# I might be crazy, but. . .



## richeperkin (Sep 26, 2010)

About six weeks ago I had a revelation. I don't want to live in Las Vegas any more, in my 3-bedroom condo, working for one of the shows on the strip. 

Actually, I've known that for a while. About five of the six years I've lived here I've known it. I want to be a writer, and go wherever I feel like, and I've been working on that for a couple of years now. What I realized mid-August is that I want to live on a boat. 

I did a bit of sailing when I was about twelve, on a small lake in southern England somewhere. Once a week for about twelve weeks we went out, and more often and not tried to capsize 16' boats that were almost uncapsizable. I also rented a 42' Catalina for my 24th Birthday and bummed around Tortola for the day with 11 friends. That's about all the sailing experience I have. 

I worked on cruise ships for three years (in the theatre), and being in the desert is tough. I miss the ocean, the feel of the waves, and the fact that every sunrise and sunset has the same backdrop.

I'm giving myself five years to publish, save up the cash, and make the move to living on my own boat (I'm fixated on 42' Catalina's right now). I'm just on here for advice, or to be slapped back to reality, or encouraged, and just to find out what I'm getting myself in to.

So hi, this is me introducing myself!


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## Matvolver (Sep 27, 2010)

hee-hee, I understand completely wanting to get on a boat and sail around writing! Being in the same boat (figuratively speaking), I support this idea!  
As to the boat, all I would remind you of is that the bigger it is, the more you have to clean and the more the maintenance will cost you


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## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

Welcome aboard:

So you came to a sailing forum to get talked out of going sailing?

Good luck with that one...

*GO FOR IT!*


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

Crimeny....the 3rd thread in a week about a 40+ foot Catalina. 

All kidding aside, can you elaborate what type of sailing you intend on doing? Do you plan on living aboard your boat? 

If so, what type of liveaboard style do you envision....all of your time in marinas with the convenience of shore power? Or more tilted towards being on the hook away from dockside power and water? 

What about your intended grounds? USA? Caribbean or Mexico? Further afar?

Do you intend to just go island to island, or do you intend to cross oceans or make long passages (defined as beyond the longest range weather forecast) often? 

All else...how much cash do you have on hand for your boat buy and how much ongoing scratch will you have for maintenance. Realize that the C42 is a $150k - $300k boat in decent condition...and expect 10% maintenance annually on a newer boat and up to 25% annually on an older boat.


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## ClaireFAISE (Sep 21, 2010)

I've had similar revelations in college :] They're amazing, aren't they?

Enjoy your new life and welcome to the forums!


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## richeperkin (Sep 26, 2010)

I plan on living aboard, and for the first year exploring the west coast (my family live in Oregon, and I've got friends in Seattle and Portland who have made me promise to stop by. Puget Sound and Galapagos are on the list (I'm a scuba diver). Then at some point I'll just. . .take off. Work my way round the world.

I think I'm mostly fixated on the C42 because of spending a day on one, and remembering how gorgeous it was. I also heard they can be managed single-handed, which is probably most of the sailing I intend to do (although people are already booking themselves on board for a week or two, even though this is five years distant). I've done a little research into the cost of the C42s, which is why I'm giving myself five years to get to the point I can do all this! Five years to sell a couple of books, save up, and learn what I can about sailing and boat repairs.

The ongoing scratch will all depend on how good a writer I am!

Thanks for the welcome, and sorry in advance if I ask any silly questions in the next year or two while I getting into this (I'm already on my second reading of David Seidman's 'The Complete Sailor,' best I can do until I get out to the coast next year).


