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First "big" boat--MANY questions

5K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  asdf38 
#1 · (Edited)
This might be a long one... Sorry...

I'm at a point in my life where, as a matter of sailing, I don't know what to do. We just sold our small bowrider after 10 years. I am the boat person in the family; my father bought the boat, mostly for me (for which I am VERY grateful), and everyone else kind of tagged along.

As a family, we aren't opposed to getting another boat, especially one that we can use more (e.g., perhaps weekend on or trailer). I'd want to keep the boating costs as cheap as possible though. Shoestring.

"Where" and "What" are the big questions. Looking for ideas to answer the questions below!

If we had a sailboat, we would do a lot of weekending on the hook. This is illegal :)eek:) in our old stomping grounds--Winnipesaukee, so that is out. Looking for something that is seaworthy enough to safely take a trip to, say, Nantucket. I'd also prefer an inboard diesel to an outboard for similar reasons.

We live in central MA. Newport and the Cape are each an hour away. We are 20 minutes outside of Boston.

  • If we were to keep the boat on a mooring, WHERE would be a decent location, keeping in mind that I wouldn't want to spend a fortune on a mooring?
  • WHAT kind of boat should we look into? I'll set a tentative budget of $10,000 for the boat itself (understanding all the other costs). I'm thinking given my requirements, something OLD and in the 25-29 foot range to start?
  • I have a lot of dinghy sailing experience, but not cruising anything beyond daysailing. Any books I should read?

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments! Sorry for the length of this unorganized post!
 
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#2 ·
Are "We" a couple? young family with small kids? teens?

Nowadays a $10K budget will get you quite a bit of 'old boat', but shop carefully and don't buy someone else's grief. Catalina 27 - 30, Ranger 29, Sabre 28, C&C 27-30 from late 70s early 80s are all possible in that price range, esp if you 'luck' into a distress sale.

Can't help with regional mooring costs/availability, but someone here surely can..

And.. illegal to overnight/weekend on the hook???? WTH???
 
#3 · (Edited)
Oops-- let's say "we" can be between 2 and 5 adults. If we ever have more, then it's my college buddies and they can sleep in the cockpit!

Yes, anchoring overnight is against the law on inland lakes in NH. It is a fantastic sailing lake otherwise, but politically, the waterfront owners won...
 
#4 ·
Hey,

IMHO, the closer you are to the boat the better. Why not look into moorings in the Boston area? I can't help with particulars, but there are lots and lots of harbors around there that have lots and lots of moorings.

Regarding size and type of boat, any basic sloop in the 27-30' range would be a good place to look. I don't think you can really fit 4 people in a 25' boat for a weekend. It's just too small. Once you get to 27' you get 'big boat' features like standing headroom, inboard engine, hot and cold water, decent marine head, galley, etc.

I would start by looking at the Catalina 27 and see if that does it for you. The Catalina 30 would be a better choice but prices go much very quickly at the boats get bigger. Some other boats to consider include O'day (28, 30), Pearson 30, Tartan, Sabre, C&C, Hunter, Newport, etc.

My second boat was a Newport 28. That was the smallest boat I found that my family of 5 could overnight in. It was fine for one night but got real crowded for longer than that.

Good luck,
Barry
 
#5 · (Edited)
+1 on Faster's (and Barry's) suggestions of possible boats. If you get interested in a boat with an inboard auxiliary engine, spend the money on a pre-purchase engine survey by a mechanic experienced with whatever brand engine that it is. I'm talking about a separate survey from whoever surveys the hull and rigging.

Regarding a mooring, since you're likely to be about an hour from the boat, I would focus on well protected mooring fields. I'll propose two locations that are easy to get to from your location outside of Boston and give you access to good cruising grounds:

Burr Brothers in Wareham, MA
Norton's Marina in East Greenwich, RI

Burr Brothers is at the head of Buzzards Bay and a mooring for a 25' boat would run about $1300. Norton's gives you access to Narragansett Bay with an equivalent mooring going for $1500. There are many others that would fit the bill though - while you're looking at boats, drive around and checkout boatyards too!

