I've been sailing with friends and family for a while and now im wanting to buy a sailboat of my own and don't know the first place to start. I don't want a new boat with it being my first one. I've been looking at sailsfinder.com and I'm completely lost in the tech lingo. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good boat for a beginner not too costly and easy to sail alone?
lost!!! please help!
- Thread starter futuresailor
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craigslist
Try Craigslist or ebay. Craigslist is more local. So, what kind of boat for a beginner? I recommend something trailerable. A Catalina 22 is tralierable if you have a truck. A J-22 is a better boat. Even if you are a beginner I recommend a boat that sails well. Just more fun. A Flying Scot is a nice sailing boat and only 16ft. How about a Hobie Cat? Great for the beach. There are many many boats so the best thing to do is pour over the for sale ads and find one that you like at the right price.
Try Craigslist or ebay. Craigslist is more local. So, what kind of boat for a beginner? I recommend something trailerable. A Catalina 22 is tralierable if you have a truck. A J-22 is a better boat. Even if you are a beginner I recommend a boat that sails well. Just more fun. A Flying Scot is a nice sailing boat and only 16ft. How about a Hobie Cat? Great for the beach. There are many many boats so the best thing to do is pour over the for sale ads and find one that you like at the right price.
More info would be helpful.
What are your expectations? Your must haves and don't needs?
For instance, are you looking for a day sailor or something you can overnight on?
Do you expect to trailer the boat or keep in a marina or on a mooring?
What is your definition of "not too costly"? And a follow up bit of advise regarding that question; remember the purchase cost of the boat is the price of admission. Maintenance, repairs, upgrades etc are never ending.
What "tech lingo" has you stumped? Most folks here would be more then happy to answer specific questions about the lingo. We are ALL still learning
Lost as you are, futuresailor, you're going to have to give a little more info to get some good help.
If you don't know what you are looking for, what kind of boats have you been sailing on with friends?
Looking to daysail, overnights, cruise? In other words, how do you hope to use your boat?
Got a $ limit in mind?
Planning to dock it, or trailer?
Where do you sail?
If you don't know what you are looking for, what kind of boats have you been sailing on with friends?
Looking to daysail, overnights, cruise? In other words, how do you hope to use your boat?
Got a $ limit in mind?
Planning to dock it, or trailer?
Where do you sail?
As the others have said, think about what you expect out of sailing. Do you want to cruise, drop anchor and enjoy the company of someone special? Do you want to sail fast and get wet? Do you want to master the wind and feel every quiver of the mast in you rump? There a book out there that helped me. The Complete Trailer Sailor. Lots of information on sailing, towing, launching and maintenance. I know, boring. But in the back you'll find information, pictures, sketches, specs,to and cons of about 50 boats in your range. I can really help you figure out what you like, what you hate and what you never knew you always wanted. A few things that I would suggest; an enclosed head, a shoal keel and as much head room as you can find. Most smaller boats have stooping room only.
Chesapeake Bay! What a great place to go "kicking hulls"! This time of year every boatyard on the Bay will be busy with people who are getting their boat ready for the water. A visit to several will be filled with good experiences of boat work. There will undoubtedly be boats for sale listed on sheets at the office of each boatyard/marina. Check Craigslist with an eye to your general location.....Annapolis, Eastern Shore, Baltimore, etc. for boats for sale and especially search for "sailboat".
Hint/Warning: Don't buy the first boat you see and don't buy more than one!
Look at the boats for sale on this site and check sailboatlistings.com They have pretty good written comments by the owner concerning "his" boat.
Hint/Warning: Don't buy the first boat you see and don't buy more than one!
Look at the boats for sale on this site and check sailboatlistings.com They have pretty good written comments by the owner concerning "his" boat.
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The season is opening so it's a great opportunity to visit some marinas/boatyards in Sailing Mecca. Look for owners working on their boats or just hanging on them. If they're like the guys I know, they'll be happy to take a break and show you around their boats! Look for the things you like and dislike and then start shopping. Ask questions, but take no one's word as gospel. Feel free to take a ride up to Atlantic City and we'll be happy to show you the boats in our group and take you out for a ride.
get a good book on sailing... such as John Rousmaniere's The Annapolis Book of Seamanship.... you may even find an older edition at the library... learn the language of sailing and sailboats... Then ask your sailing friends for their thoughts... Decide what your budget will be... don't spend it all on the boat.. .you'll need a repair and upgrade kitty... allow at least 30 percent of your total budget for this.
If you want to learn to sail by yourself... take a class. get a small trailerable boat that you can handle easily on the water and at the launch area. Something easy to rig... but with enough room for one or two others..... look in the 14 to 20 foot range. Only buy a popular, well known boat that you won't have any trouble re selling... or finding parts for... If you find one you like.. a Lido 14 comes to mind... make sure the owner shows you everything about getting it rigged. Make sure no parts and pieces are missing. No Bargains please... you want to get sailing experience first... then you can tackle a project some time down the road.
Popular brand boats have very active owner groups.... and they're ususally moe that willing to help a newbie. Owner's groups are also good places to find well maintained and equipped boats..
