Where do I start?

[2chelleigh]

I am 45 single female, sold my house and want to live on a boat. I have the Virginia boating license and have rented a little 19 ft boat to fish and snorkel in Keys and that is the extent of my experience. What courses should I take and what size/ type of boat should I consider that one person alone can manage?

 

[sarabande]

2C - this forum is based in the UK, not USA, though there re many American members.

Cruisers forum is US based and might be a better start point.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/

Best of luck.

 

[Sandyman]

Please post picture of boat Only kidding

 

[Ludd]

Even after soliciting advice from all sources, stop and think about what YOU want. Do you want a sailing boat , motor boat? Do want to stay basically in one place , or do you want to be mobile?
Do you dream of distant shores?
Everyone has a different idea of the ideal boat. Why not also join a crewing site( like "Findacrew") and try different boating styles before committing to what is a big decision?
Maybe there is a yacht club near you that offers crewing opportunities.
Good luck,and yes, DO post a picture of the boat you settle for! Oh, and welcome to the forum!!

 

[nortada]

Even after soliciting advice from all sources, stop and think about what YOU want. Do you want a sailing boat , motor boat? Do want to stay basically in one place , or do you want to be mobile?
Do you dream of distant shores?
Everyone has a different idea of the ideal boat. Why not also join a crewing site( like "Findacrew") and try different boating styles before committing to what is a big decision?
Maybe there is a yacht club near you that offers crewing opportunities.
Good luck,and yes, DO post a picture of the boat you settle for! Oh, and welcome to the forum!!

Hi Ludd,

Excellent post.

All I would add is don't rush in. Tarry a while and look around so you can firm-up what you really want; based on what you have seen.

 

[Sybarite]

Once you have a short list try chartering before buying.

I had an idea of the boat I wanted but changed my mind after a couple of weeks on it.

 

[2chelleigh]

Thank you, all helpful information, did not realize this was Uk forum and had never heard of find a crew.

 

[TQA]

First welcome to the liveaboard community. I have been a full time liveaboard for 14 years and it is a great life.

Courses are useful and if you intend to charter from a big company a paper certificate helps. But you can learn as much from an experienced sailor helping you sail your own boat and in a much shorter time. The kind of sailing a cruiser does is not rocket science, 99% of the time it is common sense. If possible start your sailing life on a mooring, you can have multiple attempts at picking it up and nothing gets hit. If you are in a marina there are lots of very expensive things to get damaged.

How big? Well I am 69 and single hand a 44 ft cutter out in the Eastern Caribbean some of the time. I think this is about as big as I can manage. But I suggest you look at boats around 30 ft and STRONGLY recommend you at least look at a Catalina 30 before you buy anything. The Catalina 30 is a popular boat there are lots around, there are web sites and forums devoted to Catalina 30s and the Factory is still in business. The interior layout is much better than similar size boats and they sail well. NB there are several versions based on the type of keel and height of the mast. The interior also has some differences. Tell us where you want to sail and we can recommend which version to buy. Which ever version you buy make sure it has a diesel. If you decide to sell it diesel sailboats are MUCH easier to sell than petrol engined ones. Do a search on Yachtworld for one close to you. Before you go and look at any boat buy this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Caseys-Compl...plete+illustrated+sailboat+maintenance+manual

and study the section on inspecting an old boat.

When you go and look at a boat have a list of things to look at and take a zillion pics using a selfie stick to get into awkward places.

If you get some naysayers read Shrimpy by Shane Acton it is available on the internet as a PDF file and or the exploits of the Bumfuzzles https://www.bumfuzzle.com/2003/09/

Oh yes you don't need a buyers broker whatever they say and under no circumstances buy a wooden boat even if it is very pretty and very cheap.

 

[2chelleigh]

Thank you much, I will def read the book and pdf you suggested. Having lived on east coast my whole life, there is a degree of comfort knowing I could begin in safer waters of ICW and venture further as I gain experence. The few weeks I rented the boat in FL Keys probably raised more doubts than raised my confidence. A choppy day plus a crowded reef, tying to mooring even with my son and his girlfriend there to assist was tricky since it was my first experience. Same scenario getting gas at marina, nerve wracking 'learning' with so much property at stake. Next I had a liveaboard tell me she never anchors, she always makes her husband because she did not want to return to find her boat had drifted away. I want to liveaboard to be mobile and know moorings are not always available. So what I would really like is to gain experience before jumping into it a total novice. The Virginia boating license course was online and basic safety on water, not how to anything or hands on.

 

[RAI]

Welcome, you have started right by asking for advice. You need to crew with some experienced sailing instructors/trainers for a week or two. Over here there are RYA certified instructors to turn to, I expect there will be the equivalent in the US.
As to what sort of boat to live aboard, that is a wide spectrum from house boats to speed boats, your choice depends on what sort of motoring or sailing you want to do. It sounds like you are thinking motor boats rather than sail boats. They are generally easier to handle and offer more live-ability in the same length. Sail boats have more ocean crossing capability.
Best of luck.

 

[doug748]

........... So what I would really like is to gain experience before jumping into it a total novice. The Virginia boating license course was online and basic safety on water, not how to anything or hands on.

Sounds like you have made a great start. Hire the boat again and use it as much as you can, you can learn a lot on a small boat. Particularly as you are a diver and fisher.

If you also seek out a sailing club you will find there are often lots of boats needing crew, it's a grand way to learn. I wouldn't jump in to buy a boat too soon.

You can learn a lot on YouTube. These folks started from scratch last year (...but they have bitten off rather a lot buying a neglected boat - watch and learn):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28xdvm0cDF7ab47-W4U35g/videos?view=0&sort=da&flow=grid

Good luck.