Permission To Come Aboard!!

[GeneraiT001]

"A fool and his money are soon parted"
(Thomas Tusser 1557)

I am now the proud owner of a sailing vessel (1989 36' Bayfield). Well, the offer is accepted and contract yet to be signed after a successful survey is completed. This will be my first sailboat ever and I have zero, nada, nil. nyet sailing experience....should be a blast. Mind you, after watching so many youtube video's of lightning strikes, sea container strikes, groundings, etc not feeling like it super safe out there

Hoping I can lean on the good souls of those aboard here to help me with an endless cascade of questions to help keep my head above water

So, a big HELLO to all

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

First of all, Good luck.

Do a sea trial! Maneuvering a full keel boat in a marina is an art form.

 

[GeneraiT001]

First of all, Good luck.

Do a sea trial! Maneuvering a full keel boat in a marina is an art form.

Thanks. Yes, I've been reading that issue over and over ....what could go wrong

 

[garymalmgren]

Hi General.
RE: Mind you, after watching so many youtube video's of lightning strikes, sea container strikes, groundings, etc not feeling like it super safe out there

Time to put aside the Youtube and go at it. Those scary stories are for grabbing viewers, not informing the realities.

As Don has said, bumping into something in your marina is a reality, so time to practice.
No wind no current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Slight wind no current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Moderate wind no current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Moderate wind slight current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Moderate wind swift current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.

Early in the morning when there is no one around to distract you.
Do you have a friend with sailing boating experience?
One simple point is the YOU can't be at both ends of the boat at the same time and you have a long bowsprit to deal with.
Practice. Practice.Practice.Practice. Might sound boring, but there is no short cut.

gary

 

[GeneraiT001]

Hi General.
RE: Mind you, after watching so many youtube video's of lightning strikes, sea container strikes, groundings, etc not feeling like it super safe out there

Time to put aside the Youtube and go at it. Those scary stories are for grabbing viewers, not informing the realities.

As Don has said, bumping into something in your marina is a reality, so time to practice.
No wind no current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Slight wind no current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Moderate wind no current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Moderate wind slight current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.
Moderate wind swift current day. Into the pen, out of the pen x 5.

Early in the morning when there is no one around to distract you.
Do you have a friend with sailing boating experience?
One simple point is the YOU can't be at both ends of the boat at the same time and you have a long bowsprit to deal with.
Practice. Practice.Practice.Practice. Might sound boring, but there is no short cut.

gary

Hi Gary,

Thanks. Will definitely get as much practice as I can. The size of the boat is intimidating at the moment but it will shrink with familiarity. I'm hoping I can coax the current owner to give me a few lessons, if not I'm sure I can find someone at the Yacht Club to help me out

 

[Foswick]

Welcome!

As others have said, ignore all of the YouTube dramatic videos. The stuff you actually need to worry about doesn’t make good click-bait.

A good rule is that anything you currently have anxiety about will turn out to be much ado about nothing . It is the thing you didn't know anything about that will bite you.

Sail well within your comfort zone and make all your mistakes in low-consequence conditions.

I envy you. I would love to be starting sailing for the first time.

 

[dLj]

Are you in Newfoundland? North Coast? What a gorgeous place to sail!

What are your sailing plans?

dj

 

[jssailem]

Congrats. Lots of fun and excitement is awaiting.

 

[GeneraiT001]

Are you in Newfoundland? North Coast? What a gorgeous place to sail!

What are your sailing plans?

dj

Hi,

Yes in NL...down in the Burin Bay Arm.

My plan is too take a year to get familiar with the boat then sail it down to the Caribbean, stay awhile, then through the Panama Canal and up the west coast to Nanaimo, BC.

Thats for starters

 

[rgranger]

Well.... I guess you are a bliever in "Go Big or Go Home"...

for me...36' is a lot for a first boat.... but the truth is... bigger boats are more forgiving of mistakes (or at least the consequences are slower to materialize) than small boats. So you will get the hang of it. I've been sailing for 50 years and the largest boat I have ever captained is a Tartan 30. Taking some time to get to know your boat is a good idea. And if you have a chance to take a small sailing dingy out... I'd recommend that too.... you will learn a lot more (and more quickly) about sail trim on a small boat. You can feel the effect of every action.

