40 footer sailboat

[Jaysen]

If you want a good but inexpensive offshore boat, look in that kind of place, where people are either disgusted or get cold feet: Canary Islands, all the Carribean and Tahiti.

That's kind of been my plan if we "go big". Need to get the boss on board and now that we are in Charleston we have some opportunity to crew on a few all day cruises to see how it goes.

Now I just need to create the next google and...

[jasongavin]

I know I am about to be shot down in flames and probably banned from this site BUT.... Jaysen if you are looking at larger designs in plywood look at Dudley Dix Designs. He has designed and built numerous boats over the years mostly as an amateur builder rather than a pro builder. Good designs and apparently good feed back to builders, the same as JM and Co.

[Jaysen]

No shoot down of innocent posters in these parts...

On the 40' front, the plan right now is ... remain married.

The Mrs is pretty much anti you-need-a-bigger-boat. She's not saying "no" but she's absolutely saying "STFU". Which brings me to my personal decision to see how life tries to ruin my future over the next few years before I commit to anything bigger than my Lil Bit. The Lil Bit of a boat I really want to get in the water and covered with fish over the next two weeks.

[Bogieman]

No shoot down of innocent posters in these parts...

On the 40' front, the plan right now is ... remain married.

The Mrs is pretty much anti you-need-a-bigger-boat. She's not saying "no" but she's absolutely saying "STFU". Which brings me to my personal decision to see how life tries to ruin my future over the next few years before I commit to anything bigger than my Lil Bit. The Lil Bit of a boat I really want to get in the water and covered with fish over the next two weeks.

Jaysen,

I'll be willing to lend a hand here and there on the weekends whenever you decide to start that 40 footer.

[OrangeQuest]

My 2nd ex-wife and I were talking about getting a large trawler at one time before she got herself a boy friend to live on and one of the ways we were going to travel the ICW was to sell transportation/learning seamanship to college age adults. It was 30+ years ago but people would pay for you to take them from point A to point B and you teach them how to take care of a big boat at the same time. It was a nice dream but the boyfriend didn't approve.

[terrulian]

To do this sort of thing legally, you need a CG master's license, an upgraded, CG approved list of safety gear, and plenty of insurance.

As for building a big boat, unless you are quite a bit younger than I am, or, on the other hand, are doing it for the pleasure of building rather than the experience of cruising, forget it. Check knottybuoyz' string for a very well documented progress report on his 31-footer. You should check it out even if you don't want to build a big boat. I think Rick started about 5 years ago and, as recommended, he is quite a bit younger than I am.

[jacquesmm]

The D. Dix designs are nice but performance oriented, deep keels. Look at the Richard Woods designs instead. His Skoota 28 is a great live aboard.
Above all, get the wife onboard first. Rent or charter such a boat, you may not like the lifestyle.

[Jaysen]

The "grand plan" is
1. Get comfy with Lil Bit where she is in Port Royal Sound (thing includes limited time in the bigger water).
2. Get into the local (Charleston harbor) sailing community as hand on larger boats.
3. Get "diploma" from ASA to go bare bones here and Caribbean.
4. Buy some hull time to sail "big water" from here to Lil Bit (port royal) since it's really a long day sail. Do this a few times.
5. Buy some tickets to "the sea" and rent hulls out of Nassau, St Thomas, etc and spend 1-2 weeks hopping.
6. Buy a hull from someone who didn't "try the life before you buy that boat".

That's my plan to
1. Stay married.
2. Not wind up with a regret that sends me into the poor house.

And as to the "younger than Tony" part... i still have that covered

[jacquesmm]

An inexpensive way to test the waters is to volunteer as a crew member on long passages. It is often free.

[Jaysen]

An inexpensive way to test the waters is to volunteer as a crew member on long passages. It is often free.

Yep. I'm hoping that once I've gotten a bit more time on local boats (several guys "race" here at the office) I'll be able to take some "delivery" work running benetau deliveries or moving boats from here to the islands (the one that can do the ditch). There is a guy in our apartment complex here in Charleston that captains, but he runs no more than 4 people and wants references. He's willing to help me get "in the system" once I'm ready.

Frighteningly, I have a plan. That is always dangerous with me.