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What was your first sailboat and how old were you?

21K views 142 replies 120 participants last post by  ceol 
#1 ·
The title says it all. i was just wondering what kind of boats people had for their first sailboat and how old you were?

i'll start.

11.5ft Laser Pico
19 years old

-kai
 
#82 ·
I was 13. My parents had a ski boat on a nearby lake in Michigan. I got tired of waiting for my next turn at skiing so I "designed" and built a sailboat from a 4 x 6 piece of plywood with two styrofoam surfboards tied to the bottom. Mast and boom was 2 x 2 with piece of plastic drop cloth for a sail. Had centerboard and rudder from scrap lumber. Sailed all over the lake and could even go to windward (amazing now that I think back). Got lots of looks and some encouraging remarks.
Ron
 
#86 ·
I was 12 or 13. We had an old clunker of a boat somebody had built. This was definitely not a production boat. 14 foot. My Dad, brother and I put a mast and rudder, leeboards, and an aluminum mast on it. We made some sails out of some old heavy cotton. It was a pig, but fun and almost impossible to capsize.

A couple of years later we built an OK dinghy. The clunker went back to being and outboard.
 
#89 · (Edited)
First boat

At age 10, my first boat was 8' wooden pram, would row a mile to the local yatch club on windy days to bum rides on lightning class boats. Since someone was always looking for a little extra ballast. Some day I said I would get a sailboat, and at age 23 I did, an O'Day 22. Now 35 yrs later I just purchased "Someday II", a Laguna 24.
 
#91 ·
12' Beetle Cat to race when I was 12. Great boat, there was a big fleet and we had a great time. That was 42 years ago, time flies when you're having fun.

Been through a few more since. Still have a Harpoon 5.2 for lake sailing, a 9' Roberts slalom board that rips on big wind days, and a Hinckley SW-42 for cruising with the family.
 
#92 ·
My First Boat

Learned to sail when I was 16 and a counselor at a boy's camp in Canada, had a blast on that cold lake.

Bought my first sailboat at 25 (1974), a Lido 14 for just $400. She was old and had a fouled bottom with some plant growing from the centerboard trunk. I got a trailer for her and fixed her up and sold her that fall for $1200. Bought a used Clipper 21 for $1500 ($300 more) and sailed that for a few years and then bought a Seafarer 22' in 1978. Sailed her for 29 years and bought an '81 Catalina 27 winter of 07. I sail her all the time. I will be 60 in February and I am sure my family is giving me a "big boat" for my birthday (but I am not holding my breath!)
 
#93 ·
Bought my first boat in '97 in my early 30s. 29' Mariner sloop, fin keel. Nice boat. Sailed it for 7 or 8 years, then upgraded to a 46' full keel ketch. Now I'm stuck on double-masted, full keel vessels -- wont be going back.
 
#95 · (Edited)
My first boat was this little guy, a Mac Dinghy (but not by Mac Boats--this one has tags indicating a J.L. McReynolds Company in Pittsburgh, PA), which I purchased used for $400 this summer. I learned to sail on it in St. Martin Bay (Michigan) on Lake Huron while on vacation. I carried it on top of our car. Now it's looking for a new home so that we can get an O'Day 25.

[edit: forgot to add my age at the time of purchase: 30.]

 
#99 · (Edited)
My first, and only boat so far is my little Clipper Marine swing keel 21' "SOLO"

I payed a whooping $0.00 for her. It took 4 years of relentless pestering, but I talked my room mate in to signing her over to me.
( ME."your never gonna use that boat, Just sign it over to me and I'll fix her up"
HIM. "Some day I'll fix her up"
ME. "When?" "Why dont we just put her in the water and see if she floats?"
HIM. "You dont even have a tuck to pull it with."
ME. "So?" "If I had a boat I'll bet I could find some one to pull it for me"

After a few years of that, One morning he walks out with a pile of paper work and says... "Here's your stupid boat"

We were on the water two weeks later......

That was last summer at the ripe old age of 29

She had not seen water in ten years, and was sitting all said and unused with no cover, full of leaves and spiders.

Here is a shot of her just getting to her new home. In dire need of a bath and lots of TLC.



And on the water.


 
#104 ·
11 ft SeaSnark.
14 years old. Had a trailer and pulled it down to Ventura Harbor in 1968, behind the 10 speed.
Lateen Sail and center board.

Loved that thing.

Made out of Styrofoam.

Lasted 3 years, ended up breaking it in half, with girl friend in bow, and me in stern, high centered on a rock in the middle of canada.

Currently a C&C 37/40 XL.... keeping the wife out of the bow!

g
 
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