Well after a long wait I finally own my 260!! :dance: I ended up purchasing it from a very nice couple in Idaho. On the way back I stopped at Lake Pend Oreille and spent a week on it and really got to know it. The mast raising and prep for sailing is very straightforward and not cumbersome at all. I had posted earlier looking for a winch set up to aide in mastraising but after having raised the mast three times now, I don't think it is that high on my priority list. It's really quite easy. I was lucky as the PO is not looking to upgrade, rather getting out of sailing, so he left a lot of goodies on the boat for me. I did a lot of research and feel that I paid a fair price for it. It has everything I was looking for (minus auto pilot). He had taken very good care of it and everything he said about it was accurate.
The advice I received on this site was right on the money. You guys not only talk about the good aspects of the 260 but also the warts, so I felt that I really was prepared when I got on the boat. Remember, I was never on or saw one in person prior to buying this one. I'm learning lots and have some questions about handling the 260 which I'll post on another thread. I still have it in the water (on a mooring ball) on Gull Lake and I'll be taking it out in a couple of weeks. It takes me 1/2hr to get from my driveway to the waters edge so I can get there on pretty short notice.
Being on the water has always been a relaxing experience for me. I can remember being out on Lake Huron, fishing with my dad, in a 12 foot boat and just loved being out there. In high school getting out in my best buddies dad's sailboat absolutely cemented the sailing bug, even though all my buddies were always out on power boats. I had to put up with the "piss cutter" comments but nothing could sway me from the feeling of being out on a sailboat. It's been 25 years of waiting and I've found that I'm even more passionate than ever. Being on the water, in my mid 40's, is almost spiritual for me. Nothing can explain it, I just can't wait to get back on the water. I do need to work on my solo skills as my wife is not terribly comfortable in any winds over 5 knotts. So I'll be doing a lot of solo stuff as she slowly gets her sea legs.
So thanks for your assistance and I intend on using this forum religiously and hopefully I'll become a decent contributor to you folks and this forum.
Shanker
PS. my goal for my 50th is to do a sail from Florida to the Bahama's or something like that. It needs to be challenging. I need to do some more research as I initially thought Hawaii before realizing just how far out in the Pacific it is
The advice I received on this site was right on the money. You guys not only talk about the good aspects of the 260 but also the warts, so I felt that I really was prepared when I got on the boat. Remember, I was never on or saw one in person prior to buying this one. I'm learning lots and have some questions about handling the 260 which I'll post on another thread. I still have it in the water (on a mooring ball) on Gull Lake and I'll be taking it out in a couple of weeks. It takes me 1/2hr to get from my driveway to the waters edge so I can get there on pretty short notice.
Being on the water has always been a relaxing experience for me. I can remember being out on Lake Huron, fishing with my dad, in a 12 foot boat and just loved being out there. In high school getting out in my best buddies dad's sailboat absolutely cemented the sailing bug, even though all my buddies were always out on power boats. I had to put up with the "piss cutter" comments but nothing could sway me from the feeling of being out on a sailboat. It's been 25 years of waiting and I've found that I'm even more passionate than ever. Being on the water, in my mid 40's, is almost spiritual for me. Nothing can explain it, I just can't wait to get back on the water. I do need to work on my solo skills as my wife is not terribly comfortable in any winds over 5 knotts. So I'll be doing a lot of solo stuff as she slowly gets her sea legs.
So thanks for your assistance and I intend on using this forum religiously and hopefully I'll become a decent contributor to you folks and this forum.
Shanker
PS. my goal for my 50th is to do a sail from Florida to the Bahama's or something like that. It needs to be challenging. I need to do some more research as I initially thought Hawaii before realizing just how far out in the Pacific it is
