Reddit mentions: The best ships books

Good books, with some notes:

Dierking's Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes Excellent reference for building any plywood boat, but you should be careful. This book will seduce you. Gary's an expert on making a single outrigger boat that works, is pretty, and is fast and easy to build. You'll buy the book to read and end up the next weekend heading off to Lowes to buy plywook, and ordering an epoxy kit from Raka. These boats are faster and more capable than anything but quite a big monohull, are simple to build, you can sail them yourself, on most of them you can take someone out with you, it's hard to see why anyone would build a ever build 15' dinghy instead of an Ulua or a Wa'apa, honestly, unless there was a racing class they wanted to get into. Highly recommended.

Payson's Go Build Your Own Boat Very good, very readable, some stuff that I still wonder about. Edge nailing into 1/4" ply, for example. How was that supposed to work? But the basic ideas of get it done fast and go sailing still apply.

Stambaugh's Good Skiffs Good, readable, interesting introduction to traditional heavy skiff construction as well as stitch and glue. The traditional methods are usually ignored, but if I were going to build a skiff I wanted to keep in the water I might pick that. The heavy skiffs sail really well, are enormously strong, are self-righting, they have a lot of advantages.

Andrew C. Marshall's Composite Basics Good intro to composite work. Technical but readable. Good reference.

Gougeon Bro's On Boat Construction Classic, necessary. Very good coverage of all kinds of stuff, really good.

Russell Brown's Epoxy Basics: Working with Epoxy Cleanly & Efficiently Expert level epoxy tricks. This is the stuff that will amaze people at the next messabout. Read the Gougeon Bro.'s book first, then read this.

Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Beyond Good. Kind of basic stuff, but if you need a book on figuring out centers of effort and basic rudders and boards and stuff it's fine. The boats are plain and kind of simplistic, but they sail fine. For the most part they don't go to windward in any kind of impressive way, but really who wants to be bashing to windward all the time anyway? They're not racing boats, and for dinking around they're great. Don't build his proa; no one ever has, and there's probably a reason for that. The rest of the boats range from fine to quite good (the Laguna is probably the best of his designs).

Bolger's Boats With An Open Mind Classic, great. A must-read. Even if you never build one you'll learn a huge amount from this.

Other Bolger books: 30-Odd Boats, Folding Schooner: And Other Adventures in Boat Design. Anything he wrote is worth reading. I mean, not the novel, but any of his boat books.

Parker's The Sharpie Book Very good intro to sharpies of all sizes.

Little known classics:

A 30', $6,000 Cruising Catamaran : Built, Sailed and Written About Hardcover – 1987 by Roy F. Chandler
I mean, don't pay $48 for it, but if you see a copy in a used bookstore it's worth a few bucks. Some of his 'tricks' for saving money don't translate very well ("My friend gave me this huge bucket of stainless hardware", hey, good idea! I'll try that), but it's a good general outline of turning a worn out racing cat into a small cruising cat on not much money.

Finally, for a lost classic: Chapman 's The Plywood Boatbuilder Vol 41 Excellent and readable look back at what early plywood designs and construction looked like forty years ago. I wouldn't build any of these, there are better designs around now, but it's fascinating to see how the thing developed. Designs for prams and dinghys, sailboats, outboard, runabouts, 47 designs, sailboats from 13 ft to 24 ft.

But really, a great and cheap way to read a lot about boatbuilding is to get hold of old copies of Wooden Boat or some of the other boating publications. You can often pick up a stack cheap or free. In depth articles, lots of pictures, I learned a lot from stacks of ten year old mags people gave me. In fact, I have a big stack of Wooden Boat and some other stuff I need to get rid of right now. Anyone want them? Free to good home, paypal me back the shipping when you get them. Send me a PM if you're interested.

1. Determine where you are. This has an impact on requirements for boat registration, insurance, fire extinguishers, what PFDs you carry, possibly a license for the VHF, and possibly some sort of safe boating credential.
   
   
2. Make sure your boat won't sink on you. This means carefully checking all the thru-hulls to make sure they operate smoothly, are in good shape, and keeping them closed when not in use. It also means ensuring the automatic bilge pump is working, and that there's enough power to run it, either in the batteries or from shore.
   