If you get this far.. you'll get a lot of sailing in this season, make a few friends and eventually know where you want to take all this new enthusiasm..... if you decide it isn't for you... the boat will be easy to sell and you're out.... with hardly any loss of investment.
If you want to learn to sail by yourself... take a class. get a small trailerable boat that you can handle easily on the water and at the launch area. Something easy to rig... but with enough room for one or two others..... look in the 14 to 20 foot range. Only buy a popular, well known boat that you won't have any trouble re selling... or finding parts for... If you find one you like.. a Lido 14 comes to mind... make sure the owner shows you everything about getting it rigged. Make sure no parts and pieces are missing. No Bargains please... you want to get sailing experience first... then you can tackle a project some time down the road.
Popular brand boats have very active owner groups.... and they're ususally moe that willing to help a newbie. Owner's groups are also good places to find well maintained and equipped boats..
If you get this far.. you'll get a lot of sailing in this season, make a few friends and eventually know where you want to take all this new enthusiasm..... if you decide it isn't for you... the boat will be easy to sell and you're out.... with hardly any loss of investment.
Futersailor;
You will get all kinds of advice but two responses stood out. What do you want to do with a sailboat. Once that is answered, that narrows the search. It would be helpful on what type of waters you want to sail in and how often. Until then, I would suggest no one else responds as it would help us to know more so we can steer you in the right direction.
As a former sailboat dealer working with new sailors, I would ask questions so the clients would answer their own questions. That helped me substantially and if I did not have what he was looking for, then I referred the new sailor in the right direction.
So folks, let futuresailor respond back as to what he wants to do with a boat and where he plans to sail before this becomes a too long of a thread. I have seen long threads without the intial respondent did not get back at all to let us know.
You will get all kinds of advice but two responses stood out. What do you want to do with a sailboat. Once that is answered, that narrows the search. It would be helpful on what type of waters you want to sail in and how often. Until then, I would suggest no one else responds as it would help us to know more so we can steer you in the right direction.
As a former sailboat dealer working with new sailors, I would ask questions so the clients would answer their own questions. That helped me substantially and if I did not have what he was looking for, then I referred the new sailor in the right direction.
So folks, let futuresailor respond back as to what he wants to do with a boat and where he plans to sail before this becomes a too long of a thread. I have seen long threads without the intial respondent did not get back at all to let us know.
Futuresailor, welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of helpful advice here. It's a great group of people. Since you've been sailing with family and friends perhaps they can help guide you toward that first boat. They know your capabilities and desires best. Buying a used boat is just your first expense. Getting her outfitted the way you want and maintaining her doesn't come cheap. Doing that work yourself will offset a great deal of the expense. All of that seems to drift away when you cast off the dock lines and feel the wind fill the sails. Good luck with the first boat and check back in with us often.
Future Sailor....I sail the Chesapeake Bay region. There are tons of boats for sale in the area.
Here is my advise:
Look at as many boats as you can. Ones that over your price range and ones that are under your price range. See what is out there. Take your time to buy.
While this is going on you may want to check some of the local yacht clubs in your area. There are tons of local racing fleets around the bay. See if you can look for boats that need crew. An old racing fleet that I started sailing with was always taking on new crew. The crew starts as rail meat and then as you learn more you get different crew positions. If you do this you will really learn how to sail.
You can also take sailing lessons. There are plenty of places to choose from in the area.
Find a friend with a boat and go sailing.
Start small and then expand your dreams. You have to walk before you crawl. Start with day sails, then overnight cruises, then several nights out at anchor, and go from there.
Never forget...this whole thing is about fun. It is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.
Here is my advise:
Look at as many boats as you can. Ones that over your price range and ones that are under your price range. See what is out there. Take your time to buy.
While this is going on you may want to check some of the local yacht clubs in your area. There are tons of local racing fleets around the bay. See if you can look for boats that need crew. An old racing fleet that I started sailing with was always taking on new crew. The crew starts as rail meat and then as you learn more you get different crew positions. If you do this you will really learn how to sail.
You can also take sailing lessons. There are plenty of places to choose from in the area.
Find a friend with a boat and go sailing.
Start small and then expand your dreams. You have to walk before you crawl. Start with day sails, then overnight cruises, then several nights out at anchor, and go from there.
Never forget...this whole thing is about fun. It is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.
a good book for beginners that dont really know too much about it or the lingo is "sailing for dummies"... it is NOT a book for idiots, but is simple to understand as its written for people like yourself who want to learn, yet dont know the lingo or where to begin. it helps teach you all this.
im not even sure you really know what you really want to do with a sailboat except have fun..... if you get one too big, it may not be as much fun as a smaller one for first time owner who actually wants to sail.... get one too small and its like dinghy sailing.
a "fixer upper" is exactly that and will take lots of TLC (Time, Labor, Cash) to make it what you want. (they are a bit cheaper to buy, but can be more expensive to own)
a turn key, ready-to-sail boat is a good choice, as if you decide you dont like boat ownership, you can probably sell it and recoup most of your money after a year or two, if you keep up with the general maintenance of it.
