hi all, growing up we had motor cruisers and I would love to get back on the water....now at the tender age of 45 I would love to buy a yacht... but can't sail and have limited experience.

i am taking a try sailing course soon but I wanted to ask to get some of the basics I need to know about buying a yacht.... I looked at some on gumtree for $4k or so, which seem really good... I understand the mooring issue but could
somwone tell me a few other points I need to consider... fibreglass or wood?, best model?, keel type?

any info most appreciated

thanks

karl

What do you want out of your boat day trips weekends away?? Weeks away?? Where do you want to go?? What weather do you like being out in? Do you have a habit of breaking your stuff? How much time-money do you have to spend on maintains?

There is no such thing as a cheap boat.

Much the same as responses already made.....
I have really only gotten into sailing over the past 5years or so with some basic prior sailing knowledge. I have crewed at a yacht club, done some sailing courses and owened a small catamaran.

Its good to hear that you want to do a sailing course. They provide a good grounding and can start to put text book theory into practice.

I would be hesitant in going out and buying a 4k sailing boat off Gumtree just yet. Selling boats can be difficult so you wantto make sure you buy an appropriate boat for your planned sailing area, ability and needs. Not to mention they can become a money pit.

Crewing can get you out on the water with like minded people for minimal outlay and you can keep practicing your developing skills. If you don't like the serious racing there should be some twilight racing available too.

Eventually you will want to own a boat for your self. I have enjoyed an off the beach catamaran but would now like something I can take the family out over night on. If you cant resist owning a boat right now I would tentatively recommend a small cat. Not a racing hobie 16 etc, more calipso, caper, wind rush..? You shouldn't get yourself into too much trouble but you can get yourself on the helm, wind in the sails and plenty of salt spray. Maybe you could even hire one locally?

For us to provide any more comment you would need to give us more of an idea about your intentions:

Where do you plan to sail?

How many people are you taking?

How far do you want to go in your boat? / Out for the day, overnight, live aboard?

Where do you plan to keep it?

For 4k an Endeavour 26 is possible.

Trek said..
To answer your two easy questions go for a fibreglass boat if you want to mimize maintenance, and go for fixed keel so it less likely to break if you run aground.
if you are really keen a $4k boat might be ok to start with since they are smaller and easy to handle. if you go mad and just buy one theres plenty of people who will come out on it with you and teach you.
In light wind you can go out and teach yourself even, just pull sail down and use motor to get out of trouble if you see it coming. Week days are best for that since waterways have less traffic.
Learning on other peoples boats will teach you a lot but its not the same as being skipper and being in control. if you want your own boat you must know about safety principles, what the winds doing, what sails to put up and how to use them. Also you will start to learn about the maintenance side as mentioned above. Being skipper will force all that on you. My opinions different to the above, i would buy one and get a teacher.

Also you can use pc sailing simulators to learn. I got my gf who never sailed in her life to practice heaps on one and when we got onto boat she knew how to sail upwind reach run and tack instantly

+1

Yes, we heard you, but who are you? where are you? just out of common courtesy update your profile before asking questions, please.
It is hard enough to try to help one who is trying to learn sailing on a sailing forum let alone an anonymous one not knowing where he is located.

I would recommend reading a lot for a long time before asking questions.