   
3. Make sure your boat won't leave you stranded. Make sure the engine is in good shape and runs smoothly, make sure the steering cables look OK, check all the standing and running rigging, etc. Ideally the boat will have a binder documenting where everything is, when maintenance was performed, and also how old things are (e.g. your standing rigging probably has a service lifetime of 10-12 years).
   
   
4. Clean your boat. Seriously! Power wash it, sand it, paint it, polish it, whichever everything needs. Make it look like new. Not only will you feel better living on it and sailing it, but you'll get familiar with the state of everything and know what will be next up for maintenance or repair. Depending on how things are, set aside time regularly to clean or polish something at random. Ideally it's before things show wear; that's the best way to keep things that way.
   
   
5. Go over the electrical systems very carefully. Better, get a professional. You will want to know how much power you are likely to draw (think instruments, radar, refrigeration, radio, lights, water pumps, etc.) and make sure you have sufficient battery capacity, that the batteries are of the correct type and in good shape, and that the wiring done safely according to the proper standards (and ideally slightly over-spec'd; boats are no place for a fire). Finally, everything should be easy to follow and clearly labelled.
   
   
6. Ditto for the plumbing, etc. You'll need to determine your local pump-out facility, know how to check your holding tanks, etc.
   
   
7. Assuming you have a stove aboard, always switch it off at the solenoid, let the flame go out, and only then turn off the stove (again, fire bad!).
   
   
8. Learn how to use the VHF and what the local channels and rules are. Much is standardized, but some is local.
   
   Resources:
   
   

• Assuming it has a diesel, I'm told this is a very good resource: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071475354
  
• For sailing, you probably want a copy of this: https://www.amazon.com/Annapolis-Book-Seamanship-Fourth/dp/1451650191
  
• Get a copy of the ColRegs and local rules. This covers the rules of the road as well as lighting and other requirements. For example, the USCG publishes the local and international ones side-by-side here: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/index.php?pageName=NavRulesAmalgamated (by treaty, local rules will usually be similar to the international ColRegs).
  
• The RYA has a nice VHF textbook that covers DSC as well; it's mostly correct and the only items that might not apply are the UK-specific radio channels. The USCG radiotelephone handbook is also useful.
  
• Once you've sorted out the basics, the "Sailing Virgins" channel on Youtube isn't that bad; they have some nice (and concise!) videos on various techniques.

Yep it's pretty thick haha, but for your practical purposes you don't need to concern yourself too much with the complex math and calcs. I have no idea how versed you are in Naval architecture or engineering so skip what you already know and forgive me if some of this is obvious to you, but start with making sure you understand the definitions of everything in section one and then section two is what you're looking for. Simple stability. Make sure you understand the equilibrium conditions and the forces and moments that govern them, and the concept of metacentric height. For what you're doing that will be more than enough to make a simple model to roughly ensure you'll be stable. Take the hull you're wanting to build and make a general representative shape to make the calculations easier, i.e. A typical v-hull fishing boat could be simply modeled as a box on top of a triangular prism for simplicity. Down at pages 121 and on there are some simple examples that will illustrate what you'll want to do if you are going to calculate stability. You could also of course just understand the principles and "eyeball" it for s small boat like you want to build. If you are though interested in serious naval architecture I suggest applied naval architecture by zubaly. It's a very practical and straight to the point text that's presented in a logical order and understandable way in my opinion, although there are a few other texts that are considered the bibles of NA as well. Good luck and hope the dinghy turns out great!

https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Naval-Architecture-Robert-Zubaly/dp/0870334751

I've kind of amassed a library. I'm a rank amateur, but here's what I've found helpful in at least orienting myself so far (I'm still working my way through these on a "total readthrough" basis, but I've flipped through and skimmed all of them) in the order that you should probably read them. Also, I've spent the last six months skulking around every sailing forum on the Internet.

I've found the greatest barrier of sailing for someone trying to get into it for the first time is understanding the language, and the second greatest is understanding the mechanical workings of the rig and how it physically interacts with the wind. These books have been super helpful in that respect. I can't speak to how much in the way of practical skill they may have imparted, but I know infinitely more about the subject than I did a few months ago.

• The Complete Sailor, Second Edition (mentioned already)
  
• The Sailing Handbook
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual
  
• The Sailmaker's Apprentice
  
• The Complete Rigger's Apprentice
  
• The Gaff Rig Handbook
  
• Hand, Reef, and Steer
  
  Those last two are because I despearately want a Gaff rig. If you're not planning on ever dealing with a Gaffer, you don't need them at all. If you only want to buy one of the books on the list, make it The Complete Sailor.
  
  There's also a bunch of online resources, such as about.com's "how to sail a small sailboat" article and ESPECIALLY the boating section of Animated Knots which can teach you a ton of knots.
  
  Hope that helps!

Somehow missed this post when it was new, but in case you haven't moved on to other dreams, you should know about George Buehler, who drew a lot of designs intended for amateur construction in steel, plywood or common construction-grade lumber. Here's a link to his plans:

http://georgebuehler.com/photothumbs.html

(You'll have to scroll past the power designs to get to the sailboats.)

George wrote a book called "Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding" that basically lays out what your dream will require of you. It's very affirming, positive, optimistic - but it also makes clear just how much work you're signing up for, which should be enough to talk you out of actually trying to build this boat you're dreaming of, if you're smart ;-)

The others in this thread who urged you to just buy a used boat are not wrong: building something yourself is the longer, harder, more expensive route when compared to just saving up the money and buying a used boat. But some people just really want the experience of building the boat themselves, and if you're one of them, well, good luck to you.

Oh, and there are well-regarded sailors who have completed multiple circumnavigations on boats smaller than 10 meters (33 feet), so don't let anyone tell you something that size can't sail the world if it's well-designed, well-built and well-crewed.

I live in Florida, but quite a few people migrate yearly and stay in good weather. Right now I haven't moved much with the boat because I have a land based job and spent the last 2 years getting out of debt and am now putting funds into the boat itself(solar panels and things like that).

The boat does need upkeep, but it's pretty minor. Varnishing, bottom cleaning($50 every couple months) and the big expense is every couple years it's around 1k for a bottom paint job. It's paint that keeps sea growth off the boat. Eventually you do need bigger "house type" expenses, a new set of sails would set me back 3-4k(every 8-14 years maybe), I have a 1994 engine that I may need to replace 10 years from now(7k to do that). But those are easy to manage since you can usually plan well ahead for them.

In Florida my slip + electric costs around 520 a month. Other states can be cheaper than that. My slip fee includes free wifi but I have a 3G setup for internet as well($80 a month). That'd handle my internet while cruising as long as I stay coastal.

Satellite internet is way too expensive, so everyone uses long range wifi(like home wifi, only 5 miles of range) and 3G/4G.

You can find out more information here http://www.livingaboard.com/forum/

And this book is pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/The-Essentials-Living-Aboard-Boat/dp/0939837668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334777701&sr=8-1

I learned a lot from Power Squadron classes, but that was more about navigation and safety than maintenance. Very useful however. It will put you in touch with a bunch of great folks who will love to chat maintenance. Other than that, I got the Nigel Calder book (http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373317120&sr=1-1) and chatted up everyone in the Marina.

Also check out the Wollaston Yacht Club in Quincy. It's got a bunch very cool down to earth folks who love boats, boating, and maybe beer.

The book below makes specific suggestions on bluewater capable used boats. The list is far from comprehensive but it does give as good overview of pricing and history of the boats. With a few exceptions, the boats are affordable (I know that's a relative term when it comes to sailboats). Here's the book (clean link)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1574092340/

Your budget will limit your choices, but there are "crazy" deals made every day in the sailboat market. I too am looking at sailing away in the next 12-18 months. I met a guy recently with a beautiful Hans Christian 38. He bought it, put a ton of money into it, but turns out his wife doesn't like overnight sailing, never mind bluewater sailing. So he'll be selling. This scenario plays out every day. Get the word out that you're looking as you get down to 18-24 months from leaving. Be prepared to move quickly and have the cash lined up.

The list in the book was compiled by John Kretschmer who is one of the most experienced bluewater sailors out there. His book "Sailing a Serious Ocean" is a good read as well.

Good luck on your journey!

I'm sure you already are but if not, start keeping eyes on the local used boat market. Wait and watch then pick your pitch. If it's too good to be true, it probably is BUT there are motivated sellers. People buy 2nd boats before selling their current one all the time, people inherit boats they can't afford upkeep on, people leave them at boat yards. This is especially true for smaller and older boats where the annual storage and upkeep can exceed the value of the boat itself.

