# Not a troll, but trolling. Don't have a boat but want one



## Jynxgirl (Sep 25, 2016)

So everyone I ask about boats tells me the same thing. Literally, I have now heard this joke like twenty times in the last three weeks. "The happiest day of a persons life who gets a boat is the day he buys it, and the day he sells it." These are also people who live an hour and a half from the coast and maybe go once or twice a year. I think maybe they just don't have a love for the great big blue. I never tire of hearing that lovely sound of the water, the smell of saltwater, and the chance to put a snorkel on to glimpse a turtle. 

I truly believe I was born into the wrong family, the wrong location, and the wrong time. I have always loved water. My family didn't really share that love. I saw Finding Nemo and WOW.. it was like a second parallel world was introduced to me yet it was just a dream world. I never got the chance to go to the ocean except to go near the crappy ocean of Galveston when we went to Shriner's Hospital for checkups as a kid for my brother. Then in my mid twenties I went down a path of aquariums, eventually finding a saltwater tank that made me fall in love all over again with the ocean. I found my self single and on my way to Abu Dhabi at the start of my thirties. Started a marine aquarium group for the middle east and got to meet all sorts of cool people, some who had boats 

When I came back to the USA I got stuck in Austin for the last three years finishing my degree and getting my foot in the door in my academic background (ok, I know it could have been a lot worse place to be stuck at) but have finally found my way to Florida this summer. Which has quickly fast forwarded me from kayaking, to throwing around maybe upgrade to a small catamaran to learn to sail with and my mind landing at just jumping in with a sailboat that I can spend my days off on. Currently I pretty much get off work and drive to the coast for the weekend. My train of though is I could be on a boat of my own, learning to sail, enjoying the pains of owning a boat, and instead of wasting about $150 a weekend on hotels.

I know nothing about sailing. I have a brother who has a ski boat, another brother who had a bass boat, and a ******* arab who I loved to death who had a 50 ftish boat that was a fixer upper his family gave him (yacht to us americans) that I got on a few times. I don't want to bite off more then I can chew so I am reading and reading. I don't have that much saved anymore but I also don't have any debt. A 10k boat is in my range though but reading these threads as well as everyone I speak to response of that joke has me worried. I am not scared of hard work or wrenching. I have an old truck I fix things on, involved with motorcycles for 15 years and tinker with myself overall, and am a DIY'er of most things. I have looked into taking a sailling course but at 3k, that is dropping my 10k budget down to 7k... And really unsure how necessary that is. I don't think I will get in my boat and sail to the Bahamas next month. Learning slow over the next year is fine with me. 

I have read the many threads that digress into the 'here is another thread'... I truly don't mean to be a troll nor did I join on a whim. I have spent the last few days reading this forum, but the last month overall spending every waking hours reading. This is just a simple introduction that also is a bit of a reach for direction in what to read or get into. 

In the motorcycle world, we have people who buy bikes who never use them. I have put hell of miles on many bikes. My current bike has 37k on her and it goes up everyday. I can't wait to get a sailboat to call my own 

:2 boat: I know I will be the type who will use her for what she is made to do.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Welcome to the forum!

You know what you want to do, that's a good start. I'm surprised that this search

(Sail) Cruiser Boats For Sale Florida FL

only turned up a half dozen boats in the state, but most "$10K and under" boats probably don't use a broker and those are broker listings only. Your local Craigslists will be another good place to look.

In any event, the link above points out a few possibilities (btw the first one listed requires careful investigation and may be a bigger project and a bigger boat that you would want to start out with)

Good luck!


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

Sounds like you could use a dose of classic plastic. Loads of deals out there for great boats built from 1970's to mid 1980's for about 10K. Don't be afraid of the Atomic 4 gas engine. Most of these boats; C&C, Pearson, Tartan, etc. are a little overbuilt and are easy to sail and sail well.

Spend a little for a survey so you don't get taken, think of it as pre-purchase insurance. Don't be afraid to make a low offer. Most of these boats need a loving owner or they will end up in the bone yard WAY before they deserve to die.

