Geography

[sempter]

Hello i am gradually preparing for cruising adventures and so far i have tooken an ASA class and have learned all the countries and capitals of the world and i was wondering how good a sailers knowledge is of the world when he closes his eyes and thinks about it. And another question is if it is possible to buy a boat that is empty in the cabin area so you could design the cabin yourself and cover the bilge etc. ( i mean completely empty) Im hoping to buy a 28 ft seaworthy sloop so i can have initialy and ultimately low costs. Im 17 and i hope when im almost 20 to start trip to hawaii. so i basically just want to know your thoughts on these things and if im being an impractical dreamer. i want to sail young and get degree later on.

Best wishes,

Oregonian

[Nausikaa]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum and to the world of cruising, even though still in the embryo stage.

To answer your questions. Having spent a lifetime wandering the oceans of the world and working in some pretty unusual places too I find my knowledge of geography to be way above average. Yes, I can close my eyes and visulise the world. Incidentaly, ones knowledge of history is also enhanced by visiting places which have figured in historical events as well as by examining charts. Look at the names of islands, ridges, deep trenches etc. they are frequently named afetr important persons or the ship that discovered them. The University of the Sea is a powerful learning institution.

Regrading your second question, yes you can buy a hull and fit it out yourself. There are two ways of doing this, either you buy a new hull from the manufacturer or you buy an old hull. Boats which have sunk or been fire damaged are an alternative. Follow this link www.triton381.com and read about a guy who did exactly this. This is a great site with stacks of information.

Good luck with your sailing aspirations.

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[sempter]

wow thanks for the information. perfect site... 28' and everything. Kindof moving on a tangent here but regarding costs docking at marinas near large cities like tokyo or shanghai say i was to live on a 28 footer there for a year or so.. month? week?. Im sure costs are very variable all over but i just want an idea of the cost because it could alter my whole perspective on everything.

thanks again

[Nausikaa]

Yep, it is a good site.

Regarding berthing costs, I assume you mean berthing and not docking which to me means dry-docking (something big ships do), I can't give you much help. Maybe others in the forum can. I have not been to Tokyo since the mid seventies! I can imagine berthing is expensive in Tokyo though, as almost everything else in Japan. Shanghai may well not even have a marina. When I was last in China there was no yachting permitted and foreign yachts would ceretainly not have been welcome. The exception was Hong Kong of course. Go to the website of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht club, www.rhkyc.org.hk where you should be able to find more info, or at least get in touch with someone in the know.

As a very rough indiction, marinas in Europe charge from about €10 and upwards per night. Those on the Spanish coast are very expensive, those in northern Europe are cheaper.

Most cruisers spend their time in port swinging to an anchor. This probably will not be appropriate in either Tokyo or Shanghai but cost is an important consideration for most of us and we simply cannot afford the berthing fees charged by marinas (in the areas where they exist).

Good luck,

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[Gallivanters]

Oregonian,

Stephen is spot on.

I've crossed three oceans and can remember every waypoint along the way... and every fish I've caught.

Your dream boat is out there just waiting for you to step aboard.

Neglected boats can be found languishing in the backwaters of nearly every port. They are never advertised and the owners are always difficult to locate. But don't be discouraged. In extereme cases, the vessel can be purchased for as little as a dollar. The hull may need to be completely gutted and then you can rebuild the interior as you see fit. I've seen many of these with my own eyes throughout the world and immagine there are hundreds (if not thousands) to choose from along the West Coast of North America.

I aquired my second boat by salvaging her off the rocks in San Diego Bay. Her registration sticker was from a previous decade! I tracked down the registered owner thru the local DMV and paid him $100 to sign the title in the presence of the harbormaster. He admitted that he hadn't been aboard for a long time and asked me to follow him home, where we loaded up my truck with bags of sails, ground tackle & a running Seagull engine! The harbormaster seemed glad to see the boat move and the owner seemed to be relieved to be out from under the burdon. I had to replace the mast (and more) and took her out under sail with a big smile on my dial in just six months! My ex-girlfriend and her husband still own her - 20 years later...

