Are we Crazy

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Eric

No

You can take the cautious approach which is all good advice but I would suggest you find a knowlegeble source and go for it. My father had a friend who loved sailing, took every course possible, walked marinas endlessly, retired in Florida, took more courses, kept looking, dies at 82. This was not a case of finaces since he was a very wealthy man. He always lamented not buying a boat. Remember, you can always sell a boat, it isn't as though the money is a total loss. Buy the biggest and best boat you can afford. There isn't much difference in sailing a 25ft and a 30 ft. boat. Also if you just put your toe in the water you are limited to prescheduled days in which the weather may or may not cooperate. A hot day with no wind, or a 30knt wind will dissuade any potential sailor. A good compromise would be a sailing club which will help you in gaining skills and more time on the water. It could also expose you to a variety of boats. Good luck and I hope sailing appeals to you as much as it has to the majority of the people on this thread. eric
 
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Tom Ehmke

got the itch, scratch it

Scott and Jackie, I cast my vote with the less cautious crowd. Six years ago we lost a dear friend who was in his mid-fifties. My wife and I decided not to defer our enjoyment of life and started thinking of ways to enjoy life NOW. I had sailed as a college student back in the sixties, but as family and work involved me in the intervening years, I could only dream about the pleasure of being on the water. Our plan was simple. We took the USPS Safe Boating Class and while there met one of the instructors who had a sailboat for sale. We wanted a sailboat and listened to the advice of the many power squadron folks who invited us to join the local squadron. Their advice, "buy the biggest boat you can afford" because "you'll want something bigger soon". We took that advice and bought our ODay 272, not a large boat, but one which is comfortable for two and one that I can single-hand comfortably. We learned the boat-handling skills as we went, being cautious about wind and weather until we were comfortable with the more challenging aspects of both, and now I look forward to small craft warnings on Lake Erie... that's the time when the wind is brisk and sailing is absolutely exhiliarating. To the rest of us who sail now, I'm not advocating going out into a gale, but you know what I mean about a great breeze on the water. If you have the itch, I say "scratch it". Marinas are full of sailors and "For Sale" signs. Some of us love it and... some of us don't.
 
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Al Sandrik

Really consider what you want the boat for...

...if you want to sail to an anchorage and drop the hook; or raft with a club go for the bigger boat. However...if you just want to get out there for the day and then crash in your own bed at home, you might be happier with a day sailor. <i> Only you know what you want to get out of it.</I> One thing though, if your going to buy an older, used boat consider that your initial outlay of cash is going to be for more than the boat purchase itself. You'll have immediate repairs which the marine surveyor will find, the kind the insurance company will request you fix right away. Then there is the cost of the insurance itself. Oh yes the surveyor will cost a couple of hundred and then there's the haulout for the survey if its in the water. I'm not trying to discourage you by any stretch of the imagination, but be aware that $30k to spend will not necessarily buy you $30k worth of boat after all of the initial costs are factored in.
 
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Bob Camarena

Start Smaller First

My suggestion is to follow the advice of going sailing a few times to see if you like it. Then check out the more popular smaller boats in your area that are easy to find, buy, and re-sell. Buy something in good condition in the $3,000 range for a fair price. If you decide you don't really like sailing, you won't lose too much on re-sale. If you do, you can move up to the boat you really want (you'll have a much better idea of what that is after a season or so), again without risking too much of a loss. Most of us "two foot it", going up a couple of feet a few times. Some of us are a little smarter and go from the small boat to the big boat in one jump. All of your small boat sailing skills will transfer well to the big boat.
 
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Gene Gruender

Why wait??

If you want it, get it! I did. I bought Rainbow Chaser (H37 Cutter) in Florida, never having set foot on a sailboat that wasn't tied to the dock. That afternoon I set sail across the Gulf of Mexico to Texas. By the time I got to Texas I had some idea of how to make the darn thing go. We've since cruised 10,000 miles. Even made a number of deliveries. See: http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/cabana/7414 and: http://www.io.com/~edebee/chaser/chaser/incex.html
 
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Earl Womack

Not crazy

Your not crazy, I did the same thing 14 years ago and never have regreted it, My family and I took it slow, read books, talked to friends that had sail boats and made out just fine. Sailboats are slow but they sure don't use the mega fuel (cost) that a power boat does. We gradually begain sailing farther and gained confidence in our sailing ability. Now we sail the southern gulf coast on vacations with no problems. have fun with your family.
 
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