Big fat butts with walk through transoms, aft cabins, fancy thingamabobs can be had for 30K+ so the old boats with classic lines, small butts, and quarter berths get passed over.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Forget the 3k class. Pick up a copy of Royce's Sailing Illustrated and begin there. I've been using it to teach people to sail for over 50 years.
Walk the docks of the local marinas/yacht clubs and offer to help those coming in clean up their boats, fold sails or carry gear to their cars or whatever, after their sail. Soon enough they'll be offering you a day sail. 
I would suggest you do some sailing on other people's boats before you go buy one of your own. Frankly, you just don't have any idea yet what boat might suit your needs. The more different boats you can sail on, the more you can begin to understand the differences between them.
Perhaps there is a yacht club near you that offers associate memberships to those w/o boats. That's also a good way to meet folks with boats.
Alternately, you could do as my wife did, before we became a couple. She got on my boat and sailed to the VI via Bermuda. That was her first time ever on a sailboat. When we arrived in the VI as an accomplished helmsman (person), I asked her if she wanted a ticket home. "Nope. When are we going sailing again?" she asked. 5 years down the watery road she's preparing to get her license. She is learning refrigeration, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, rigging, etc. She loves going aloft and even cleaning the bottom. She's going to be a real captain, with in depth knowledge of all the systems aboard a sail boat, not some paper captain who can pass the Coast Guard exam, but knows absolutely nothing about the boats she "drives".
There are lots of ways to get into this boating thing, it certainly isn't rocket science. Folks have been sailing for thousands and thousands of years; don't let it or people intimidate you.
Good luck and I hope we see you out here someday soon.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

I have heard that saying about, the happiest days of a boaters lives too. It always seems to come from non boat owners though. 

I just bought my 3rd sailboat earlier this week, it's hard to believe my wife puts up with all the boats, but I love sailing.

I was out in the new to me little catamaran today. Can it ever scoot! I think it's the fastest I have ever sailed on a sailboat of any size, we were definitely pretty happy dudes, wearing ear to ear grins all day, so I wouldn't pay much attention to that comment.

Your reasoning sounds good to me, for $10k you can probably find a pretty nice boat around 30 feet, which is plenty for a first boat in my opinion, I wouldn't recommend going bigger at first, there is a lot to learn.

Structured courses definitely have some benefits, but $3000 sounds outrageous. I wonder if you can maybe find some dinghy lessons for a couple hundred dollars. Dinghy sailing is the most fun kind of sailing in my opinion.


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

Maybe "Happiest two days in a boat owners life...blah blah" applies to power boaters. I have sold two sail boats and owned 3 and I wasn't happy to see them go. It's sad, you run your hands over her stern remembering the sails, the waves, the sunsets you shared, the times you ran her aground and she forgave you. Or the time you were off the coast at night, wing on wing bound for Fort Jefferson, not a cloud in the sky, you look up and gasp because you've forgotten just how many stars are out there. Its like someone took a paint roller, dipped it in a bucket of stars and painted the night sky. Or the times dolphins played in the bow wake. 
If it is just you and maybe one other person, go for a boat 25 to 27 feet, outboard, fixed keel. Little boat, little problem. Don't be afraid to walk the storage yards at the marinas. Check out Craigslist for boats.
The wife and I took ASA101 but all our learning was done at the helm of our 25 foot Hunter. 
There is a thread here about what to look for and how to look at used sailboats. 
Here http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/48177-boat-inspection-trip-tips.html

And welcome to sailnet.

PS
So I had an idea. After looking at maybe 20 to 30 boats, you get an idea of what you want, you find one and the offer you make the owner is this. "I'll buy the boat but you have to teach me to sail it first."


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Welcome to SN, lots of good people here. Get the basics wherever you can then dive in. Catalina, Cal, Columbia all make some good roomy inexpensive boats in the range you are seeking and that's just the "C"s. Keep posting you will get all the help you want.


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## Jynxgirl (Sep 25, 2016)

Some of the ones on craigslist have that line about showing the person around if it is their first sailboat. I am pretty sure that I will definitely make the person take me out on to show me her. 

I haven't exactly figured out how to just go about a marina and get someone to take me on like a stray dog... but I guess I can try. 

Thanks for the welcome and the information. I will deff look at the links. I was thinking in the 28 to 30 range as that will let me comfortably use it for three days stay overs on my 'weekends. 

And it is just me... No partner in crime on this adventure, at this point.


