Starting Off With Sailing, Request Some Guidance.

DJ.Josh.Turner

New Member
Goal is to learn about sailing and how to while maximizing usage and fun.
I learn by doing.
I have triple digits to invest.
The first thought is to get something like a cal22 used and just refresh it.
Then I started wondering and doing research.
It would be easier to have something I can just roll out to the beach.(its a block away)
Something as large as a cal22 would require a slip or to tow. (I can not tow) (nor do i have extra money)
Dinghy I could carry / roll by hand < is going to be most practical in my situation.
Dinghy I can also capsize and self recover, as I am getting involved independently.
Here is my next issue. I would like to be able to relax/sleep/nap on it.
I came across an article talking about camping and such ashore on a dinghy. Witch sounds great for maximizing usage.
I would like something room enough for that and supplies for self sufficiency.
The most probable things I've came across Canoes, Kayak and Dinghy.
The cheapest are Canoes. They are not fitted to sail, but I can outfit it myself. (within budget)
Honestly that would significantly increase my expertise in the subject. << the way I see it.
That brings us to the point of topic, what are some more experienced opinions on this?
 
Well, I am a bit confused as to exactly what you want to do:confused:. Your stated goal is t learn about sailing, do a lot of it and have fun, nothing hard to understand about that:rolleyes:. So, to that end I would suggest you find a sloop rigged boat which will allow you to develop skills that will easily transfer to any sloop rig from the smallest to the largest:). Sloops, as I believe, are the most common boat rig on the water.


As for the multiple uses you plan, I find it hard to recommend any specific boat. You will learn few directly transferable sailing skills, in my humble opinion, by rigging a canoe or kayak into a sailing vessel;). Yep, you can sail them but they are not sail boats - they are canoes and kayaks designed for completely different purposes. While any boat can be used for multiple purposes there is no “one design fits all needs” boats that I can think of.


If you are most interested in sailing then you need the boat to be light. When you load down a small boat with camping gear don’t expect it to perform very well. With that said, if you plan to pile a load of camping gear into a small boat you may want to consider a boat with a dry cubby. If the boat turns over everything will go overboard. If you fill the cockpit with lashed down gear you will rapidly run out of space and may find the boat impossible to right the boat if it goes over:mad:.


With the size restrictions you impose you will have a problem finding a boat you can sleep on, Sure, if you are like me with most of your life behind you sleep will occur anywhere at any time and often with little warning but to be able to stretch out and do a serious nap or an overnight "for sure sleep" while a planning on a boat that you can roll or drag around requires a great deal of imagination. I have a Capri 14.2 and it is not the easiest thing to launch without a car and trailer and I would not consider intentionally sleeping on the boat.


The only advice I can offer is probably not what you want to hear but, as usual, I will pin my thoughts on this subject. First, you need to make a decision as to specifically what you want to do. Is your “primary” interest in sailing, relaxing on the water or camping on some remote shore? Let me assume that posting your question on this forum indicates that your real interest is sailing. If this is the case find a small boat (preferably a sloop if you have interest in moving up at some point in the future) that is ready to sail (not work on) and one that you can launch single handed and get out there and sail. As has been posted on this forum before, see what others in your area are sailing and find something that hopefully matches the majority of the boats in your sailing area. Be sire to see which boats are being sailed not just the most of one kind setting on the lot of in the slips.


A sailing loaner? Don’t overlook the advantages of sailing with others. Finding sailing buddies will provide help moving your boat or launching. You will find you learn much more in a shorter time by sipping a glass of “adult juice” at the end of the sailing day with your new found friends going over the great great times you had; the things you did right and those moves that could stand a little improvement.


Finally, if sailing is your interest then find the quickest, the easiest, the way that best fits your budget and then get on with it! Life is too short not start sailing today; I should have started 75 years ago...
 
:p yes the goal is to become skilled enough to captain my own larger cruising vessel.
It sounds like a cal22 or something similar would be in my best interest then. I'm sure a neighbor of mine would not mind towing it 5 min to launch it for me in exchange for an adventure.
I have been trying to get involved for the past three years now.
 
The first question is are you involved or committed – there is a big difference? A bacon and egg sandwich illustrates the difference. The hog is fully committed and the chicken is only involved:eek:. Where are you between these two extremes? If it can be assumed you are committed to “learning the ropes”, so to speak, then owning your own boat isn't necessarily the first step you need to take:). Start hanging out at marinas where there are a lot of sailboats. Make acquaintances with sailors with similar interests; offer to crew; if nothing else offer to help them clean their boat. Eventually someone will offer you a ride. Once on board demonstrate you interest in sailing and be the very best deck hand they have ever seen while staying out of the way. Demonstrate your sailing knowledge by understanding every aspect of sailing not by trying to tell them how smart you are but by showing them:rolleyes:. If you are not highly knowledgeable about every part of the boat, how to trim sails, etc. then it is time to hit the books and smarten-up:oops:. There are countless “how to” books available as well as tons of sailing information on the internet. Is this your heart’s desire, your “commitment” or are you simply “involved”?;)


I suspect just about any sloop in the 22 to 24 foot range would be a great starting place. As a beginner you don’t need a perfect boat and the sails don’t need to be new and crisp. You will not be competitive if you enter regattas which I suggest you do for the experience not for the trophy:eek:. Much can be learned by simply watching the boats around you during a race. The objective should be to learn how to handle a boat and how to sail your boat to its maximum potential regardless of the boats capability. Avoid taking the approach of buying a boat, jumping on and expecting the successful sailing skills to just happen. Good sailors are good students. Study every sailing book you can get your hands on and apply what you learn every time you go to sail. These steps should get you to your goal sooner rather than later. Be committed…;)
 
Buy a used Sunfish, laser, Mirror, etc., and invest your time. When you can sail a Sunfish well, moving up to a larger boat is easy.
 

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