Set up a separate bank account and figure out your annual cost of ownership. Start getting used to setting that money aside automatically each month. It'll give you a head start on your sinking fund so any early upgrades or repairs don't sting as much.

I watched and saved for 3 years until I was able to make a late-season steal on a well cared for Cal 2-25. Owner bought it for 6k, was paying 3500 for a slip and 1600 for winter storage. He was asking 5k but I waited until late in the season and offered 3400 pointing out the fact that he's breaking even on asking price by avoiding the looking winter storage. We settled on 3800 and we took ownership with 2+ months of the sailing season left.

While you're preparing, read the following books:

• Buy, Outfit, Sail: How To Inexpensively and Safely Buy, Outfit, and Sail a Small Vessel Around the World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1456310038/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Hi8YzbQ3KFZYY
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo (International Marine-RMP) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lj8YzbYPNZDPR

As a software developer I assume you will need to stay connected while travelling. You might find some of the information on Technomadia's blog helpful. They are app developers that live on a boat part of the year, and an RV the other part. They post a lot of articles about staying connected and working virtually from a boat full time.

A good book I found helpful about liveaboard life is, "The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat," by Mark Nicholas. He lived aboard for years, so some of the technology he mentions is dated, but he lists the potential problems and rewards that come along with living aboard full time while working a regular, full time job while he lived in Boston.

Another book that might pertain to you and I've seen excerpts from is, "Leap of Faith: Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat," by Ed Robinson. You might download a sample and see if it's helpful. Good luck and take care.

Putting a bluebook value on boats is really difficult. The equipment and condition can vary so greatly from one boat to another that it would be impractical to group them all together.

In my experience, the best way to get a feel for the value of a boat is to look at a lot of boats. Check out many listings of boats that are in your target size/style, and go and check them out. Even take photos and make notes so it's easy to remember what features were with which boats. Eventually you will come across one that just seems to be a good value when compared to the others that you have seen. It's a bit more time consuming this way, but I feel that you'll get a better boat in the long run using this method.

The problem with surveys is that many surveyors just don't do a thorough job. I wouldn't pay for a survey for a boat until I was quite certain that it was a boat I was ready to purchase. And even still, for a boat of this price a survey may not be worth it. Grabbing a copy of This Old Boat by Don Casey may be worth far more to you than paying for a professional survey since you'll be able to use the information on many boats, and you'll learn a lot about your future boat in the process.

I know I'm not really giving you a solid answer but I'm not familiar with the market in Seattle, and as you've mentioned, location can make quite a difference in the listing/selling prices.

Good luck!

As the widely varying answers in this thread suggest, the size of the boat is far from the sole criterion you should be considering; people have traversed the oceans in rowboats. It's not comfortable, but it CAN be done.

Instead, you should ask yourself the question "What do I want to accomplish, and what are the options available to me within my budget?" The Pardeys circumnavigated in a 24-footer that I would find extremely cramped, but they were competent sailors, knew what they enjoyed, and they did a great job of it.

If you're thinking about production boats, this book would be a good place to get you started. In the end, it's a combination of factors having to do with you, the boat, and the way you intend to sail her.

As someone who is currently in my 4th year in an NA/ME undergrad program I can only offer my perspective on your decision and hope that it helps. Having witnessed a friend or two go through the Mech program my university offers I can tell you that overall the concepts that distinguish NA/ME from general Mech are few - though those few can be quite important. For the most part the classes I have taken mirror the classes my Mech friends have taken to the point where our first Static Structures class was the same, our Intro to Dynamics class was the same, and I even took the Mech version of Fluid Dynamics I because I couldn't take the NA/ME version. For the most part the classes are interchangeable - which sits well with your plan. The differences arise in the fact that Mech will give you none of the basics for Marine design: stability calculations, propeller/engine shaft design, that sort of thing. To compensate, I would recommend this book: Applied Naval Architecture. It's what I use at my university and I find I come back to it quite frequently as it contains a little bit of everything.

Beyond that, my main concern for you lies in the Area of Fluid Dynamics. Right now I'm enrolled in both the Mech and NA/ME version of Fluids II and they are very different. Mech is dedicated to learning CFD in FLUENT and the NA/ME is dedicated to describing scaling parameters between testing models and actual ships. The NA/ME class leads heavy into what my Senior design course will be next year and our Senior Lab, while the Mech class, while useful to know, doesn't help much at all. I wish I could offer you a good source to read on, but as my NA/ME class doesn't use an official book (just course pack) I really don't know of an equivalent that would meet your needs.

