Long-time lurker introducing himself...

[DevDoc]

Hi All,

Apologies for not doing this sooner, but I have had a ton of fun (vicariously) soaking in the wisdom offered on this site.

I've hesitated to introduce myself earlier because I'm a relative noob when it comes to piloting larger vessels, and until recently, it was just fun to follow your journeys. However, now that I'm approaching retirement I know my fondest memories are of being on the water when I could. At age 62, and in good health, I've been hoping I could spend at least 10-15 years trying to recapture the life on the water that I've only tasted briefly. It's kind of embarrassing to admit my lack of experience to such a salty crowd, but I'm looking for guidance. I'm aware that there is much to master, but I have an aptitude for learning and am quite handy with DIY.

I keep thinking that maybe I'm not crazy to imagine a cruising life for a decade or so. I've taken seamanship courses and such but lack practical experience. Any thoughts how I might get started? Or is this idea crazy-talk?

Thanks,

Jay

 

[Blissboat]

Welcome aboard, Jay. If you weren't already crazy, you wouldn't be on this site in the first place, so that ship has sailed.

Where in the world is Harrison?

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard.

 

[jwag956]

Welcome aboard - we jumped in last year - retired 60 somethings - not that much time to soak it all in. While I can wish we grew up with boating in our blood - that simply wasn't the case - so no time to lose. There are so many variables - on the one hand - being able to narrow things down is useful - however - the main advice I can give is ... get out and look at boats for sale - whatever type - get down there - get ON BOARD - take pictures - go home and study. For us - though we had narrowed our search way down - each time on board changed our perspective...
6 months later we were happy boat owners - was there work to do .. yes ... was there unexpected maintenance... yes ... did we enjoy our first year... ABSOLUTELY....

Good luck - keep us informed!

 

[fgarriso]

Welcome Aboard !

 

[Old Sea Dog]

Welcome aboard!
It is never too late......'til it's over.

 

[DevDoc]

Thanks All for the warm welcome! Harrison is a northern suburb of NYC that is quite close to the LI Sound. Glad to hear that it's not too late. Getting into boating seems like a chicken/egg problem: finding a boat, getting insurance, finding a slip/mooring...especially for a newbie like me. I'm looking for a vessel that can be relatively stable as my wife has a tendancy towards motion sickness. So the idea was to look for something like a PC or a stabilized monohull.

I've been impressed with the stability of canoe stern hulls in PCs like Domino or some of the other Tennant designs. They seem efficient and sea kindly. This one caught my eye, but it's on the wrong side of the country . It also showed up in the "Interesting Boats" thread.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1993-malcolm-tennant-awesome-8609853/

It's not a small boat, so I would need to hire a captain for a while (a year?) to learn all the systems and handling (and get insurance). In any case, I've learned that transporting such a vessel to the east coast would likely cost 20% or so of the asking price. Or I need to move to Tacoma .

I guess I need to keep looking...

Cheers,

Jay

 

[OBXSkipper]

Welcome Jay, everyone comes aboard with more questions than answers. There isn't a place I've found on the web with a better body of knowledge than the group we have here. My advice is don't buy your last boat first. Bit of a learning curve to this whole boating thing, but lotsa enjoyable memories as well. Good Luck

 

[READY]

Welcome Jay. As long as you have the desire, physical ability, time and funds it is never too late. My suggestion is to try to set up some discussions with seasoned boaters. Identify how you would like to use the boat and see if that is realistic. I would really want to get time on the water as a couple BEFORE you even start looking at boats. Your spouse's comfort and enjoyment is a huge consideration. Check out some of the local yacht clubs as many power boat owners are delighted to take out folks considering a boat purchase. If you share the fuel expense that is even better!

While you likely will get mostly great advice here I would not let that be a substitute for time on the water.

 

[DevDoc]

Thanks all. The idea of buying a smaller vessel as a beginner makes sense, but I worry that if the boat is too small it will get too moved around, my wife will get turned off by the experiment and deem it unworkable because of lack of stability.This happened when I joined one of the local boating clubs. We took out their dual console and center console fishing boats onto LI Sound. She said it was fun, but too much motion on a smaller boat. We've been on dive boats that were larger and that seemed to be better. I figured that a stabilized monohull or a PC with fine entry were my best bet to make this an adventure that both can live with. That generally means a bigger boat ;-)

 

[Lepke]

Sometimes you need to bite the bullet and just do it.
My first boat was 65'. I was 13 and bought it at auction. Without my parents permission. After the shouting and threats, they accepted the fact. But I come from a maritime family. It was easy to learn, I had no accidents and dockage was 50¢/ft. Besides school, I had jobs on the river. My current boat is 83'. Besides comfort, it's big enough for a washer and dishwasher. And longer boats are easier to push thru the water. Look up hull speed. Many of the posters with small boats are looking to increase speed or engine hp. Later they're looking for ways to increase mileage. 10 knots is my economy speed.