bigger will give you more room inside, but its harder to trailer, more expensive to keep on the water (dock fees) and may be a bit harder to sail single handed, meaning by yourself and without a crewmember to help.
a smaller boat usually has lighter sails which are much easier to handle, usually more simply rigged so single handing is much easier... all things being equal, the maintenance costs are cheaper than they are on a bigger boat that may have more systems.
my suggestion is to read a couple of books sailing for dummies, then step up to the annapolis book of sailing... go online here.... or here is something a bit more basic. do a search for anything or any term that you dont understand, and it will be there on your screen.
almost everyone you talk to will say that when they owned a smaller boat they sailed it more often, and that it can be more fun than a bigger boat. but its all relative... some people like to sail and cant really tell the difference between discomfort and adventure, and yet others like the comforts that a large, roomy boat can offer, but may not get out sailing as often as the small boat sailor... and there is everything in between, and the extremes at either end. we cant tell you "who or what" you are as a sailor, or who or what you will become, but it is my opinion that starting simple is the very best way to get the most fun out of the learning process when you are teaching yourself as you go.
in your position (and i once was, except that I had never stepped foot aboard a sailboat), i would purchase an affordable smaller boat, a 21 or 22ftr in sail ready condition and have a blast while learning more about how things work... then as you get into the sport more while being a boat owner (being a boat owner gives you a much different perspective that being a crewmember does) you will then learn what you actually want to do and which direction you want to go.... so when you buy your second boat (and you will) you will be able to get what you want, because by then you will be experienced enough to KNOW what you want.
for someone who actually knows they dont know, and havent spent enough time around boats to know the maintenance required and all that can go wrong that costs money, I would NEVER suggest getting a boat that is NOT easily trailered, as their first boat. unless money is no object, then the game changes
im not even sure you really know what you really want to do with a sailboat except have fun..... if you get one too big, it may not be as much fun as a smaller one for first time owner who actually wants to sail.... get one too small and its like dinghy sailing.
a "fixer upper" is exactly that and will take lots of TLC (Time, Labor, Cash) to make it what you want. (they are a bit cheaper to buy, but can be more expensive to own)
a turn key, ready-to-sail boat is a good choice, as if you decide you dont like boat ownership, you can probably sell it and recoup most of your money after a year or two, if you keep up with the general maintenance of it.
bigger will give you more room inside, but its harder to trailer, more expensive to keep on the water (dock fees) and may be a bit harder to sail single handed, meaning by yourself and without a crewmember to help.
a smaller boat usually has lighter sails which are much easier to handle, usually more simply rigged so single handing is much easier... all things being equal, the maintenance costs are cheaper than they are on a bigger boat that may have more systems.
my suggestion is to read a couple of books sailing for dummies, then step up to the annapolis book of sailing... go online here.... or here is something a bit more basic. do a search for anything or any term that you dont understand, and it will be there on your screen.
almost everyone you talk to will say that when they owned a smaller boat they sailed it more often, and that it can be more fun than a bigger boat. but its all relative... some people like to sail and cant really tell the difference between discomfort and adventure, and yet others like the comforts that a large, roomy boat can offer, but may not get out sailing as often as the small boat sailor... and there is everything in between, and the extremes at either end. we cant tell you "who or what" you are as a sailor, or who or what you will become, but it is my opinion that starting simple is the very best way to get the most fun out of the learning process when you are teaching yourself as you go.
in your position (and i once was, except that I had never stepped foot aboard a sailboat), i would purchase an affordable smaller boat, a 21 or 22ftr in sail ready condition and have a blast while learning more about how things work... then as you get into the sport more while being a boat owner (being a boat owner gives you a much different perspective that being a crewmember does) you will then learn what you actually want to do and which direction you want to go.... so when you buy your second boat (and you will) you will be able to get what you want, because by then you will be experienced enough to KNOW what you want.
for someone who actually knows they dont know, and havent spent enough time around boats to know the maintenance required and all that can go wrong that costs money, I would NEVER suggest getting a boat that is NOT easily trailered, as their first boat. unless money is no object, then the game changes
Agree with the above.While 2 well meaning guys suggested 27 footers, I feel that is not the way to go,trailer boat 15-23 ft. can be much more easily handled and figured out. Figure out sailing first, systems (Motor,elec., plumbing) much later.
Less
Less is better and as mentioned start out slow and don't jump in over your
head and tell us what your plan is and kind of sailing you will be doing.
I started out with small sunfish to learn and went on to hobie Cat but they
are tricky for sure and 29 sailboat and now retired H-36 and we do heavy cruising now plenty of free time.
Try hooking up with some one with experience for advice.
Tell us how you will use it and how much time and $$$ you are will to put in.
nick
Less is better and as mentioned start out slow and don't jump in over your
head and tell us what your plan is and kind of sailing you will be doing.
I started out with small sunfish to learn and went on to hobie Cat but they
are tricky for sure and 29 sailboat and now retired H-36 and we do heavy cruising now plenty of free time.
Try hooking up with some one with experience for advice.
Tell us how you will use it and how much time and $$$ you are will to put in.
nick