Boat owning info

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

rob831

.
Mar 2, 2010
6
none none none
I have loved sailboats all my life.
Now I'm looking at buying my own.
I would be living on this boat, mostly staying in one location for weeks on end before moving on.
The idea is to sail from virginia to florida and the caribbean, then the gulf and out to the pacific for a time.
What is the best size bout for 1 or 2 people?
Which is the best state to register?
Is on the hook living normal?
What about dinghies..best to get...how to carry onboard?
Is the panama canal a hard place to get through?
Best way to get around on land?
 
cephius (Dave)

cephius (Dave)

.
May 25, 2004
958
Hunter 260 Pepin, WI
rob831 - Welcome to the forums.

Wow, that's a great deal of information you're requesting. Several of the answers are subjective.

The ideal boat for 1 or 2 people for instance. Price range, accustomed life style, sailing experience, and your health all figure into which is the ideal boat for a live-aboard cursing sailor.

I can give you a definite answer to one of your questions. No, on the hook living is not normal. If you define normal as unlimited power and water sources (all utilities actually), laundry facilities, and plenty of storage space for all your stuff. Only mega yachts offer normal living afloat. Few mega yacht owners frequent this forum. Living on a hook is more like camping out than living in a normal US household.

I'll let others tackle the rest of your questions.
 
S

Steve Dion

.
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
1-2 living aboard 35-40 ft. (larger/smaller depending on boat).
Hypalon dingy is the only way you want to go. Hard bottom may not be a good option if you are traversing large open water (hard to stow).
Lots of live aboards live on the hook, but it would not be my idea of a good time. You need to live within an electrical budget and that can be difficult depending on what you are expecting.
Cannot help you regarding where to buy on the east coast.
 
Honeyman

Honeyman

.
Jan 2, 2005
779
Hunter 35.5 Legend Lake Travis-Austin,TX
For Fla, Fla. Keys, intercoastal, and Bahamas try to stay with 5-5 1/2 max. depth of keel ,4'6" shoal draft is better. 30' is do-able, 34-36 is very common, 40' is certainly more comfortable. Everything gets more expensive the bigger you go (lines, sails, parts, fuel, batteries, slips/dockage, insurance, repairs) Learn quickly that BOAT stands for "break out another thousand ($)". As said, if camping out is more "normal" to you, you'll love it. I've met up with cruisers down in the Exumas in their late 60-70s who love it and have adapted well. I've also seen many boats for sale in Ft. Lauderdale, by much younger folks, that never made the jump. Its really something to read up on and do a lot of legwork gathering information on before jumping into the lifestyle.
 
Last edited:
Paul F

Paul F

.
Jun 3, 2004
827
Hunter 1980 - 33 Bradenton
Information about living on a boat: Read the Cruising Sailors forum here and take a look at joining your local SSCA http://ssca.org
At SSCA you will find a lot of people with a lot of real life experience living on their boats.
Chartering the size of sailboat you are considering buying is a good way to see if you can enjoy living aboard.
 
P

peptobysmol

.
Jun 28, 2009
312
hunter 23 Lake Hefner
Congrats of your first post.
Not an insult here, but you have sailed before right? You should do some independent research (read books about blue water cruising) as well as getting the advice of the wonderful people at HOF. There are several good sites that have a wealth of information. Use the search feature at the top of the page when searching the forums.

P.S. if you haven't sailed before... you have a long way to go before going to the pacific ;)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom