Why Did You Buy Your Boat?

[texasprinter]

S2 8.5

I bought this boat after I sold my Oday28. I like the 28-32 range because I can handle everything myself without a crew. This is my 5th sailboat to restore. I like to buy them, fix them , sail them for a while then sell them. I must have too much energy or something. No really I enjoy bringing them back to life!
Art

 

[Mountainman]

because I had missed sailing for so many many years
owned two small sailboats prox 30 years ago
Kite 14' and a Venture 17'
most all here know how it is
I never forgot about her
missed her much over the years
thought to myself often
I need and want to get back on the water
started looking for a used 15' to 27' sailboat a few months back
my friend heard we were looking and took us out on his Catalina 22'
the fever got even hotter
the pursuit was in full swing
drove hundreds of miles looking at sailboats
found and bought a 1987 Catalina 22' in nice original condition
felt like one who just found the perfect wife ?????​

the long lost love affair was back on
as he wondered
why did he ever let her get away ?​

Mountainmanbob​

 

[75vette]

Always wanted a sailboat and price was right-$300.00 donation to Boy Scouts and boat and trailer were mine.

 

[RECESS]

I like being on the water. Got bit by the sailing bug at 14. No boat is the perfect boat. I will always have wondering eyes. There is always another sailboat that looks just a little bit sexier. I also like to make sure my wife is happy with the boat we have. She fell in love with the layout of the Pearson 323, so we will be bringing one home this weekend. As long as she is happy with the comforts the boat has and I am cool with the performance, it will always be a compromise.

I loved my Oday 25, but the more we stay on it with a growing 7 year old, we have outgrown it.

 

[RobertLangdirect]

Sold 72 Hunter 25 on eBay -- put $400 in pocket -- and paid for '78 P-31 hull 14 named GOOD TRADE.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

frankly I bought my boat because of

1) price,
2) the macgregorowners.com support. and another website that had gone byebye.

I go months without using it, and it doesn't cost anything sitting in my backyard...

macgregor's are one of the best for trailer sailors IMHO.

fastest to launch from a trailer, and very customizable.

-the new models are much different that the older versions...

also surprisingly fast if not overloaded, and in bay or lake conditions.

offshore, not really made for that... but ok if you pick your weather.

 

[gpdno]

I wanted a weekend cruiser boat for the family. Something the was stable and safe and easy for me to singlehand. My wife wanted a stove and an enclosed head with shower. After looking for several months we settled on our Watkins 27. She's been a great boat and meets all our needs

Greg

 

[Mikem]

My grandfather built a 21.5' cabin cruiser in his shop in 1960 and I have had the water bug ever since. We built an 8' pram, seven kayaks and I rigged my kayak for sail. Pete Sutter sails of Sausalito...45 sq ft with two dagger boards. I had a dream of owning a 1964 Columbia Challenger and for my 12th birthday we traveled from SF to socal and I got a tour of the Columbia plant. Never did buy the Challenger.

Sailed some at the Naval Academy went to flight school at Pensacola. Did some sailing on C22s and Hobies. When stationed in Jacksonville, Fl a pilot buddy of mine invited my wife and I out with his wife for an evening sail on the St John's River. It was magical and I can still remember the four of us sitting at the dinette. So cool.

1983 while stationed in Newport RI bought a 1977 Columbia 8.7.
1987 while stationed again in Jacksonville bought a 1978 Columbia 10.7
1995 retired from Newport RI and sold the 10.7
1996 in Washington state bought a 41' 1978 Freeport Islander, CC ketch.
2003 bought a new H466. The ketch had too many lines, shrouds, and leaks.

We love our H466, "Wings of Gold". Perfect for a family with four (now grown) children and two grandchildren. The admiral loves it.

 

[stephen Penny]

The 2004 Hunter 386 I purchased a year ago met all our criteria for large cockpit, aft cabin, galley and head, propane stove, microwave, 2 refrigerators, in-mast main sail reefing, heavy displacement, Raymarine navigation instrumentation, low use, reasonable price and local.

The boat is used for cruising the SF bay and offshore in the Pacific Ocean in light to 25+ knot winds, deep water. I maintain the boat and sail singlehanded or with crew. My wife and I sail on it almost weekends. Its large cockpit easily handles 8. It is a fractional sloop with 40 hp diesel Yanmar. Upfront cost was low and monthly cost is ~$500/month for berthing, insurance, dock power, bottom cleaning, zincs and maintenance excluding haul out and bottom painting every 2+ years.

It is a perfect boat. My wife says we could need 3 feet more.

 

[David in Sandusky]

3 boats

1963 - My Dad chose our first boat, a Moth design that we then built to learn to sail on the new Lake Pierce, NE of Rockford IL.

1970 - When we were in the Navy in Key West, the Key West Naval Sailing Association raced Sunfish. We bought one for $200 to race, and to explore the waters around Key West.

2000 - We moved to Mentor, NE of Cleveland, and decided to buy a cruising sailboat. We wanted a good old boat for the simplicity of their systems, good looks, and reasonable price. We wanted 6 feet of headroom, and something we could begin improving after a summer of cruising. And we wanted "the fun factor." We climbed over about 20 boats in the snow from Sandusky to Cleveland with Terry Freeman of Freeman Eckley. We settled on a Catalina 30, then the manager of the Mentor Lagoons Marina said that he couldn't take a 5 1/2 foot draft. So we switched to our second choice, Lady Lillie, a 1977 Hunter 27 with a draft of 3' 3" for $9,000. She is just a great fit for us! We have sailed her over 6,000 nm on Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron in 11 years, and just bought our second set of sails after wearing out the first set we bought in 2000 and 2001.

