# Here to learn.



## CPM (Nov 4, 2021)

After about a year of studying and watching what's out there, my family plans on buying our first Big Boat this Winter. 
I have pretty good experience with dinghy sailing and a few trailerables over the years. A Catalina 22 was my last boat.
It will be used primarily as a Chesapeake Bay Cruiser.
I'm new to the Bay in particular and open water in general. It's always been lakes for me.
I'll be asking a lot of questions so please be patient.
I have a good idea of what we're looking for but am still unsure of the finer points.


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

Welcome!


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Searching for a boat is exciting  Good luck with it. We have lots of members with specialist knowledge of any type of boat and of Chesapeake Bay  

Mark


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## cb32863 (Oct 5, 2009)

Welcome to the asylum. Good luck with your search!


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## CPM (Nov 4, 2021)

I'm happy to hear about what I should keep in mind as I look for something suitable for Chesapeake Bay cruising.
Overall, I'm looking in the 35' range. It should accommodate 4 comfortably and be forgiving for novice sailors.
I think we're trying to stay within 20 years old boats and have a budget of $80K max. It's seems to me that it will have to be one of the readily available boats that I see most. I love the classic semi-custom ocean cruisers but besides cost, it doesn't seem wise for us to chase after boats that only had a production run of 100 or so.


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

Hello! Welcome to the forum.

There are plenty of folks here who know more about sailboats than I do, but seven years ago I was in exactly your shoes, and wandered in here looking for advice on shopping for a boat. This forum was very helpful in talking me out of some initial ideas about what kind of boat I wanted, but it really paid off when a local forum member DM'd me about another member who was selling a boat locally he thought would suit. That's the boat I own today, and I'm still very grateful for the tip.

With a budget of $80K for a 34-36 foot boat, you've got a lot of options. 'Less than 20 years old' is going to narrow those options considerably, my advice would be to be flexible on that point, as a well-maintained 30 year old boat is often a better bargain than a poorly-maintained 15 year old boat. Also consider beam as well as length, there are some very roomy 30-34 footers out there. 

My most practical advice is to consider very carefully - as a primary consideration over size - who is going to help you sail and dock this boat. Is your spouse into sailing? Are the kids? You can single-hand a 22 ft boat pretty easily, single-handed sailing and docking a 35 foot boat as a sailing newbie is a more difficult endeavor. If you need the spouse and kids to manage the lines you aren't going to be able to go out sailing except when they want to go. Also nothing will endear your children to you forever more than memories of you screaming at them to release a sheet . Since I'm guessing like most of us you overestimate everyone else in the households sailing interest, I'd strongly consider a boat design where lines lead to the wheel and options like self-tacking jibs and furling mains, these might be more important considerations than how many people the boat can comfortably sleep. You'll likely spend more time doing weekend day sails than longer trips anyway.

Good luck with your search! E

PS Edited to add: I've be remiss in not warning you it's a bad time to be shopping for a sailboat, demand sky-rocketed during the pandemic and the used boat market has been picked pretty clean. Would not be a bad idea at all to charter a few boats on the Chesapeake next summer, giving yourself some experience on the local waters and on different kinds of boats, and wait for those pandemic buyers to move on to other hobbies.


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## CPM (Nov 4, 2021)

I don't mind at all looking at any boats older than 20 yrs. as long as they were maintained well. Insurance does get a little more iffy for me though so I have to keep that in mind.
I'm not overestimating everyone's interest at all. This is an passion for all 4 of us. Wife and I have both taken the first 2 ASA courses and the docking class. Both kids have taken beginner and intermediate sailing lessons and are on their HS sailing team. I wake up every morning to find what new options that they've found to go look at. I tend to be the one to have to reel them in.


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

CPM said:


> I'm not overestimating everyone's interest at all. This is an passion for all 4 of us. Wife and I have both taken the first 2 ASA courses and the docking class. Both kids have taken beginner and intermediate sailing lessons and are on their HS sailing team. I wake up every morning to find what new options that they've found to go look at. I tend to be the one to have to reel them in.


Gold standard. You sir, are one lucky guy.


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## CPM (Nov 4, 2021)

Or at least I will be when we find something to get out on the water with.


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

mstern said:


> Gold standard. You sir, are one lucky guy.


Totally agree, that's a very lucky position to be in. You described yourselves as novices, but if the kids are on the HS sailing team they hardly qualify as sailing novices. And they already love the sport, you are very lucky - I witness many tantrums on the docks trying to get smaller kids out on the water, and I've had many a boat neighbor where I didn't meet their kids for years.

I still might recommend chartering as a means to get out there while the used boat market normalizes. You've got a very nice budget for a family cruiser but it's slim pickings right now.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

+1 on chartering. Learn on someone else's boat and find the features that are important to you and your crew BEFORE you drop $80K.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

eherlihy said:


> +1 on chartering. Learn on someone else's boat and find the features that are important to you and your crew BEFORE you drop $80K.


Conceptually correct. It's difficult to sample all the features available and you can't pick and choose really.
For example I rarely use the helm.... so the idea of two of them for me would be crazy... but that's what you see these days...
Masthead or fractional
aft or center cockpit


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## GlanRock (Feb 26, 2013)

Welcome to the forum! And you did get the lucky pin for having a family that likes/loves it too! 

Welcome also to the Chesapeake! We love the Bay!


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

SanderO said:


> Conceptually correct. It's difficult to sample all the features available and you can't pick and choose really.
> For example I rarely use the helm.... so the idea of two of them for me would be crazy... but that's what you see these days...
> Masthead or fractional
> aft or center cockpit


I was thinking more along the lines of: sugar scoop transom or not, auto pilot, refrigeration, etc.


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

eherlihy said:


> I was thinking more along the lines of: sugar scoop transom or not, auto pilot, refrigeration, etc.


I always hated the look of sugar scoop transoms until I went on week long Chesapeake sailing trip with my 50 lb boxer dog. Every time she needed to go to shore to do her business I had to lower her into the dinghy from the side decks and when we returned, hoist her back up again with a block and tackle. I'd also never considered a windlass when I was boat shopping until I had to reset my anchor five times in a squall. Things you don't think about until you are on a trip.


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

emcentar said:


> I always hated the look of sugar scoop transoms until I went on week long Chesapeake sailing trip with my 50 lb boxer dog. Every time she needed to go to shore to do her business I had to lower her into the dinghy from the side decks and when we returned, hoist her back up again with a block and tackle. I'd also never considered a windlass when I was boat shopping until I had to reset my anchor five times in a squall. Things you don't think about until you are on a trip.


This really hits home with me. I have always preferred the look of the CCA-era boats; the old Pearsons, Bristols, etc., really float my boat. But after sailing on a few, I came to realize that those designs just didn't work for the kind of sailing my family and I wanted to do. Too tender, too difficult to maneuver under power (especially backwards), too difficult to swim off of. I wound up buying a late '70's Oday instead. We loved that boat, but it still didn't fit the full bill. It wasn't until I bought my Catalina 28 (sugar scoop transom) that I felt I really had the boat I wanted. If you ever want to go swimming off of the boat, a sugar scoop transom with worth its weight in gold. After using it for the first time, my daughter said that it alone was worth the price of the new boat.


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