Why Did You Buy Your Boat?

Tim R. · Mar 6, 2011

We needed a new home!

Every boat we ever owned was the perfect boat for us at the time. This time we would live aboard so the interior layout had to be just right without giving up off shore capabilities and sailing performance. And she has to be pretty!

Les · Mar 6, 2011

Interesting question. I have had nine new boats before we bought this one--more than likely it will be our last boat. I'm pushing eighty and my wife is slightly behind me but we both still like sailing. What we wanted this time was a day sailor/compact cruiser that we could play with that both of us could sail. Without revealing what we bought here is some of the criteria that we decided upon.

Had to have: Had to be a good sailor in light to medium winds (probably not going out in a storm), roller furling main and jib, up graded winches (I say for my wife but for me as well), a marine head with holding tank (old men HAVE to have this), standing head room (bending over is getting hard), one good berth for me to take a nap, a good dodger so we can stay out of the heavier winds, an open transom to get to our dinghy easily, a three bladed Max prop (I still hit the dock but now I do it with accuracy), companionway doors (I hate hatch boards), a forced hot air furnace so I can warm up, a simple stove to heat water for coffee and tea, and a Yanmar diesel (My last five boats had Yanmars and I am comfortable with them) and an autopilot (we got the X-5)

Was nice to get: a decent stereo with good enough speakers for old ears, a folding steering wheel, cockpit cushions (from this site), a nice looking boat (in our opinion), a lead keel (I didn't want to futz with keeping an iron keel in good shape--done that), a folding wheel, large size display sailing instruments, a pleasant looking interior (all cherry with nice cushions, an electric cooler to keep my ice tea cold--don't have to worry about refrigeration or ice,

A few things we got that we probably didn't need: A top of the line ICON VHF radio--probably should have gotten a hand held, a mid line GPS, again, could have used a hand held as we're not leaving the San Juan Islands, a microwave (came with the boat--haven't used it yet), a hot/cold shower--doubt if we'll use the shower). The hot water feature is nice because it gives us another five gallons of water. The boat came with an anchor locker and we have 200 feet of line and 30 feet of chain and a fortress anchor--doubt if we'll ever use them but a nice safety feature.

Two surprises, one positive and one negative. The negative first: it has more freeboard then I thought it might have so jumping down to the dock is still a problem (that is one reason we sold the previous boat). We're taller then some larger boats around us--probably why we have head room. The positive is that we have the WinchRite, a power adapter for the winches. My wife loves it and I won't go sailing without it anymore.

I switched to two Group 29 AGM batteries. Given the discussion on this site, I think it was a good thing to do.

It was a brand new boat in 2008 and it took a while to get the kinks out but for the moment it is just the right boat for the two of us.

Steve Dion · Mar 6, 2011

.... because she told me to!

Actually wanted a boat that was easy to sail and could take a good blow! Hunter Vision fit that bill.

kenn · Mar 6, 2011

1) I've sailed since being a teenager, and the way I scratched the itch as a young adult was windsurfing.
2) My wife won't be a windsurfer in this lifetime. She has spoken.
3) It's hard to sleep on a windsurfer.
4) We won't ever be in the right tax bracket to own a home AND a cottage.
5) I wanted to find a summer activity we could do together and stay with.
6) I am always futzing with stuff.
7) We both like exploring and going to new places.

From the above, a trailerable small sailboat was a natural fit. This is our fifth season with the Sandpiper 565, and we still very much enjoy her. We aspire to a bigger boat someday, but I don't foresee ever selling the Sandpiper, because it's so easy to just hook up the trailer and go to new areas. And she's still a fun sail, and a decent weekender.

higgs · Mar 6, 2011

I always dreamt of blue water sailing and finally got the boat that could do it. Problem is I have lost my burn for the blue water life. I still like to cruise, but I could do so with a lesser boat. I'm no longer long for blue water.