So basically, I would say you would be mostly on par with anyone else entering a Masters program straight out of undergrad for NA/ME with just a few exceptions. Hope this helped!

Check out a couple of books by Nigel Calder. I recommend starting with Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook as it's a pretty good general overview of everything you need to know for cruising, then try Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual as a guide to all of the stuff that you will spend all of your free time fixing and maintaining. I also have Marine Diesel Engines. He does a great job of explaining everything you need to know in an accessible way. He manages to get to some pretty advanced skills without assuming very much previous knowledge.

What is it exactly that you've always wanted? I'm guessing the answer is not round-the-buoys racing :) Regardless, you're going to need to get some experience with the basics before people start trusting you with their lives on the open ocean.

Really though, sailing isn't hard. Check out your local sailing clubs, crew for a bit, see if you still love it. If you do, study up on piloting, navigation and the "rules of the road", then rather than being under some skipper's thumb, think about buying your own boat. Check out 20 Small Sailboats To Take You Anywhere from your local library. For the cost of a few month's rent you will have a simple, capable vessel that you can sail wherever you want. Living on a sailboat can be very inexpensive (though it can also be quite expensive).

Good luck, live your dream, and thanks for your service in Afghanistan.

If you like to sail in windy and rough conditions you should really think about a multihull, IMO. In addition to the cats and tris above, you might give Gary Dierking's book a look:

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Outrigger-Sailing-Canoes-Construction/dp/0071487913

Fast, capable, pretty, and not complex to build. Anything in that book would sail circles around a Scamp or the CLC Pocketship. And if you want to camp out you have a tramp or platform to sleep on, that's actually really comfortable.

Good luck!

I bought a pretty damn serviceable Catalina 25 Tall Rig for $2000. I did quite a few things to it before it went back in the water, but as-is, short of new running rigging (less than $200 if you shop around) it was ready for the water right away.

On the other hand, I also bought a Macgregor 25 for $1000 that's still pretty much a basket case, and have put it aside so I can enjoy the Catalina for the season. The biggest difference between the two boats was that after spending 6 months on the Macgregor I knew what warning signs to look for that a boat was going to be more work than it's worth.

Just like anything else, be ready to walk away, don't be in a hurry, and keep your eyes open for the right deal.

See also: http://www.amazon.com/Fix-Sail-Everything-Sailboat-Shoestring-ebook/dp/B000JMKOUU/ and http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Completely-ebook/dp/B0013TRRNK/.

> Any suggestions or ideas (or better yet plans or tutorials) would be greatly appreciated.

1. Start by building scale models. You can learn 90% of the essential concepts of boat building very quick and cheap this way. And, you can actually end up with a successful full size built boat more quickly by learning first by building small scale models. They can be simply made of cardboard and tape, too.
   
   
2. Read a couple books. I recommend Jim Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson. You can expect the price of both these books to be paid back via saving you a costly mistake.
   
   
3. Avoid the temptation to be a boat designer. At least at first, stick with a well known tried and tested popular design of a well respected boat designer.

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.
   
   
   
   
   

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!

Hey friend. Pilot/Sailor here. There are parallels between aviation and sailing..absolutely, but my advice would be to approach sailing with the same independence with which you approached flying, initially.

There is an ENORMOUS body of information for potential "cruisers" available on line, luckily. I recommend that you hit the forums on Sailnet.com, for starters.

Boat-length isn't really the driving force behind your decision, so much as stability and ease of handling. Ease into the information you read through, and disseminate thusly which sort of cruiser you aspire to be. There are TONS of options.

Bluewaterboats.org
& this (basically a rod machado's take on sailing.)

You're going to have to attack this with a grinder, I think, and eradicate the crack completely before laying new glassfibre matting in there, a bit like this guy does at the front of his keel.

Watch this video - from this photo it looks to me like your keel might've been opened up before, and it's been put back together shoddily.


Here are replacement rudders advertised for $1700, but the thing about GRP is that it's really resilient, and you can build most anything from it.

I am sure you can rebuild this rudder and get it perfectly serviceable, if you just put the time in and do it right. It is gonna take some hours, though.