Good luck with the boat shopping!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
If you don't know enough at this point to know what to look for (or to know what you don't know) then a pre-purchase survey is a wise move. If the survey reveals a fatal flaw, you're only out the cost of the survey rather than being stuck having paid $10K and have a boat that is not safe/usable.

If you intend to insure or finance the boat, a survey may well be required in any event.

Suggest you make yourself available during the survey and accompany the surveyor. You will learn as much or more from his ongoing comments as from his official 'report'.
 
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#8 · (Edited)
#9 ·
#10 ·
Given your location, I would join a sailing club and work with that for the time being. Once the season ends, spend the winter looking for a boat that you want.

I look for boats year round and, in my experience, the best deals pop up around October and April, with some scattered in between, but there are fewer in the summer. If you just want to sail, join a club for this season and learn to sail, maybe see if people will let you aboard their boats and look around, so you can get a feel for what you want (it'll change a lot at first...), then make a list of boats you like and spend a few months looking. If you have the cash on hand and are patient, you can find great deals.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I would suggest that you consider sailing out of Boston Harbor, or Narragansett Bay.

Boston Harbor has several sailing clubs that cater to people without boats, that want to learn how to sail. Here are three:Narragansett Bay has at least one sailing school, that is also a SailTime franchise, offers charters, and is a brokerage. Here is a link to that organization; In addition, you may want to check out the Pelagic Sailing Club. pelagicsailingclub.org | Dedicated to bringing together competent skippers and competent crew for their mutual sailing benefit in the Boston MA area!

Good luck!
 
#12 · (Edited)
#16 · (Edited)
A couple things:

-I should say that I have a good amount of experience on dinghies and cats. I started when I was 10 and sailed in college. What I lack, however, is experience beyond daysailing and with boats bigger than about 24 feet.

-Definitely NOT interested in joining a club. Though I understand the appeal, part of sailing is having a boat that you take care of and call your own (in reality, a sailboat that calls you her's and eats up all of your time, energy, and money!). Clubs tend to be expensive in the long run and there is no pride of ownership . I used to be a member of one. Not my cup of tea.

-That C&C looks great! The size is right for a first cruising sailboat. It is fundamentally a sound boat, with the basics, and room for upgrades.

-How far offshore could a boat like that safely go, assuming it has all the basics (VHF, handheld GPS, nav lights, great ground tackle)? Newport-Nantucket via Woods Hole? Manhattan via Long Island Sound and the East River? [You see why I want a diesel inboard!]

-Negative on the MacGregor!
 
#18 · (Edited)
....
-How far offshore could a boat like that safely go, assuming it has all the basics (VHF, handheld GPS, nav lights, great ground tackle)? Newport-Nantucket via Woods Hole? Manhattan via Long Island Sound and the East River? [You see why I want a diesel inboard!]...
Your use sounds more like inland than even coastal, let alone offshore. That said if you google around you can find an account of the guy who sailed one to England. As a former owner as much as I admire this model (i.e the best of its type!), that was not a fit use of it in my opinion.
 
#17 ·
I agree $10k can get you a whole lot of boat, but it can also be a whole lot of problems if you buy one in poor shape. I keep my boat 40 min from my house and I think that is even a bit far. The closer the better.

On a side note I do have my boat for sale 1961 Columbia 29. Lots of info availible here.
1961 Columbia 29 MkI sailboat for sale in Michigan

Sorry to be self promoting but it does fit what you're looking for! ;) Let me know if you'd like more pictures or details.
 
#19 ·
Yeesh. The C&C is a far better sailing boat than the Columbia.

That C&C is similar to my Pearson 30, and I would say probably better build quality.

If it has been properly maintained, (note the emphasis) it is suitable for coastal cruising as you describe.

