Hello all,
Greetings fellow sailors! I'm new to the forum as of today and would welcome some experienced perspectives.
Having sailed since childhood I am now looking to buy my first boat. I was raised sailing Sunfishes, Hobie Cats, Lasers, Flying Dutchmans and more recently for the last 8 years have shared a vintage Herreshoff 12 1//2 with my father, which, due to his declining health and escalating costs of maintenance we decided to sell.
I am now in the market for a fiberglass hulled, fixed keel boat to serve primarily as a family day sailer, but which can serve for occasional 'roughing it' overnight trips. I would prefer a boat that requires relatively little maintenance, by which I particularly mean limitted to no on board electrical, mechanical or hydraulic systems. I willl like to be able to launch and haul out the boat myself using a trailer, and will store it on my property. The boat will be harbored and sailed in mid-coast Maine waters. I would prefer a relatively fast and dynamic boat that walks the line between beeing comfortable for a up to five people (perhaps more on rare occasions) while providing some excitement to sail. It also should be a boat that can be sailed single handed as well as with a crew, and ideally would be a good boat to teach my two early teen kids the basics- as they are newly and recently on record as 'loving sailing' and want to learn.
The boats I am considering so far include the Sea Sprite 23, the Cape Dory Typhoon 19, the J-22, and possibly a Pearson 22 or an O'Day 23. As my budget is limitted I will be purchasing used, so the boats in my range almost all have some age to them, so I am particularly wary of models that have a history of structural issues, wet decks, etc. Boats with a reputation for being well built and that last well sound good to me.
I would welcome any and all advice about what models to consider and what to look for in making an initial assessment. I also would value experienced perspectives on what other factors to consider in choosing an appropriate boat. I realize my questions are quite broad, and I need to do some homework, but never-the-less this input would be most welcome.
Thanks.
Greetings fellow sailors! I'm new to the forum as of today and would welcome some experienced perspectives.
Having sailed since childhood I am now looking to buy my first boat. I was raised sailing Sunfishes, Hobie Cats, Lasers, Flying Dutchmans and more recently for the last 8 years have shared a vintage Herreshoff 12 1//2 with my father, which, due to his declining health and escalating costs of maintenance we decided to sell.
I am now in the market for a fiberglass hulled, fixed keel boat to serve primarily as a family day sailer, but which can serve for occasional 'roughing it' overnight trips. I would prefer a boat that requires relatively little maintenance, by which I particularly mean limitted to no on board electrical, mechanical or hydraulic systems. I willl like to be able to launch and haul out the boat myself using a trailer, and will store it on my property. The boat will be harbored and sailed in mid-coast Maine waters. I would prefer a relatively fast and dynamic boat that walks the line between beeing comfortable for a up to five people (perhaps more on rare occasions) while providing some excitement to sail. It also should be a boat that can be sailed single handed as well as with a crew, and ideally would be a good boat to teach my two early teen kids the basics- as they are newly and recently on record as 'loving sailing' and want to learn.
The boats I am considering so far include the Sea Sprite 23, the Cape Dory Typhoon 19, the J-22, and possibly a Pearson 22 or an O'Day 23. As my budget is limitted I will be purchasing used, so the boats in my range almost all have some age to them, so I am particularly wary of models that have a history of structural issues, wet decks, etc. Boats with a reputation for being well built and that last well sound good to me.
I would welcome any and all advice about what models to consider and what to look for in making an initial assessment. I also would value experienced perspectives on what other factors to consider in choosing an appropriate boat. I realize my questions are quite broad, and I need to do some homework, but never-the-less this input would be most welcome.
Thanks.