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

This is not Nemo nor is it the glossy mags that show boats and anchor under the palm trees - not that we have not been there as we have plenty of times - but it is sometime incredible and sometimes a pain in the tail - 

we sailed into Varna Bulgaria with a ruptured fresh water line that emptied our main water tank. It took 3 hours to get it apart and then to find one. Fortunately they have a hardware store that is like an upgraded Home Depot and they had one that fit - then 2 hours + to put it all back together and fill our water tank - blew a 1 1/2 days on that little exercise - Oh and let's not forget weather delays - we had some of cruiser friends sitting in the San Blas get hit by lightening and thousands in damage - and we got hit in the Bahamas on our 1st trip and had over 25k in damage - crossing the Atlantic on a 2 person crossing we got 2 boat alerts on our ssb and when we made the Azores we found that 4 boats did not make it - 

My suggestion is go take a couple of ASA sailing classes and see if you like it. Some do some don't - We took our 1st course in Clear Lake Texas then went to SW Fla Yachts and Charters with Chris Day as our instructor and Chris taught us to sail a bit and made it realistic -- 

So take course then see if you really want to do this.


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## Cap-Couillon (Jan 2, 2013)

*Good Starter Boat*
PM me for more info... Plenty of folks (at least down here) willing to take a willing student day sailing for sure. Lots of boats available, but take care until you know what you're looking at. Don't fall in love with her lines...


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Welcome to SailNet!

I don't know where you're visiting in Florida, but MANY cities in Florida have sailing clubs. There is one in Ft Myers, one in Tampa, and there must be a few in Miami. I would suggest finding one where you happen to be, and meeting the members. If you have interest, and the ability to crew, spending some time on a boat shouldn't be too difficult. This will help you immeasurably if or when it comes time to buy your own.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

If you really are a boater then the happiest day is - when you get a newer nicer boat!

Most boats aren't owner by a boater, that's why they don't get used.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

If you are on a tight budget, a trailerable sailboat is hard to beat. I camp on my 20 foot Mirage for weeks at a time. If you can keep your boat fully rigged up on a trailer close to a launch ramp, that will save you lots of money. A Catalina 22 would be a great boat for you to learn sailing and spend weekends on board.


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## amwbox (Aug 22, 2015)

I don't know where $3K sailing classes come from...but around here you could take ASA 101 for literally a quarter of that. Hell, for less than $1900, you could take 101, 103, 104, and go on a 4 day charter in the San Juans as a package deal. Take the basic keelboat class just to get a sense of how much you actually enjoy sailing before you start dumping thousands into a boat. Some people have somewhat..._romantic_...ideas of what sailing and cruising is about. So go take a basic class (which will qualify you for basic boat rentals, in a lot of places) and see if it thrills you, first.


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## DonScribner (Jan 9, 2011)

For about $3k, you can get a good starter boat on a trailer in the 22 foot range. You're a smart kid, otherwise nobody would bother sending you overseas. Buy "Sailing for Dummies" and take a Sailing and Seamanship course from your local Power Squadron. Now sail. If you have a good head on your shoulders, you can make the boat go. If you're not a yahoo you can keep it safe. Just respect your limitations and sail on the edge of them, not over the edge. 

The first time I sailed is when I motored past the jetty into the Atlantic and "shanked on" (yeah, I was that dumb) my jib. That's many thousands of miles and lots of stupid, gelcoat scraping mistakes. That was bout 8 years ago. Now, we spend every weekend and vacation plying the inky water of Maine. Plus a couple of charters in BVI.


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## ianjoub (Aug 3, 2014)

Which coast do you go to from Gainesville? The west coast is not very good for sailboats until you get to Tampa/ St. Pete and south. The coast is just too shallow north of there.

We took ASA classes and charter from St. Petersburg & Tampa Bay - Sailing Yacht, Catamaran & Fishing Charters . They are a great group of people and have an extensive charter fleet.

Buying a boat: I would agree with the above advice, do some sailing to see what you like first. Hobie cats are fun and cheap. Trailer sailors can be had cheap as well. We bought a 25 Macgregor a couple of years ago for $3k. We sold it because we prefer to charter larger boats.

Good luck!


