You can buy a decent Catalina 22 for $2-3K. Sail it for a year or two, have some fun, learn a lot, then dump it for what you paid for it.
Barry
What this really means is you can buy a Catalina 22 for $2-3K, dump a lot more money into it over 1-2 years, sell it for a portion of what you put into it, and have had the opportunity to sail your own boat and learn a lot about fixing up and maintaining a boat that you do not intend to keep.
Although the Club idea is nice (did that for a year), there is no substitute for owning your own boat and learning to love the care, maintenance, and improvements you can make along the way, even on your first "junker" boat. If you have the means and a little time, I would encourage you to buy the cheap (but "sailable") boat, learn on it for a year or two, learn what feature you like and don't like about it, then buy the "keeper" for some serious sailing that fits your dreams. Along the way, it has been helpful for me to crew on a local racing boat, and spend countless hours (I think my wife is actually counting....) at the local West Marine/online stores searching for the perfect solution to a nagging problem. Owning your own sailboat is 1/2 sailing/seamanship, and 2/3 maintenance/care/upkeep, much of which we actually like doing and find incredibly rewarding and relaxing. Don't forget the expenses, though.
Good luck, and get out there....
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PDean CS 34
Saginaw Bay
Michigan
Thanks for the tips. One thing I like of a beater is the "getting to know you" aspect. I actually enjoy fixing things, although my only fiber glass experience has been with surfboards. I'm still keeping my eye out, roaming the marinas, and I've got a couple of eyes on the hunt in NJ as well. But we are leaning to the club part (at least for this season), since that can get us in the water this weekend.
My plan is to sail the club boats on weekends, and try to crew some races during the week to get exposure to different boats.
Hi, David. I came across your post while following the thread about buying versus club racing. I am in somewhat the same "boat" as the original poster. One of the boats that I am considering is the same model as yours. Would you recommend this model for a first boat to fit a crew of 2-4? I will be taking some lessons, but I have been sailing most of my life off and on. I know the 30' is very popular and pretty roomy. Any other insights intop this boat?
Hi, David. I came across your post while following the thread about buying versus club racing. I am in somewhat the same "boat" as the original poster. One of the boats that I am considering is the same model as yours. Would you recommend this model for a first boat to fit a crew of 2-4? I will be taking some lessons, but I have been sailing most of my life off and on. I know the 30' is very popular and pretty roomy. Any other insights intop this boat?
Thanks, Bill
Bill:
I responded in your "Howdy" thread. I'm not smart enough to link to it here.
What this really means is you can buy a Catalina 22 for $2-3K, dump a lot more money into it over 1-2 years, sell it for a portion of what you put into it, and have had the opportunity to sail your own boat and learn a lot about fixing up and maintaining a boat that you do not intend to keep.
Good advice. My partner and I did something like this, but be careful about over investing and/or over capitalising. After some initial lessons we looked around for a second hand fibreglass boat and eventually settled on a 1981 vintage Compass 29 (29 ft masthead sloop). An Australian boat similar to the Catalinas and Columbias of that size and vintage.
We chose her because she was in very good condition inside and out, and we paid for the privilege. However, even on the best kept 27 year old GRP boat there is a lot that is "tired" and old and we have spent quite a bit of cash so far in unexpected upgrades and repairs. While I love the boat and we have learned a great deal about systems, maintenance and repairs etc. (and had a lot of fun sailing), it has been an expensive way to do it.
In hindsight I sometimes wonder if we would have been better with a smaller boat - say 22-25 ft - that would have been half or a third the price and a smaller ongoing investment. In any case, buy a small keelboat so you are learning on the "real thing".
If I could do it again, I'd start by joining a local club and gaining experience by crewing for others, and meanwhile I'd keep my eye open for a sound boat in the 22-25ft range that needed a bit of TLC as my first yacht. You might also find that contacts through a club could get you leads to boats for sale that might otherwise never come up.
Cheers
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I must go down to the sea again ...
Thanks for all the good advice. I've joined a club and have got out a few times already, but I'm keeping my eye out for my first boat (cruising the marinas, ads, ebay and craigslist etc) The club also has Thursday night races, which I hope to start to take part in next week to get a feel for the casual race atmosphere. From there I want to look into crewing in other races to get some different perspective, different boats etc.
FWIW, here are the problem areas of the cheap-sail-her-into-the-ground boat...
and craigslist etc) The club also has Thursday night races, which I hope to start to take part in next week to get a feel for the casual race atmosphere. From there I want to look into crewing in other races to get some different perspective, different boats etc. 
