This year I will be turning 40. I've done my Comp Crew and Essentials and plan on Radio and Day skipper this year. I've been looking at boats and obsessing for the last 5 years or so and have decided that my first boat will be a compass 28. I've got a buoy mooring sorted but is this the right time to buy a boat. Can I afford the upkeep and will I get to sail often enough. I've been restoring my mirror dinghy for the last 12 months and I feel like I don't really get time to sail because it's only me and everyone else has to find something else to do so I'm missing in action. I spend so much time restoring my mirror and before that my lug sail wooden boat that I hardly sail and when I do it's like learning all over again
My eldest is due to start high school next year and I'm dreaming of sailing with him on the odd weekend and just chilling while en route to Peel Island or Tangalooma. He can trawl a line off the back and I'll manage the boat till we get there. I've got big dreams of sailing to Norfolk Island one day, going across to New Zealand and even doing a lap around Aus but it has to start somewhere right . . . why not for my 40th.
I can afford about $2000/ year comfortably
Am I rushing this? Will this be a good decision?
What's your experience?
cheers,
Chris
High school will be over in the blink of an eye and once they get that car license they will be off doing there own stuff. If you want to go sailing with your son, now is the time.
If you're single and have your kid(s) part of the time then just do it. Be prepared for it to take up all your time and money. I still find it hard to get multiple days at a time due to juggling parenting and work commitments.
if you can only afford 2 grand a year and its taken 12 months to do a mirror up it may not be the right time. You will want multiple whole weeks to either sail or spend fixing your boat because 2 grand doesnt go very far at the boat yard. Unpaid leave is really expensive.
That said, sailing with my son is the best thing ever, makes it all worth it. I started mine on QtVlm last weekend with the Starpath workbook, he loved it!
Select to expand quotecammd said..
High school will be over in the blink of an eye and once they get that car license they will be off doing there own stuff. If you want to go sailing with your son, now is the time.
Yeah you're right. Thanks for the advice. I bought a motor for him so we could go motoring instead of sailing the mirror and he just wasn't that into it . . . not thrilling enough but I want to make that connection with him and I reckon he will enjoy a compass 28 with a bit of adventure thrown in.
Select to expand quoteJonE said..
If you're single and have your kid(s) part of the time then just do it. Be prepared for it to take up all your time and money. I still find it hard to get multiple days at a time due to juggling parenting and work commitments.
if you can only afford 2 grand a year and its taken 12 months to do a mirror up it may not be the right time. You will want multiple whole weeks to either sail or spend fixing your boat because 2 grand doesnt go very far at the boat yard. Unpaid leave is really expensive.
That said, sailing with my son is the best thing ever, makes it all worth it. I started mine on QtVlm last weekend with the Starpath workbook, he loved it!
I'm married and my wife supports me to get the boat but she gets sea sick and probably won't join me on my adventures. I think the mirror took so long was because I spent every morning training for triathlon and by the time I got back to the boat it was already 9 am and breakfast and blah blah blah. Also my son is addicted to gaming and hasn't helped me a minute on the boat, he hasn't the interest. what is starpath workbook?
RE: Am I rushing this? Will this be a good decision?
What's your experience?
Re; Am I rushing this?
You mention the mirror. Do you have experience on a larger boat?
RE; Will this be a good decision? my son is addicted to gaming and hasn't helped me a minute on the boat, he hasn't the interest.
What does your son think of sailing with no internet connection?
have you discussed this with him?
You can get a fixeruppera and not fix her up.
Just sail her the way she is.
As long as she is safe, that is.
Lastly, How far from your house to the boat?
gary
Select to expand quoteTriHikeSail said..Also my son is addicted to gaming and hasn't helped me a minute on the boat, he hasn't the interest.
Been there, done that. Laptop and mobile internet at the cabin table, totally blase about what's happening outside of the cabin or screen. Hard to get his attention, needed to shout for help. Same situation with a grounded yacht at Christmas holidays: parents tried to free it off the sand, later I helped with deploying the anchor, the father followed my instructions re: motoring off, this way or that way. Later the son popped his head out to see what was going on.
But OTOH my son loved the swimming, fishing, campfires and walking along the national park trails from the jetty. Just not the sailing part. But it is still bonding. Otherwise they grow up fast and there's no bonding: you have to do something together.
Select to expand quotegarymalmgren said..
RE: Am I rushing this? Will this be a good decision?
What's your experience?
Re; Am I rushing this?
You mention the mirror. Do you have experience on a larger boat?
RE; Will this be a good decision? my son is addicted to gaming and hasn't helped me a minute on the boat, he hasn't the interest.
What does your son think of sailing with no internet connection?
have you discussed this with him?
You can get a fixeruppera and not fix her up.
Just sail her the way she is.
As long as she is safe, that is.
Lastly, How far from your house to the boat?
gary
As mentioned I've done my comp crew and sailed at SAGS but only once a year. I've done some dinghy racing too and have my start sailing one and two.
cruising boats are slow paced compared to racing dinghies and that's the biggest adjustment I think.
My son will disagree on sailing without internet but then have a ball after we get going. That's what I've experienced in the past.
yeah there is a compass 28 going under 10,000. As long as the chain plates and engine and through hulls are good then that will get me through the first year.
The mooring is 30min away . . . fairly close and I am planning on using my mirror dinghy as the tender.
Select to expand quoteFabulousPhill said..TriHikeSail said..Also my son is addicted to gaming and hasn't helped me a minute on the boat, he hasn't the interest.
