Sailboats

Arnold

Arnold

Cleared for Takeoff
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
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1,483
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Philadelphia Area
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Display name:
Arnold
I know why would a Luscombe owner be interested in another slow transportation device :D

My lady friend, who loves Lady Luscombe, also wants buy a sailboat. Am I nuts?
 
Of course not. The Sac Arrow grew up around sailboats. Folks owned a Hobie Cat in my HS days. Used to sail the base sailing club boats all the time. Also used to crew on sailboats as a side job.
 
I sailed for a small school in Annapolis before joining the Marines. I owned a couple of sailboats since then but had to move too many times to keep them. I would recommend you look into a Macgregor.

https://macgregorsailors.com/

They are not ocean sailboats but there are good for slow sailing or can be converted to fast motor boating.
 
I love to sail but they are a hassle. If you get one to trailer you might grow tired of rigging it every time. If you leave one in a slip, you will spend half the time cleaning and maintaining it. If you decide to keep it in a slip ask around. There are usually some locals that earn a living cleaning the bottoms of boats and keeping the top side clean as well.
 
Thanks, I was thinking coastal cruiser with possibility of extended cruising (PHL - MIA)
cgrab said:
I sailed for a small school in Annapolis before joining the Marines. I owned a couple of sailboats since then but had to move too many times to keep them. I would recommend you look into a Macgregor.

https://macgregorsailors.com/

They are not ocean sailboats but there are good for slow sailing or can be converted to fast motor boating.
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I was thinking of maybe 30' coastal cruiser. PHL - MIA.
 
Grum.Man said:
I love to sail but they are a hassle. If you get one to trailer you might grow tired of rigging it every time. If you leave one in a slip, you will spend half the time cleaning and maintaining it. If you decide to keep it in a slip ask around. There are usually some locals that earn a living cleaning the bottoms of boats and keeping the top side clean as well.
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Good thoughts, thanks.
 
Arnold said:
Good thoughts, thanks.
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Do you have any sailing experience? If not, you want to get some, whether through a school, or friends with boats before you decide what you want, or if you even like it. Also, do you have a 'crew?' A 30 footer is a handful alone, even for experienced sailors.
 
I sold my sailboat because I spent way more time working on it than sailing it -I did a fair amount of sailing, but it was on other peoples boats...
You might consider crewing for a while to better understand what you are getting into.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I sold my sailboat because I spent way more time working on it than sailing it -I did a fair amount of sailing, but it was on other peoples boats...
You might consider crewing for a while to better understand what you are getting into.
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Sailboat = a very expensive way to go slow.
 
Sail boat:

What you wife says when she wants to start parking her car in the driveway instead of the street.....
 
I just turned down a 'free' sailboat ;-)
 
Arnold said:
My lady friend, who loves Lady Luscombe, also wants buy a sailboat. Am I nuts?
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Yes, but no worse than aviation. :D Like flying, see if you can find a partner. I owned a San Juan 26' for 8 years with another guy and between him and me it used and cleaned and maintained pretty well.

Richard Bach said sailing and flying have much in common. Airplanes give us freedom from time and able to travel great distances in less time and sailboats give us freedom from time as there is very little you can do to go substantially faster than the wind (or something like that)
 
Arnold said:
I know why would a Luscombe owner be interested in another slow transportation device :D

My lady friend, who loves Lady Luscombe, also wants buy a sailboat. Am I nuts?
Click to expand...

Not nuts at all, I've had a few sailboats in the past and belonged to a sailing club for a good number of years. On the two year plan is to re-join the sailing club and look for a nice used Flying Scot.
 
A sailing club is a great way to learn the 'ropes.'
 
You can live on a sailboat, you can’t sail your house, and you (probably) can’t live on your airplane.
 
I ditched aviation for sailing when I moved to a more sailing-friendly location, but I don't want to own a sailboat for similar reasons that I never owned an airplane. I crew on other people's boats and volunteer for an organization that takes disadvantaged kids sailing. I also volunteered on a traditional schooner, but that is suspended for now. Hope to do it again in the future.
 
Arnold, a couple of things despite what everyone else says, Yes you are nuts but that has nothing to do with sailing. As for sailing I've owned a couple of sailboats although nothing as big as you are considering. Before plunking down the coin for sailboat I'd recommend checking out one of the local sailing clubs that have their own boats such as Liberty Sailing Club https://libertysailing.clubexpress.com/ or the Philadelphia Sailing club https://www.philadelphiasailingclub.org/ . There are also a bunch of others just google Philadelphia Area Sailing clubs and at least 4 will pop up.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Do you have any sailing experience? If not, you want to get some, whether through a school, or friends with boats before you decide what you want, or if you even like it. Also, do you have a 'crew?' A 30 footer is a handful alone, even for experienced sailors.
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Yes, some when I was younger. A two year old basics class. I'd hire an instructor until I feel comfortable. FWIW I also have PA boating license.
 
AdamZ said:
Arnold, a couple of things despite what everyone else says, Yes you are nuts but that has nothing to do with sailing. As for sailing I've owned a couple of sailboats although nothing as big as you are considering. Before plunking down the coin for sailboat I'd recommend checking out one of the local sailing clubs that have their own boats such as Liberty Sailing Club https://libertysailing.clubexpress.com/ or the Philadelphia Sailing club https://www.philadelphiasailingclub.org/ . There are also a bunch of others just google Philadelphia Area Sailing clubs and at least 4 will pop up.
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Hi Adam, yes I've gotten lessons from one of those. Not my money so state of mind may not be relevant, but thanks for jumping on that :stirpot:. I think pre-buys on boats are called "surveys?"
 
