# Old but New



## vinnie319 (Nov 17, 2015)

Hi everyone! My name is Vinnie and I have been boating since 1975! I was a licensed ships master for 11 of those years. Currently, I am the owner of a Silverton 34C, power boat. Over the past few years I have been wanting to get into the sailing aspect of boating and becoming a live aboard sailor. I am planning to relocate to Florida within the next 2years as well. If there are any suggestions for sailing schools, live aboard marinas, or even sailboats that are big enough to live aboard, cruise the Caribbean, and is forgiving of a new sailor, all is welcome. Should anyone have questions about boating in New Jersey, or power boat questions, I will be happy to give the best answer I know. :captain:


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Welcome to the Sailnet, Vinnie. You may want to consider joining a local yacht club to get a better idea about what you are getting into. You should be able to form local contacts and get to sail as a crew on various boats, which is invaluable.


----------



## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Vinnie, Welcome.. All Ya gotta do is walk around the Marina and tell all the blow boaters you are converting to sailing and you have an instant set of new friends. Seriously my best long time friends are people I started out sailing with so just jump in.
As far as the Boat goes 32-35' don't get to carried away on draft 4-4.5' for Fl waters is best the more traditional style older boats are most times the sturdiest. Its all about condition and the adage "all boats cost the same" is more true every year.
Be honest with yourself on condition some things cost a lot of money, the best boats are always the ones with the most money spent on them through their life. As a seller you never cover the costs of maintenance and upgrades you just make a better deal for the next owner.

Good Luck AL


----------



## vinnie319 (Nov 17, 2015)

Thank you for the info. I was wondering, if there are sailboats that fall into a similar category like power boats. In other words, you have your high end, well built boats, intermediate boats, and your "bleach bottles" which are good looking but built on the cheap and terrible to work on. I appreciate your input. Vinnie


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

vinnie319 said:


> Thank you for the info. I was wondering, if there are sailboats that fall into a similar category like power boats. In other words, you have your high end, well built boats, intermediate boats, and your "bleach bottles" which are good looking but built on the cheap and terrible to work on. I appreciate your input. Vinnie


Very much so. But I would also say that on average, sailboats are better built than powerboats. There are some really nice used sailboats that are well built and won't break your bank when you buy them. For about $40,000 you can buy and outfit a 30-36' boat that can safely take you almost anywhere in the world. Sailing is not that hard but it does require a lot of practice and prudent, common sense approach in sailing to those far away destinations. These days advances in navigation and communication make such a journey much easier and safer than ever before. So dream big!


----------



## vinnie319 (Nov 17, 2015)

Thank you for that. I won't ask you to name boat brands, I wouldn't want anyone to feel as though they own an inferior boat. I am sure that what ever boat anyone does own, it serves it's purpose, and gives all they are asking or expecting of it. I really do not intend to do any RTW sailing, but perhaps the American Virgin Islands, and the BVI's as well. I have heard the BVI's offer about 60 islands, seas are rarely more than 2 feet, and generally always in sight of land. So, if all that is true, I should keep fairly busy. Thanks again.


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

For that type of sailing a relatively shallow draft boat is best. Like Tartan 34C (20K boat) or Tartan 37 (40K), or a Morgan Out Island 33 or 36. Lots of living space on these boats and comfortable sailing as well. Tartans are better boats IMO but Morgans are quite decently made and offer a good value.


----------



## vinnie319 (Nov 17, 2015)

Hey, that's good to know. Thanks! I was hoping to hit a boat show, so I can explore, and poke around the boats.


----------



## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

Welcome aboard Vinnie. 

I'll go ahead and name a boat brand, just because you're probably at the point that you'd like to stop by a brokerage and do a little window shopping. And, a little fantasizing. 

Catalina. They've been around about the longest. Made the most boats, and are still making them. Always available used. Whenever someone compares boat brands to cars, the comparison falls apart pretty quickly, but it's probably pretty safe to call a Catalina the Chevrolet of sailboats. I'm NOT suggesting you buy one (although I own my second Catalina right now). Just throwing out the brand as a benchmark. A Catalina is good enough. A middle of the road, decent sailer, designed to appeal to the masses. If you're poking around the brokerage at all, check out the 30, 310, 320, 34, and 36, etc.. Again, before my fellow forum members beat me to a pulp, I'm just mentioning this brand so you, a sail-newbie, can quickly get a sense of what a "good enough" sailboat looks like, what the accommodations are like, and what it's priced like, without making it confusing. 

Beyond that, you're going to encounter a vast array of sailboat brands from production, high end production, semi-custom, and so on. Compared to power boats, there are very few mainstream production sailboat brands currently in production. Just a handful. 

Other production brands (mostly no longer in production) that are good enough or better, without trying to give you an exhaustive list are:
Pearson, Hunter, Island Packet, Ericson, Islander, Beneteau, Morgan, C&C, Tartan, O'day, J Boat, Cape Dory, Sabre, Pacific Seacraft, Cal, and on and on. Within this list, quality varies, but I've stayed away from ultra ultra high end, and all are cruising boats with the exception of J Boats which produces fast cruisers and racers. I've left out a lot of boats either by accident or on purpose, and my detractors will never know which. So, if you're poking around the brokerage, or the listings, and you see one of these boats in a size you like, it's probably a viable choice (always assuming condition, condition, condition). 

Hope this sailing thing works out for you. Those of us who enjoy it as our lifestyle don't have the words to tell you what it means to us, but hope you enjoy it as much as we do.


----------



## vinnie319 (Nov 17, 2015)

Wow!! Thanks so much! I appreciate the input. In the past, concerning power boats, I've been told to stay away from Brunswick brand boats. That was told to me by a friend who is a fiberglass technician. This man could work wonders with fiberglass, and has more than 20 years experience doing just that. Stay away from hulls that are foam cored, because once the core material gets wet it needs to be removed, the area dried, and the core material replaced. I have been looking at the Catalina brand, and like what I see. The cabin is laid out nicely, making use of the space available, and the exterior looks quite pleasant. I have heard Catalina vessels, are rather forgiving as well, which is appealing. To be brutally honest though, the boat used in the movie Capt. Ron, with its gaff rigged sails, I thought was just pretty as hell. Thank you for your input Siamese.


----------



## Porter3001 (Nov 15, 2015)

Hello Vinnie,

Welcome to the Sailnet.


----------



## Pegu club (Jun 10, 2012)

Welcome Vinnie, if you want to, sailboat listings.com, or yacht world.com will give you a large selection of new to you sailboats to ogle, enjoy your search, by and by, Bristol makes a fine boat as well...


----------



## Regors (Mar 4, 2014)

Vinne if you want to sail the ICW with shallow water, Bahamas, Caribbean pulling up to warm beaches you might want to look at a catamaran or Trimaran. Just more food for thought.


----------

