Newbie to sailing. Need advise on how to start.

Yeah I was so ecstatic when I saw the races for the lasers. I'm about 135 pounds so I mainly looked at the laser 4.7's since they said they were for lighter smaller men. I'm about 5'8 too. Then I happened to glance at the price and without even realizing I had closed the page. A poor mans instinct!

On another note I am looking to build my own little sailing dinghy. I just have a few questions. My woodworking skills are pretty basic (tables, chairs, model cars, birdhouse, and so on) do you think its possible for me to build one on my own? Don't expect my mother to pitch in

Also I've been looking at Glen-l.com with the Minuet, Glen-l 15 and 17. Are these simple enough for me to build? Also I have no idea what the costs of the materials would be. I've never done a project this big. May sound silly but would home depot have what I need?

With dixdesign.com I'm looking at the Explorer 18. Is that a good one to go for? and also the same questions as the others, what about the price of materials and tools?

I just want to know if these sites can be trusted. If you know of any better ones please let me know.

Do I have to use fiberglass? it looks complicated or at least difficult to work with.

Another thing even if I managed to get the money and successfully build my own boat can I sail it even though I don't have my certification yet? Like in the nearest lake or river? probably not a river seems only canoes and kayaks go there but still I want to know. Thank you for reading my hundreds of questions and understanding me. Its nice to know that there are people here who want me to start off right.

 

I know I keep on asking questions, but please bare with me. The Xebec rig although earlier mentioned to be inefficient compared to modern ones its still my goal. Regarding to that I see that the lateen sail is modern and is pretty much the xebec. I want to know if I can build my own boat then change the sail plan to a lateen one. So I can also gain some experience with the style. Then maybe in the far future I'll find a way to use them on a cruiser. But for right now is it practical for me and my build.

 

You don't have to be certified. Sailing clubs with rental fleets might require it but otherwise sailboats have no regulations regarding sailing ability.

 

I thought you had abandoned the Xebec.

Lanteen rigs are common and quite manageable on dingys -the classic is the sunfish. It's fairly simple and you could definitely use it on a home built. I was thinking of putting one on my kayak.

In larger boats it is only used by some cultures on the Mediterranean and maybe the black sea. Your picture of the Xebec is the first time I have seen it used on a big multi-mast boat. In the mideast they race a classic boat called a dhow -you could probably get some good wood design tips from these because they have been sailing them for thousands of years.

 

Muttist,

Be very careful when you read this. This forum is the center of the earth when it comes to traditional monohull "likes".

A 16' catamaran can be reasonably cheap to buy, and relatively easy to sail. They can quickly get ahead of your sailing skills in a heavier wind. Generally I don't suggest a novice start on one. But they are so much fun to sail because they are much faster in medium to heavy wind.

Another possibility depending on the local fleets is a scow type boat. The M-16 and others had lots of fleets in the middle regions of the US. These are grown up versions of the sailfish and Laser. Not exactly the same but a big flat boat that does best in moderate seas (lakes actually).

If you get into competition or trying to get the most out of any boat, the rigging and adjusting will get more complicated than you might imagine. Don't think that just because you build a smaller daysailor the requirements for sail control are simple.
To go faster you want to go can make things more and more complicated.

Like Alan White said, there are no requirements for a license by the various states I lived in to sail. Learning without help is more painful however. My dad took my brother and I out on a sailfish with the book in one hand.
I still don't claim to be very good, but that is a personal problem.

Have fun.

 

Buy my boat, review build process here http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/my-little-piece-peace-25962-6.html#post269950 - sorry for the cheekiness, but I could not resist - - - the offer is real, about 6kg of 99.99 pure gold bullion, The boat is at Cairns Queensland Australia - About Au$256920 at today's pricing... Australian registered vessel...

 

So basically I can trailer on over to a lake and sail to my hearts content? I'm already sweating trying to cover the boat itself and lessons, the thought of fees to even sail never crossed my mind. Augusta Sailing club seems to be the cheapest with $150 2 day sessions and still US certified training. If thats the case I might just end up buying a cheap sailboat (less than $1000) to save for fees and lessons.

And to upchurchmr hows this?
http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/34874
http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/34856
The cat comes with the sail but its made of composite. I thought that was bad material for sailboats? I know nothing of multihulls apparently.

 

HA.......That price going against my budget would be the title fight of the century!

 

I searched sailboatlistings for a cheap sailboat under 1000 and I got this crazy offer!
http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/11634
Someone please tell me that this mans hand slipped as he was going for 132 thousand.

Not only that there are loads of other super long boats claiming to be on sale for just mere hundreds.

Honestly try it and see for yourself. Sailboatlistings.com > search for a boat > price: 1000 > boat type: daysailer > Hull: mono > then hit show matching boats and be amazed!

