re: Anyone here sail?

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Get one, play around with it, if you don't want to keep doing it sell it for what you've got in it. The used prices are fairly stable depending on where you are.

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I've been on friends, and it seems pretty cool but maybe just too much work for me.

She wants a live aboard so we can run around the inside passage for days/weeks at a time. Harbor here is full of them.

Yeah that's one of them. I intend to live a little while longer so their momma ain't making an appearance here.

Roger,
Yeah a bigger boat without crew would be a pain in the arse as a first boat. I'm lucky. I've got built in crew. We all grew up sailing together and love it more now than we ever did. Keeps us sane and happy, happy, happy. And wasted. Real wasted.

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Yeah a bigger boat without crew would be a pain in the arse as a first boat. I'm lucky. I've got built in crew. We all grew up sailing together and love it more now than we ever did. Keeps us sane and happy, happy, happy. And wasted. Real wasted.

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I need to do some research. It's definitely in my future just not sure how far... We had looked at a couple this fall but went for another boat.

I don't want to get into racing or anything which is what some of the locals do (the around Admiralty Island Race, etc) but just want to go cruising and don't want to get bogged down with maintenance and more work than pleasure.

to clarify...I would like to start out in fresh water. Starting out in the gulf intimidates the shite out of me.

Student at LSU, been sailing all my life in NWLA.

Dad sold the family boat- a '70's Spirit 23 when I got to middle school because us kids were busy doing kid things and lost interest. When I was in HS I was looking to get back into it and decided to get one for myself. Bought my first boat - a 1980's Dolphin 22 - for a killer deal (credit Dad for helping me shop around and teaching me to haggle) all with my own money. It was a fixer upper to say the least, but the hull and sails were in great shape (still are) and after a thorough cleaning and a few repairs we were sailing. Fixed it up a little here and there over the years and now she's back to her old glory.

Then came the summer. Dad had always showed me pictures and told stories of the greatness of his beach catamarans of his younger years. I was still hooked on the monohull cruiser, but now the thirst for speed was catching on. We shopped around and found another couldn't-pass-up deal on one in Houston. 1980's Boston Whaler Supercat 19. Same story, gave this one the same TLC as the Dolphin and now she's back to her fighting weight. That one's a blast and we take her down to the coast for regattas every summer.

Yeah, the boats aren't the prettiest on our lake by far, but the memories spent working on them with my Dad are priceless and the work was very rewarding in the end.

Confident I could at least break even after all my expenses on repairs are added in. Sailboats hold their value very well in my area. Only cost to me nowadays area Marina Fees, which are very manageable, even for a college student such as myself.

By my senior year of HS, I was the owner of two Sailboats. Not boasting, just making a point that owning a sailboat is very manageable for any budget as long as you have the patience to hold out for a good deal and are willing to put some work back into it if you buy a junker like I did. But if you have the $$ for a 2013 then by all means save yourself the effort.

I will be lurking for insight. This is on my list for next year. Currently learning what an ice ax and crampons are for this year's adventure (Mt. Rainier). Sailing and [link=(Www.wideopenbaja.com)]Wide Open Baja[/link] are the two things being considered for next year.

I'm 23 been sailing since I was 6. Like the other guy said, best way to learn is to get a ride with someone with some experience. Trying to learn on your own is unsafe. I'll gladly answer any questions you have

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Posted by Adam4LSU on 12/10 at 7:47 pm to elleshoo9 well then is anyone here local?

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You must have scared them all away....

You need a sea daddy on Pontchartrain. Check out the yacht clubs down there. Look up websites. They race a lot and they always need an extra crewman. You can learn a lot fast that way but you won't really learn to sail till you've got the tiller and the sheets in your own hands and start reading about it so it all starts coming together in your head what's happening.

It can be very startling at times if you don't know what's going on. I've seen people almost shite themselves the first time the boat heels over. Now I warn them. Mostly.

But seriously, I'd recommend a small boat first. You learn to sail a dinghy well and you have the basics for most any boat down. Or a catamaran for a summer. It will beat your arse, and you stay wet but holy crap is it ever fun.

But if you want something you can drop into practically any body of water just go find a sunfish or something. You'll knock it over a few times. Get smacked in the head a few times. But you can have a lot of fun on a little boat like that.

I'd recommend a year of that, plus crewing on boats racing if you can find one that doesn't have an a-hole yelling at you constantly, and you'll be in much better shape to decide about a keelboat.