Novice Sailor

[avoisine]

Friends fellow countrymen, lend me your expeirience! I am medically disabled and retired on minimal income from VA. that said, I've had a lifelong dream to sail and have even taken a course through ASA. Counting my Pennies and dimes I've decided I can probably afford an OLD boat/fixer upper, and enjoy fixering up said Vessel. (hereafter refered to as "the leaky teaky") Problem is, once this is done I will want to put it into the water and, as I understand it, that is where the expense starts. Obviously I can't afford dock space and maybe not even mooring, but can I sail into a harbor and drop anchor for a period of time or is this all regulated? If I am looking at a significant expense stopping somewhere then my dream is shattered before I get started. I have daughter and grandkids in Kennebunk so southern Maine coast would be of interest as well as florida in winter.
Anyone feel free to comment as my ignorance is absolute. I may br reached through this site however that works??? or eail me direct at: avoisine@cox.net.

 

[BobM]

A mooring and associated waterway fees are typically pretty reasonable, but vary significantly from harbor to harbor (town to town). Typically the biggest single expense is winter storage, so a trailerable boat with a trailer eliminates that cost, but you have to minimally raise/lower the mast spring and fall. It depends on how able you are and if you have storage space.

For Florida in the winter, your options are towing it down, sailing it down or keeping a second boat in Florida. The bigger the boat, the harder it is to tow and to deal with the mast. You need to weigh that vs. living space if you plan to spend a lot of time aboard.

In any case, I highly recommend getting involved with your local boating community and taking advantage of sailing on OPB (other people's boats) to get your feet wet, so to speak. Local knowledge is invaluable for finding cheap moorage and storage.

Good luck,

Bob

 

[Tim R.]

Bad news and good news. The good news is that there are thousands of places to anchor for free in Maine. Moorings are even pretty cheap in Portland. You can buy used gear for less than $500 and then it costs about $150/yr. Although you have to haul it in winter.

The bad news is that the expenses start when you buy the boat, not when you put it in the water. Buying a fixer upper is not financially wise. Buying the best boat you can is the smart thing to do and will still need time and money. I bought a boat that was in excellent condition yet I have probably spent near $20k in the last 3 years to make it better than new and I am not done yet.

Good luck with your dream. Where are you located?

 

[Stu Jackson]

A fixer-upper is just NOT the right way to get started

And you'll soon be very disappointed. Most of us have a lot of experience repairing perfectly fine boats that would work well just as they are. We, too, bought a pristine boat and have spent quite a lot upgrading systems for our own use. We do this because we've been at it a few years and know what we want and find the boats in great condition and upgrade. I would never buy a fixer-upper to start, because you just don't or won't have the knowledgebase to know where to start.

If you don't wanna get OUT of sailing right after you get INTO it, please, don't buy a fixer-upper, you'll soon regret it.

Basic Boat Maintenance 101 is more than enough for folks just starting out.

I also recommend removing your direct email from the post (edit post) and doing this all online here or changing to a "XYZ at ABC dot com" format.

 

[48dodge]

I concur that a fixer upper is not the way to go. I went that way about 2 years ago and I'm still fixing it up! I was able to by a decent and solid boat for a good price, and I've been able to defray the costs over the past couple years, BUT I've lost out on 2 years of sailing (other things have come up that have contributed to that, ie new baby and new job), and I've spent more on the boat than it's worth and more than I could have paid for a boat in good working order. Also, boat values have dropped quite a bit around here in the past couple years. The only positive thing I've gotten out of this is I'm not scared to work on my own boat, but I will never do this again. My next boat will be near perfect!!!

 

[dvideohd]

a nifty trailer sailor might hit the spot... depends on what you want to do...

 

[sailingdog]

There are quite a few decent pocket cruisers you could get for not too much more money than you'd pay for a fixer upper... I'd start by looking at James Baldwin's Boatlist. A fixer upper is generally a poor investment... since re-fitting it often costs more than getting the difference to get the same make/model in good shape would have.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

Assuming that you are a novice in boating, sail handling, boat maintenance, navigation, and so on, I recommend two things: First, join the local chapter (squadron) of the US Power Squadrons (yes, they include sail boats). The educational opportunities are immense and the cost is very very reasonable. Their website is www.usps.org to see what courses are offered and to find a local squadron. Second, link up with people who currently own boats in the squadron and elsewhere and go out with them on their boats.

Just trying to help, but my opinion is that you need some intense but fun education and experience to know about your exact interests, your capabilities, how much things cost, what kind of boat would be best for you, and so on.

 

[avoisine]

Thank you everyone for all your responses. I am still thinking but more to think about now. I want a boat big enough to live on, but short of having someone hand me one I don't know how I will acquire it. Have tried to meet people to sail with for the experience but so far no invitations. Other than being direct and outspoken I am considered good natured and a good sport about trials and tribulations so I don't understand the lack of invitations. I know that if I had a boat that floated I would delight in showing it off and shareing it.
Al

 

[sailaway78]

More info.

First off, sorry you are disabled, but you didn't state your disability. Is it enough to limit you physically on handling the boat, and if so how much boat can you handle. It is not extremely physically demanding, but does require some agility and strength. I am 70, and single hand a 37, so that should give you some idea. Most of the east coast, you can find some place to anchor up for free, but in lots of places there are time limits. Florida will be the most difficult in this respect. I am in total agreement with others who have told you to stay away from a fixer upper. With the state of the market, now is the perfect time to be a buyer, and there are plenty of boats out there that are genuine bargains. I would not recommend anything smaller than 27 or 28 feet for a full time live aboard. It can be and is done on much smaller boats, but it is more than a little cramped, both for living and storage space. But unlike some, I always tell people to carefully weigh all the factors, then go for it. You only get to go around once in this life, so do what you want and enjoy. Not sure where your located, east coast I presume. If you were in the New Orleans area, could have you sailing tomorrow.