jds wrote:
how much larger is a 37' boat than a 32'
boat? as a complete fng, 5 feet doesnt seem that much longer. how much more
living space is gained by the additional footage?

As Wayne pointed out, volume increases as the cube of the length, but
it's even more than that because there are some areas that are
relatively fixed in size: Cockpit, galley, head, chain locker, etc.. So
the bulk of the added volume goes directly into the living and storage
areas. BTW, if you're going to be living aboard, the importance of
readily available storage (drawers and lockers) can't be stressed
enough. A major downfall just about all of the smaller boats and most
of the coastal cruisers (Hunter, Catalina, Benateau, etc.) is their lack
in this area (tankage is another).

would you consider your boat medium displacement?? medium heavy??? does it
sail ok in light winds??

I think just about everybody would consider the Tayana a heavy
displacement cruiser. It's got a pretty generous sail plan though so it
moves right along. We were pleasantly surprised at its' performance,
especially in light airs. We were expecting it to be something of a
pig. We did add an asymmetrical spinnaker for light wind sailing and
are VERY pleased with it http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/SPIN3.jpg.


i dont think i want to limit myself to the bay area south...

No reason why you should, it was just an option I threw out. You should
note however that going north from San Francisco up to Washington can be
a very rough trip. Heck, coming down is a rough one for a lot of people
and going upwind and into the waves is much worse. We also plan on
spending a season in Alaska, but will be getting there via Hawaii.


50k is what i have budgeted for the boat itself, i understand there will be
additional costs. do you think i would be better off buying one already
equiped for cruising??

In general, it's more cost effective to buy gear with the boat than
purchasing and installing it yourself. You have to put up with the PO
(Previous Owner) idiosyncrasies (I refer to my PO as "electrically
challenged" and have replaced ALL of the non-factory installed wiring
that was in the boat), but costwise it's usually a bunch cheaper.

oh, as a ps. i talked to a broker in socal and he said if you go to mexico
for 91 days, you dont have to pay calif sales tax.

I don't know the details here, but it's my understanding that this law
is in the process of changing. Be very careful here as we're talking
about thousands of dollars.

One last piece of advice. Get out and start looking at some boats.
Contact some brokers and get aboard and poke your nose into LOTS of
different boats. You'll get a feel for not only the many different
styles of boats, but they're general market value. It's a buyers market
and has been for some time, so there are a lot of boats out there and
they stay on the market for a long time. Take your time looking. If
one your interested in sells before you make an offer on it, no big
deal, There are lots more to choose from. The time to fall in love
with a boat is AFTER it's yours, not while you're trying to buy it.

Good luck - Dan

--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean"
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG