# Sailing is my dream



## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

I am sorry ahead of time for the long post, but there are so many questions my wife and I have. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Hi, my name is Josh, I am married and have 2 young children. It is my goal in the future to live aboard a sailboat and sail the world. My wife and I have been discussing this in greater detail lately and there are so many questions we have not been able to find the answers to. I have been referred here by several blogs and videos, saying this is the place to go for good experience and guidance. I hope I am on the correct forum as this seemed like the best place to post this. It is difficult to understand how all the nuts and bolts work with this lifestyle as we live in Kentucky, we aren't around sailboats much. Anytime we take a vacation to the beaches like Florida or South Carolina we like to go on sailing charters and that is about the brunt of our experience..

I guess the first question, which is probably the most important question that my wife asked me today was "how much does it cost to live on your boat?" I did not have an answer except for the ideas that I see posted from people who make youtube videos. How much does it cost to be in a marina a month, is there an average? Are there any other financial things to keep in mine while living aboard your boat that maybe I don't realize? Can you just anchor out away from shore a little ways and save that money? Are there specific spots near shore that you are required to anchor in or can you just do that anywhere (to stay for free)?

My wife's main concern about this life "sailing around the world" is similar to mine. We often wonder, what happens if you are out in the middle of the ocean and a bad storm hits? I understand that a good, experienced crew and a seaworthy boat can pass through fine, but do sailors typically just avoid the bad weather or do you just go right through it? What determines that decision? How often in reality do you get caught in this bad weather and how often does it actually create serious risk for your family?

Lastly for now, is the boat. I have been doing a lot of research on the boat I want. We haven't decided just yet if we are going to go while the children are still young or if we are just going to wait until I retire. So we haven't narrowed down crew size exactly yet, but most likely it will be just me and my wife, with the occasional kiddos or other family. I have done a lot of research and I seem to like the Hans Christian 33 and 38. The reasons I like this boat is the full keel, it has a wheel at the helm, I like the old styling and I have heard it is a very safe boat. I would greatly appreciate all of your experience here in helping me decide on a boat, but also help me think about things I may not think about yet. 

Edit 4-25-18. Boats of interest so far: Hans Christian 33/38, Westsail 32/42, Union 36, Bristol Channel Cutter 28, Nor'sea 27, Baba 35

Again, thank you so much for replying and helping me learn. I will continue to go about the forums reading old posts to see what I can find. I appreciate any input you all can offer! My wife and I plan to start taking sailing lessons in the future and I am sure that will help us understand more as well, unfortunately it will have to be lessons on a river instead of the ocean to start, due to our location.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Welcome to SailNet!

There are SEVERAL threads here on the costs of living aboard a sailboat.
Here is one; http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/57777-total-cost-buy-own.html
Here is another; http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising-liveaboard-forum/270234-month-2-expenses-costs-cruising.html
Another; http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gener...elated/268177-first-month-cruising-costs.html

Regarding sailing in heavy weather, there's a thread on that too; http://www.sailnet.com/forums/seamanship-navigation/48237-heavy-weather-sailing.html

and here are some threads on the Hans-Christian make of boats:
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-...2185-hans-christian-33-fixer-upper-worth.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/8654-hans-christian-hc33.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/55746-hans-christian.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-...68479-hans-christian-cheaper-alternative.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/7290-hans-christian33.html

Lastly, I suggest that you learn how to search the forums unless you are prepared to receive some snippy replies. The community can be helpful, but it is also the internet...


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

Thanks I'll check those links out.


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

I have noticed some boats have a "wood look" on the hull, what is that called? I have found an article about the design on bluewaterboards .org

During my search of other boats I have come across this before.. Can people redo their current hulls to look like this or does the boat have to come from the factory like that? Perhaps there are other boats that have this look too?