Beware that some neglected vessels have been picked-over and corroded beyond any possibility of ever returning to her former glory. It doesn't make any sense to put $20,000 worth of effort into a boat with a market value of only $10K.

Your best prospects will be fiberglass, floating on her lines and covered in seagull crap. Preferably, she'll have a standing rig and all the winches.

Be prepared to hone your carpentry, electrical & mechanical skills because the project will sink your dreams if you have to hire skilled tradespeople to make the vessel seaworthy.

Try to shop for all your parts at marine swap meets & salvage / surplus yards located near large harbors and you'll save up to 99% off the costs of stuff found in the West Marine catalog. You'll be surprised at the treasures you'll find next to the dumpster in any boatyard.

The best book I've seen on the subject is UPGRADING THE CRUISING SAILBOAT by Daniel Spurr.

In regard to cruising costs, generally, you can anchor totally for free within a few oar strokes from expensive marinas all over the world, so be sure to include a strong anchor windlass before setting out over the horizon.

You're not being an Impractical Deamer at all, Oregonian, and you'll be surprised at just how many of your dreams will eventually come true, so long as you keep them in the front of your mind and don't let your friends and family talk you out of them. I surpassed all of my own expectations I had when I was your age... so always be very careful of what you dream for

Carry on,

Kirk

[sempter]

Thanks for the prompt information and encouragement =D. Im getting excited thinking of scouring the local marinas for old boats. Im rigid in the way i want the interior so i definetely want to find an old beater that will get my poor *** afloat Gutting and re-doing everything sounds like a lot of fun. As far as marinas go, it looks like i will be using my anchor a lot. I had dreams of slapping the plank down on a pier and finaly stepping on sweet land but i guess dinghying over is equally as pleasurful. Well i guess in the next week ill be off to the columbia marinas to hopefully stumble on some gold, thanks again.

[Nausikaa]

Hi again Oregonian,

Kirk really hit the mark with his sound advice regarding the sourcing of a hull. However, one further small piece of advice which I would like to offer is to get out and do some sailing before you spend a lot of time, effort and hard earned dollars trying to locate your dream boat not to mention all the work you will be putting in to bring her up to the condition you want her to be in. Why? Simply because history shows us that folks all over the world have goine to enormous trouble to get afloat only to discover that they are chronically seasick, find yachts to be claustorphobic, get nervous when out at sea or just don't like the lifestyle.

Believe me, I am not trying to put you off. On the conrary, I will be very pleased if you join the cruising brigade and enjoy it but, in all honesty, there are many who have the wrong picture of the lifestyle. On the other hand, there are probably many more who would love the lifestyle but are just not prepared to make the break.

I suggest that you find a boat to crew on for a while. Go to your local yacht club and ask if anyone needs a crew for racing, weekend sailing, anything to get you on the water. (This will also put you in touch with the sailing fraternity where you may well find infromation on a suitable hull). If you have the time, find a cruiser to crew on for a couple of months. You can check out the crew section of this forum to start with.

Enjoy your sailing!

Stephen

Yacht NAUSIKAA

[Yachtmaster81]

Originally Posted by name='Converted Post'

Originally posted by sempter

Hello i am gradually preparing for cruising adventures and so far i have tooken an ASA class and have learned all the countries and capitals of the world and i was wondering how good a sailers knowledge is of the world when he closes his eyes and thinks about it. And another question is if it is possible to buy a boat that is empty in the cabin area so you could design the cabin yourself and cover the bilge etc. ( i mean completely empty) Im hoping to buy a 28 ft seaworthy sloop so i can have initialy and ultimately low costs. Im 17 and i hope when im almost 20 to start trip to hawaii. so i basically just want to know your thoughts on these things and if im being an impractical dreamer. i want to sail young and get degree later on.

Best wishes,

Oregonian

Good luck Oregonian,

I dedicate the following quote to you!

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."

T.E.Lawrence