I have been doing some research and came up with Islander 36 often...Zac Sunderland used her to circumnavigate the world...and i was shocked to find out that he bought the boat for a mere 6 thousand...i just saw an I 36 on sailboat listings but its 44 k...so in my situation (not much money) which boat should I look to buy in terms of seaworthiness, sturdiness, and capability to be single handled?
best baby to sail around the world?
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In your situation (not much money) and no firm opinions based on the years you have sailed the boat you have now, you might do well to sail on other people's boats while you get over the (not much money) hump. Ask each skipper you sail with what they like and don't like. Make notes about what you like and don't like.
Reading about someone that ran a marathon in size 9 shoes, does not mean that size 9 shoes are right for you.
The best baby is your baby, would you take someone else's advice to chose a wife? Until you know what you want you won't find the answer here. Once you know what you want, you won't be asking the question at all.
Zac spent a mere 6k to obtain title. That was a fraction of what he and his dad put into it, not to mention the time.
I asked a similar question some time ago, same question on different forums. I got a lot of responses. It would be good to go to Barnes and Nobles or Borders and look in the sports section under sailing. There will be a book or two there about seaworthy vessels. Literally a book or two, there won't be 100 on this specific topic. The book can explain what it means to be seaworthy and the author will list HIS favorites.
Also if I can find that old post I will direct you to it.
Dude, a circumnavigation is a lot different than motorsailing down the intercoastal with a bunch of college friends. If you think you can go out and buy an Islander 36 for 6k and jump on it to sail around the world you are............ well I'll be nice.... you are wrong. You are way ahead of yourself. Take Moody's advice and go sailing with some one who is experienced and learn the f.. what's going on.
And, after you do that, spend a couple years at least coastal cruising in areas where there is fog, challenging navigation, great scenery, and there isn't another marina every few miles. If you want to see the world as you sail around it, as opposed to just making some long passages to a half dozen major ports to get the bragging rights, you'll need those skills.
Before you head around the world, do a passage say from Charleston or Florida straight to Cape Cod or Maine. Then spend a month exploring Maine. Towards the end of that month, when you are sitting someplace like this:
think about the long watches, the sleeplessness, the endless view of just sea and sky, and the tension of the passage vs the month you just spent. I'm not making a value judgment here, some people really like passages but you can get into coastal cruising a lot more easily and you ought to be sure what your preferences are. The effort of preparing for a circumnavigation could end your sailing dreams as could embarking on one poorly prepared or discovering that you are one of the majority of people who are not cut out for it.
I missed out on about two decades of great coastal cruising because I was focused on sailing around the world and making enough money to buy a boat capable of it. I'm trying to make up for it now but I wish I'd had this conversation with someone 40 years ago.
You can't make judgments about coastal cruising from your trip down the ditch. It's more like an RV road trip. You've got to get into real cruising country like Maine or the Bahamas.
Sailordude,
check out this link
http://www.yachtfiona.com/
One of the fellows in my club is circumnavigating North America and sometimes needs crew and here's a guy that you can learn from....click on the blue box that says access FNN
check out this link
http://www.yachtfiona.com/
One of the fellows in my club is circumnavigating North America and sometimes needs crew and here's a guy that you can learn from....click on the blue box that says access FNN
Hit the library abd read about some of the adventures out there.
People have made some amazing voyages in boats that most of us on this forum would not consider. Who was the guy who circumnavigated on a Cal 25 with his wife and two kids? He did extensive modifications to the boat, but won an award from Cruising World mag. I bet there are plenty of Cal 25s out there at bargain prices. I do know this guy had extensive boat working and sailing experiences before he left.
On the other hand, there are people who set out on these trips and ended up gone. I think it is doable, but one must approach it well researched.
People have made some amazing voyages in boats that most of us on this forum would not consider. Who was the guy who circumnavigated on a Cal 25 with his wife and two kids? He did extensive modifications to the boat, but won an award from Cruising World mag. I bet there are plenty of Cal 25s out there at bargain prices. I do know this guy had extensive boat working and sailing experiences before he left.
On the other hand, there are people who set out on these trips and ended up gone. I think it is doable, but one must approach it well researched.
Dude: not sure if you have heard of Lin and Larry Pardey. They have lived aboard and blue watered for years starting with a 26 ft wooden boat. They know what they are doing and would be a good source for you. The article below is their answer to your question.
http://www.landlpardey.com/?p=616
http://www.landlpardey.com/?p=616
Like Donna Lange. She started with about the same experience as this fellow with a boat that would probably fit his budget (and be a good answer to his OP question as well).
