im new to all of this.

[stewieusmc]

I just started doing research on sailboats for my brother. in the future we plan on getting a sailboat.


the problem is that neither of us know anything about sailboat and have never been sailing. we are both very young. but we are willing to learn. this is something we are thinking about for the future not really a month or 6 months from now. but more like a few years form now. and i want to start learning about them and getting information.

i was wondering if you were willing to throw me a few of the good brand names so i know which ones we wanted to look at?

the few i picked up were

Hunter
C&C
Catalina
and Beneteau

but the one that really catches my eye is the Hunter 39. but as said before I really dont have any idea what to look for when it comes to this. i just think that the Hunter 39 is very visually appealing.

 

[zeehag]

what kind of sailing are you going to be doing?? there are boats for racing and boats for cruising,boats for daysailing and boats for weekending--take sailing lessons then figger out what you want---right now it sounds like you want something to learn on and keep for a while as you become proficient in sailing....then go from there--you can learn in a 20 ft boat or a 12 ft b oat or a 25 ft b oat--decide what you really want to learn with then go from there...gooodluck....

 

[stewieusmc]

well as i said this will be a couple years down the road. im about to join the marine corps. and my brother has been in for a few years.

he just got picked up for officer training school. and one of the elective at the school is sailing. so when he takes the course he will teach me. also we are both going to retired from the military.

but we wanted to start doing our research now, that way we know what we want to look at.

 

[RECESS]

Take a basic sailing course and then charter the ones you think are nice. What part of somewhere in Florida will be your primary sailing area? There are some place that your depth of water will determine what boats will work and others will not.

 

[captainpat]

The Hunter 39 is a beautiful boat; so are the Beneteaus and Catalinas (it's hard to find an ugly sailboat!). It really comes down to a matter of preference. I would recommend that you learn on a day-sailor type of boat where you and the crew are the ballast. You will have much fun and the learning curve is high. You will definitely learn about the physics of sailing, and quickly. (And getting wet is part of the fun). Seeing as though you are (wisely) not in any hurry, I would also recommend that, after some experience with a day sailor, you then charter a few boats before buying. Also, take some courses such as those offered by, but not limited to, the American Sailing Association, which requires both classroom and on-the-water experiences. They also give a certificate which will make chartering a bit easier. Good Luck, Pat

 

[Ross]

most marine bases are somewhere near water and there will probably be sailboats available at the recreational services section. The military likes their troops to have as many skills as they can aquire. You plan well ahead so you will succeed in this also. Don't concern yourself with brands or sizes at this stage, an amazingly small boat can carry two people and two people can handle an amazingly large boat. All of the boats that you look at today will be 20 years older when you retire from the Corps.

 

[stewieusmc]

when we plan on actually owning one is about half way in my career (10 years form now)

we really want to be able to go out for a few weeks or a month or so, so we want one big enough and very comfortable.

i live in SW florida. Ft. Myers, Cape Coral area. but brother in up at Virginia Beach. (where his school is)

 

[cephius (Dave)]

The Navy has full sailing clubs with extensive beginners programs and slips for member owned boats. If the Marines don't, use the ones on a Navy base. There is a wealth of experience to tap into. Many of our members had commanded various war ships. By the time you are discharged you can be old salts !

If you were a few years younger, I would have recommended the Sea Explorer program. There should be plenty of chapters in FL.

 

[Anchor Down]

Slow Down, Stewie

Seems you know that being stationed anywhere at the pleasure of Uncle Sam and owning a sailboat can cause headaches.

You're way ahead of yourself if you're thinking of specific boats now: if you are going to be learning from your brother some time in the future, and so don't want to take a class, start reading all you can now: "how to sail" books (at least you'll be familiar with nomenclature & basic aerodynamics), others' stories, boat reviews, etc. Here's my favorite beginner's book:
Bob Bond's Handbook of Sailing
It has all the basics, a nice glossary, and whole sections on cruising, meteorology and boat selection: about the best all-around read I know of.

Others can recommend their favorites.

 

[zeehag]

well as i said this will be a couple years down the road. im about to join the marine corps. and my brother has been in for a few years.

he just got picked up for officer training school. and one of the elective at the school is sailing. so when he takes the course he will teach me. also we are both going to retired from the military.

but we wanted to start doing our research now, that way we know what we want to look at.

i fyou will be sailing ou tof florida--consider spray design with a bilf=ge keel --can beplaced on beach and is shallow enough for florida waters and is easie to deal with haulouts-lol--beach it--thanare deep keel boats like my formosa--cannot be sailed into many harbors in fla as i have a 6'6 keel.....lol
--do lots of research and leave no stone unturned...gooodluck and sounds like you have a decent handle on this....lots of walking docks....LOL

 

[Hermit Scott]

I met a good friend of mine at the first marina I had my boat at. He is in the Navy as a pilot. We went sailing a few times and he would stay at my shop when he was passing through San Antonio. Real good guy and a good Christian.
He had a late 70's hunter 26, that he bought just to live on while he was at school there in Corpus Christi. If I recall correctly the military was going to pay to move his boat to Pensacola where his next training school is. They consider it chattle. So if you do own a boat, the USMC may foot the bill to ship it where ever they ship you.
A few weeks ago he said his brother and Dad were coming down to sail it to Pensacola down the ICW.

 

[caguy]

If I were you I would join a club. I'm sure there is one in you area that you will enjoy. The best way to learn is to hang out and sail with someone who knows what they are doing. The Meetup groups in your area is a great place to start. Here is a link to the meetup in Miami.
http://www.meetup.com/find/?keyword...esetgeo=true&eventSearch=&submitButton=Search

This is a group in Marina Del Rey that I joined when I wanted to learn about sailing larger boats. There is a wealth of information and the people are very friendly and welcoming. I am going out with them this weekend. They charge $3 for refreshments for the first 2 sails and then $100/yr or $50/yr if you have a boat, I don't think it can be beat.
Here is a link to the group I'm going with this Sunday.
http://www.meetup.com/Marina-Sunday-Sailing-Club/calendar/13117955/?from=list&offset=0

Some of the colleges also offer lessons at very reasonable rates. Our local one at MDR is UCLA (Go Bruins).
http://marinaaquaticcenter.org/Sailing/index.htm

 

[zeehag]

servicemen have their own club--yacht clubs--is easy and cheaper to join than those for civilians--more benefits as well--the service takes goood care of ye--good luck and HAVE FUN!!