My kind of sailboat.
watch

One of my Favorite YouTube channels
MV Freedom :)
 
weilke said:
I just turned down a 'free' sailboat ;-)
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The most expensive sailboat you can get is a "free" one. They are often literally money pits to get to sailable condition if they have any issues.

I have had various Sunfins, Lasers, Hobie Cats and a Cal 25 in a slip in Santa Cruz. Traded the boat slip for a hangar when I got the plane and don't miss the amount of Mx and cleaning hat was constantly needed to keep the boat from being floating petri dish of mold and weeds.

Go join a sailing club before you jump feet first into ownership.
 
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I'm a rusty pilot that has been daydreaming about retiring to a cruising life...pretty much started when I stopped flying again because of covid (not wanting to deal with social distancing with the CFI in a rented school airplane).... so my mind drifted... One thing I've struggled with just a bit is balancing my interests.... as much as I'd love to do a little sport flying when I get more time in retirement, living aboard and being mobile kind of throws a wet blanket on that....
maybe I could take a paramotor aboard and fly like Tucker Gott....except off the boat or a nearby beach.... hmmm....
 
Tom-D said:
My kind of sailboat.
watch

One of my Favorite YouTube channels
MV Freedom :)
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Meh... no fun with a big engine. The joy of sailing is catching the wind, feeling the boat heel over and gain speed, and staying in that sweet spot balancing the sails and rudder inputs

Plus, any "real" sailor has inevitably had an experience like this:
 
Tantalum said:
Meh... no fun with a big engine. The joy of sailing is catching the wind, feeling the boat heel over and gain speed, and staying in that sweet spot balancing the sails and rudder inputs
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What I want:

VM6NRZG3OZG6DLJESTLSC2ABZI.jpg


19ft, simple, no engine, light weight, fairly easily driven. Perfect for day sailing on inland lakes.
 
Bill said:
What I want:

VM6NRZG3OZG6DLJESTLSC2ABZI.jpg


19ft, simple, no engine, light weight, fairly easily driven. Perfect for day sailing on inland lakes.
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Fantastic! The bigger the boat gets the more you start to lose the feel of the sailing.. there's a 22' Catalina Capri I rent here, it's perfect for an afternoon sail
 
Tantalum said:
Plus, any "real" sailor has inevitably had an experience like this:
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Had to stop watching.

I'm trimming main (IIRC), sailing downwind, owner/helm is sailing by the lee, spinnaker keeps collapsing on the "wrong" side (duh), owner is yelling at spin trim to do something. I tell him "go up". "What." "Go up, you are by the lee." "What do I do?" "Push it away from you."

Hired gun from the loft is on board, gets light and shifty, owner on the stick. Sailmaker starts calling for sail changes faster than the less than stellar foredeck crew can make them. Finally, they get the foredeck sorted, sails look good, the sailmaker looks around and sees that we are, like, 60 degrees off course for the next mark. "WTF? Why are we going this way?" Owner answers "I was just trying to keep the boat going." Turns the boat to point at the mark and change back to the original headsail.

I don't sail on boats like that anymore.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I'm trimming main (IIRC), sailing downwind, owner/helm is sailing by the lee, spinnaker keeps collapsing on the "wrong" side (duh), owner is yelling at spin trim to do something. I tell him "go up". "What." "Go up, you are by the lee." "What do I do?" "Push it away from you."
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Training, I don't need no stinking training.
 
Tantalum said:
Fantastic! The bigger the boat gets the more you start to lose the feel of the sailing.. there's a 22' Catalina Capri I rent here, it's perfect for an afternoon sail
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Mission Bay? The last time I was in SD I rented a Capri 22 from one of the rental places on Mission Bay. It was a fantastic afternoon!
 
Tantalum said:
Fantastic! The bigger the boat gets the more you start to lose the feel of the sailing.. there's a 22' Catalina Capri I rent here, it's perfect for an afternoon sail
Click to expand...

Another thing I've observed with both power and sail is the bigger the boat, the fewer times it leaves the dock. At some point, the hassle exceeds the pleasure and the big stinkin' thing stays tied to the pier.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Catalina 30 should do the trick... the 172 of sailboats..
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The Catalina 30, especially the tall rig 30, would be a nice 1st boat. Not too expensive, plentiful, yards are familiar with them, and they're still an active builder so I'd imagine spares are not hard to get.
 
cgrab said:
I sailed for a small school in Annapolis before joining the Marines. I owned a couple of sailboats since then but had to move too many times to keep them. I would recommend you look into a Macgregor.

https://macgregorsailors.com/

They are not ocean sailboats but there are good for slow sailing or can be converted to fast motor boating.
Click to expand...

As a friend a few decades ago called them - Tupperware Boats. Press your thumb into one and you'll see what he meant. Now, my Hunter 23.5 (1994 edition) is a far more solid boat. If I only used it sailing now and then...
 
Bill said:
Another thing I've observed with both power and sail is the bigger the boat, the fewer times it leaves the dock. At some point, the hassle exceeds the pleasure and the big stinkin' thing stays tied to the pier.
Click to expand...
Indeed. We went out on a friends 43' the other day. Beautiful boat with all the BG bells and whistles, but it took us 40 minutes just to get off the slip

Like with anything, mission dependent. If you like going for 2-3 week cruising trips then a big boat is in the cards. But for an afternoon on the water, ~20' is great
 
Bill said:
Mission Bay? The last time I was in SD I rented a Capri 22 from one of the rental places on Mission Bay. It was a fantastic afternoon!
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I used to rent there, but now I rent from a place on Harbor Island!
 
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