Very very new to sailing

Hello,

I am very new to sailing, as may be evident by the question I am about to ask. What kind of sailboat is required for long distance voyages, say, from the S.F. Bay to Hawaii? General information like size, type of boat, etc. would help me out a lot.

Thank you!
Mike

 

Hi Mike,

General information you require:
Size: It should be big enough to suit your needs.
Type of Boat: You already specified that - Sail Boat


Go to your local magazine shop and buy yourself something like "Cruising Helmsman", have a read. You could do that trip on a multi million dollar maxi, or a lashed together raft.

Good Luck,
Rob

 

I once read that someone made that trip in a 15' Westwight Potter.

 

If you're very new to sailing, I'd set my sights on shorter distances initially!

If you're interested in buying a boat, get a sailing dinghy. Something like a Laser if you're sailing by yourself, or whatever is the most popular racing class, with modest performance, in your area. You will learn the essential connection between tiller, sheet, and weight placement this way quicker than any other. And if you don't keep the boat, you can sell it for not much less than you paid for it.

Second, start crewing in races. A racing skipper will take an enthusiastic inexperienced crew that can be counted on to show up on time, every time, over someone with more experience that can't be relied upon. This will give you the opportunity to sail on a bigger boat and learn the finer points of sail trim. It is also a good way to get experience in a variety of different boats. There will be things you like and don't like about each one, and this will do more than anything else to refine your idea of what you really want.

Finally, do some long distance sailing. For example, you might join the crew delivering a boat back to the mainland after the Pacific Cup. Once you've sailed between Hawaii and the US in the company of experienced sailors, you'll be better qualified to do it on your own.

Note that except for buying the dinghy, all this can be done at very low cost.

 

even buying a dinghy can be low cost, just gotta get a good deal on a second hand one.

 

If you really are that new to sauling then Tom's advice is A1, but I would say that some people are put off after trying to sail dinghies. Keel boats are so much easier, safer and more stable to learn in.

The trip to Hawaii is a long boring slog of a passage. If you make it there then wander on southWest into the Islands and you'll make a new landfall every 3 to 4 days.

See you there

 

******** mikejohns, have you ever taught someone how to sail in a corsair (16ft dinghy), they are one of the most stable dinghies, the only way to capsize them is if you mean to, or you have 2 light people racing with kite up in 25+ knots & gybe wrong.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the advice.


Yeah, I wasn't planning on making a voyage like that initially, I was just asking for example what kind of boat to get for that would be good, since I would like to do something like that eventually.


So I should try a small dinghy first, gotcha. I'll look into the plans(I am building my own boat)

 

yes, try dinghies first, best way to learn how to sail, it gives you the feel of the boat.

 

A dinghy, IS good for the younger folks, but it depends on the people you are teaching, adults are quite different to kids.

More than once I have seen the waves produce cold wet scared adults , completely put off sailing forever in conditions that would hardly ruffle a larger keelboat.

Makes such a difference if they can get out of the weather, relax at the helm, enjoy it and feel safe.
Most adults want to learn to sail a yacht and I think that that is what they should learn, then you can teach seamanship along with sail theory.

Dinghies would be ideal in calmer water, warmer weather with predictable winds. Not Hobarts best aspect.. the weather!

 

If your planning on "moving up" dont bother to build anything. It takes a long time and will definatly be hard to sell later.

A used sailbost (thats complete) can be bought for a few hundred dollars and sold as you move up.

Leartn maint and upgrade skills as you change vessels and it shouldnt be too costly.

World passages have been done on 20 ft boats , the comfort level is very low .Biut so is the inital outlay.

Dink sailing will teach you far more than crewing for someone. Learn to sail the dink , and crew to learn the sailing verbage.

FAST FRED

 

if an adult is scared by some wet sprays taken on a dinghy run, he'd better quit quickly the idea of ocean-crossing sailing. I think he could never deal with serious rough weather if he's not able to bear some wet waves on his face; no boat is big enough (perhaps except carriers and nuclear submarines ) to protect you from rough weather on ocean!!!!!

fair wind....and sprays
mistral

 

A dinghy is the best way to learn how to sail for most people, you learn way more about feel in a dinghy than you will in a keelboat. I bet i know alot of keelboats that will get you wet, the only people who should be getting taught in "keelboats" are disabled people, but even then, they use boats that are designed for disabled sailors, they still get wet. If you don't want to get wet, what is the point of learning how to sail, I know of a guy who was in his 80's and still sailing International 14 ft skiffs.
I seen adults get wet & cold by bass strait weather in keelboats, did they quit? no they didn't.
Ohh and do you know what a yacht is described as in the dictionary, i guess not, because a yacht is any of various relatively small sailing or motor-driven vessels, generally with smart graceful lines, used for pleasure cruises or racing. & i took that off http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=yacht
if the adult don't like getting wet & cold, he wont be a good sailor either because all the boats i've sailed on, which include keelboats, we get wet & sometimes cold, the only time you get cold though is when you aren't doing anything, like before the start of the race, where you are just waiting waiting waiting & because we haven't prepared for the cold weather, so if you are prepared properly, you shouldnt get cold

 

It's my opinion that at the very beginning a complete novice to sailing would benefit from a keel boat of gentle movements and then, after a couple of weeks, star sailing in a dinghy.

I still can remember how scared I was the first time I almost capsized at the helm in a dinghy in a gust of wind. It was fun, but for a lot of people that type of experience has been the last of their sailing careers. It’s best to star in a keel boat, anyway. Simply because they are more forgiving.

 

Lleras

You pretty much mirrored what I was going to say.

Both Mike and Yachtie have vaild points for different types of people. Myself I love to jump into to new things no matter, as long as I can see a good outcome down the road. I can learn fast, so I quickly enjoyed sailing the dink.

And sailing is really about enjoyment for most of us, I am sure most would agree.

My wife on the other hand learns differently and was not as comfortable in the dink. In fact she would get very frustrated. This does not make her less of a "sailor" then myself, she takes to the keel very well and really enjoys herself and is competent.

I loved the dink. She would of taken longer to be comfortable with it and would of probably turned her off to sailing all together if it was all she had.

So its hard to say one is better then the other.

And Yachtie, no disrespect meant, but try decafe, you get spun up to easly.. hehehe