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## dhays (Jul 9, 2010)

richeperkin said:


> I plan on living aboard, and for the first year exploring the west coast (my family live in Oregon, and I've got friends in Seattle and Portland who have made me promise to stop by. Puget Sound and Galapagos are on the list (I'm a scuba diver). Then at some point I'll just. . .take off. Work my way round the world.
> 
> I think I'm mostly fixated on the C42 because of spending a day on one, and remembering how gorgeous it was. I also heard they can be managed single-handed, which is probably most of the sailing I intend to do (although people are already booking themselves on board for a week or two, even though this is five years distant). I've done a little research into the cost of the C42s, which is why I'm giving myself five years to get to the point I can do all this! Five years to sell a couple of books, save up, and learn what I can about sailing and boat repairs.


Good luck with your dreams. Here are some thoughts...

From your post, it doesn't sound like you have ever once slept on board a boat, and now you are planning on living on board? There are a lot of things that you would need to adapt to, sleeping, using the head, cooking in the galley, even showering on board is a different experience. Even on a Catalina 42, which is a very comfortable boat, it is a LOT different than living in a 3 bedroom condo.

Sailing off the West Coast is not a simple proposition. Just sailing from Seattle to Portland is a major endeavor with weather a constant concern. Crossing the Columbia Bar is not something I would like to count on. You will need to be a LOT more experienced a sailor before venturing out into the Pacific even for brief sails from Northern CA and North.

Finally, while I like Catalinas a lot, that is not the boat I would choose to fulfill your dreams. While they can do ocean crossings, it isn't the type of boat I would pick for that purpose. I just bought a Catalina 400 and love it, but I don't intend blue water sailing.


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

richeperkin said:


> I plan on living aboard, and for the first year exploring the west coast (my family live in Oregon, and I've got friends in Seattle and Portland who have made me promise to stop by. Puget Sound and Galapagos are on the list (I'm a scuba diver). Then at some point I'll just. . .take off. Work my way round the world.
> 
> I think I'm mostly fixated on the C42 because of spending a day on one, and remembering how gorgeous it was. I also heard they can be managed single-handed, which is probably most of the sailing I intend to do (although people are already booking themselves on board for a week or two, even though this is five years distant). I've done a little research into the cost of the C42s, which is why I'm giving myself five years to get to the point I can do all this! Five years to sell a couple of books, save up, and learn what I can about sailing and boat repairs.
> 
> ...


If you plan on going "around the world" like this, then I'd strongly suggest not going the route of the Catalina 42...or any "production" large boat. As has been said in other parts of this thread, yes...the C42 *can* make passages across oceans. But she'll certainly let you know that she doesn't like it.

The C42 wasn't designed for this kind of voyaging. She's a boat designed to sail within easy reach of safe harbor. Now if you'd said sailing the West Coast, Puget Sound, etc,etc...then *great* boat for that purpose. In fact, dare I say it, a perfect boat for that purpose.

But you say you want to make the passage to the Galapagos and then go across the world. This means weeks and weeks at sea...open ocean well out of range of weather forecasts. The very features that probably endear you to the C42 would be a liability on such a passage...things like lots of big ports and open/airy interior.

For the kind of cruising you wish to do, it would likely be recommended that you choose a true bluewater cruiser...such as one from this (non-comprehensive) list.

Mahina Expedition - Offshore Cruising Instruction

Modern makers of bluewater boats (brand new boats)
Pacific Seacraft
Hallberg-Rassy
Cabo Rico
Valiant
Calibers
Passports
Najad
Norstar (Nordic reincarnated)
etc.

Expect to re-evaluate your plans or your budget or your means of acquiring budget after searching yachtworld for the pricing on new boats of the previously mentioned makers. Of these, I think the Caliber is the only one in my budget range!


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## richeperkin (Sep 26, 2010)

thanks for the info. I looked at some of the boats you listed, and apparently I'm not so fixated on Catalinas. . .some of them are gorgeous.

The nice thing about it right now is I'm starting my plans, so nothing's set. I'm sure a lot's going to change in the next five years (hells, I just changed what model boat I wanted in three days of being on this forum), but I'm going to go for it cos life's too short to worry about what if. I've already spent the past five years doing that in Vegas, which isn't the best place for introspection!


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