# Your Thoughts and experience needed



## RickyT35 (Oct 28, 2015)

In about 4.5 years I will be retiring. I am not a sailor at this time. I kind of have that dream of living aboard my own sailboat. At this point I have no experience, I will be taking sailing lessons next year. I would like to know the names/kinds (sizes) of some sailboats for one person that I might look at in 3 years to buy with an ability:
Sailed by one person (me)
Safe
Very easy to sail (not a lot of work, I want to relax)
Between $30,000 to $40,000 (I would have money for upgrades/new equipment)
To be able to add/change/upgrade 
Strong motor
Watermaker
Generator
Solar
Refrigerator 
…..do think of anything else.

Thank you so much for your thinking and reply!!!!


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## Scotty C-M (Aug 14, 2013)

There are too many boats to name. So much depends on where and what your plans are. Take your classes and get out on the water. Go look at boats for sale at brokerages. Yes, they are probably above your price point, but you'll learn a lot about boats. Be upfront with the sales people about not being ready to buy yet. They don't want to waste time. However many brokerages have boats at the dock that are open and ready for inspection. A good broker will look at you as a potential buyer and will be friendly and helpful. If not, ask a different broker. Go to boat shows. Again, they are above most of our price points, but you see a lot of boats!
The more you sail the better idea you'll have of what will work for you. Have fun and enjoy the process.


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## Heller Gregory (Jun 3, 2016)

I sailed as a kid, then took a 20 year break to get m'd & raise my boys. I married a non-sailor, always wanted to get back into it & buy a boat. 

What I did was join OCSC in Berkeley to get all my US Sailing certifications. The best part about it is that they have a number of boats available to charter & it gave me an idea of what kind & size of boat I wanted to buy. Originally, I thought 31' would be perfect. After chartering the different sizes, minimum of 35' now. 

That's the best way to go, even if you don't go through the courses. This particular one has crew lists where you don't need any sailing experience to go on the different boats, you just hop on & crew for someone else.


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## goat (Feb 23, 2014)

RickyT35 said:


> In about 4.5 years I will be retiring. I am not a sailor at this time. I kind of have that dream of living aboard my own sailboat. At this point I have no experience, I will be taking sailing lessons next year. I would like to know the names/kinds (sizes) of some sailboats for one person that I might look at in 3 years to buy with an ability:
> Sailed by one person (me)
> Safe
> Very easy to sail (not a lot of work, I want to relax)
> ...


You should make mention of which country you are from, as you'll find different boats available in South Africa than Finland. Looking at your user name, a Tartan 34 might be a good choice. :^)


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

You mention wanting to live on a boat but you don't indicate where you want this to be. The inclusion of a watermaker suggests you want to live on the boat in places where fresh water is not readily available. We need more information and you need to start with what you want to do with the boat before thinking about models and equipment.


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## Tanski (May 28, 2015)

Learn to sail, do a few charters, buy a smallish boat, deal with the ongoing costs and maintenance then decide if it's the life for you.
Plenty of people dream it, jump in with both feet then decide it's not for them when reality and the dream don't quite match up.
Lots of people see beaches and warm water, relaxing 24/7, few think about rebuilding a toilet (head) in that same location.


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## yalla (Aug 11, 2013)

I'm a newbie, just bought my first boat, a Newport 28.

my idea is to start smallish and work up to something 32'-36'.

I also have the requirement to be able to handle her alone, my wife enjoys sailing but i don't want to put any pressure on her as i am way more enthusiastic.

your dream is as realistic as your definition of "not alot of work, i want to relax" is. sailing takes effort, as does maintenance. I'm assuming for you as for myself that effort will be part of the fun, though i suppose it may seem like work until it becomes more second nature and, well, effortless...

I'm doing this on a budget, and hope to enjoy learning how to and then maintaining my boat and its systems myself.

best of luck, listen to good advice and don't let naysayers deter you.


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## yalla (Aug 11, 2013)

with respect to singlehanding, smaller will be easier. that would tend to keep you in budget as well. 
start looking at boats right away, get a feel for how much size you need.
boats can be sold, if you wind up needing more of less, just trade up or down, though there are of course usually costs when churning boats.


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## ketch05 (Dec 21, 2014)

I would suggest joining a local sailing club to start, sailing dinghies are the best way to learn the basics. Then try to crew on bigger boats, if you still like it and want a buy a boat the very first and fundamental question you have to ask yourself is: what can I realistically do with a boat. You won't find the answer overnight, it is why you need to crew to get the bigger picture. Marinas are full of empty boats that have never seen blue water. Don't fall in the "2 best days of a boat owner" the day you buy and the day you sell.
Fair Winds,
Francis


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