My First Sailboat
I bought my first sailboat this past spring, and its been the best thing I ever purchased. I bought a 75 O'Day 22 that is in pretty good shape overall. I got lucky though. I didn't know much at all and could have got burned. Here are my recommendations: 1) Take a close look at the entire boat. Push on the hull with the heel of your hand to check for soft spots. 2)Check the sails closely (they are expensive) 3)Check all the hull fittings. Make sure they are secure, and that the deck around them is sound. 4)Most of all, don't spend a fortune on your first boat, unless you've got money to burn, because the little things add up quick. You'll more than likely have to paint the bottom, buy all new lines unless you're lucky, buy charts, anchor, anchor line, gps (buy a handheld, mine works great), compass, binoculars, navigation tools and many many other small things. Look on the net for the best prices because I've noticed that anything thats "nautical" automatically has a 50% markup. You can usually find a better deal. I bought all my lines at www.cajuntrading.ca and saved a small fortune. Add in mooring fees and you have a bit of money to spend. DON'T LET IT SCARE YOU OFF THOUGH, just be careful that the boat is sound and you won't have any big repairs right off the bat. Its a great feeling to be at work on Friday and know that you'll be out on the water for the weekend. Get a boat that you can sleep on, even if its a 22 ft like mine. Its a lot of fun. Good luck.
I bought my first sailboat this past spring, and its been the best thing I ever purchased. I bought a 75 O'Day 22 that is in pretty good shape overall. I got lucky though. I didn't know much at all and could have got burned. Here are my recommendations: 1) Take a close look at the entire boat. Push on the hull with the heel of your hand to check for soft spots. 2)Check the sails closely (they are expensive) 3)Check all the hull fittings. Make sure they are secure, and that the deck around them is sound. 4)Most of all, don't spend a fortune on your first boat, unless you've got money to burn, because the little things add up quick. You'll more than likely have to paint the bottom, buy all new lines unless you're lucky, buy charts, anchor, anchor line, gps (buy a handheld, mine works great), compass, binoculars, navigation tools and many many other small things. Look on the net for the best prices because I've noticed that anything thats "nautical" automatically has a 50% markup. You can usually find a better deal. I bought all my lines at www.cajuntrading.ca and saved a small fortune. Add in mooring fees and you have a bit of money to spend. DON'T LET IT SCARE YOU OFF THOUGH, just be careful that the boat is sound and you won't have any big repairs right off the bat. Its a great feeling to be at work on Friday and know that you'll be out on the water for the weekend. Get a boat that you can sleep on, even if its a 22 ft like mine. Its a lot of fun. Good luck.