"Scout" wrote in message
. ..
Bob,
I'm caught in a philosophical dilemma. I can't decide
which is more
important to me, a large, comfortable, sea-worthy sailing
vessel, or a
flexible, beachable craft that can go in all the quiet
coves and shallow
back bays. There's my problem: do I want to duck around
the back bays? or
head out for Nantucket or Cape Cod?

IMHO, you'll use the smaller boat more often.
What works for many sailors is to have the 'big boat' for
sailing and use the dinghy / canoe / kayak for exploring
creeks and such.


I can't see me attempting Nantucket from Philadelphia in a
Mac 26, but maybe
I'm wrong. On the other hand, there's a lot of the bay
less than 3 feet
deep. Why wasn't I born rich so I could have both?


That's one of the reasons I love my Seidelmann 295, 3"
draft w/board up. Ask Doug, there are a few good ceterboard
boats.
BTW, the Bay opens up the more South you go.
Mac 26s have sailed all over, Bahamas, S.A. , Hawaii, that
doesn't mean I'd want to do it.



I haven't ruled out either vision, and need to do more
boat-yard searching
and soul-searching. I would like to stay under $50K, but
for the right boat
would go 20-30% higher.


Don't forget to budget money for upgrades and such, if you
buy used.



I'm taking Friday off to search boat yards, probably in
the Chesapeake area.


I took this week off. Funeral yesterday, going to Ocean City
today -Sun , for Sons' wedding.



Scotty - any Chesapeake boatyard recommendations to look
at "for sale" boats
in the 30-40 ft range?


All of them. You never know where you'll find that 'perfect'
boat. Maybe once you figure out what kind of boat you want,
a broker could help locate it. I don't know of any good
ones. Be willing to travel. When I was looking for a
trailerable, I ended up buying one in Boston.

Scotty