# Getting back into sailing in retirement



## omaho5 (Jun 5, 2008)

Have not sailed in years. At 63 I want to get a day sailing boat to ease my way back into it.
Trailering not a problem . 20 feet and under for myself and my wife.
Good sailing boat for good size lakes and some bay sailing.
Suggestions ??
Short season up here in NH.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Welcome aboard. There's so many different boats that would suit your purpose, I find it hard to recommend any certain one. I'm sure though there will be others who are no so hesitant


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## poltergeist (Oct 26, 2006)

*Lots of choices ...*

There are indeed a lot of choices available to you. You might want to start with the following article ...

http://www.sailmag.com/daysailerstodiefor/

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but if you can find a boat or two there that appeal to you we can probably help you identify something similar or less expensive or whatever.

I sail a Flying Scot, and I always sound like a Scot pitchman around here. But it does offer what you seem to describe ... 20 ft., roomy, easy to launch, easy to sail, stable. I'm 60 and returned to sailing two years ago, and it's just about the perfect boat for me. New, $16k to $18k; good used boats 20 to 30 years old for $3k to $5k. Mine's a 1983 hull, and solid as a rock.

Good luck on your search.

Kurt


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## djodenda (Mar 4, 2006)

I liked the O'Day Daysailor that my father had before he got his "Big Boat" for his circumnavigation. Reasonably fast, stable, and easy to set up. I liked the cuddy cabin forward. He and my brother cruised it for a week in the North Channel islands of Lake Huron for a week, and if worked for that (They camped ashore)

Flying Scot is a boat with a great reputation as well.

I don't know what kind of shape you are in, but it seems to me that if you intend to trailer sail the boat, you should make sure that you are comfortable rigging, especially stepping the mast before you decide on a boat.

If you're uncomfortable setting the boat up, you're unlikely to sail much. A larger boat would increase your sailing season.

I wonder if it is possible for you to find mast up dry storage for your boat, which, at least in Michigan, was much cheaper than a slip. This worked out real well for us, as it greatly reduced the hassle of setting up the boat.

To further confuse the issue, I wonder if you might be better off with a keel boat, like a Shark, or a swing keel boat, like a Catalina 22. You wouldn't want to trailer sail the Shark, and would wind up needing a slip for it, but it would greatly extend your sailing season, since the risk of capsize is extremely low. 

You'd be in trouble relatively quickly in a cold water capsize, and would quite rightly limit your sailing to months when the water was reasonably warm in a smaller boat.


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## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

and your point is????????....your from China


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

> and your point is????????....your from China


I think the point is that he likes SPAM.


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