Looking To Be A First Time Boat Owner

[bkgs]

Hello,

I am looking to be a first time boat owner. I am going to buy a ocean vessel.

I am new to the forum so I would like to ask about boating and safety.

I am interested in boating to hawaii and the seven seas so I find this interesting. So my interest in going to be how big a boat do I need to travel to hawaii and the seven seas safely. I thought sail boats were a nominal option but do I compare sail boats and power boats, pro's and con's and what are security considerations for traveling the seven seas.

Also, looking to be a first time boat owner I would like to ask can my boat be of a size where it will be completely safe in any situation in the seven seas.

Anybody interested in discussing new boater questions.

[redbopeep]

Hi there,

Welcome to Cruiser Log. Many of your questions can be answered by reading the various posts that are already here in the forums. Many people come with the same questions.

Why don't you tell us about yourself (age, boating/non-boating background, interests, location in the world, timeframe for your travels...so forth) so we can be helpful to you and your particular situation?

Fair winds,

[bkgs]

I am from Michigan and a landlubber. I am going to buy my first boat and it going to be an ocean vessel in about six months. I look forward to hearing about boating stories. Being in Michigan the boaters, boat owners and boat brokers I speak with familiar with Great Lakes boating and boating to Florida but do not know what size boat I should have.

I think it would be fun to boat to Hawaii but I would like to boat the seven seas if it were of interest. I understand this may change the boat I need. I would like to find what a minimum size boat would be needed to travel the seven seas safely. Also, if there is a size boat where in traveling the seven seas would be completely safe at all times. I looked to powerboats but sailboats are being talked about and I do not know the pro's and con's.

I am looking to go from a non-boating background to an ocean vessel in about six months and starting boating long distances.

Hello from Michigan.

[JeanneP]

Hi, welcome to Cruiser Log.

I think that nobody but you can know what size boat you need because everybody's experience, skill set, and standards of comfort are different. Whether you will be doing all the work yourself or will have a partner/crew along is important. Your age, physical fitness, and general experience (do you change your car's engine oil yourself? do you enjoy camping? for example) are also part of the mix. If you've never hammered a nail or installed an electrical outlet or fixture, for example, you probably wouldn't want a "fixer-upper" boat.

When Peter and I were looking for our "retire and live aboard" boat, I was pretty clueless as to size because our sailing up to then was weekend sailing, with one week a year "vacation" on it. Peter figured on a boat between 42' and 45', the maximum size primarily because he figured that was about as much as we could afford, and probably as much as we could handle, just the two of us. As it turned out, we bought a 39' boat and it was perfectly adequate for our needs.

Many people have cruised long distances on boats much smaller than ours was.

People choose sailboats for long distance cruising. Even if your engines fail, you can still get home with a sailboat - assuming you know how to sail, that is. And, now living aboard a power boat, I have to admit we could not have afforded to cross the Gulf of Mexico, let alone the Pacific, if we had had to pay for fuel to do so.

I personally wouldn't buy a boat until I had learned to sail, and had done a fair amount first.

So browse through the various postings here on Cruiser Log, and perhaps read some of the cruising logs and blogs linked here for some idea of what/where/how people are cruising. You could start with Watermelon's, I suppose.

It is easier for us to answer a question such as "why do you like your sloop-rigged boat better than a ketch-rigged boat?" than "tell me what you think is the best boat rig." But if you don't know what the difference between a ketch and a sloop, it might still not help you. That's why learning to sail/run a boat is a very important first step to boat ownership and cruising.

Fair winds,

Jeanne

Oh, one more thing. Cruising long distance is slow going. Figure on traveling about 6 or 7 miles per hour. So the 2,560 miles (in a straight line) from San Diego to Honolulu, would take a cruising boat about 15 days, non-stop. Actually, probably more like 20 days or more.

[bkgs]

Hi Jeanne!

You mentioned your boat is under 50 feet as I understand it. I would like to ask if you could you travel the seven seas with it.

I would also like to ask if boating long distances has become everything you thought it would be.

Also, what you did not or could not prepare for in starting.

[JeanneP]

Originally Posted by bkgs' date='09 August 2010 - 12:02 AM

Hi Jeanne!

You mentioned your boat is under 50 feet as I understand it. I would like to ask if you could you travel the seven seas with it.

I would also like to ask if boating long distances has become everything you thought it would be.

Also, what you did not or could not prepare for in starting.

Now you're hurt my feelings,

You didn't even look at the index of my sailing logs, or almost all your questions above would be answered.

Yes, we sailed a few of the seven seas. We also sailed a few of the world's oceans. And our 39' sailboat was up to every challenge, though sometimes we weren't.

I had no idea what we would be getting ourselves into when we started, which was probably a good idea. We continued to sail further and further from the US because what we found was interesting and we wanted to see and experience more. We don't regret any of it.

Sailboats as small as 19 feet have crossed oceans, people we met cruising were out there in boats from about 24-feet to as big as 50 feet. We bought a boat we knew we could handle and that we could afford without going into debt. And that might be the most compelling reason that we are still cruising 24 years later.

Please, do more research. If you don't even know how to sail, and you aren't particularly knowledgeable about the seas and oceans of the world, you have a lot of learning to do before you should consider buying a boat, in fact even consider making that decision.

Finally, there is no boat/ship/barge that is completely safe in all conditions. Navy destroyers can be damaged and sunk in certain oceans at certain times.

This is where knowledge and experience are absolutely necessary to keep you safe. And there are no guarantees.

Fair winds,

J

[redbopeep]

If you're near the Great Lakes, you'd have excellent sailing up there. It is challenging sometimes, too. Some of the most treacherous waters to be on in the off-season months. Remember Gordon Lightfoot's song about the Edmond Fitzgerald? That was on Lake Superior. The editors of Good Old Boat Magazine cruise around the Great Lakes, their boat being on Lake Superior. That publication focuses on smaller, older fiberglass-hulled boats which are reasonable purchases for many people. Not necessarily all ocean-going vessels though.

If you're dreaming of sailing the world's oceans, dream on However I'd suggest you share your time line and the activities you're taking to achieve your goals with us here on Cruiser Log. Once you make a commitment and share that information with other people, you'll be on your way to making your dreams come true.

What is the nearest marina or yacht club to your home? Do they have sailing lessons? Do they have races that you can volunteer to crew for? Find out. Those are some first steps to sailing your own boat. Many (if not most) sailors start with dingy sailing and that will likely be the easy way to find sailing lessons near you. You can dingy sail on almost any small body of water. It is fun, you'll learn alot about the wind and sail trim, too.

We look forward to hearing about your activities, plans, and goals for your sailing adventures. Are you look 5 years out? 1 year? 10 years? 20 years?

Fair winds,

Dingy sailing on the way back out to our cruising boat:



Entering the SF Bay on our cruising boat:

[bkgs]

Boat to Hawaii and have the option to sail the seven seas.

Thank you Jeanne. I have read some of your posts and will read up.

I mentioned and I am looking to buy in about six months, as long as a year. I am going to have a captained boat as I start. So I will have to learn to sail as I sail. I am going to boat to Hawaii and maybe the seven seas, if I have the time. But I do want the option to sail the seven seas as I look to buy a boat.

The nearest marina is Jefferson Beach Marina in Saint Clair Shores, Mi. Michigan maybe different than typical boating communities.

Michigan people boat the Great Lakes and boat to Florida. Even the large boat dealers in affluent areas with large boats to sell are not familiar with ocean boating in Michigan.

I am looking to buy to buy in about six months as long as a year. I am going to have a captained boat. I want to boat to Hawaii and have the option to sail the seven seas.