 

[Steve Dion]

Simple rig without any rigging.

Best thing I ever did (as far as boating features).

 

[finding41]

I got our boat because I realized how short life is when the emergency dept said "it looks like cancer." They were talking about our 2 1/2 year old! That's a smack in the head!
She is doing good and is in full remission. Only one more year of treatment left.

I chose the Mac 26D because it is so easy to do anything with. Sails good, trailers good, launches good, easy to make mods, etc...
And this site. I did allot of research before deciding what boat to get. Most of that was here as a "visitor". What a community and wealth of knolage!
Thanks!
Here is Squeaky 2 weeks ago.

 

[H33CRich]

Had been sailing a Tanzer 26 for the last 4 years and wanted a little more room for our 1-2 week cruises, plus amenities for the overnights (water front condo) and weekend cruises. Did an analysis of 75 boats and bought the one with the highest score in my rating system that we could afford with cash (sold a motorcycle and a few other things); an '82 Hunter 33 Cherubini. I am in the process of refurbishing it now. Have not sailed her yet but intend to on May 5.

 

[cephius (Dave)]

I love, have sailed and owned traditional looking boats. Sweeping shears and bow sprits. Paint and bright work. My favorite rig to sail is the schooner.

I followed a job to Minnesota. Lake sailing and virtually every boat comes out of the water for six months. This presented a whole new set of criteria from the west coast. I also now have a wife that has balance issues.

My selection criteria was for a boat I could haul, transport, and store myself. One that focused on safety and comfort over performance. One that had simple systems and easy maintenance. I wanted to spend the short season sailing.

My current boat met all those, and was within the budget allotted.

Is it my dream boat, NO. Do I have regrets, NO. We sail together almost every weekend when the boat is in the water.

 

[Squidd]

I won mine on an E-Bay charity auction, and got to drive from Wisconsin to Washington DC to pick it up and bring it home....

Which reminds me...never drink and bid on e-bay late at night...

 

[H33CRich]

I won mine on an E-Bay charity auction, and got to drive from Wisconsin to Washington DC to pick it up and bring it home....

Which reminds me...never drink and bid on e-bay late at night...

That's how I got my Tanzer 26; eBay and an obsession with winning. However, it was in local waters and has been a great boat. Glad to have had her.

 

[joes new addiction]

Took the ASA basic course last spring and bought my first boat soon after, AFC 16' "Buttercup.
I had oh, 3 hours on a sail boat, knew little about sailboats, really sailing, (but hell taht never stopped me before!), have a good mechanical skills, as well as wood working expeirence.
She was,
1. In my price range, (Cheap, in case sailing was a "fad"-it's not, it's a "Addiction now")
2. Close by
3. I could tow her with my 4 cyl truck to anywhere I could sail in the area til I figured this sailing thing all out and where I wanted to do it.
From a friends of my wife at the hospital where she worked at learned of a "bigger" boat, all cherry, for sail cheaplast fall.
Went to look at her, (Well she WAS cherry- a long, long, time ago). She is a PT 1/4 day 22' cruiser/racer from the early 70's.
Instantly fell in love with her lines, knew she needed to be "Rescued" and bought her. (I'm so freakin' easy like that!!).
Sold B-cup, (broke my heart) and now my new project sits in the driveway being refitted by a rank novice with a dream.
Joe
Hope she sails like she looks!

 

[Jared1048]

i bought my boat because it is therapeutic for me and i have something to show for my money....beats the heck out of watching a shrink getting his therapy on a boat i bought for him

+1 amen to that!

 

[texasprinter]

The Boat Attracts Me!

My boat chose me. I look for a boat personality that wants to be brought back to it's original glory with a few modifiacations.

I note that there are lots of posts on this site asking for help in selecting this or that boat. I love to wander -- and wonder -- around big boatyards in winter (when my boat is up on the hard) and look at all the different models, designs, and makers. One man's beauty could be another's beast. It's all in the beholder's eye, of course. Yet picking out the "right" boat is like a Rubic's Cube in terms of optimizing all the different aspects one could, or rather should, consider. How and where will the boat be used? Racing or cruising or both? Prevalent wind conditions? Deep or shallow water? Who will crew and maintain it? How much cockpit/cabin/deck space is needed? Sloop/yawl/ketch/cat rig? What kind or type of aux power? And what will all this cost -- upfront and every month thereafter?

So, why did you buy the boat you have? Is it the perfect boat for you or are you thinking of another?

 

[mark_swart]

Had a Cheoy Lee 30... too much upkeep. Got an O'Day 26... not enough headroom. Got a Hunter 34.... too much boat and I never liked the way it sailed or the construction quality. Beneteau First 285... lovely boat but couldn't justify the payments to myself. Revelation: The amount of fun I have is not directly linked to the amount of $$ I pay for the boat. Sometimes it seems like the opposite: when I paid what I considered a lot of money for a boat, I actually felt guilty when I didn't use it.
So I found my S2 27 - easy to handle and singlehand, standing headroom all the way forward, good beer can racer with a PHRF of 186, quick stiff boat with lead fin (no rust!) and inboard diesel. Not the breathtakingly pretty or fancy, but very functional layout, good weekender and sails great. Oh and I paid less than 1/3 of what I paid for the Beneteau. My fiscal conscience is clear and she feels 'right' for me!