LuzSD · Mar 7, 2011

Since we learned on a 27 Catalina we tended toward Catalina when we decided to get our own. Besides Catalina we also considered Ericson, Tartan (older models) Pearson and they all ranged in the 28-30-32 ft. size. We did not want to get over our heads in slip fees and since having a boat that we kept in the water year round was a must, we would be committing to $500 per month at this range. Then we started actually making appointments and looking at boats and were pretty disheartened. Mostly we found really stinky, unloved, poorly set up boats, almost all of them were Catalina. Then due to some random connection a broker sent me an email about a 30 Catalina that had just come on the market.......we raced down to see it and while my husband was checking things on deck I was down below and popped my head up, caught his eye and we both broke into huge grins at the same time..... We found our boat. She was adorable, nice cozy wood inside, barely used down below and well set up for racing with lots of extras. She actually had an aura about her and it was obvious that she had been the center of many many days of joyful sailing. We bought her the next day. Unfortunately, I think we might love her too much.... Friends had told us (probably wisely) "get the biggest boat that you think you will want later" ... and we did not do that. Though we would actually like to have a little larger ...34-36, we could not bear to part with our 30 now. (nor are we excited about a larger slip fee!) We enjoy everything about her and enjoy maintaining her almost as much as we love sailing her. We've had her 4 1/2 years and loved every second.

LooseDiamond · Mar 7, 2011

Bought my '78 Catalina 22 about 4 years ago. All I knew about sailboats was that I wanted one! For a first boat, it was a perfect choice. Why? Little $ to start. Learned how to sail. Systems not too complex or expensive. Plenty of parts and support. Gained an understanding and respect for the cost of repairing/maintaining a boat, and that it increases exponentially with size. Trailerable meant that when the hurricanes come, I could jerk it out of the water and bring it home. Swing keel means I can get waist deep around the islands. Got a slip, because I realized in the first year trailering and setup/takedown in same day not fun. Spent many days and nights in/on/around barrier islands and sailed probably couple thousand miles by now. I will cherish my experiences forever. Also now have a better understanding of the type of boat I will need to match my sailing (do not need a blue water boat, not likely to take off and not come back for a while!) Coastal cruising suits me at this stage of my life.

Now I need to finish keel refurb and get back on the WATER!!! Ha.

seadaddler · Mar 7, 2011

Love for Water

Since when I was in high school and was invited on a friends small power boat and my grandfather loading up the car with us all and going to beach every weekend.
Got the itch for sailing a sunfish on lake ronkonkoma LI,NY but could never afford a real size boat so got into small power boats with my son's and wife, got hooked into camping and sailing Hobie Cats.
In 2000 got a Hunter 290 and in 2007 got a Hunter 36 and loving it ever since and now living in SW Florida just love cruising new farther places and Kayaking in the mangroves.
Nick

Bud Meade · Mar 7, 2011

We are picking up our "new boat" Saturday. The fourth Seaward that we have owned. This one picked us as we weren't looking but a forum member sent us a link to one 2 hours away at a great price.

inarathree · Mar 7, 2011

Sunfish - bought when I was 14. We just moved to FL on the water. I was at an age where I was pushing my boundries. I just pushed out into the water.

Hobie #1 - (age 16) free - cracked hull... thats why it was free

Hobie #2 - (age 17) bartered for cutting the neighbors lawn.

Hobie #3 - (age 40) bought to introduce my 10 y/o to sailing

Sunfish #2 - (age 40) free again - gave to my 10 y/o to fuel her excitement. We would play chase and tag on the two boats.

H22 (age 41) - The admiral wanted something more comfortable than the Hobie with her arthritis. Once again, I found a boat for next to nothing. Of course it required a lot of work, but free is free...

Next... I am looking for an IP... free of course

Old Skool Neil · Mar 7, 2011

My story is a little different. My Dad built a 14' plywood sailboat similar to a Blue Jay when I was five. Sailing with him scared the Hell out of me but still there was something about it, y'know?