So far my favorites are:

Hans christian 33 or 38
Union 36
Baba 35 (kinda has that wood look on hull exterior too)
Nor'sea 27


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

Some people who have done / are doing your dream, and are very upfront about the costs:
Matt & Jessica's Sailing Page | Experiencing the world while it's still large
https://www.bumfuzzle.com/
Both of these people went through two different boats (and the Bums are now on a third - a trawler) so worth reading from the beginning.

There are lots of good books about how to inspect and maintain aging sailboats, but maybe not so many written for laymen about the design concepts behind them. This book will answer a lot of your questions about the design trade-offs for cruising boats, and demystify the evolution of the racing rules that heavily influenced boats since fiberglass became a thing: https://www.amazon.com/Yacht-Design-According-Perry-Shaped/dp/007146557X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524592934&sr=8-1&keywords=yacht+design+according+to+perry


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

Thanks zedboy, some really good breakdowns on matt and jessica's page. That is exactly what I need to show the wife!


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

General random thoughts

I never started out to be a sailor or to sail around the world etc. All we wanted to do was travel and not wait til we were “old” to it. A sailboat just became the answer to traveling fairly inexpensive. 

Turns out we like sailing. We had a cruising sailing boat for 7 years before we quit working and took off. Now we don’t get to sail as much because now we are “cruisers”.

The past 19 months it has cost us an avg of about $3900/mo. Each of those months are posted here with a cost breakdown.

Every begainner worries about storms. And of course every “good” reading book has a storm story. But few sailors really experience these storms. Everyone gets caught out once in a while by something nasty, but most experience low wind more often than high wind.

Forgot those old design boats!!!!! Do you want to be salty sailors or a happy cruising family? Don’t pick your boat from a book! Chose living comfort over sailing. Both boats will sail better than you have the skill to make them, but the salty boat will never match the comfort of the comfortable boat. 

It isn’t all nice sails, sandy beaches, and sundowners in the cockpit. Plus after a while all nice nice beaches look the same all drinks taste the same. But no matter where you go there will be boat maintenance needed! Decide if you want to look at new beaches and can handle the boat work etc.

If you think it’s going to be anchoring in a nice free place with a beach while you catch fish for food, just slap yourself now and be done.

Your kids will rarely have others their age to play with.

When it’s nice on the boat it’s really NICE! But when it sucks it REALLY SUCKS!!!

Go sailing before wasting a lot time of dream time. Unless you really like the dreaming part (most dreamers dont ever cut the land lines).
Be sure the first sail you take the wife and kids on is a nice day with low waves and about 10-13 knots of wind max. That is not the time to be Joe Adventure sailor if you hope they will ever come again. 

I hope you go and have a good time, I really do!


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

You can buy a boat big enough for a family of 4 for short cruises (weekends up to a few weeks, depending on creature comforts) without breaking the bank. If you keep it simple it doesn't have to be too much of a maintenance nightmare  and you can dip your toe in. A Macgregor/Venture 25/26 or similar can be towed behind a small vehicle and would only cost a few thousand (get the older ones, avoid the 26M/X which aren't such sailboats). Practical/easy enough for a weekend or even day on local lakes, and easy enough to trailer to the coast - though pick your weather carefully.

With our large family and community and family commitments, long-range cruising isn't in the cards any time soon but my kids (ages 1.5 - 13) still have a blast on the boat. Gradually we hope to up the range of our wanderings around the Med.


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

Don0190 said:


> General random thoughts
> 
> If you think it's going to be anchoring in a nice free place with a beach while you catch fish for food, just slap yourself now and be done.


hahaha! I love it!

