First time's the charm

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BJV

Started on a 12' dingy

Had enough swiming and hit on the head with boom so moved to keel boats. Went from 24 to 27 to 35 to present 41
 
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dennis

NOTHIN BUT BIG, everything else is small

started out looking at 32-42 footers and then said screw it...sold everything and went and bought a 65'! It's the only boat I could get all my stuff I saved from the yard sales on. :)
 
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Greig C

T-22

I grew up around sailboats. My father first had an International 14. One of the old wooden ones. He then moved up to a Bayfield 25. A 14 is too small for a family vacation. He then bought one of the first Hullmasters off the line. It was a 27 then he moved into a CS 33. Once my kids were old enough and my wife had some confidence we bought a Tanzer 22. It was a great boat to learn on. We sold it 2 years ago and bought our 77, H30. We love it and will soon be moving up to a larger boat for our dream of sailing off into the sunset and following the whim of our fancy. Can't wait.
 
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Ken Mahren

Oday 25 and next boat

First boat and still current. Oday 25 shoalkeel. Great lake boat, a bit tender in strong winds. Had a bit of sailing experience before purchase, but basically learned (and allways learning) sailing on her. Wonderfull size, big enough to do an overnight, but still small enought to have the tiller in one hand and the main in the other. Wonderfull way to sail in 15 to 20 knots. Great for anchoring, can do it in 3 feet of water.... next boat will be a live aboard, around 40 ft. Ken
 
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Rich

Start small take big steps!

Started with a 15ft then 23ft now 36ft. The 23ft was a mistake, should have done a bigger step. Very happy with the 15 (easy to trailer) and the 36 (all I need). The 23 was a bit much to trailer and not big enough for long vacations.
 
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Fran

20 years of a Snark Sloop

I had a Snark Wildflower (11-6, 100 sq ft sloop) until its untimely death 2 years ago. It was purchase new in the late ‘70s and was sailed it in reservoirs, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. I was content with it and knew it limitations (wind 10+, lumpy water) - - never dumped it. It was enough for me to relax for a few hours. Sigh.
 
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bill mote

went all out

we just bought our first boat, a 386 hunter. we are learning every weekend.
 
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Jean Rivest

Fall in love

My first boat was a Tanzer 22 that a fall in love with in a boat yard during a bicycle ride 7 years ago. This boat was perfect for me, affordable, able to sleep four ( my girls was very young a this time ), in good shape, and the most important, he look fantastic and make me dream. I just sold her two days ago, to buy another Tanzer but a 31'. More confort for sure, but i will never forget my first love. And yes for 7 years, she was the perfect boat ... Looks for "Josephine" on the site below ...... this is my home town ....
 
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John Burns

Too Big !

My first sailboat was a 28 ft American Motor Sailor. After I paid the owner, as he was getting ready to leave the boat, I asked him how to put up the sails. I had never sailed before! Luckily the boat neither sailed nor motored well saving my families lives. It was however, a great learning platform.
 
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H Francis Neeser Jr.

My first Boat!

This sounds like a question to be experienced. I was only 6 years old. We lived with our grandparents, and there was a small pond, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Sort of a great place to be as a young boy with to many cousins. My mother picked up this little plastic boat suited for a child in a pool. I wanted to make a sail for it, to sail accross the little pond! It was a Coleco boat, 3' long. with a sail, and a paddle for a rudder. Imagine, to just sail across the little pond. Well! I did it! Six years old and I'm sailing a little plastic boat with me in it accross a seemingly endless pond 50 yards long! My mother talks about it today, just so amazing how our past is so important to our real dreams and desires today. i walked her back along the beach to my upwind starting point I don't know how many times just to thrill myself for a "downwind run to the other side".
 
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Steven

another Snark!!!

bought a used Sunchaser II eleven years ago and I've carted it back and forth to the Outer Banks on the cartop ever since. I think my total maintenance outlay has been about $6.00!!
 
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Bob Camarena

Started Small then "Two Footed"

I got my start in 7th grade when my Dad and I built an 8' El Toro clone. As an adult, I walked the docks for awhile before buying a Santana 21, then a MacGregor 25, a Catalina 27 and finally (at least for now) a Catalina 30. I guess that's technically not "Two Footing" but more like four/two/three footing. Although there were about 22 years between the 8' and the 21', the skills that I learned with the dinghy stayed with me. By the way, all of this was self-taught. I've made my share of mistakes but haven't broken anything on either the boat or my body (or anybody else's).
 
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Adrianne

28.5 feet

I purchased my boat prior to learning to sail. I charter my boat with a local sailing club. I started my sailing lessons on the club's 25' Colgates and Santanas. These boats have tillers and mine does not. I had major tiller confusion. Once I finally graduated to a wheel boat I've never looked back. I can now skipper my boat, but being the novice I still consider myself to be, I pick my days to nose out into The Slot on SF Bay accordingly.
 
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Mimi Fahs

Small boat sailers are the real sailers

I learned first on a Snipe and then many years later bought my first boat, an Oday 17' Day Sailor. This was a great intermediate boat to gain a lot of experience and have many wonderful safe family outings. Small boats are great, close to the water and quick to respond. They really give you the "feel" of sailing. Now I want to explore larger waters beyond my beautiful bay, and I'm an excellent sailor on my Catalina 34 because of my small boat experience.
 
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mike

sudo sailing

I started with a snark sort of a foam sail boat when i was 10 and loved it dearly. mike
 
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Walt Pierce

A tax sheltered replacement for a travel trailer!

Bought my first sail boat at a boat show in 1974. It was one of the very first Hunter 25 production models. Prior to subsequent tax law changes, I wrote a good portion of the boat's costs off on my taxes in those days of 10 percent investment credits. It replaced a travel trailer which my wife loved. She hated the sail boat, stepped aboard one time. While I no longer have that sail boat I also no longer have that wife. Sold the boat after two years for what I paid for it. Getting rid of the wife was not so inexpensive! I'm still paying and paying! I would not recommend such a tender sailer as that Hunter 25 was as a starter boat.
 
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Maynard Sammons

Just herd it around

I learned to sail on a 22', but my first and current boat is 30'. To me, you don't sail the 30' as much as you kinda just herd it around. I can imagine what sailing a larger boat would be like. I like the 30' because I like to sail a few miles offshore, but I would like to pick up a 15'-18' dingy so I could really learn how to sail.
 
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Craig

My daughter's fault

I spent a lot of my younger life on the water fishing lobster, so being on the water was no mystery. My 16 yr old daughter is starting her 5th year in Sea Cadets and is now a certified sail instructor. She informed us when she returned from her summers sailing that she could not survive without a sailboat. I am thinking maybe a Hobie or small daysailer....but then my wife gets involved and thinks "hey this might be fun" lets get a boat big enough for all 4 of us to sail on.......Well anyway this is our 2nd year with our Hunter H25 and I have to say this is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I figure one move to the 32- 34 foot range and I'll be set to sail forever. Craig S/V Wind Toy 1977 H25
 
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George Cote

First Sailboat

My first sailing experience was on a 14' Hobie Cat.
 
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