Hello all,
I am new to sailing ,and wishing to buy a sail boat /cruiser for living aboard and travelling.
my question is ,what would you guys recommend as a boat that will be easy to learn,as well as able to travel once I am experienced ?
my budget it $100,000,and although looking for a entry level boat,,I also want it to be able to solo sail later .
any advice ,will be greatly appreciated.
Select to expand quotesaltiest1 said..
Yeah. Buy mine 
www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/1982-sparkman-stephens-39/SSE-AD-15617615/
Beautiful! 
Dave go and look at a heap of boats. You need to sail on a few before you figure out what your non-negotiables are. Go and kick a heap of tyres at the 30 to 50 grand range because you need to learn to spot expensive problems and at that price range you should be picking up at least one thing on every boat.
there are some decent people selling boats who won't mind taking you for a sail even if you tell them you're at the early stages and don't know what you want yet.
If all you have is 100 grand then your budget is really 60-70.
enjoy the journey.
Select to expand quoteJonE said..
Dave go and look at a heap of boats. You need to sail on a few before you figure out what your non-negotiables are. Go and kick a heap of tyres at the 30 to 50 grand range because you need to learn to spot expensive problems and at that price range you should be picking up at least one thing on every boat.
there are some decent people selling boats who won't mind taking you for a sail even if you tell them you're at the early stages and don't know what you want yet.
If all you have is 100 grand then your budget is really 60-70.
enjoy the journey.
^^ This, but first honestly decide just what you really want from a boat and don't fall in love with anything until you understand this.
Select to expand quotesaltiest1 said..
Yeah. Buy mine
www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/1982-sparkman-stephens-39/SSE-AD-15617615/
Very interested,where is Yamba , for viewing, I am in Melbourne
Select to expand quoteJonE said..
Dave go and look at a heap of boats. You need to sail on a few before you figure out what your non-negotiables are. Go and kick a heap of tyres at the 30 to 50 grand range because you need to learn to spot expensive problems and at that price range you should be picking up at least one thing on every boat.
there are some decent people selling boats who won't mind taking you for a sail even if you tell them you're at the early stages and don't know what you want yet.
If all you have is 100 grand then your budget is really 60-70.
enjoy the journey.
Thanks for the great advice mate
I probably didn't mention, my plan is to live fulltime on my boat ,for many years,
'It's my dream ,and I am willing to put in the effort to learn as quick as I can about sailing,
'I am going sailing most weekends on other peoples boats,,and though still an amateur,have the general idea of sailing.
Thankyou all for your kind advice .??????
Select to expand quoteDaveTheDasher said..
Very interested,where is Yamba , for viewing, I am in Melbourne
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of people looking at this site expecting to see useful information about sailing.
Dumb sailing related questions are therefore permitted and encouraged in the name of learning and most are more than happy to help.
Maybe however if as an adult you haven't heard of Google or Google maps then navigation and Navionics, an integral part of sailing, will be way beyond you.
Select to expand quotejulesmoto said..DaveTheDasher said..
Very interested,where is Yamba , for viewing, I am in Melbourne
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of people looking at this site expecting to see useful information about sailing.
Dumb sailing related questions are therefore permitted and encouraged in the name of learning and most are more than happy to help.
Maybe however if as an adult you haven't heard of Google or Google maps then navigation and Navionics, an integral part of sailing, will be way beyond you.
would have taken a lot less effort to just say" Yamba is NSW Nth coast Dave"
Select to expand quotecammd said..julesmoto said..DaveTheDasher said..
Very interested,where is Yamba , for viewing, I am in Melbourne
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of people looking at this site expecting to see useful information about sailing.
Dumb sailing related questions are therefore permitted and encouraged in the name of learning and most are more than happy to help.
Maybe however if as an adult you haven't heard of Google or Google maps then navigation and Navionics, an integral part of sailing, will be way beyond you.
would have taken a lot less effort to just say" Yamba is NSW Nth coast Dave"
Thankyou mate,
I did use google maps,,but there is a Yamba in South Australia also,,
Appreciate your help
Select to expand quotejulesmoto said..DaveTheDasher said..