Thanks for the tips Don! The wife and I have discussed the kids part about it and i think that is a big concern of her's. We have been following a bunch of "youtube" families with young kids and enjoyed their journeys thus far. Our kids are 6 and 8 and my wife brings up a lot of interesting thoughts to help me slow my thinking down. She mentions things like. If living at sea do your children get drivers licenses at 16 still like we did? Do they learn how to play sports as well as other kids? Will they fall behind in school work? These are all thoughts my wife brings to the table and are great thoughts to think about before making any big decisions. Obviously there is homeschooling, but we have never tried that, although I know there are many that go this route. I explained to her that getting a drivers license can still be done, because we will still be driving cars from time to time and the kids will eventually need to learn those aspects as well. I explained to her that boating is also a sport and although they may lack in some key areas like football, soccer, basketball, baseball etc. The kiddos will also become great at watersports and sailboats, plus all of the other skills that come with it such as working on engines, maintaining property/upkeep etc.

I think my biggest thing is the lifestyle. Even in my career today, everyday is different, you don't know what to expect when you go to work, it could be a calm quiet day or a chaotic day with surprises around every corner (not good ones). I like that aspect of life and I assume sailing is very similar. Everyday will bring something different. I enjoy more of a free for all type of lifestyle. Rolling with the punches as they come. Travel the world and make it a journey together. There are so many things and places that we will never experience if we don't cruise the globe. Many months may be in marinas, many months out exploring and going new places.

Currently we have a pretty detailed roadmap of phases:
Phase 1: Debt Free and Planning. We are currently in this phase of paying off all debts. (as well as some saving along the way)
Phase 2: Saving more and investments. After we are debt free we will begin pouring our hard earned money into saving for the boat and investing for long term security. Such as making sure we will have a steady income for the long road ahead.
Phase 3: Finding our new home (the boat). During this phase our plan is to actually start making offers on boats we like and getting them surveyed etc. Making any needed upgrades or repairs and just preparing for the final phase of living aboard.
Phase 4. Moving aboard and starting the journey. Self explanatory.

This is kind of a general roadmap we have right now. I am sure many, many before us have planned a similar journey and hopefully we will be there sooner than later.

At this point in our life we have been on 2 sailing charters, nothing overnight yet though. Ever since I first stepped foot on a sailboat a few years ago I have been hooked. My wife still get seasick and she worries that will mess with her a lot, but I have heard it gets better the longer your on the water and the more often you sail. At the same time I have been told it never completely goes away. I dont get seasick much but I imagine we will need a boat that makes it most comfortable for her. According to all of my research so far a full keel boat with moderate displacement like the ones i mentioned above seem to be reviewed as the most comfortable/safest boats. Personally what draws me most to these boats is the styling and the craftstmanship.

Thanks again for all of your replies and taking to time to enlighten us on all the aspects involved.


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

zedboy said:


> You can buy a boat big enough for a family of 4 for short cruises (weekends up to a few weeks, depending on creature comforts) without breaking the bank. If you keep it simple it doesn't have to be too much of a maintenance nightmare  and you can dip your toe in. A Macgregor/Venture 25/26 or similar can be towed behind a small vehicle and would only cost a few thousand (get the older ones, avoid the 26M/X which aren't such sailboats). Practical/easy enough for a weekend or even day on local lakes, and easy enough to trailer to the coast - though pick your weather carefully.
> 
> With our large family and community and family commitments, long-range cruising isn't in the cards any time soon but my kids (ages 1.5 - 13) still have a blast on the boat. Gradually we hope to up the range of our wanderings around the Med.


I have read reviews and tips on buying your first boat and they often say buy something small first for the experience (around 20ft or less). Reality is, I don't have the kind of money to invest in a small boat and then turn around a year later or so and buy another bigger boat. From what I have discovered thus far, people trying to sell boats, sometimes have their boats listed for sale for really long periods of time. Call me hard headed, but we are planning on saving 40-70k cash and investing in our dream boat, an older model cruiser that may need some work. Then taking it out on small trips, not too far offshore to improve our capabilities and learn all we can. Prior to doing all this though we expect to take many charters and lessons and trips learning all we can before making any purchases.