I bet this is a really good manual.

Don Casey is fantastic his section of Sail is one of the best reasons to get the mag. I also recommend The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual as a primer to understand more about fiberglass and older boat construction as well as to give you an idea on how much work you have ahead. Also start getting this catalog so you can get a feel for prices, and this book to help you know the exact name for what you need.

Get a copy of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Diesel-Engines-Maintenance-Troubleshooting/dp/0071475354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415398133&sr=1-1&keywords=marine+diesel+engines

My own boat is gasoline-powered, but I do enough reading about powerboats in general to be aware that this book is the Bible where caring for marine diesel engines is concerned. The author is the technical editor at PassageMaker magazine.

West Marine carries it, but you could get it cheaper by ordering a used copy from Amazon.

EDIT: You're welcome. Appreciate the upvote. /sarcasm

I think you're getting a lot of good advice because

1. You've identified your needs and background
   
   
2. You've pointed out a bunch of specific boats you're thinking about.
   
   In addition to what's already been said on this thread, I'll point out a book I try and always recommend highly to folks looking at buying older sailboats. It'll really help you zero in on what to look for as you're sizing up older boats in terms of condition.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455
   
   The other thing to realize is that there absolutely no need to be in any kind of hurry. Buy in haste, repent at leisure. It's ALWAYS a buyer's market for old 70s vintage 30footish sailboats. Even if any of these gets snapped up, another one will come along.
   
   EDIT: one more thing. Do consider where the boat is currently moored, and find out if you can transfer the slip to your name. Finding a place to keep a boat can be a hassle. And if it's already in a good location for you, that can be a plus and can save you some work once you own the boat. I wouldn't make that the overriding concern. But could definitely be a tie-breaker between otherwise comparable boats.
   

I hear you. If I were going to start looking for a passage making boat today, I'd start with this and this.

Then I'd look here and see what others are doing. If you're going to go small, I personally like S/V Prism and their Hans Christian 33. On the opposite side, S/V Delos is a gigantic Amel Super Maramu. But La Vagabonde crossed the Atlantic in a Beneteau, so you have a lot of options (not even counting catamarans). In your case, resale value is probably more important, so an older boat might be better.

This is a fascinating book about Micronesians who navigate primarily based on the waves and currents.

I work as a boat captain and navigation without charts has always fascinated me. One of my friends told me a story about how he was sailing with a dude who would taste the mud every time they set anchor to determine their location. My friend decided to prank/test him by saving mud from Spain and putting it on the anchor when they were in Italy. This dude tasted the mud and started flipping out and asking why they went back to Spain.

If you're interested in books, I bought this[1] one. It's a pretty good starter. I also bought an older used copy of Chapman Piloting for general boat knowledge.

I personally haven't decided for or against doing it (the possibility is still a few years off), but at least it didn't scare me off entirely. I recently bought a house and the amount of maintenance makes me want to go as far as possible away from maintenance (e.g. getting a super solid tiny house, metal roof, etc) which is not a good point for a boat.

As far learning how to sail, there are "accredited" courses which include time on the water. You can also go outside that and probably get training cheaper. Look up local yacht clubs and see what they have (we have one even in landlocked Austin). I haven't gone farther than research yet so that's as much as I can say.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Revised-Updated/dp/0939837668/

Your local power squadrons are a great idea if you're planning on larger cruising boats. But they do mostly course work classes for people who own their own boats or are planning on buying their own cruising boats.

Dinghy sailing just drop by your local dinghy sailing centre and ask them what their lessons start for.

The best book that I've ever found for learning how to sail is the following: http://www.amazon.com/Royces-Sailing-Illustrated-Patrick-Royce/dp/0894716964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374379136&sr=8-1&keywords=royce%27s+sailing+illustrated

The best way to learn is to get out on the water though. Whatever avenue you take it should involve actually getting out there.

"This Old Boat" by Don Casey is also an excellent resource on finding, fixing and maintaining your boat. Theres an entire chapter on what to look for and what to avoid. There's also chapter upon chapter on how to fix pretty much any problem.
It pretty much covers every question you ask, except "experiences". That will always vary from person and place.

Good luck!

If you pull that off shoot me a message and I will email him all the pictures. Another thing I will suggest is a book called "This Old Boat" http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Completely/dp/0071477942 I have the first ed. but I am sure its all still there. It is a great reference on restoring all kinds of boats but especially older smaller sailboats.