Very interested,where is Yamba , for viewing, I am in Melbourne
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of people looking at this site expecting to see useful information about sailing.
Dumb sailing related questions are therefore permitted and encouraged in the name of learning and most are more than happy to help.
Maybe however if as an adult you haven't heard of Google or Google maps then navigation and Navionics, an integral part of sailing, will be way beyond you.
Thanks Julie, but there are two Yamba listed , one in NSW and one in SA ,
'Take care
Select to expand quoteDaveTheDasher said..
my budget it $100,000
That's a realistic budget. What's the best way to spend it? Start by spending it on yourself. By which I mean get on some training courses, get your boat licence, your radio operator's licence, inshore skipper licence, find out how to fix diesel engines and 12V electrics, get some tuition on fibre-glassing etc etc. And, go sailing on other people's boats. Get off the internet and get onto the water. In other words, actively hunt knowledge and experience before you hunt for the boat.
Select to expand quoteAchernar said..DaveTheDasher said..
my budget it $100,000
That's a realistic budget. What's the best way to spend it? Start by spending it on yourself. By which I mean get on some training courses, get your boat licence, your radio operator's licence, inshore skipper licence, find out how to fix diesel engines and 12V electrics, get some tuition on fibre-glassing etc etc. And, go sailing on other people's boats. Get off the internet and get onto the water. In other words, actively hunt knowledge and experience before you hunt for the boat.
+1 to all of this. Good advice!
Select to expand quoteDaveTheDasher said..saltiest1 said..
Yeah. Buy mine
www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/1982-sparkman-stephens-39/SSE-AD-15617615/
Very interested,where is Yamba , for viewing, I am in Melbourne
Sorry have been away from here. As stated it's on NSW north coast about 1 hr south of Ballina airport. This boat's set up is very similar to my first boat some 24 years ago and designed to be sailed easily single handed. Happy to share more info if needed.
I learnt sailing on that first boat (40ft) after figuring out the basics and gleaning info from experienced people around me but was a steep learning curve. Everyone will have an opinion on how to go about learning seamanship and sailing but at the end of the day you just need to go out and do it. Having a mentor helps a lot.
Thankyou everyone for your great advice,,
I will continue sailing most weekends, and build my knowledge,,and also build my knowledge of different boats ect,,
'I have $200,000 saved, and will invest some into training ,and getting experience.
I will be aiming to buy in the next 12 months,,but won't be setting sail until 24 months from now.
That gives me 12 months of learning,as well as 12 months of learning in my own boat.
Once again, thankyou to everyone.
Select to expand quoteAchernar said..DaveTheDasher said..
my budget it $100,000
That's a realistic budget. What's the best way to spend it? Start by spending it on yourself. By which I mean get on some training courses, get your boat licence, your radio operator's licence, inshore skipper licence, find out how to fix diesel engines and 12V electrics, get some tuition on fibre-glassing etc etc. And, go sailing on other people's boats. Get off the internet and get onto the water. In other words, actively hunt knowledge and experience before you hunt for the boat.
Exactly! Or start with a $10k boat, and get the feel for the whole scene. The reality might be quite different from the dream. Boats are not an investment, quite the opposite, so you do not want to make a wrong choice.
Nearly 3 years to the day I bought into the dream, man I was actively window shopping for boats before I had the cash and I was trying them on for size as soon as I had it. House is getting ready for sale now so I can cash in and down size to a smaller investment property, going to the boat show this weekend to put together a little shopping list to update a few things then early next year I am done working and going cruising.
Go for boat you want to keep for a longtime, the one that will fit your long term needs, get to know it, fix what needs fixing, upgrade what needs upgrading. I have no problem sinking money into my boat, I don't expect to get that money back ever, but I do expect to get the use of whatever I or fix or upgrade.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
actively window shopping for boats before I had the cash and I was trying them on for size as soon as I had it This.
I've been thinking about how my posts have become so much more boring since I bought a boat.
Before purchase: "Can I circumnavigate in this"..
After purchase: "How do I get out of the marina"..