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

My advice is to take $3K or less of your $10K and get a small boat for learning how to sail and maintain a sailboat. $2K for the boat, and another $1K for things you don't know about yet. Take the other $7K and put it into an investment account that will net you greater than $7K when you are ready to buy a larger boat or, if you decide sailing is not for you, your retirement.

In my opinion, you really don't get a better learning sailboat at $10K than at $3K or less. You do get more expensive projects, in terms of both money and time. Those are the boats that people are relieved to get rid of. OTH, you'll be able to sell a $2K boat in a week, as long as you've put and kept her in decent condition.

I've found that owning a boat has increased my opportunities for sailing on other people's boats. That's valuable for sure, but sailing my own boat has taught me 1000 times more than riding on someone else's and 550 times more than bareboat chartering.


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## Jynxgirl (Sep 25, 2016)

Thanks everyone for all the welcome and info. I am going to figure out how to get on a boat or two, take a class, and maybe look at a smaller trailer able boat. I hadn't thought about that as an option. I sometimes forget about my truck as I seldom use it. I am still new and finding my way around, and trying to find the places I like the most. I bounce between east or west coast on my weekend journeys. Either side has marinas and clubs.  I am excited and am sure the next year will be awesome as I venture out into a new hobby.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

krisscross said:


> If you are on a tight budget, a trailerable sailboat is hard to beat. I camp on my 20 foot Mirage for weeks at a time. If you can keep your boat fully rigged up on a trailer close to a launch ramp, that will save you lots of money. A Catalina 22 would be a great boat for you to learn sailing and spend weekends on board.


My wife and I spend weekends on our Catalina 22. It's definitely camping, but it's fun.

I've found 22' is a great size for learning. It's big enough that what you learn does carry over to larger boats, but it's small enough to be manageable when you screw up.

I keep mine on a mooring ball. I wouldn't want to have to trailer it every time I sailed it because putting the mast up and doing all the rigging is a bit of a chore, but if you could find mast up storage that'd be cheap and easy.


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## gptyk (Mar 20, 2013)

How to get a ride:

1. Talk to folks working on their boats. Offer to help to learn, etc.. 
2. Find out when the beer can races are. Find out where the racers hang out - offer to crew. be honest about your experience level. (BTW, racing is a lot of fun)
3. Meetup groups
4. Sailing clubs. 
5. There's always a bar around a marina where the boaties hang out. 

If you were in California, I'd offer. I'll always take newbies out. Sometimes we come right back in, sometimes we have a fantastic day....


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

If you are associated with UF, get yourself down to Lake Wauburg and use some of the University's sailboats. 

You don't have to go all the way to the coast for sailing. The St. Johns River is plenty good, starting at Palatka and going north to Jacksonville.


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## Ninefingers (Oct 15, 2009)

This looks pretty good:

Boats - Ocala Sailing Club


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## cb32863 (Oct 5, 2009)

Welcome and there is good info around here. Some folks say the Catalina 22 is perfect but, yes I am a bit biased , have a look at the Beneteau First 235. Awesome pocket cruiser, very well laid out down below, great sailing performer. I bought mine in Florida and I am sure you can find one if you are patient and ready to buy. They hold their value for a reason. Good luck and welcome to the asylum.


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

Great first post- welcome to Sailnet! I also disagree about the best two days. The best two are the day you buy your first boat and the day you buy your second one. I sold my first one earlier this year, and I became extremely depressed because I felt I let her down. Two months was as long as I could go before getting another.

Capta and the others have offered great advice. This site, sailing clubs, crewing on boats (even if you just start as rail meat!), Youtube how-to vids, books (readreadread!), and visiting marinas will get you well on your way. But the boats that you see that are being used the most aren't hobbyists'. It is a way of life. Like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Your neighbors won't understand why you don't mow the grass every Saturday but they don't know that land life has become meaningless to you.

There is nothing like time on the water. When you cut the motor and raise that mainsail the first time, the feeling sinks in instantly. The whole world just gets quiet and peaceful. The boat starts to heel over a bit as the boom swings over, and then you notice the little wake behind the boat. And then you roll out the genoa. With a pop of the sail you are really moving! I can't think of anything you can do that is more fun at 7 mph.

Good luck, have fun, and most of all be safe!


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