Most importantly... have fun.

 

[dLj]

Hi,

Yes in NL...down in the Burin Bay Arm.

My plan is too take a year to get familiar with the boat then sail it down to the Caribbean, stay awhile, then through the Panama Canal and up the west coast to Nanaimo, BC.

Thats for starters

Ah, way down south. Just an incredible sailing grounds!

Good plan to take a year learning to handle your boat. Love your sailing plans! I may be up in your neck of the woods next summer. I just came back from two months sailing in Nova Scotia. A couple years ago I sailed to Newfoundland. I love it up there!

Just a FYI, I spent 3 years getting familiar with my boat and working through all the systems to be ready for ocean crossings. Probably a year of that was spent refitting the boat. Not that you can't get ready in less time but on a 36 year old boat it brings up a lot of questions: Condition of: rigging, sails, motor, thru hulls and hoses, fuel and water tanks, autopilot, wind vane? More... Long list really...

Don't know if you are familiar with John Harries "Attainable Adventures" Web site. It's a paid site but really cheap, like about $40 per year. I feel it is the single best resource anywhere on off shore cruising. I have no vested interest, just a VERY happy customer.

Got photos of the boat?

dj

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

… sail it down to the Caribbean, ….

what is the boat draft?

 

[dLj]

what is the boat draft?

Pretty sure the Bayfield 36 has about a 5' draft. Great boat for the proposed sailing itinerary...

It's actually not a full keel boat. It's a modified full keel. It won't be as hard to maneuver as a full keel boat, but won't be as nimble as a fin keel. Canadian built, don't know how many were built but these are nice boats. I looked at one a number of years ago. My concerns were tankage at that time. and of course given it's age, overall condition is important.

dj

 

[GeneraiT001]

Ah, way down south. Just an incredible sailing grounds!

Good plan to take a year learning to handle your boat. Love your sailing plans! I may be up in your neck of the woods next summer. I just came back from two months sailing in Nova Scotia. A couple years ago I sailed to Newfoundland. I love it up there!

Just a FYI, I spent 3 years getting familiar with my boat and working through all the systems to be ready for ocean crossings. Probably a year of that was spent refitting the boat. Not that you can't get ready in less time but on a 36 year old boat it brings up a lot of questions: Condition of: rigging, sails, motor, thru hulls and hoses, fuel and water tanks, autopilot, wind vane? More... Long list really...

Don't know if you are familiar with John Harries "Attainable Adventures" Web site. It's a paid site but really cheap, like about $40 per year. I feel it is the single best resource anywhere on off shore cruising. I have no vested interest, just a VERY happy customer.

Got photos of the boat?

dj

Hi,

I have a survey sched for next week. Hopefully that will tell all (more or less) about the condition of things. It is on the hard at the moment and not sure if its worth while to haul it back into the water for a sea trial? Kinda would like too but I'd just be hauling it back out right after...not sure if it would be worth the added expense. I'll see what the surveyor says.

Thanks for al the info.

 

[dLj]

Hi,

I have a survey sched for next week. Hopefully that will tell all (more or less) about the condition of things. It is on the hard at the moment and not sure if its worth while to haul it back into the water for a sea trial? Kinda would like too but I'd just be hauling it back out right after...not sure if it would be worth the added expense. I'll see what the surveyor says.

Thanks for al the info.

Lots of questions.... You state it's your first boat. So your boating experience is limited.

I would never buy a boat without a sea trial. This boat should be a double head sail sloop (cutter rig it's commonly called). Put up and operate every sail the boat has. Does it have roller furling or hank on sails? What sails does it come with?

Run the engine in forward and reverse. Run it full speed for a few minutes at a minimum. Watch exhaust, engine temps, oil pressure at idle and at full throttle. How many hours on the engine? Is there a service record? While motoring, see if the boat tracks straight. Play with going in reverse. See how it handles. What kind of shaft seal does it have? A dripless seal or a packing gland? Can you do the sea trial with the surveyor?