At age 20 I got a job in the boatbuilding industry at Columbia Yachts. Man, I loved this stuff! Besides Columbia/Coronado, over the following years I worked at Capital Yachts (Newports), Jensen Marine (Cal, Ranger, Luhrs, DeFever Trawlers, O'Day and Balboa motorhomes) and Islander. I sailed on several factory boats for R&D work and some local racing. During this time I bought a Catalina 22, sailed the bottom off her, also my first trip to Catalina (pure magic).

Sold the 22 and spent a few years boatless, then built a Westsail in the mid 80's. It was intended to cross oceans but turned out to be a massive project that masked domestic problems. The boat was completed in a little over three years and three years after that the resolution of the domestic problems included the sale of the boat.

Again boatless for the next 15 years raising a family (remarried), I felt I had a ton of experience that was being wasted. In early 2005 I bid on an eBay auction for an Ericson 32 with a dead engine but an otherwise clean boat. No problem for me, I'd installed over 100 engines in my days in the industry. Missed that bid by $100 but it got me to thinking.

Over the next couple of months I started looking at boats. I didn't want anything larger than a 30, felt it was the largest boat I'd want to sail short handed and I set the budget low, $10K max. Needless to say, there wasn't much out there, mostly real derelicts. It was pretty depressing.

Then one Wednesday evening I had a look at a Catalina 30. The broker and I chatted a little in his office about my interests and background. It was well outside my budget but since we were there, why not have a look? On the short drive to the boat this broker was hard-selling. "This boat and you are a perfect match" he said over and over. At the boat he kept it up, "Let's go back to my office and fill out an offer sheet" and "Perfect match" again.

The boat was a little tired, showed all of her 28 years and was certainly a project but this guy wouldn't shut up. So finally, to put an end to it I said fine, I'll make an offer thinking, "You ain't gonna like it."

I offered a third of the asking price, not even serious, more like a shut the Hell up offer. The broker dialed the owner on his cell, said he had an offer, not a good offer but the decision was his, what should he do? The owner said take it. Done.

And the rest is history. I've enjoyed every minute whether refitting or sailing. It has everything I need or want. It has truly been the "Perfect match."

Ed H · Mar 7, 2011

We loved her lines, she sailed well, she was in great shape for her age, and I could write a very modest check for her.

Indysailor · Mar 7, 2011

My wife grew up sailing on her own Laser and her family's Flying Scot. I had sailed only a few times, but over the last few years we started looking for things to do as a family that would be memorable and fun for the kids. We looked at buying property in the woods of Michigan, or buying a pop up camper, but finally sailing seemed like the perfect item, with a large reservoir within a twenty minute drive. I would be perfectly happy with a little day sailor, but my wife insisted on something with a cabin with a head and a place to get out of the sun. Secondly, she pointed out that a little pocket cruiser is really just a pop up camper that floats!

Our boat came to us via a co-worker who used to sail quite a bit. He still knew people who had boats and one day he informed me of a relatively well kept Oday 23 that was for sale. We weren't really looking at the time, but after a local boat expert looked at it and pronounced it a great deal, we decided to buy it. I had been looking at Catalina 22s, but when we compared the cabins, the Oday was the clear winner. It's not a race winner, but with it's uncomplicated rigging and wide decks, it's the perfect boat for sailing with young kids.

