I want a boat...and have no clue where to start.

[Captain Ron]

...
I'm offended! Besides that, it's all about the plans. As an apprentice it was explained to me early on, "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken $h!t".

It's not the kill but the thrill of the chase.

TIM

Don't be, there are also more than just a few shining examples of how it can be done right.

Also, plans may be great for building things, but other than scantlings and lofting, plans make great wallpaper

--ron

PS: I know more than just a few cabinet makers that found out why they call them "Shipwrights"

 

[bj-666]

i've been on the water my whole life so far i'm 20 i grew up on a 60ft dutch lemsteraak. i lived aboard for almost 16 years and have been thru just about every type of weather. buying a boat i just about as tricky a decision as you can make. i agree with all of the people who said go with a sailboat, although they may not be as fast as a power boat you will be very satisfied in the end being able to save thousands on fuel. my family currently runs two charter boats out of our town i run one and my father runs the other. the power boat which is a down east style lobster boat converted to carry passengers has a full display of electronics it is wood with a single detroit 671 for power. the other boat (sail)is a 63ft lemsteraak will almost zero electronics for navigation. both have there advantages i like being on the power boat and looking at a screen and being able to see where everythign is in dense fog but it is not like people never navigated without gps and radar. i would highly recomend a sail boat with a fresh re-power and some navigation electronics. if you thinking about cruizing go with a full keel heavy boat, light boats bounch around and are not as forgiving in heavy seas. most importantly you need to get on the water in as many types of boats as you can like cap't ron said be rail meat for a few races if time permits go on a delivery with somone in power vs sail. this whole which boat to buy is much like asking a person if you should buy a jeep and what mods to get without knowing what type of terrain you want to run. and to learn what type of terrain you want to run, you have to get in a jeep and run a trail or two. i strongly suggest getting on a few boats and trying to make a long trip in them because the first day your on it you will not see nearly as many things you dislike as the last day your on it.

 

[woody]

Okay, I'm looking to buy a boat here in a few years, and want to start my research and knowledge base now, so I can make an educated decision.

I'm looking for something in the 50-80k range, new or used, that isnt too showy, but has some power to it, and is versatile, so sorta like and XJ.

I want to be able to make a trip from say, Annapolis, MD up to Maine or to NYC or out to one of the other islands, or even to FL.

What should I be looking at as far as type and brand of boat? I'd like to stay away from sailboats for now, but move on to them once I am more experienced.

Thanks.

Fergie

You've got lots of good advice up above here... but I'll add my .02 since I grew up around salt water folks (mostly sail)

Take some basic courses in seamanship & navigation...

Once upon a time I had delusions of getting a Grand Banks trawler as a 2nd home... There is a broker on Chesapeake Bay that offers check-rides (IIRC it was a 2-day + overnight anchorage) for a price... they had other -more vacationey & $$$- packages too... but like if you wanted to self-charter one of theirs...you had to be a prev. Grand Banks owner or get checked out by them. Thing with a displacement-type hull... they move like pondwater :speepin: but they are classy, seaworthy boats, and would make a very comfy liveaboard.

Hinckley makes some classy day-boat$ & overnighter$ too.

I was digging on the Zodiac site the other day, one of these http://www.zodiaccz7.com/ would pull behind the XJ pretty well... You could zip from MD to all points up & down the coast, in all the weather you could stand, but they lack a little in creature comforts. They offer a series of RHIB classes (on the Chspk Bay as well) in case you have latent Navy Seal fantasies and a few hundred to burn.