When I got into dinghy sailing, I was obsessed with Royces Sailing Illustrated. I don't know how up to date it is, but I loved reading it.

Also, I may be biased, since my godfather wrote it, but Winning in One Designs is a great book, very accessible and super-informative.

I would recommend this book Boatbuilding for Beginners (and Beyond): Everything You Need to Know to Build a Sailboat, a Rowboat, a Motorboat, a Canoe, and More! by Jim Michalak http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891369296/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am just starting to build a Piccup Pram and bought the plans from this designer. I would also recommend you use designs of something that has already been built as the behavior of the boat has been vetted for placement of the mast/sail/rudder etc.

Also you are likely underestimating the expense of the materials. You have to use marine grade plywood as only that plywood glue will be water proof. A 1/4" thick 4'x8' sheet is $50 each and for a small sail/row dinghy it takes 5 sheets. The sail is $600 if you want to buy it from http://www.duckworksbbs.com/ or around $250 in materials if you want to sew your own sail. I expect I will have $1400 in material cost to complete the build but am doing it more for the experience and having a boat just the way I want it.

But by all means draw pictures and daydream. There are lots of fun times doing that. But when you get down to building it you may want to consider the cost and going with a known design that you can customize in your own personal ways.

Here is a complete youtube video of a gentleman (Martin Houston) building a Jim Michalak AF3 plywood boat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76nlJR-RSUM

I saw a lot of Jim Michalak boats in the Texas 200 which I did for the first time last year in my Catalina 22. http://www.texas200.com/

What did they re-core the decks with? Older boats are cheaper then newer boats. This doesn't necessarily equate to problems but if everything seems in fair shape, you could look into a survey to make sure it all checks out. The main issues from older boats is rot, either the core or interior's. LifeCaulk (which is what was used on most all of the hardware) has a lifespan of 10 Years, max. They used to claim it was good for the life of the boat, and a lot of people never took up the hardware to rebed it. Causing leaks. The windows/portholes also are something to look at for leaks.

You should probably pick up this book, https://amzn.com/0071445455 read it over and as always with a large investment get it survey'd.

Oh wow, I have not read that one - I'll have to get a copy.

I've gotten much enjoyment out of reading Royce's Sailing Illustrated, Capable Cruiser by Lin & Larry Pardey [along with everything else by them], and the Annapolis Book of Seamanship, among others.

Haha! Around really hard core racers I feel that way all the time still. I just shut my mouth and nod sometimes. Being immersed in a new language helps some.

I found this book to be particularly helpful.

I'm quite seriously considering a sailing wander about early retirement/escape. I recommend r/sailing. There are some experienced sailors there, and sometimes the discussion addresses cruising. I'd also recommend The Coastal Cruiser: A complete guide to the design, selection, purchase, and outfitting of auxiliary sailboats under 30 feet--with a portfolio of successful designs , . Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere , and Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 66th Edition

Can't speak to living aboard personally, or even Seattle specifically, but I'm also researching the feasibility with the SO now. I'm in the middle of this book, The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat, and find it very enlightening. You may want to check it out if you haven't already.

Definitely. You'll save A LOT of pennies too, more than you could possibly imagine right now.

One option if you want to get going sooner is to buy an engineless beater, and Don Casey's book, and get going: http://www.amazon.com/Caseys-Complete-Illustrated-Sailboat-Maintenance/dp/0071462848/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1370306245&sr=8-1

I have enjoyed these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756689694/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071350993/

Edit 1 to add: Also, for entertaining reading, Joshua Slocum's book and Voyage for Madmen

I'm totally biased, but I think you'd love the designs in this book

https://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388 This will help you fix nearly everything. It's slightly technical but has very good information.

Best investment you can make! Everyone should have this on their boat! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071432388?pc_redir=1397569458&robot_redir=1

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

I recommend this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Revised-Updated/dp/0939837668

Re learning: get something you can hope to dock.

Buy this book, it's great!

Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tiBTybADK132Z

This is a great reference! https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0071477942/ref=sr_1_4_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1506370390&sr=8-4&keywords=don+casey

Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0939837323/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CAPWCb34QV9EG

These will be more in the civic line, although in terms of good little work horses, they can usually still play.

Genetic testing has laid most of the mainland SA ideas to rest.