Dude, you should read every word of this web site and think hard about whether it's really for you. Note the part about steering for 36 straight hours in a major storm. A rich fellow from California was airlifted off his half million dollar, dis-masted steel ketch just 110 miles from her so the ocean is capricious.
http://www.donnalange.com/
Get and read John Vigor's "Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere" and then reconsider all of the above advice.
In my opinion the best of the best above is.............
I guess the question only you can answer is "do you just want to tell people you sailed around the world or do you want to see some of the world for yourself".
I've found that I should do things that please me and give me satisfaction in what I've accomplish. Tell someone else and most will say "that's neat" and their mind will be on something else 2 minutes later".
Good luck,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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In my opinion the best of the best above is.............
and.............
You might be someone who is cut out for sailing around the world, but what is wrong with living on the boat for 4-12 months minimum doing what some of the guys above are suggesting on a smaller boat of your own seeing if it is what you are cut out for?
I guess the question only you can answer is "do you just want to tell people you sailed around the world or do you want to see some of the world for yourself".
I've found that I should do things that please me and give me satisfaction in what I've accomplish. Tell someone else and most will say "that's neat" and their mind will be on something else 2 minutes later".
Good luck,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
Our Mac Pages
Mac Links
It's funny how everyone wants to tell the author of this thread that he has no idea what he is getting into.
I certainly have no idea what his background is and as such would not flex what ever sailing mussel I may have, but would rather provide him with information that would answer his question.
The Parde's suggest the Yankee 38, but you probably already know this from the previous post.
A friend of mine found a de-masted Lord Nelson for under 30K in NC, has put a lot of money into it, but it's a tank.
There are lots of choices and the timing and location of the purchase will have a great effect on what's available.
I certainly have no idea what his background is and as such would not flex what ever sailing mussel I may have, but would rather provide him with information that would answer his question.
The Parde's suggest the Yankee 38, but you probably already know this from the previous post.
A friend of mine found a de-masted Lord Nelson for under 30K in NC, has put a lot of money into it, but it's a tank.
There are lots of choices and the timing and location of the purchase will have a great effect on what's available.
Note that a chainplate pulled loose and lifted the deck several inches. His father had to fly in with supplies and build a new bulkhead under horrible conditions. This was after they had turned it from a 6 thousand to about a 30 thousand dollar boat before his departure.
He was damn lucky. If that failure had happened in a different time or place, the boat would have either sunk or been abandoned.
Once you are out of sight of land all water looks the same. If you wish to experience ocean sailing on a small scale, saill straight offshore for two days and the turn and sail back. At the inter tropical convergence zone you can hit seemingly endless calms. Just go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay in July and leave the engine off for a week. You will get a good taste of ocean sailing and be home every week end.
And, the father was a delivery skipper and boatbuilder. Hard to start with much more knowledge than that and they still had an undetected chainplate weakness.
My wife and I are going the coastal route this year. From Mobile around Florida to the Chesapeake(Bahamas side trip) in our 32' Pearson. IF that goes well we will probably buy a bigger boat. We met a couple that spent 10 months on their boat last year. They stayed coastal the whole time. They almost completed the loop around the eastern USA. Money is important, if you are broke I suspect that most harbors will be the same. We have a modest budget and a modest boat. We will keep our home until we decide if the cruising life is for us. But IMHO if you don't enjoy crusing along the coastline with interesting places to stop you won't like being out at sea for weeks at a time.
" The fact that he is ALREADY looking for a bigger boat tells me the bug bit him bad"
He should crew with someone offshore and see for himself.......sometimes after being out there for a long period of time you change your mind about being to far offshore and like Ross pointed out try sailing around without an engine for a couple of weeks just in the bay.
He should crew with someone offshore and see for himself.......sometimes after being out there for a long period of time you change your mind about being to far offshore and like Ross pointed out try sailing around without an engine for a couple of weeks just in the bay.
There was a guy named Ronnie Simpson that tried to circumnavigate. He had the money and bought a boat that has circumnavigated. His website is www.openbluehorizon.com I followed his travel around the world. He ended up doing it on a bicycle instead of a sailboat though. He lost self steering in the middle of the Pacific followed by the loss of his rudder, and was subsequently rescued by a cargo ship that was in the area. He lost his boat and had no insurance.
His blog was great even after he lost his boat. Read it if you get the time.
His blog was great even after he lost his boat. Read it if you get the time.
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