Beginner sail

mark Rocco

New Member
Hello every one I'm new to sailing. Have had power boats before..but sailing was what i always wanted to do. I will be going for sailing lesson some time in May of this year . In the mean time I'm at the library getting what ever books and DVD's they have. The school I'll be going to is in South port NC.... it is an ASA school so I would just like to get your thoughts on this
I don't own a boat now . What i have done is just look and read about the boats that i either like or some of my friends have. The one I'm thinking of is a Catalina....as far as how big I'm not sure right now....so please tell me what you know and what i should know or any thing that pertains to sailing.... places to look for boats ect.... so thank you for your time hope to hear from some of you
Mark Rocco
 
Catalinas are good boats, but some have shortcomings that you should be aware of.
How many passengers will you have? solo?
Will you be sailing on a lake, ocean or both?
Will you want to trailer your boat to different areas?
Do you want a project or ready to sail boat?
Consider finding a sailing club and volunteering to crew on their boats before you buy one.
How supportive is your wife, girl friend or both?
How much do you want to spend annually for dock fees , maintenance, repairs, fuel tags, taxes, etc.?
Research several boats that interest you to determine their advantages/disadvantages.
Your physical condition may influence your purchase.
Hopefully other members can chime in with important considerations that you can think about and will help narrow your deliberations.
 
Catalinas are good boats, but some have shortcomings that you should be aware of.
How many passengers will you have? solo?
Will you be sailing on a lake, ocean or both?
Will you want to trailer your boat to different areas?
Do you want a project or ready to sail boat?
Consider finding a sailing club and volunteering to crew on their boats before you buy one.
How supportive is your wife, girl friend or both?
How much do you want to spend annually for dock fees , maintenance, repairs, fuel tags, taxes, etc.?
Research several boats that interest you to determine their advantages/disadvantages.
Your physical condition may influence your purchase.
Hopefully other members can chime in with important considerations that you can think about and will help narrow your deliberations.
Thank you Dough i will check out sailing clubs in the area. I'm single 64 yr's young. i go to the gym four times a week and ride my bike three day a wk. I did own a 24ft power boat that i would trailer around and put her off and on the trailer my self . At best there might be one other person on boat I plan on sailing the ICW and just off shore. I have been looking at the 27 & 30ft boat. I have also looked at Hunters and O'day It is still a ways off that i will be buying a boat . If i do decide to dock the boat I'm sure that i will do plenty of research. I would rather buy a boat that is ready to sail. I live in Wilmington NC so I'm sure there will be some boat clubs around . I have always found the best advice is just talking to people and asking question. Thank you very much for your feed back mark rocco
 
Mark, if you have never sailed before, and even if you have, I am a big fan of small boats. It is not always easy to come up with a crew, especially on short notice. Frequently, the breeze cannot be predicted so I often find myself with perfect conditions and no one that is available. Over the years, (50+ sailing) I've found that a boat in the smaller range, 14-23' allow me to go out whenever I like, crew or not. You're not going to be trailering anything in the 27-30 foot range, rigging, launching, and sailing by yourself. Raising the mast on a 30' boat is not a one person operation. Even sailing a 27-30' on the ICW can be a challenging proposition especially docking solo.

I really believe that all sailors should start out on small boats that they single hand. You might consider a daysailer type boat in the 14-16' size. Sit in cockpit, motor mount for a small outboard or trolling motor, and either cat rigged, or sloop. Take a look at the Catalina, Hunter, Precision, American Sail, boats in that range. Low investment, great performance, trailerable by any vehicle, no dock fees, sail solo or take 2-3 adults with you. Good luck.
 
I am 67 years old and sail my Capri 14.2 solo most of the time. If you use common sense while out on the water, the 14.2 is a great boat for sailors our age. I always head for the trailer when the wind hits about 10 knots; I want to sail not swim.
My 14.2 is old but mint, and I have about $2000 in it, including a nice trailer. You should be able to pick up a clean 14.2 for well under what I have in mine. If you would like to contact me direct and talk about sailing, feel free to do so at [email protected].
If you ever get out to Southern California, I'll take you out sailing. Greg
 
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I am 67 years old and sail my Capri 14.2 solo most of the time. If you use common sense while out on the water, the 14.2 is a great boat for sailors our age. I always head for the trailer when the wind hits about 10 knots; I want to sail not swim.
My 14.2 is old but mint, and I have about $2000 in it, including a nice trailer. You should be able to pick up a clean 14.2 for well under what I have in mine. If you would like to contact me direct and talk about sailing, feel free to do so at [email protected].
If you ever get out to Southern California, I'll take you out sailing. Greg
thank you Greg..i don't know if I'll get out to southern Cal but thank you for the offer and info mark
 

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