The Hans christian 33 or 38, Union 36, Baba 35 are older boats, but are tough and strong. Does the necessarily mean they are also easier to work on? For example a 1965 mustang has far fewer electronics and high tech stuff, than a 2018 Mustang?


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

RatherBeSailin said:


> Call me hard headed, but we are planning on saving 40-70k cash and investing in our dream boat, an older model cruiser that may need some work.


I will only tell this to you once; it is *FAR* less expensive to spend more money on a well maintained and well-equipped boat than it is, especially for a newbie, to purchase any boat that "may need some work." As a bonus, with a well maintained and equipped boat, you get to go cruising sooner.

How do I know? I purchased a $30K boat that needed some work. In the last 8 years I have put another $31K into it (not counting marinas, insurance and winter storage). Today, it's probably worth $45K. Do the math...

I could have bought a similar boat that had already been fixed up to like-new condition for about ~$60K, and it would not have taken me 8 years.


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

eherlihy said:


> I will only tell this to you once; it is *FAR* less expensive to spend more money on a well maintained and well-equipped boat than it is, especially for a newbie, to purchase any boat that "may need some work." As a bonus, with a well maintained and equipped boat, you get to go cruising sooner.
> 
> How do I know? I purchased a $30K boat that needed some work. In the last 8 years I have put another $31K into it (not counting marinas, insurance and winter storage). Today, it's probably worth $45K. Do the math...


Thanks for the advice, it is well taken. I will do my best when that time comes to buy the most cruise ready/capable boat we can afford. On top of that the saving phase may be lengthened to ensure we purchase a sail ready boat. I don't intend to buy something that is in such dire condition it isn't sailable from the start.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

In all your planning stages where does the actual learning to sail come in to play?..Lot's of you folks on this forum over the years. How about May 1 you take the family down to local lake, river, pond and everybody participate in learning to sail a small boat. Your going to have to learn to walk before you run...


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

We have already been on a couple sailing trips actually. We also plan on taking sailing lessons and get our certificates along the way. There is a local school in our area on the river, I think that will be a good place to start.

If you have read my previous posts you will notice I am not planning on selling everything tomorrow and up and buy a saleboat. This will be a very long road ahead of us. I estimate at a minimum of 5 years before we are boat owners ourselves. Just like planning for retirement when you're a young person, you can never plan too early.

Through this journey of paying of debt, saving and research.. We will be learning all we can along the way.


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## danvon (Dec 10, 2012)

RatherBeSailin said:


> I have read reviews and tips on buying your first boat and they often say buy something small first for the experience (around 20ft or less). Reality is, I don't have the kind of money to invest in a small boat and then turn around a year later or so and buy another bigger boat.


Actually, you almost certainly do. You can buy a small (~22-25 foot) boat on a trailer (or even better, a dinghy, which IMHO is by far the best way to learn to handle a sailboat) and get most of your money back out when you sell (my first dinghy cost $900 and I sold it a couple of years later for $850).

A small boat is much simpler and cheaper to maintain, easier to take out short-handed (meaning you will actually sail more when your family/friends are busy) and will teach you much more about reading the wind, sail trim, how a boat responds to different conditions etc.

There are lots of Catalina 22s and the like out there that you would not be taking a big financial flyer on. Not to mention the slip fees you'd save if you have a trailer boat.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I’ll add another random thought:

Don’t buy a small boat just to “learn”. It will be hard to resell later and it just wastes your time. If you want to cruiser buy a cruiser! The hardest part of getting your first cruiser is if you start reading books, in which case you start thinking you need on of those old ones.

I say this someone who has been on this forum since before he ever sailed and is a dreamer who actually did sell everything and did leave. Yet the smallest boat I’m ever sailed was a34’ boat the first boat I got (after just 2 months experience) was a 39’ boat.


