First sailboat purchase

[Wanderin1]

Denise and Oaks thank you for the encouragement and for getting this discussion back on message. I appreciate the broker, sales advice too. So far my experince has been very positive with owners and one broker. Denise's experience is ex.actly what I was asking
about. I am going to buya beautiful sailboat soon and I will not be concerned if the boat I love happens to be 30 or 32 feet instead of 27.

Soon to b cruiser/winter liveaboard Chris

[JoeDiver]

Originally Posted by bljones

Something to think about- often the seller has bought a bigger boat but stayed in the same marina, club or mooring field, and, if it is hard enough to see somebody on board your old pride and joy, it is even harder if the new owner is a dick. In fact, the old owner's impression of you may colour how everyone else in the place thinks of you. Remember that next time you need to borrow a screwdriver.

Very good point. I'm not going to be the guy who brought a douche into the marina. We're a community of friends who party together, help each other, walk the docks and chat, check each other's boats...etc.

WHO you are as a person is more important than your ability to pay for a boat.

[tomperanteau]

What I love about these forums, is that after a certain hour, if you come in and check responses, you will never cease to be thoroughly entertained by what you read. I think the hour I'm thinking of is called the cocktail hour.

[Paul2000]

Originally Posted by jsaronson

Back to the boat - its not just about size. Are the halyards led to the cockpit or are they on the mast? Tiller or wheel? inboard or outboard? How deep is the water in your area? Looking for speed or comfort? Roller furling jib?

Answer these and you will narrow down your choices considerably.
Find a good surveyor - they are worth the cost.

Well said. I too am new to sailing and will also be looking for a boat soon. My reading on here really helped me not want to jump in with both feet until these type questions were answered. Originally I was thinking of living and working space. After much reading here I learned there is much more to be considered. The draft alone can be a problem in some area's.

[longterm]

Originally Posted by deniseO30

I agree with Oaks,
When I decided to buy a boat I was initially looking in 30' 35' range. Then when I found my YC and started talking to other sailors and a few online friends everyone said "get smaller to learn on" Well I did. Wound up with a very nice Hunter 23, it was a lovely boat, and I liked it for what it was. But I sold it after 11 months and bought my Oday 30, The money I spent on the H23 could gone towards a larger boat at the time. Now that things have changed I may never get a larger then 30' boat but at least I have something I can spend real time on and have the comfort and facilities that make staying on the boat much more enjoyable.
Holding a tiller, reaching over the transom, flipping the gears from fwd to rev and trying to dock was not my idea of fun on a smaller boat.

I just bought my first boat, a Catalina 30 that I'll finally get to sail on Tuesday morning.

I've been crewing on a 35-foot J, taking lessons from the owner; he kept advising that I start smaller, but I kept saying, is a 22-foot going o satisfy me very long, and will it really be that much easier to sail than a 30?

What I've found is that his J105 at 35-feet seems easier to sail than the Cat 22 we were using for lessons.

Granted, my previous sailing experience was when I was a teenager, but it didn't take but one look inside a Cat 22 cabin, then a look at a Cat 30, to know that part of what I look forward to is spending weekends out on the water; at 57, I like my creature comforts, and it's also great fun to be behind the wheel of a good-sized boat. Today on the lake after the race, I drove his boat for a half-hour or so in good stiffbwindsm and it was exhilarating.

My question now is, how long before I o o a 36-footer...

Bob

[paintpollz]

when I buy a boat, I want to buy it from bljones.

[paintpollz]

Originally Posted by benjmin

As a noob that just purchased my first sailboat I can tell you the answer.

- Visit all the boats you are interested in from 30' - 40'....
- get on them walk on them spend 15 minutes messing around inside the cabin.
- Take your own pictures of the things about the boat you like.
- ask the broker or owner to leave you alone. (they should understand)

After you have seen all the boats that interested you the one that was ment for you will stand out in your mind. You will not be able to stop thinking about that one boat. When that happens that sir is the boat you are suppose to have. Do not settle for anything else.

I like how you put this. This will be similar to my first sailboat purchase. Although I'd like something in the 35-40 foot range for my first, its more practical to go with a 30, almost entirely for learning purposes.

I'm always willing to give a little.

[skygazer]

When I looked at my last boat, I asked the owner if he was willing to sell the jackstands and blocking it was sitting on. He already had a much bigger boat on taller jackstands. He offered them for a very reasonable price, and seemed like a nice, helpful, decent person.

So I wrote him a check for more than he was asking.

And you know what? When I picked up the boat he threw in extras that he did not need to throw in, but which were more valuable to me than the extra $$ I paid for the jackstands.

And then he told me to call him if I had questions when it came time to commission the boat in the spring.

Money well spent.

[redfishnc]

Here is an approach to boat searching. I own a Compac 27 and have it almost exactly like I like it. I am a boat searcher, always looking for the next boat. I love that 27 to 30 size for a number of reasons, expense being one of them. Owning the title and having enough to enjoy without worry is high on the list. Go to Yachtworld, filter on size range, filter on your budgeted purchase price, add a least 10% for the 'little things', and enjoy the looking. Don't pass over the Morris 28 or the Shannon 28 if owning a quite nicely finished pocket cruiser is in the cards. This is a great time to shop.

Good luck in your search.