My suggestion would be buy the boat you want. If necessary hire a captain to give on the job training. Buying a small boat will just give you experience in being uncomfortable. If you wife doesn't like it, and if she's like most women, she'll make your life hell until the boat is gone. My wife gave me an ultimatum. I let her go 40 years ago. I never looked back. I got a dog.

 

[fgarriso]

Thanks all. The idea of buying a smaller vessel as a beginner makes sense, but I worry that if the boat is too small it will get too moved around, my wife will get turned off by the experiment and deem it unworkable because of lack of stability.This happened when I joined one of the local boating clubs. We took out their dual console and center console fishing boats onto LI Sound. She said it was fun, but too much motion on a smaller boat. We've been on dive boats that were larger and that seemed to be better. I figured that a stabilized monohull or a PC with fine entry were my best bet to make this an adventure that both can live with. That generally means a bigger boat ;-)

You are correct that a larger boat is more stable, but I wonder if you are going past your comfort level in boat handling. Also, expenses will go up as the size goes up.

 

[Comodave]

Thanks all. The idea of buying a smaller vessel as a beginner makes sense, but I worry that if the boat is too small it will get too moved around, my wife will get turned off by the experiment and deem it unworkable because of lack of stability.This happened when I joined one of the local boating clubs. We took out their dual console and center console fishing boats onto LI Sound. She said it was fun, but too much motion on a smaller boat. We've been on dive boats that were larger and that seemed to be better. I figured that a stabilized monohull or a PC with fine entry were my best bet to make this an adventure that both can live with. That generally means a bigger boat ;-)

When I used to sell boats I always told people to get the boat they wanted first off. Buying a smaller boat to learn on will cost a small fortune and it still won’t be the boat you want. Do your homework and then buy the boat that you want and can afford. And then take the time to learn how to handle it properly. Take some classes. Chances are that the insurance company will require you to hire a captain for some period of time anyway so use that time to learn. And have fun. Good luck.

 

[jwag956]

Thanks all. The idea of buying a smaller vessel as a beginner makes sense, but I worry that if the boat is too small it will get too moved around, my wife will get turned off by the experiment and deem it unworkable because of lack of stability.This happened when I joined one of the local boating clubs. We took out their dual console and center console fishing boats onto LI Sound. She said it was fun, but too much motion on a smaller boat. We've been on dive boats that were larger and that seemed to be better. I figured that a stabilized monohull or a PC with fine entry were my best bet to make this an adventure that both can live with. That generally means a bigger boat ;-)

New boating couple here - 18 months in with a 42'. Something to consider is what role you want/expect your spouse to play - for our 42' (and we are new boaters) my wife is an integral part of the crew - in fact - since for whatever reason I usually pilot into dock - she actually has the harder job of getting off the boat and getting our first lines on. The type of boat, freeboard, maneuverability around the boat are important - and things she probably hasn't really considered. If she is thinking she will be a passenger - that too will help define the size, type, features of a boat you will want to be able to single hand.

If she is a willing participant don't underestimate the stress and anxiety of being the lines person when you haven't done it, you have a big boat that you can't 'manhandle', etc. Get HER some captain/boat handling lessons - and find someone who specializes in couples.

As for 'boat movement' - does she get seasick? or is she anxious about safety in the boat - very different things with different possible solutions...

Good luck!

 

[DevDoc]

Regarding my lovely wife, she would want to be involved (that's just the way she is). The issue has been motion sickness. That said, she is a stickler for safety and a larger boat (if well sorted and piloted) would be a plus for her. We've both worked hard at our careers and are financially able to go bigger for our starter boat (and hire a captain for the time it takes for us to get comfortable with handling and system maintenance). My 92 year old father keeps reminding me that we have more $$ than time. So while we are healthy, I would want to give it our best shot at success the first time around. Who knows what what the future may have in store for us...

So I keep coming back to this Malcolm Tennant PC. I must admit to being heavily influenced by reading Beebe's VUP and the experience of Klee Wyck and his PC Domino. The Tennant designs are sea kindly and have long legs (efficient hulls and large tanks). That said, I've not laid eyes on the vessel and maybe there are more problems than meets the eye.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1993-malcolm-tennant-awesome-8609853/

It is located on the West coast but it could come with a mooring that over 3 years (time before we could start cruising full time) would amount to $27K (much less than the cost of shipping the vessel to our neck of the woods). It needs some work, so part of that time it would be on the hard getting some work done. Moreover, we would be interested in cruising the waters of BC, Alaska, and eventually the SOC. That would be a great way to start our adventure.

Sorry...I'm getting ahead of myself.

In any case...I hope this better explains our situation. I really appreciate the feedback so far. I'm thinking that I might not be crazy after all.

Cheers,

Jay