BEFORE BUYING A SAILBOAT - THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE - Ep 231 - Lady K Sailing

My wife would probably be more upset finding out that I'm watching this than if she caught me with another woman! But I can't help myself: I just moved to Mallorca, I'm surrounded by sail boats and I want to learn....and eventually buy one. Thanks for helping to spark the interest.

Clearly experienced advice but patience and solid ability to read the water will allow most of the Bahamas. Carried two different sail boats with 6.5 draft (rating, usually 6'8" with all the "necessary") with about 10 years in the islands. Did have to live by the tide chart and took two tries to get from Long Island to the Jamentos and spent an interesting evening sitting "somewhere" on the banks in the Turks in Caicos. Current side drift got us both times. Cold beer helped.

For a first time sailboat and also a solo sailor. What are your thoughts on steel boats good or bad. ???

Just fantastic info! Wish you had more on catamaran purchases...

my wife and I have NEVER Sailed! We are thinking about buying a newer 45 - 51 Beneteau. Do I need a license of some sort of Certification course before my purchase or can I just take off and give it a go? Thanks S

love the video thank you so much for it

Great channel ! a must to folllow ..!

"I always need reverse but, that's my goal".

If you have a deeper keel, can't you still visit these shallow places by anchoring offshore and taking your dinghy onto shore?

You're content is top-drawer! BZ! When I need a surveyor, you're the guy. I'm X-Navy and I've spent several years at sea and loved every minute of it. Ever since I moved back to cenn penn, the sea has been calling me back. One of my children has finished college and is moving abroad and the other is in the middle of college. Your knowledgeable and insightful content has lit the fires in my boilers and has me making preparations to get underway once again.

Its not one hand for the boat but both hands for the video.

The section on sleep amused me as, on my last voyage I learned I could sleep in the fore berth whilst underway with my legs leaving the mattress as we came off every wave. I was also thrown bodily from the settee in the saloon. Woke up in the air and managed to land on my feet and holding onto the galley rail!

We had a 43' But with family of 6 it was small.

Nice video

What about an adjustable center board keel?

I can’t even afford the down payment on a pickup truck right now. What profession do you folks have that you can afford a $140,000 sailboat?

Granted I’m supporting a family of 4 on a single income. Is sailing the islands mostly for singles and couples? Or are there entire families on your sailboats? What do sailors do for health insurance for their kids? Retirement savings?

I suppose I just have so many questions regarding the transition from a 9-5 life supporting kids to a life at sea.

Merci. ( a french man)

Is buying a sailing boat from U.K is cheaper than U.S ?

How weird is it that you did this episode right around the time I was wondering if Tim had ever done or will do “A beginners guide to buying a sailboat!”
Just so happens my goal is to be on a full time live aboard by summer/fall of 2024…
I needed this info! Been binge watching you since I discovered your channel! And I will definitely check out “historsea!”
Any blue water boats that are also race worthy?
Thx bro!!!

It would be nice to have a video fairly soon on how much of this is applicable to motor yachts. It would also be nice to have side comments for motor yacht buyers

Thank you for your Beginners Guide. We are still looking for our future sailing yachts and are grateful for any information. Warm greetings from Germany from two future circumnavigators.

Tim, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying your videos. Keep up the good work!

I’m curious if you have any thoughts on Caliber Yachts, in particular the 40LRC. They seem to be very much in the mold of Island Packets, with a few nice improvements (such as exposed and easily visible chain plates!). We are in the PNW AND nearing retirement age, and looking for a solid boat for sailing up and down the west coast and probably into the Caribbean eventually. From what I’ve seen, Caliber seems to check the boxes for safety, interior space and relatively easy sailing. But I’m no expert! Thoughts? Possible subject for a video?

Consider that smaller slips are often easier to find than slips for bigger boats. Many marinas I have seen have much shorter waiting lists for smaller slips than for big slips. In may places you could be waiting years for a slip for a 40-45 footer.

777

Great content and production. Sometimes I see a boat for sale in Europe (I’m American). What is the process to buy a boat in a European country sail it there and then cross the Atlantic and breath it at home in the US. Thanks

Very informative. Thanks. Can you do an episode about issues/costs for Canadians buying a boat in US vs Canada. Do you have to register it in Canada and pay HST and tariffs - or can you keep it US flagged to cruise the Caribbean?

