Reddit reviews Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library)

I was pretty much you last summer. Land locked state, no sailing club close by, no relatives or friends who sail, and a burning desire to get out on the water.

I was able to learn to sail in four steps:

1. Read a beginners book on how to sail. The book I chose to read was The Complete Sailor by David Seidman. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Sailor-Second-Edition/dp/0071749578 This was a fantastic book that was only $10 bucks for the pdf version. It is well written and contains some fantastic illustrations. Talks about everything from keeping a sailors eye on the wind and weather, to docking and anchoring, and even has a chapter on trailering your sailboat if I recall correctly. Also Inspecting the Aging Sailboat by Don Casey was a fantastic read to help a brand new buyer have some idea of what to watch out for and what questions to ask when buying a used boat. http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449298309&sr=1-1&keywords=inspecting+the+aging+sailboat
   
   
2. Buy a small, cheap boat. I decided to start small and limited myself to getting a dinghy sailboat that was under a thousand dollars. I have heard that starting on a dinghy is ideal. Learning sailing theory in small, responsive craft will help you when/if you move up to larger keel boats where it isn't as obvious that you are making small mistakes. A thousand dollars is easy to make at a summer job. The repairs on small boats are really cheap and if things break your not usually out much money. You will learn the fundamentals in an environment where mistakes like bumping into the dock are not overly disastrous.
   
   
3. Watch YouTube videos. I ended up purchasing a Hobie 16 after reading the books. I had the gentleman I purchased it from help me step the mast and raise the main before I finally bought the boat. No test sail, just did it right there in his front yard. Most people will be more than happy to help you rig it up the first time if you just ask. Afterwards I hit Youtube and watched videos on how to rig the boat to make sure I had it right. Searched for more videos about "How to sail a Hobie 16" and watched all the videos I could find.
   
   
4. Practice, practice, practice. After I had watched several videos, read the books, and set the sails up in the yard it was time to get out on the water. I literally just picked a day with 2-3 mph of wind, put the boat in the water and went for it. Once I was actually out and sailing, the details worked themselves out. I watched even more videos and asked Reddit the occasional question.
   
   I was able to go from no sailing experience to flying hulls in 20~ mph wind inside of a summer with this method. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c105II-L8OA Far from perfect, but we are having a blast. I think a teenager would be able to pull of a similar feat with no problems. You will find fumbling around on the water is far better than dreaming from the shore.
   
   
   
   
   

That Ranger looks pretty good. I'd double check the bulkheads where the chainplates attach. It looks like water has gotten in there. If the bulkheads are rotted, that's a big job, and if they're rotted where the chainplates attach, there's risk of them pulling out and losing the rig. If the bulkheads are rotted there, I'd probably just walk away from this one. Replacing them just doesn't pencil out from a time or money perspective. It's a big, dirty, time consuming job.

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I see the Catalina 22 has the "fixed keel" option which makes it a contender. I was about to ward you off of a swing keel trailer boat if you're planning on keeping the boat in the water. Still even with the fixed keel the Cat 22 doesn't have the "bay chops" of the Ranger or the Santana.

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There are also two other good choices right now:

First, check this boat:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/boa/d/redwood-city-santana-22-hull-508/6863252537.html

The "tuna 22" is an incredibly tough little bay boat, and this one appears to be in pretty decent condition and available for a little more than a song to an owner that promises to take the boat out on the water and use it. This might be the most promising option on craigslist right now, though you'll have to either get the owner's Torqueedo, or alternatively scare up another outboard. And new outboards are expensive.

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Then this Catalina 25 is a lot more boat for only a little more money and comes with a transferable slip in a good location:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/boa/d/brisbane-25ftcatalina-sail-boat/6882420858.html

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A lot of it comes down to condition, which you can't really evaluate just by looking at photos - you have to get down there and actually touch and feel and smell the boats in person.

I won't tell you to try and get a surveyor for a boat that's selling for less than two bills. But I will tell you to get ahold of this book and read it before making a decision:

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

You could get it in your hands on overnight shipping and have it read by Saturday afternoon if you read fast, before looking at boats on Sunday.

