.

Personally I steer away from a lot of trinkets on my boat. Ask yourself, if you are offshore and loose your electronics…can you get your bearings or are you stuck? I want to be able to fix most anything from a toolbox. Cause’ chances are good that is going to be my only option for hours or days. Luckily my biggest catastrophes have been a clogged freshwater cooling line at a 90 degree bend coming out of the engine and a head pump plunger that lost an e-clip 2 days out. Preventative maintenance can go a long way. Yes I do have GPS & Radar but I also made sure I learned how to get my bearings and sail by the compass.
I remember a couple in Mexico that had been stuck for weeks while waiting for a part for their auto-pilot. With-out their auto-pilot link to the nav-systems they were stuck. Flat out they were afraid to follow us to the next leg of the journey they had planned.

Knowledge/skill/confidence plus a whole lot of respect for what mother nature can dish out.

[mstern]

The best advice I can give you is to sail on as many different boats as possible before you buy your own. You will quickly find out what you like, what you don't like, what you want, and what you need. Go down to the docks on Wednesday night and offer to crew for the Beer Can (informal) weekly races. You will meet lots of people with boats, most of whom will be happy to have you along for a day sail or two (especially if you bring the beer and sandwiches). Take lessons, get certified to bareboat and charter. You can post descriptions here all you like about your current goals, but until you get out there and see for yourself, you have no idea what you or the Admiral really want. Only a truly honest assessment of your skills, comfort level and realistic expectations of boat use will be useful in choosing the right boat for you. Let's face it, most people use their boats to daysail; they have no need to lug around the floating condo, but that's the boat they bought. Don't be in a hurry to buy; spend a season or two learning about boats, sailing and yourself.

[CalypsoP35]

Originally Posted by mstern

The best advice I can give you is to sail on as many different boats as possible before you buy your own. You will quickly find out what you like, what you don't like, what you want, and what you need. Go down to the docks on Wednesday night and offer to crew for the Beer Can (informal) weekly races. You will meet lots of people with boats, most of whom will be happy to have you along for a day sail or two (especially if you bring the beer and sandwiches). Take lessons, get certified to bareboat and charter. You can post descriptions here all you like about your current goals, but until you get out there and see for yourself, you have no idea what you or the Admiral really want. Only a truly honest assessment of your skills, comfort level and realistic expectations of boat use will be useful in choosing the right boat for you. Let's face it, most people use their boats to daysail; they have no need to lug around the floating condo, but that's the boat they bought. Don't be in a hurry to buy; spend a season or two learning about boats, sailing and yourself.

Before I bought my first big boat I was told the same thing, don't rush into it. But if you're sure you're going to use it, that means having it close by not an hour drive away, and you can afford it, then just do it. I'm assuming you have adequate sailing skills, as long as that is the case, find a boat and get out on the water. Listen this isn't the most important decision you'll ever make in your life. Life is all about taking calculated risks. Calculate and then go for it!!! I'm glad I jumped into it. Good luck!

But make sure you have adequate sailing skills first!!!! I just re-read your original post and I may have jumped the gun on supporting your desire to get a boat.

[BADG]

I thought I wanted the Sabre 28 but then sailed one and realized this is a small boat. Even though it will be used primarily by me, day sailing I do have a growing family and the Sabre 28 will likely be too small. Now I'm looking at 30-34' boats and trying to sail on them as often as possible. Recently I was on a 36' Bristol which was a beautiful boat but when we were under way it felt too comfortable - is that possible? It just seemed to lumber along without a lot of response. Maybe comfortable is the wrong word, stable I guess would be more appropriate. From those two examples though I've learned that I am looking for a compromise between the characteristics of the two boats. I'll find it eventually.

Getting to the docks and getting to know people with the sailboat that you are considering is a great suggestion and it does work. It can be daunting to some folks but just meet the people first and then getting on the boat will take care of itself. Once you've met a couple local sailors, meeting more will be easier as you will now have introductions to others.

~Good luck and happy hunting.

[chuck5499]

Prax -- i'm kinda in the camp with Calypso -- boats are important but skills are more important -- like a nscar race - you can get into a hot nascar car and try to beat jeff gordon in a street car but i am sure he will beat you as he has the skill and you don't - your original posting seems to indicate that you are not a sailor and before a boat must come the skill set to operate the boat safely - please do not take this as a don't do - i took up sailing in my late 50s and had never been on a boat before and now own a 40 jeanneau and hope to leave for extented cruising in a few months at age 61 - the only reason i did not leave earlier was work - but i bought my boat new (fewer maintenance issues) and i sail her a lot and go out with great sailors who give me pointers - i probably sail 3 out of 4 weekends and now getting comfortable with her - this weekend is bamahian anchor practice - last weekend i worked on boom vang adjustments -
so if you do not sail go to a asa sailing school (American sailing assoc) and they can get you on the water in a hurry - they did me - great basics and now i fill in and by the way read a lot - a good book on boats is "modern crusing undersail" by dodds
good luck and fair winds and following seas
chuck and soulmates

I would not want to be sitting behind some desk somewhere criticizing people who are willing to "dig deep" to cross into new territory. As far as I can remember, there aren't a lot of points of land or holidays named after people who sat at home and criticized Christopher Columbus.
Paul Cayard
Pirates of the Caribbean

[camaraderie]

Prax...the coast of Oregon is no place to gain experience in any size or price boat. I would suggest you adjust your plans...perhaps buying a boat you can keep up in Washington or doing charters out of there until you really understand and become skilled in what is required off shore. You can cruise much more safely in the San Juan's than of the Oregon coast.
If I sound a little timid...just check out these pix from the Columbia River Bar Pilots web site and tell me what size boat you would feel safe on!