Still don’t understand why your subscriber count is so low. The information given is outstanding and invaluable. I’d say this might be the most underrated channel in the YT sailing community.

Hi Tim
I would love to thank you for all the efforts you are putting in your both channels, it is really packed with solid information 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I been a power boating guy all my 40+ boating life, I owned a25 feet and 70feet and everything in between
My question what shall I expect if I decide to convert to sail boats?

Hi Tim. I liked this video. I felt like it was taken from our talk. We were looking at a C380 but, after talking to you we are looking at the C42. There are a lot more of them for sale than the C380.

I find it odd that Catalina waited until the middle of 2000 to start putting Yanmar's in the 380 yet the 42's had them from the start back in 1989.

I watched all your content and now I’m a proud Pearson 40 owner. This vessel really checked boxes and is my new liveaboard.

I agree with everything you say. But I would go one step further. What is an expectable living space is very different if you are coming from a 2100 sq foot house or bigger. We live in a 42 foot Spartan that 1/2 of it has been a construction zone. Living small takes work. Most people think that they can live in a small space and when they figure out that 35 feet is not enough room this is why the idea of sailing, van life, full time RVing comes to an end.

And if you are going to buy a boat you should fall in love with it as it will take all of your time and all of your money.

Thank you very much for helping me to make up my mind ,i am gonna buy BENETEAU 45 ,2018 model and it will be a charted one ,i found a few of them around 190 -200 k over there somewhere ,.regards new zealand

Are you ever going to go back sailing

Very nice overview how to choose a sailboat for your environment. Can you do video about practical size of different tanks, like water, fuel, gas .

Thank you yet again

My first sailing yacht was a 42' blue water cruiser and I fount it to be way too small. It was a nice boat if you like being in a tea cup and thus sold. Get the biggest boat that you can afford and handle by yourself or as a couple. Should you desire to stay around the Caribbean, go with a cat. You get more real estate and less draft, perfect for the Bahama's and Caribbean.

What about a keeles Macgregor sail boats!

Conversely, it might be an idea to include what isn't needed onboard.
IOW, what are the bare bones electronics needed to go coastal sailing, or offshore. Particularly with classic boats, which can be beautiful things to save, but more likely to have nav suites never or barely ever upgraded. Perhaps because the owner always sailed in the same waters. I keep seeing the old Decca nav equipment and radio telephones etc in older boats, which while charming, are the equivalent of bringing a baseball bat to a gun fight.
Same goes for deck equipment. Whisker and spinnaker poles solely for cruising. Anchors. Needed fore and aft? Are different anchors for different sea beds a good idea?
I'm NOT touching safety gear. IMO you want the right gear for where you're going and double or maybe even triple redundancy.
Engine spares. What are the core spares and tools needed? I haven't seen one. But there must be a table somewhere showing which engine parts are most likely to fail, all other things being equal.
Might be a whole other episode! 🙄

How about an episode about 5 things that should make you walk away from a boat.

Great video as always Tim. You keep teaching me all the things I need to know before getting out there and purchasing my own. ⛵️❤

Excellent video! My wife and are beginning the search now and this series is very timely. We can't wait til the next video!

Honestly, if you’re a real beginner at sailing , I suggest to buy a small used cheap sailboat 22-24 ft and learn the ropes of sailing first then with that experience you can transpose it on a bigger boat in a safely manner . i’ve seen in my years of sailing and trips so many newbies not having the experience on a large boat getting in trouble . It’s the same as when you learned to drive a car easier to drive and park a small car than a big truck ! Need to learn to walk before learning to run …

Is this video just for me? Email you after I watch this for our hour talk.

I don’t know why I watch this guy—I disagree with him nearly all of the time. He likes keels with wings? Ever run aground? There’s no just wiggling around a bit, heeling the boat over or an easy tow off. You’re just stuck! Hopefully, a rising tide can free you.

GREAT stuff as always!!

Okay, I hate to be the one, but you are just saying the same thing you always say. The keel, the comfort, the weight, the stability, the material, blah blah blah. What would have made this a good video for beginners would have been instructing them on good books to reference to learn before buying, how to understand the value of a survey, and a good surveyor. Even telling your viewers that there are and always will be other boats, so do not be in a hurry to buy. Think, Look, Assess, and Decide and trust your gut feeling would have been good advice. Yet you just Blah Blah Blah the same ol' drool you have said in your last 50 videos.

So .... most boats over 20 years old are not insured because of the investment required?