Based on your described sailing experience, I think the C&C would be a fine, first "big boat" for you. They are even still competitive in the PHRF C class, if you choose to race it.

I don't think I'd pick the C&C for lake sailing though, unless it was a large lake. I'd get a Catalina 22 or 25 (at most) or something similar, especially since you say it's illegal to anchor overnight.
 
#20 ·
I would make one decision first. To trailer or not to trailer. If you go the trailer route, everything is cheaper. Less maintenance because it's not in the water all the time, less moorage by far. You can also have it at your abode to work on and tinker with, which as you say, is part of the fun of owning a boat. You and your buddies can also take road trips with the boat to other interesting cruising grounds.

If you're not going the trailer route, make sure you're doing it for a good reason, because it will cost a lot more. If you plan on using the boat very frequently for example, then it makes sense not to keep launching and putting the mast up and down. On the other hand, nothing says you can't keep a trailer sailor in the water on a mooring....

MedSailor
 
#21 · (Edited)
I would make one decision first. To trailer or not to trailer. If you go the trailer route, everything is cheaper. Less maintenance because it's not in the water all the time, less moorage by far. You can also have it at your abode to work on and tinker with, which as you say, is part of the fun of owning a boat. You and your buddies can also take road trips with the boat to other interesting cruising grounds.

If you're not going the trailer route, make sure you're doing it for a good reason, because it will cost a lot more. If you plan on using the boat very frequently for example, then it makes sense not to keep launching and putting the mast up and down. On the other hand, nothing says you can't keep a trailer sailor in the water on a mooring....

MedSailor
I thought long and hard about trailering but decided against it for three reasons:

-When we trailered our powerboat, we hated it. It was a pain to wait in line to use the ramp, put the boat in the water, park the truck, and then do it all over again that evening. Having to do all that plus rig a sailboat would be hell. If it was an FJ that would be one thing, but a ~25 footer... To us, it would be worth it to have the boat on a mooring.

-When we trailered, we didn't work on the boat more. When we had free time, we would put the boat in and work on it at the lake.

-The largest trailerable boat is on the small end of what we would be looking for. That 30' C&C caught my eye...

I think the term I was looking for was "coastal cruising". Making weekend or week-long trips without having to stay within a mile of shore.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Given that I moor in Boston, and have a boat in your size range I feel a need to respond.

In terms of mooring locations Boston proper has the Boston Harbor Sail Club which rents moorings as well as boats.

Within the general area there are many other places to moor including Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Quincy, Weymouth and Hingam.

In terms of comparing the sailing consider how long you think your trips will be. Boston suits me because I'm fairly time constrained, and with its islands there are lots of destination 1-4 hours away which offer day trip and anchoring opportunities which seem perfect for a family.

Sailing in the city is also a pretty neat experience. On a whim we can go out for an evening cruise and get for "free" the night cruise that lots of people on the Spirit of Boston or the Odessey are paying good money for.

Some may argue but North (Salem/Marblehead) and South (Scituate/Plymouth/Cape) I think offer somewhat fewer immediate destinations. The bay side of the cape for example just doesn't have that many ports.

Buzzards bay, or Narraganset bay I think would be comparable to Boston, probably better, in terms of nearby destinations.

Though a lot of this is sort of moot if you think you have more time for trips, because obviously with a few extra hours/days you can go anywhere from anywhere. Also, like other people said, the closer the boat is the better, so carefully consider traffic etc, which is often awful getting to/from some of these places. Surprisingly downtown Boston isn't that bad because the water is right off either 93 or 90 and you can find cheap garages during non-work hours ($10).

In terms of the boat there are lots of great boats in this size/price range but you do need some combination of savvy, luck and patience to find them. A good/newer inboard will put a premium on the boat that will force tradeoffs elsewhere and an older inboard will just be a roll of the dice - and a bad roll will be a big liability. Of course that said, a good inboard is a great thing.
 
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