Been there, done that. Laptop and mobile internet at the cabin table, totally blase about what's happening outside of the cabin or screen. Hard to get his attention, needed to shout for help. Same situation with a grounded yacht at Christmas holidays: parents tried to free it off the sand, later I helped with deploying the anchor, the father followed my instructions re: motoring off, this way or that way. Later the son popped his head out to see what was going on.
But OTOH my son loved the swimming, fishing, campfires and walking along the national park trails from the jetty. Just not the sailing part. But it is still bonding. Otherwise they grow up fast and there's no bonding: you have to do something together.
I hear you! Is this the last chance I have to connect with him? Tech has already taken over his life but he enjoys mountain biking with friends. If his mate came along then they would have heaps of fun together and his mate is a mad fisherman too since his dad is kiwi . . . might ask him if he wants to go 50/50 shares.
I have 2 boys, now aged 25 and 23. The eldest is living with his partner away from home and the youngest is in BC, Canada working for a heliskiing company. I turn the outside lights on every night in case they come home ...
We started out with a Mirror on Lysterfield Lake and then got time shares in a Rob Legg 34 at Paynesville on the Gippsland Lakes. It was hard at times, they both enjoyed it but sometimes I had to push them to clean the boat up after a weekend sailing. And sometimes it got a bit windy and I learnt to take it slower ("Dad, REEF NOW!"). But they gradually learnt to work together, learnt the satisfaction of doing something difficult that not many other people were doing, learnt that sometimes their old man knew more than them or was less scared than them and learnt that the world is a beautiful and amazing place. Then we got a couple of Paper Tigers because they liked to go FAST. And then I bought Kinora, sailed her from Pittwater to Paynesville with my youngest son (eldest had university exams) and at night we watched dolphins leaving a trail of green phosphorescent bubbles somewhere between Gabo Island and Lakes Entrance.
This is only my opinion, and your situation will be different, but the best time to do it is now. Maybe start with a time share or charter first before buying your own boat (an older boat will cost you way more than you expect). Be prepared for it to not work, it just might not be their thing and that's OK, you just have to find something else that is their thing. They don't have to share your dreams but your job is to help them start dreaming and then give them the tools to follow those dreams. Don't give up the first time it goes wrong. They'll absorb resilience by osmosis while watching you be resilient. You'll make mistakes, own them, apologise and move on. They'll absorb that too.
We started this about 15 years ago so technology wasn't as pervasive or as addictive as it is now. I don't know how to work with that except to say do any weaning off slowly. We had limited power on the Rob Legg so phones couldn't always be charged and cell service was patchy. No laptops or tablets (paper charts). No streaming stuff at night but board games. A canoe on the foredeck so they could get away when they needed to. We were lucky to be able to do this before social media really took over.
Good luck! After all, what could possibly go wrong?
Cheers,
Kinora
Select to expand quoteKinora said..
learnt that sometimes their old man knew more than them or was less scared than them
Pure gold.
I have 5 kids, I managed to get 3 into windsurfing, grandma got one into ballet and their mum got one into horseriding. I dont think we could have chosen any more expensive activities.
Anyway I raced windsurfers with the kids, they enjoyed the sailing and enjoyed spending time with the other kids who were racing too. We did weekend club racing, we also went away to regatta's and camped and raced and socialised with the other competitors, adults and kids alike.
So they did it with me but didnt really realise they were because they were with others friends their own age sailing, socialising and just having fun.
So my point is joining a club and getting into racing as a weekly sport was a great way to spend time with them with out it feeling like it was forced on them. We would be out on the start line together or rigging up or packing etc but they never felt stuck hanging around Dad cause they were with mates too.
We did that through most of their high school years. 3 still windsurf, two of those race in yachts and all five like to go on my boat for the odd sail. The horserider joined me for a week of cruising the whitsundays last winter.
Thanks @cammd and @kinora for your advice and input. I think that adventure bring out anxiety about money or failure or whatever because it is something new but that's adventure right . . . it gets your heart racing and that's all part of it.
my wife is very anxious and the last think I want is stress from her about how much money I have "wasted" but that's for me to manage. This boat idea is a risk and if it fails then I've learnt something and I think that's positive.
I tried to tee a mate up to go halves with me so my kids and his kids can enjoy together but maybe that would require something bigger than a compass 28. I think that it's a great starting boat none the less. Go simple, go now is what some say and that's my train of thought but I guess what I really want is someone to coach me through it all and tell me that everything will be okay and you are all doing a great job at that so thank you!
I've done up a spreadsheet of expenses to help me visualise what the boat will cost me. I can afford more but it's about budgeting so it doesn't cause too many money conversations between my wife and I.
It's basic I know but let me know what you think about it.
I have the model before the C28, a Northerner 28, much the same, 58 years old...
(Buoy) mooring inspection and licencing/authority about $350 + 400 each year. The insurance was $296 last week, for about $7K boat, hull, sails, motor. A replacement boat would be $18K
Antifouling varies: Last time was 5 or 6 years ago, we've had flood waters regularly which killed off the growth, but the a/f time cost about a grand (crane, hardstanding plus my materials, my labour). Normally a/f haul out every 2-3 years. Engine servicing $200 a year max, I have no anodes due to an OB motor.
Occasionally people on this site post their annual costs, mostly for insurance. If I were to think about it, I could worry at the cost, but the benefits can be intangibles.
I went from a Mirror dinghy 10 foot, 10 inches to a 26' yacht: a bit of a learning curve. The dinghy was more fun, the yacht has accommodation which is cheaper than any other holiday rentals excepting camping.
