Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material- and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

RB wrote:
Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material- and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

Autopilot if there is only the two of you

As with *everything* in sailing, you'll get as many answers as there
are sailors, but this is a pretty good definition:

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/5471/bwboat.htm

MW

"akcarlos" wrote:


RB wrote:
Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material- and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

If you don't know what you need to look for, you shouldn't be going.

Autopilot if there is only the two of you

Autopilots can be installed or replaced. Wind vane steering would be
better as there's less to go wrong with it.

grandma Rosalie

RB wrote:

Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material- and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

Check this site:
http://www.sailready.com/

Happy sailing!

Marc Onrust
www.MarineYacht.com

You need to decide what you need to fit your level of comfort. A Cal-25
did a circumnavigation. I sailed 5 years on a Cal 3-30. Back then I
felt like I was a great boat but now I want something much bigger
because I need more comfort.

I suggest that you crew for someone that is going to go cruising. Take
a week or more at a time and crew on a boat doing something like the
Baja Haha or heading down island from Miami. See what is on their boat
and how it holds together. There is no teacher like experience and my
experience is based on my needs, not yours.

Certainly, some boats are not fit for cruising. Hunter, Catalina and
other boats like that are billed as the perfect boats by only their own
advertising. Real life situations kill those types of boats but there
are other factors you will learn to look for. Some people like slow
boats that are 10 feet thick. I like a medium weight boat that sails
fast so I can get up wind or out of the way whey I need to. Each boat
has a set of pros and cons. If you have more space, you have less
performance and vise versa. Sailing on other people's boats will be
about the only way you will really find what you are looking for.
Consider it like a mail order bride. You could do it but you're a lot
better off dating your boat first.

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 12:57:40 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

"akcarlos" wrote:


RB wrote:
Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material- and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

If you don't know what you need to look for, you shouldn't be going.

Autopilot if there is only the two of you

Autopilots can be installed or replaced. Wind vane steering would be
better as there's less to go wrong with it.


Two autopilots, plus one windvane with a few critical spares.
Hand-steering is great in thin water and entering/leaving harbours,
but neither necessary nor the best use of a crew's energy or attention
when passagemaking.

R.

.. . . and they don't suck precious battery juice.


"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
"akcarlos" wrote:


RB wrote:
Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material-
and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

If you don't know what you need to look for, you shouldn't be going.

Autopilot if there is only the two of you

Autopilots can be installed or replaced. Wind vane steering would be
better as there's less to go wrong with it.

grandma Rosalie

Try Tristan Jones, "One Hand for Yourself, One for the Ship". He's very
conservative, but has been around (and around, and around) for a while. You
don't need to believe all he says (a yawl isn't necessarily the best
globe-trotter), but he has so much advice that much of it is worth being
aware of.



"RB" wrote in message
...
Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material-
and so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

I just knew someone would say that "I shouldn't be going" blah blah blah. I
know how to sail. I currently do not have a boat, but was hoping I would
get some answers so I would be able to start thinking about what boat would
do me the best (without making a mistake the first time) since I have been
on land raising my family for a couple of decades...
For the other folks that answered me- give me some time to read through the
sites you sent me- if you can spare the time- please email me and maybe I
can ask you some questions directly:

Thanks,
RB

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
"akcarlos" wrote:


RB wrote:
Just what is a blue water boat- size- sail plan- tankage- hull material-
and
so on?
My wife and I want to retire and do a circumnavigation just the 2 of us.
What should I look for in a boat?
Rick in St Louis

If you don't know what you need to look for, you shouldn't be going.

Autopilot if there is only the two of you

Autopilots can be installed or replaced. Wind vane steering would be
better as there's less to go wrong with it.

grandma Rosalie