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

Don0190 said:


> Don't buy a small boat just to "learn". It will be hard to resell later and it just wastes your time. If you want to cruiser buy a cruiser!


a) No reason you shouldn't be able to sell it for what you paid for it - or knock off a third and it'll go fast. We're talking about mad-money that won't affect your progress towards your big-boat goals - say $3k max.

b) You will learn more, quicker on a small boat that responds faster. Especially if you're years away from your cruising boat goals. Not saying don't do courses, but time sailing on the water in a variety of conditions is much more valuable.

Plus, who wants to wait years to get to sail?


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## S/V Artemis (Jan 4, 2018)

RatherBeSailin said:


> zedboy said:
> 
> 
> > You can buy a boat big enough for a family of 4 for short cruises (weekends up to a few weeks, depending on creature comforts) without breaking the bank. If you keep it simple it doesn't have to be too much of a maintenance nightmare
> ...


10 months ago I took a sailing lesson with my wife. 2 months ago we closed on a 43ft boat. If living aboard and sailing is your dream, then just do it. There is a bit of knowledge to be gained in forums but nothing beats first hand experience. Be realistic about the type of sailing you want to do, and get a boat that fits your needs. We live on our boat in Marina Del Rey Ca and we have not regretted our decision at all. We are documenting it at www.svartemis.wordpress.com


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

Is it a big deal.. Say learning on a tiller, but then buying a wheeled boat? Or perhaps learning to sail on a small centerboard or fin keel and buying a full keel? Or perhaps learning on a sloop then buying a cutter rigged boat? It seems like most charters I have been on and find advertised are 20-35ft sloops (ususally hunters).

I will be going to Hilton Head on Vacation in June, anybody know anyone in that region with a westsail 32/42, HC 33/38, union 36, tayana 37 etc? Would be pretty neat to find someone there that could take us for a small cruise on these types of boats. I think I will also check some of the other forums maybe there are some people here that are located there


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

RatherBeSailin said:


> Is it a big deal.. Say learning on a tiller, but then buying a wheeled boat? Or perhaps learning to sail on a small centerboard or fin keel and buying a full keel? Or perhaps learning on a sloop then buying a cutter rigged boat?


I think learning is easier on a small boat which reacts faster (and therefore teaches you to think ahead and act quickly), and with a tiller (much more direct feel than a wheel). But plenty of people go straight to "big" boats.

Even between two boats of the same nominal type - say fin-keel spade-rudder sloops - there can be real differences due to mast placement, rudder size, keel depth, etc etc. However the same skills will translate well as you learn your boat's "personality."


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

RatherBeSailin said:


> The Hans christian 33 or 38, Union 36, Baba 35 are older boats, but are tough and strong. Does the necessarily mean they are also easier to work on? For example a 1965 mustang has far fewer electronics and high tech stuff, than a 2018 Mustang?


Nah, the same old boat could easily have been done up with a lot of bells and whistles - full electronic speed/wind guages, AIS, radar, fridge/freezer, hot water + showers + electric heads, autopilots etc etc etc. On my friend's boat I have yet to figure out how to use the electric head, every time I'm on there underway I end up using the other (manual) one.

Frankly I have next to nothing on my boat: depth, propane stove, icebox - and that exactly how I want it. And I'm chasing electrical gremlins keeping my water pump from working (but at least there's not much else to break).


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

zedboy said:


> a) No reason you shouldn't be able to sell it for what you paid for it - or knock off a third and it'll go fast. We're talking about mad-money that won't affect your progress towards your big-boat goals - say $3k max.
> 
> b) You will learn more, quicker on a small boat that responds faster. Especially if you're years away from your cruising boat goals. Not saying don't do courses, but time sailing on the water in a variety of conditions is much more valuable.
> 
> Plus, who wants to wait years to get to sail?


That's s is the standard small boat owner story. It's wrong!


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## kenr74 (Oct 13, 2012)

I totally recommend starting with a smaller boat. We (family of 6) started with a Macgregor V-222, then moved up to a Chrysler 26, before buying our current boat, a Sancerre 38. We learned an awful lot about sailing, ourselves, storage, etc... on the smaller boats that made us confident enough to make the larger investment in a big boat without asking strangers on the internet to pick a boat for us. I lost a few hundred on the first boat when I include what I invested, but I stand to come out ahead when I sell the Chrysler, as we bought it at auction for a song, and put a lot of sweat equity into it. If you can't afford to "lose" a few hundred investing in a smaller boat, you can't afford a big boat. (I will pay more for dockage this year than I paid to purchase both of my previous boats)


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## sesmith (Jan 24, 2013)

FWIW, we sold our first sailboat for more than we paid. A Hunter 23.5...perfect size boat to learn on, and still do some cruising on it. The season before, we belonged to a local sailing club and sailed their boats.

Smaller boats get you sailing now, on whatever water's closest to you, as others have mentioned. One other thought. It's much cheaper to make a poor buying decision on a smaller boat, early, when you're inexperienced, than on a much larger and more expensive boat.


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## contrarian (Sep 14, 2011)

I can't help myself.... I just need to throw a little rain on your parade.
First of all like was previously mentioned, cruising and sailing are two entirely different things but they both require a lot of what has been mentioned but not stressed nearly enough. Boats are one H of a lot of maintenance and at the price point that you have indicated there is going to be one H of a lot of it that will be required especially if you are cruising. So in the meantime while you're in your dream phase you had better start boning up on diesel mechanics, electronics, electrical installation and troubleshooting, plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning installation and troubleshooting, sewing, rope splicing and on and on and on. Learning to sail is the easy part, Learning to do it well is a different matter. I think this same adage holds true for boat ownership in general. There is a lifetime of learning to be had and the only way you're going to get it is to just do it. You might want to find a sailing buddy and help him out with his boat projects to see if you like the reality of boat ownership. While you're at it, ask him about his list of must do projects and his wish list projects......
Crap, now I'm thinking about my own set of projects. I have to run a new wire from my starter button in the cockpit to the solenoid on the starter on my 3gm30f because over time impedance develops in the connections due to corrosion and rather than try to correct all the connection issues it's easier to just run a new wire. That is a must do project. I am also wondering if I should go ahead and change out the throttle and transmission cables while i'm at it..... Oh well that can wait. You have to learn to get a handle on that while you're at it stuff or it will become overwhelming. If you go through with this, in a couple of years you will know exactly what I'm talking about and you will know that the only way to truly appreciate it is to have experienced it. O.K. now that the rain is over you can go back to dreaming about those glorious days ahead of you on the boat. That's what I do !!!


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## S/V Artemis (Jan 4, 2018)

Contrarian speaks wisdom. Knowing that going into it combined with your budget. You will find yourself a fine boat. If you can do, or learn, the above mentioned must do's then you will be fine. It's not all that hard to DIY, and do it properly. I didn't know doo doo about my waste holding system two weeks ago. I'm am an expert on it today. I replaced the entire thing. My wife and I did it ourselves. We live on our 91 Legend 43, we sail it multiple times a week, and we do projects in our spare time. We are considering rewiring our entire boat in the very near future. I am comfortable with that job, and we are looking forward to it. Enjoying the complete pain in the ass job, or at least the ability to maintain a sense of humor, is a must in older boat ownership. Also, dont let anyone deter you from your dream. You and your wife know what's best for yourselves. You will find the right boat, at the right time, for the right price. We were on a 3 year plan. Less than 12 months after making our plan we moved onto our boat.


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

Contrarian.

Great points. Thanks for all the tips!
Something for you to remember too though.. Nobody starts a sport or career or lifestyle etc, by already knowing everything there is to know about it. You jump in, get your feet wet and learn along the way. I learned how to ride a bike as a kid but that did not mean I needed a bachelor degree first. After many falls, cuts and bruises I figured it out.