My only regret is that we didn't think of this fifteen years ago.

jfmid · Mar 7, 2011

I had many complex requirements.
My wife and I sailed in the BVI bareboating and took sailing lessons and decided it was time for us to buy a boat of our own. We are deciding if we like the whole sport and lifestyle and this is our "test run" of sorts.
I was/am a beginner so wanted something small that I could "handle" easily. The idea of "easy" is a laugher. Boy do I have a lot to learn.
It needed to have a shallow draft so that we could get it up the canal that we live on and not ground every 20 yds. By shallow I'm talking 4ft or less. Cant afford slip fees yet. Also will be used on the Barnegat Bay with a possible trip out the inlet into the ocean a mile or so if the weather forcast and sea state is perfect for the next week. LOL
I wanted most of the systems found on larger vessels so that I could learn how to maintain & operate them if and when we jumped to a bigger boat. I saw the complexity of the bareboats in the BVI and realized that there is soooooo much to learn to be able to confidently manage them. Fixing my little 4hp mini bike as a kid taught me the basics of motors and from there I grew to handling most mechanical systems so I am applying that concept to the basics of sailboat systems. Start small and master it then grow.
Small inboard diesel as that's what the big ladies have.
It had to have enough room to "comfortably" sleep on an overnight.
There are no WaWa's, Starbucks, or Dunkin Donuts out there so I wanted a mini galley for coffee for my wife in the morning. She gets cranky if theres no coffee and a cranky wife makes for a miserable sailing experience.
A head was negotiable so we settled for a portapotty for now. At the next level I will become a devotee of Peggy's columns.
Wanted a binnacle steering system. Again mimicking systems on bigger vessels.

And the winner is......... the O'day 272 LE.
Draft 2'11. Inboard Universal 10hp diesel. Small alcohol burner and icebox. Binnacle steering. V berth sleeps us comfortably. 40 gallon fresh H2O system. Actually there was a head the PO removed. It's a mini version of the much bigger boats and we love it. Perfect to learn on and we couldn't care less if it handles like a cinder block and we look like total beginners...... We are and couldn't be happier.

Ctskip · Mar 7, 2011

I've had a passion for sailing all my life. I sailed with a another kid on a Styrofoam boat at 9 then a soling at 12. I tried sailing myself once, OK twice, with out a boat. I jumped up into the wind, I came back down from where I started so I knew then, I needed a sailboat if I wanted to sail, so I had to buy one. And that's why I bought my first sailboat. I found you can't sail without one.

Keep it up,
Ctskip,

richk · Mar 7, 2011

because...

Warren Milberg said:
...So, why did you buy the boat you have? Is it the perfect boat for you or are you thinking of another?

We bought the boat to get away. It works.

We're always thinking about another one.

jimisbell · Mar 7, 2011

Why...., why not??

I have been sailing for 43 years starting in a plywood Thunderbird. In 1999 we bought our largest boat a Steel hulled BR 44 Ketch and we were going to circumnavigate. It didnt happen and in 2005 we sold it and were through with sailing. BUT....a sailor is never "through with sailing" and after a two year span of NO BOAT!!!, we bought the Gulfstar 36. Why? Because we didnt have a boat. There is no stronger reason. Come to think of it. There is no Better reason.

David in Sandusky · Mar 7, 2011

The Fun Factor

The Admiral and I were climbing up snowy ladders to see 27 to 30 footers between Sandusky and Cleveland with Terry Freeman in March of 2000. He told us not to forget the fun factor - boy was he right!

Classic lines, 6 foot cabin height, a comfortable v-berth. and price had us down to a Catalina 30 and a Hunter 27. The Catalina had a 5 1/2 foot draft. When I talked about our choice with the manager of the Mentor Lagoons marina, he said there was no way he could guarantee access for the Catalina in low water. So we went with the Hunter 27. We would have been happy with either boat, but shoal draft (we draw 3 1/4 feet) is a great advantage in Lake Erie. And the loss of windward performance is less important (although I do miss it once in a while) for cruising.

We have no cases of 2 foot-itis, although we have chartered 30 to 37 foot boats most summers in far away places. The h27 is just the right size for us, and its a lot easier to handle lines or berth than a 35 footer. So we will keep her until we lose our enthusiasm for scrambling forward - then we will look for something with in-mast furling and easy access. But that day is years in the future!

Buzzlovelace · Mar 7, 2011

Stopped in to say Hi to a friend that sells boats and came out with a Catalina 27