Check out Mau Piailug, one of the last master Polynesian navigators. If you're interested, The Last Navigator, may be be something you'd like.

A great book that includes sets of plans, 'Boatbuilding for Beginners (and beyond)' by Jim Michalak.

This was a great resource for my wife and I (boston, 42' trawler): https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Boat/dp/0939837668.

So, coastal cruiser, homebase Maine, 'Snowbird' itinerary.

That leaves the budget question as the big variable we need if you want specific recommendations. You can do this at many different $$$ levels...but the boat selection and priorities will change.

This is a good place to start: Greg Nestor - "Twenty affordable sailboats to take you anywhere"

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Affordable-Sailboats-Anywhere-ebook/dp/B00422LH04/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368355828&sr=1-1&keywords=Nestor+sail

If you need to go for less $$$...that means either smaller, older, or more 'sweat equity' by you. Don't give up here. Many sailors have years of fullfilling cruising under the 'go small, go simple, go early' approach. Refer to this very similar book by John Vigor - "Twenty small sailboats to take you anywhere"

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1368355337&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Vigor+sail

Plan on 50% of purchase cost, additional, to put it right, depending on the boat and your plans. Strongly consider a survey for the boat that is the "one". They cost too damn much to do more than one, but can save you from that BIG mistake.

1. Be very careful of any multi-tool you get - the cheap ones while they claim to be stainless have hinge pins that rust.
   
   that said - look a set of separate tools is very important - if your only tool is a multi-tool - you often need a second one. for example often you need needle-nose pliers AND some other tool
   
   
2. A spike - and a large fixed blade knife, that you can use like a cleaver - with a blade large and strong enough to be hammered
   
   Very good knife: https://www.amazon.com/Myerchin-Knives-Generation-Offshore-System/dp/B01N5C3XVK
   
   Why fixed blade? You'll understand why when the folding knife closes on you at the wrong time.
   
   If you want a folding knife - https://www.amazon.com/Tested-Myerchin-Knives-Rigging-Serrated/dp/B07BDP5KCG
   
   Another: https://www.garrettwade.com/sailors-marlinspike-knife.html
   
   You can argue about the serrated (harder to sharpen) or non-serrated (easy to sharpen)
   
   Myerchin are unbelievably strong no bullshit knives.
   
   
3. This book - https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Riggers-Apprentice-Techniques-Traditional/dp/0070648409
   
   
   

Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding (Amazon Link) -- apparently there's an updated version coming out later this year.

Grab it from the library and give it a read; he has some interesting thoughts on boatbuilding, including interiors.

He has a few websites as well - this is his main. Web design is not one of his talents, but it's more than made up for with his designs.

Start with the classic, "Sailing Alone around the World", by Joshua Slocum. I would also recommend some other older accounts, such as Cruising under Sail, by Eric and Susan Hiscock.

Get to know Lin and Larry Pardey and their books.

For specific advice on boat systems, see Nigel Calder's books Nigel is a very clear and detailed writer.

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

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

Is this it? I'm thinking of getting it and want to make sure.

If you have a boat you need to get "Don Casey's: This old boat" It will explain this repair as well as all other you might need.

The only other one I can really think of is Zubaly's Applied Naval Architecture, I was told during my sophomore year that this book would be my Bible for life, and although I only just graduated recently, it has been quite useful, primarily in school so far though. I know they're not really related topics, but that's all I got.

John Vigors 20 small sailboats to take you anywhere:

https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499492768&sr=8-1&keywords=20+small+sailboats+to+take+you+anywhere

Go get yourself a copy of "This old boat" by Don Casey. They should be widely available secondhand.

He recommends installing a second maintenance bilge pump with a smaller hose, which mops up whatever the big one lets back down again when it turns off the power.

I agree it’s not a reputable blue water boat, but the Catalina 27 is listed in Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere because many people have crossed oceans in it.

Nigel Calder's book Marine Diesel Engines, while not giving a thorough treatment of a rebuild, will give you enough information to be able to figure out if it's worth rebuilding or not.

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

http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Edition/dp/0071477942

Avoid some carefully-selected answers (fibs) from the seller, buy a book or two on boat repair (shameless plug). You'll learn how to do basic inspections of the hull and other things to look out for. Then if you think that's the one, hire an inspector to look it over.