There are a some skills we learn growing up too.. For example while in the Marines I worked on diesel engines as part of my job, not a mechanic specialty, but required me to do enough maintenance to at least get things going. I have also worked other jobs doing automotive maintenance. Plus being into cars and engines helps too. Out of all the things needed to learn I would say mechanics is my least concerned area. 

I'm more concerned with electrical and refrigeration stuff. I will have to do some serious studying and learning on this. Thankfully I have friends in this business and can use them as a valuable resource for learning the ins and outs of those trades. At least enough to run things required on a boat.

Keep in mind too that not everyone lives on a beach or near a large body of water.. most people don't even own boats. So taking it lightly that just asking a friend to go on boat trips may not be as realistic to some.. None of my family owns boats, as a matter of fact I think the only person I know is a co worker that has a pontoon. So learning to sail will have to come from charters, lessons and trips from people I meet. 99% starting out will probably be met on the internet who advertise for such things.

Please continue the advice, I have learned a lot from the forums so far. Even some terminology I have never heard hehe. I have also learned of several other boats that interest me besides the HC. Another good learning tool today is YouTube. No, you can't learn to be a doctor there, but little things like learning parts of a sailboat or how to replace certain parts can go a long way too.


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## RatherBeSailin (Apr 24, 2018)

Artemis. 

It would be awesome if our 5-10year planned could happen in less time. I would be thrilled and depending on how fast we pay of debt and save will determine how fast our dream becomes a reality. We also have to shuffle around and figure out how to handle my retirement when that day comes.. wait to mid 50s and retire? Or invest and save and sail in our 40s? We have yet to make these crucial decisions, time will tell.


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## S/V Artemis (Jan 4, 2018)

RatherBeSailin said:


> Artemis.
> 
> It would be awesome if our 5-10year planned could happen in less time. I would be thrilled and depending on how fast we pay of debt and save will determine how fast our dream becomes a reality. We also have to shuffle around and figure out how to handle my retirement when that day comes.. wait to mid 50s and retire? Or invest and save and sail in our 40s? We have yet to make these crucial decisions, time will tell.


I am 47, and after a two careers that were hard on the body, I decided that my window for adventure was closing. Our day to day living expenses for an LA apartment in a neighborhood we wanted to be in was astronomical. We cut our rent in half by moving onto our boat, and we live in the neighborhood we wanted to live in. The money we saved in rent has been paying off our debt load. It's amazing how fast it starts to disappear. We went into debt for our boat, but our payments are manageable and there is no penalty for paying it off early. USAA has some really good rates, and they will lend on older boats as long as the loan is less than a certain percentage of the appraised value of the boat. They were super easy to deal with. If you are a veteran, or have family members that are veterans, then you can join. There are creative ways to make money cruising...we have a few ideas circulating. My advice...dont wait. Just do it.


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

S/V Artemis said:


> Our day to day living expenses for an LA apartment in a neighborhood we wanted to be in was astronomical. We cut our rent in half by moving onto our boat, and we live in the neighborhood we wanted to live in. The money we saved in rent has been paying off our debt load.


Was it hard to get a liveaboard slip in MDR? How are slip rates there?

Would do it in a second here (in a much bigger boat!) if I wanted to live on the cost.


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## S/V Artemis (Jan 4, 2018)

We were told it was going to be next to impossible to find a liveaboard slip in MDR. We saw forum post after forum post about how hard it would be. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. We had zero problems finding a liveaboard slip. We have a well maintained/clean boat...that may have something to do with the ease of finding a slip. Also, unlike a ton of liveaboards here, we actually take our boat out regularly. Our dock master is a boater, and the assistant dock master lives on his boat a couple of docks down. Slip rates are ridiculously expensive, and we pay an extra cost for living aboard...50 percent of the slip rate actually. But, we are still paying a hell of a lot less than what we were paying while renting an apartment. If you're interested in following our adventures, we have documented our experience here www.svartemis.wordpress.com


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