 

40ft LOA cat with twin engines and a proven voyager - travelled from Brisbane to Cairns under power and earlier Brisbane to the Percy group and return to Brisbane - still about 600 mile range in tanks... - "You pays for what you gets" - - - - it is your life....

The listed price on the boat you mentioned is $132,000.00 (one thirty two thousand)

 

I can't "pays" that monstrosity! The IRS would eat me alive with a side of butter. Then my bank will take the bones and use it as a display for future loaners.

After the helpfull advise of the other people here I know now that in order to keep my "life" a recurring theme I should stay/start small and cheap.

Really though, thanks for the offer, but no thanks for the ridicule of my low budget and *newly acquired* common sense.

I just received a letter today telling me that I have been accepted into the college not to mention I have been paying rent for my studio apartment that I will be living in for the past month now. (a buffer so I can find a job and not worry about rent for a few months).

I say my life is swell.

I'm ok with you talking about the boat and the price but please don't refer to my lifestyle and choices with that sarcastic tone.

 

Muttsist,

An Aqua cat (not actually a Hobie) is relatively less refined boat, less sail, less structure and doesn't sail as well as a:
Hobie 16 (the most typical beach cat available for 2, but one can sail it is lighter winds or with great experience),
Hobie 14 (more rare, 1 man, typically just a main sail)
Prindle 16 (similar to a Hobie but a deeper hull, easier for a novice to keep upright)
Prindle and Hobie 18 - better sailing due to having a daggerboard but bigger (Prindle had a non daggerboard boat also)
Nacra in various lengths - best choice, but usually more expensive, has a daggerboard, a high quality boat. the "5.2" was the original.

There are others but fewer were sold.
Personally I would avoid the Aqua cat, and the Venture cat.
If you come across something else let me know, possibly I will have some information.
The most important thing for Hobies, Prindles and even Nacras is to check the hulls and see that they are not easy to deflect, especially just in front of the front cross beam. Don't buy one that has been obviously been "repaired", it almost never works.
You should also look on the bottom of the hulls where it rests on the trailer. If there are small rollers look very carefully for busted glass or soft spots. It will be better if the boat sits on broad shaped "bunks" which spread the load from bouncing down the road.

http://sailingtexas.com/201201/sprindle18107.html
http://www.tackleshack.com/node/2617 this is a new one not an older one, but the picture is good.
http://www.sailingtexas.com/snacra52100.html just to show you what I'm talkin about.

You can expect almost every cat you ever find will be fiberglass composite. Very few wood boats, but a few from plywood. Fiberglass has no soul but is easier to keep in good shape and often lighter.

 

Upchurchmr,

Thank you for the heads up Ill make sure to avoid the aqua cats. The Hobie 16 looks promising. However, it seems that catamarans and trimarans like to catch a lot of wind and can lean real far. Sounds like complete fun but not something I think I can handle just yet. I may be an excellent swimmer in open water but constantly flipping the boat back over after capsizing doesn't appeal to me right now. I mean maybe the catamaran is easier for a novice then a monohull but I'm so light that if the boat goes I go. And that constant thrashing from losing control would damage the boat wouldn't it? What I mean is if I tip over in a small dinghy it just rolls over and the sail is the only thing that gets damaged whereas the catamaran, seems to me from a visual perspective, would suffer more damage.

I don't know I'm still in the planning stage as what exactly to get. Small sailing dinghy or small catamaran. Both same price range but without actual experience I just cant be sure yet.

 

To be honest I didnt read that comment as being sarcastic or pointed at your situation. Most of us can't really afford a boat that size and so are limited to living with something smaller. Look around your nearest marina and you will see most larger boat owners are 50 years plus and have a lifetime of hard work and savings behind them.

Those that choose to build have the outlay spread over many years and their labour is free, however at certain points in the build there are significant outlays of cash in order to get to the next stage. This is where most give up as they cant see how they will ever find the time or cash to keep going once they look back to see how much it has cost so far.

Read through Masalai's thread in boat building section and you will see he spent years building his boat and made careful choices at each step to keep the cost to what he could manage at the time. Building or owning a large boat is a serious lifestyle choice.

132K is not unrealistic for the boat listed.
There is a huge variation in prices for larger boats, which generally is in direct proportion to their quality level, and to how much it will cost you to get it to an appropriate safely standard.
If a yacht is going cheap it nearly always means that many of its components are at the end of their service life, or that it is no longer a desirable design.

 

yea Ill admit I over-reacted and that my rant was uncalled for. Lack of sleep, frustration over money managing, and so on has really made me cranky and irritable. Sorry Masalai, I did go to your thread and I did see you put a huge amount of effort and time into that boat. I just couldn't possibly afford it and I guess the price (well deserved) just threw me off sparking an unnecessary temper. Also when I said monstrosity I was referring to the price not the boat. The price was the issue I had then, I have nothing against the boat.