That said, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry when looking at boats. There's always another one coming around the corner. It's always a buyers market for aging plastic sailboats.

Don't worry about the type of boat. Educate yourself to make an informed decision

http://amzn.com/0071445455

http://amzn.com/0393033112

Make a list of the characteristics you absolutely MUST have when purchased or cost you must factor in to modify the boat. E.g.

1. Must be able to cross the atlantic (factor in costs of life raft, storm gear, epirb, ais, etc)
   
   
2. Must be able to be sailed single handed (e.g. does it come with a self steering windvane or will you have to purchase one?)
   
   
3. Must have headroom of at least _ ft in.
   
   
4. Must be able to sleep ____ many people at sea
   
   
5. etc
   
   
   Practical matters:
   
   
6. You are willing to sail the boat back ____ many miles from where you bought it to where you're keeping it considering that it most likely won't be offshore capable when you buy it.
   
   
7. Go to yachtworld.com and browse the boats in this area and on craigslist. Create a list of boats you like, what the gear is, and how much they cost. Watch the markets for at least 6 months before you buy.
   
   
8. Start visiting these boats in your area. A picture of a boat is a lot different than what the boat looks like in real life and what your expectations are. For instance I was looking at westsail 32s and contessa 32s until I was on both types of boat and realized neither were for me.
   
   
   Now, as you visit all these boats calculate your total cost of ownership
   
   TCO = x + y + z
   
   x = the total cost of the boat after broker fees, documentation fees, registration fees, import fees, taxes, etc.
   
   y = the cost of the modifications that you wish to make (multiplies by two if you have never owned a boat before)
   
   z = the cost of moorage + power for ___ many years before you go cruising full time. Keep in mind that if you get a multihull you will be paying a premium for moorage. Do not underestimate this cost.
   

In my experience, what surveyors should do and what they actually do are very different things.

If you decide to get a surveyor make sure it's a reputable one who comes with known references. Or better yet, get a book like Don Casey's Inspecting the Aging Sailboat and do the inspection yourself. At least this way you can be sure of what has and hasn't been properly assessed. And it's a way to learn about the boat at the same time.

I'd suggest reading this, https://amzn.com/0071445455 . Don Casey's Inspecting the aging Sailboat. It gives you a basic run down of what to REALLY look at.

That said a hull being most is a problem with mostly 80's onward racers (at least I think) S2's have balsa cores below the waterline and that can be a huge ordeal. One of my club members bought an old 7.9 that had moisture problems around the daggerboard and it's been a hell of an ordeal for them vs my cabintop that's finished.

http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

This book is pretty something you may need to look at.

I always think it suspicious when people list their boat's condition as "fair" when selling online. I've seen Craigslist boats where the deck is one big maze of spider cracks and softer than a pillow in spots, where the stays are one puff away from snapping, where the rudder can spin freely on the shaft ("it helps to trim the boat") that are listed as "good". If a boat owner lists their boat as anything less than "good", they're either incredibly honest (which is unlikely) or aware of some awful drawback (soggy decks, failed chainplates, clothlike sails, rusty stays, frozen through-hulls, leaky hull-deck joint, or a hilarious and novel combination thereof).


That said, check out "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat", it's a great book that's helped me a great deal and I've spent most of my life on boats:

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

At the very least, google "Morgan 35" and see what people have to say. Most of what you read online about boats is by nincompoops so be skeptical (but should you be skeptical of me telling you to be skeptical? SKEPTICEPTION!). If you're going to make a big life decision by buying a large sailboat you should probably get it surveyed, especially if you don't know boats very well.


Anyways, you might try looking at a smaller boat? You don't need more than 30' if you're living alone, and you'll save a lot of money if that's your aim. Plus, a smaller boat is easier to maintain, berth, and sail!

Buy a book!

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0071445455/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cbDqDb8T5QNS7

I've had people here recommend me some good books on this topic:

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat - Don Casey

For fiberglass specifically:
Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats - Henry C. Mustin