There is way too much to write out - got more info on the boat? How much is your surveyor charging you? How long does he/she expect to take doing the survey? It should be a good long day...

dj

 

[GeneraiT001]

Lots of questions.... You state it's your first boat. So your boating experience is limited.

I would never buy a boat without a sea trial. This boat should be a double head sail sloop (cutter rig it's commonly called). Put up and operate every sail the boat has. Does it have roller furling or hank on sails? What sails does it come with?

Run the engine in forward and reverse. Run it full speed for a few minutes at a minimum. Watch exhaust, engine temps, oil pressure at idle and at full throttle. How many hours on the engine? Is there a service record? While motoring, see if the boat tracks straight. Play with going in reverse. See how it handles. What kind of shaft seal does it have? A dripless seal or a packing gland? Can you do the sea trial with the surveyor?

There is way too much to write out - got more info on the boat? How much is your surveyor charging you? How long does he/she expect to take doing the survey? It should be a good long day...

dj

The survey itself will be $650 + car mileage = $1,000
The marina will want about $800 to put it in the water and then take it out again.
There is no hour clock for the engine but the owner says he uses it about 100hrs/season. It looked good and clean when I saw it.

Heres a link to the boat:

1989 Bayfield 36 offered by Ocean Yacht Sales

This blue water capable cruiser is in exceptional shape and has been meticulously maintained. Recent upgrades include Raymarine chartplotter, rad

www.oceanyachtsales.com

 

[kappykaplan]

Nice lookin' boat. Hope it surveys well. I'd spend the money to get the the boat in the water for the survey. Good luck.

 

[dlochner]

Does the beer tap come with the boat?

Nicely maintained boat. Someone took care of it.

What kind of bottom paint is on it? It looks like VC17 which is fine for very freshwater or very cold seawater, not so good for warmer climates.

 

[dLj]

Very nice looking boat. The launch charge is about what I would expect. The price the surveyor is giving you is low. I would have expected more around $1200. Possibly more.

There is no mention in the info about the age of the standing rigging. So unless there is documentation showing the standing rigging was replaced, you have 36 year old standing rigging. I would think about the cost of replacing all standing rigging. You also need to inspect your chain plates. If there are signs of corrosion on them - that's not a good thing. Replacing chain plates is expensive. Make sure your surveyor inspects them and writes it down in the survey report.

Are you going to be there during the survey? You should be. You need to make sure the surveyor checks everything that can be checked.

There are a lot of systems on the boat. They really all should be checked. It says the batteries were changed out in 2023. What kind of batteries does it have? AGM's? It doesn't mention a charger/inverter. Does the boat have 120V AC capability or is it a 12V DC system only? 120V AC is a nice to have really with cell phones, computers, more but it's not a necessity. But how the batteries can be charged you need to know. Might be solar panel and engine alternator only - kind of nice to have a shore power charging system. All the listing says is shore power yes. What's the capacity? House? Start battery? How's it wired? All questions you should get answered from your surveyor.

I didn't see anything in the listing about how old the sails are or how many. Just a photo showing a Genoa, stay sail and main sail. Is there anything more? How old are these sails? What kind of sail material?

Listing says boat is 1989 - I thought the Bayfield factory burned down in 1988. I could be wrong.

I can drive you crazy with questions. Sorry.

dj

 

[GeneraiT001]

Does the beer tap come with the boat?

Nicely maintained boat. Someone took care of it.

What kind of bottom paint is on it? It looks like VC17 which is fine for very freshwater or very cold seawater, not so good for warmer climates.

Hi (HaHa)...should be mandatory on all boats

Good eye. I do recall the owner mentioning that t was VC17 (which I have no clue about). Our water is cold so I guess that is good? I think it all wore off and needs a new coat. He said it has the copper in it which is preferable to antifoul?? (Again, I haven't a clue what I am talking about).