newbie
- Thread starter captG
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odegaard
cAPTN oDIE
Ghost Rider
Planing into eternity...
Is this a trick question? Meh, I'll answer it, got nothin' better to do at the moment. It's better to learn aboard smaller, handier craft, then use your new skills to skipper increasingly larger craft with confidence. Reason being you may find yourself in a jam and NOT know how to get out of it. Maneuvering in a tight docking or mooring area is a good example: if winds are fickle or you otherwise lose control of your boat, she can cause one heckuva lotta damage, and in today's litigious society, guess who'll be on the hook for that damage? Weather helm in marine traffic is another example, many novices don't even understand why they can no longer control the boat as she veers into the path of another craft... not a good scenario, since collisions at sea are inherently dangerous no matter what the boat speed. By learning aboard smaller craft, your edumacation won't be as rough. Granted, you said you have nautical experience aboard power craft, but sail & power are two different animals, though a good skipper can benefit from both. 
As for living aboard a 25' sailboat with your wife, only a glutton for punishment would consider it. You'd both have to be absolute Zen Masters to pull it off, and you'd also have to sacrifice many personal possessions & creature comforts. There isn't much room to stow gear aboard a 25' boat, let alone your personal possessions. Ever cook a meal in a cramped galley aboard a small sailboat? As a bachelor currently weighing the advantages & disadvantages of this lifestyle (with which I'm intimately familiar), I wouldn't even THINK about living aboard any craft less than 34'-36' in length, and would prefer 40' plus... however, some heroes I knew in the past streamlined everything and lived aboard smaller craft to cut slip fees. Those guys were all single, and even then they occasionally griped about the lack of room & stowage. That's something else you should factor into your decision: increased comfort versus higher marina fees & boat insurance costs. That's the big trade-off for many who adopt the liveaboard lifestyle, and it's worth considering... same way full-time RVers consider the sacrifices before they chuck everything and hit the freakin' road.
Of course, you'll get used to storing stuff in your dock box or vehicle, sharing showers on shore, paying for coin-op laundry, BBQing in the marina picnic area, and all that goes with the liveaboard lifestyle. Some guys I knew preferred roomier power craft as "condos on the water"---more room aboard with less length overall, but it's still a power craft, so you're paying out the wazoo for fuel and related expenses. Hell, if I were rich, I'd live aboard a 53' Hatteras and use davits to lower my Laser---the Hatteras would be the tender to my Laser, you understand. But I'm not rich, more's the pity, so that pipe dream is unlikely to happen. I did see a Hatteras on sale for cheap in the Pacific Northwest, but she needed work, and THAT can add up rather quickly, as in "CHA-CHING!!!" My poor wallet would be broken pronto, just like the keel of a ship striking a reef in heavy weather... wallet is thin enough as it is, no need to test my luck any further in sketchy financial ventures. Having said all this, I know some folks truly enjoy the liveaboard lifestyle, it's all about commitment, I assure you... and for couples, whether they're married or simply shacked up aboard, it can be a REAL TEST OF COMMITMENT.
GOOD LUCK!!! I'D SUGGEST TAKING A COURSE OF SAILING INSTRUCTION ABOARD SMALLER CRAFT BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING LARGER... YOU MIGHT SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY THAT WAY, OR DECIDE YOU DEFINITELY NEED A LARGER BOAT.
MAYBE TALK TO SOME LIVEABOARDS DOWN AT YOUR LOCAL CLUB OR MARINA, THEY CAN CERTAINLY CLUE YA IN TO THE LIFESTYLE AND ALL THAT IT ENTAILS...
As for living aboard a 25' sailboat with your wife, only a glutton for punishment would consider it. You'd both have to be absolute Zen Masters to pull it off, and you'd also have to sacrifice many personal possessions & creature comforts. There isn't much room to stow gear aboard a 25' boat, let alone your personal possessions. Ever cook a meal in a cramped galley aboard a small sailboat? As a bachelor currently weighing the advantages & disadvantages of this lifestyle (with which I'm intimately familiar), I wouldn't even THINK about living aboard any craft less than 34'-36' in length, and would prefer 40' plus... however, some heroes I knew in the past streamlined everything and lived aboard smaller craft to cut slip fees. Those guys were all single, and even then they occasionally griped about the lack of room & stowage. That's something else you should factor into your decision: increased comfort versus higher marina fees & boat insurance costs. That's the big trade-off for many who adopt the liveaboard lifestyle, and it's worth considering... same way full-time RVers consider the sacrifices before they chuck everything and hit the freakin' road.
Of course, you'll get used to storing stuff in your dock box or vehicle, sharing showers on shore, paying for coin-op laundry, BBQing in the marina picnic area, and all that goes with the liveaboard lifestyle. Some guys I knew preferred roomier power craft as "condos on the water"---more room aboard with less length overall, but it's still a power craft, so you're paying out the wazoo for fuel and related expenses. Hell, if I were rich, I'd live aboard a 53' Hatteras and use davits to lower my Laser---the Hatteras would be the tender to my Laser, you understand. But I'm not rich, more's the pity, so that pipe dream is unlikely to happen. I did see a Hatteras on sale for cheap in the Pacific Northwest, but she needed work, and THAT can add up rather quickly, as in "CHA-CHING!!!" My poor wallet would be broken pronto, just like the keel of a ship striking a reef in heavy weather... wallet is thin enough as it is, no need to test my luck any further in sketchy financial ventures. Having said all this, I know some folks truly enjoy the liveaboard lifestyle, it's all about commitment, I assure you... and for couples, whether they're married or simply shacked up aboard, it can be a REAL TEST OF COMMITMENT.
GOOD LUCK!!! I'D SUGGEST TAKING A COURSE OF SAILING INSTRUCTION ABOARD SMALLER CRAFT BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING LARGER... YOU MIGHT SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY THAT WAY, OR DECIDE YOU DEFINITELY NEED A LARGER BOAT.
MAYBE TALK TO SOME LIVEABOARDS DOWN AT YOUR LOCAL CLUB OR MARINA, THEY CAN CERTAINLY CLUE YA IN TO THE LIFESTYLE AND ALL THAT IT ENTAILS...
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Ghost Rider
Planing into eternity...
Hmm... just refreshed my CRS memory by Googling "Hatteras 53" and I forgot to specify "Hatteras 53 Convertible"---davits wouldn't cut it on that bad@$$ sportfishing rig, but a small deck boom up forward would do the trick, LOL. 