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Choosing the first boat

K

kotyara

New member
Hi all,

I'm very new to sailing, having just completed the ASA101 course, but the itch is just too great to resist, so I'm already looking to get a boat :) The plan is to start daysailing in the south bay at first, then do some weekend cruising in the rest of the bay, and eventually progress towards racing and short coastal outings (Farallones, HalfMoon Bay, etc.). Thing is, I'll most likely end up single-handed most of the time, so I thought I'd ask the wiser heads in this forum for some advice as to which boat would be more suitable to that purpose. I've spent the weekend looking at the various boats in the area and narrowed it down to three: Cal 2-27, Pearson 28-1 and Islander Bahama 28. I'd very much appreciate your opinions on these boats, especially as it applies to single-handing and learning to sail on. I'd also like to hear thought on inboard vs. outboard motor selection.

Thanks a bunch,
Alex.
 
I bought a Cal 2-27 in June. Since then at least two SSSers have bought Cal 2-27s. Copycats. What sold me on an inboard was sailing home in the dark after the 3 Bridge earlier this year. There was still wind and I was sailing my previous boat with its outboard. I thought about how glad I was that there was wind and I didn't need to lean back over the transom, over that dark water full of sea monsters and boogiemen to position and then start my motor. It was cold. I was wet. Even though I was tethered an inboard motor began to have real appeal.
 
Alex, I actually haven't sailed any of those boats, but for your stated purpose I think they'd all be fine. In terms of suitability for singlehanding, it largely comes down to being able to reach all the important stuff without too much trouble. If you sit at the helm and think about how you would reach the sheets, halyards and reef lines, you should get some idea how well the boat would work for you. If you like to tinker you can move some things, and adding an autopilot is a big help.

A couple of other things to think about:
1. You don't have to find the perfect boat. After a year or two your preferences may evolve and you may find you want something else. SSS had a member a couple of years ago (hi Adam!) who was changing boats every few months. Therefore:
2. Buy a boat that you like! My first boat was a Merit 25, because I thought it was gorgeous. And the Boat-of-the-Month writeup in Latitude 38 made it sound great. If you look at our race results, you'll see people singlehanding all kinds of boats, because we all have our own taste.

Max
 
Alex, I'd take a close look at a good Cal 2-27 if you find one. There have been several that have sailed successfully in the SSS. It's a sturdy boat with good sailing characteristics, and has quite a bit of room below for a 27 footer. Since they are older, a close examination/survey would be a good investment. Some surveys don't include the mast and standing rigging nor the engine, so be sure to get someone qualified to check those out, too.
I agree with Max that a good Merit 25 might be a boat to consider as well, although it's smaller.
I also agree that there are many good, older boats and that one you feel comfortable sailing - and for shorthanding one with the important "stuff" close to the tiller/wheel.
Pat Broderick
 
Interesting... It's nice to know there are 3 Cal 27s already in the SSS fleet, I suppose that's a pretty good recommendation :) If I get one, would we qualify as a "fleet"? :) It would definitely be a big plus to have several sister boats close by. Are there any local (or online, for that matter) "one design" groups for these boats? Google hasn't turned up anything, but I probably just didn't look hard enough...

The one I'm looking at is very nice, very clean, and seems to be setup well for singlehanding, even has jacklines already installed. It's only downside is that it's outboard powered, but I figured I'll live with that for a while and eventually convert it to electric. It's also cheap enough, and Cals seem to be popular boats, so I'm not too worried about reselling it if need be, although I do intend to keep it for a few years :)

So, I'm thinking that Cal 2-27 would be the winner, as long as the survey won't turn up any big problems. Thanks a bunch for the advice!

Ahhhh, the itch is getting stronger... can't wait...

Cheers,
Alex.
 
Well, looks like I found the boat for me after all. Can anyone recommend a good surveyor with reasonable rates in Richmond area?
 
Jack Mackinnon - Accredited Marine Surveyor 1989, Senior Marine Surveyor
Accredited Marine Surveyor
P.O. Box 335
San Lorenzo, California 94580-0335
510-276-4351 -O, 510-909-6956 -Mobile, 510-276-9237 -Fax
[email protected]

Here's one possibility. I think you'll find most charge the same fees. You want an "out of water' survey, so add in the yard fees. Pat Broderick
 
Thanks Pat, but I wanted to do this quick so I picked one on a hunch, Alan Huguenot. That wouldn't be AlanH on this forum, would it? Anyway, survey is tomorrow, wish me luck :-)
 
Well, it's done. I'm the proud new owner of a Cal 29, "Hatikva", formerly sailed by Scott Cyphers. Survey didn't find any major problems, just a good amount of small blisters, about the size of a dime, which Alan assured me were nothing to worry about. KKMI folks were very accommodating and pleasure to work with, even gave me a free haul out in the next few weeks so that I'd have time to get used to the boat and decide what, if anything, needs to be done.

I'll be moving her to Coyote Point this weekend, anyone else from this board in that harbor?

Now, all I need to do is learn how to sail her and hopefully continue in Scott's footsteps and win some races :) Hopefully I'll get to meet some/most of you soon.

Scott, it's been a pleasure and good luck to you and your upcoming new ride!

Cheers,
Alex.
 
Wow. You did it. I'm impressed. And Hatikva is a beautiful boat. Again. Wow. And even though the loa is only two feet longer than a Cal 2-27, the waterline is two feet longer, too. Wow. I look forward to seeing Sail #6609 on the water with you at the tiller. Welcome, Alex
 
Thanks Jackie :) I look forward to all the fun I've been missing out on all my life.

I've been about a week away from buying a nice clean 2-27 without an engine (if anyone is interested, it's now up for grabs at Richmond Yacht Club Foundation for $3K. It's not listed yet, just give them a call) when I saw Scott's add on Craig's list and, well... it was too good to pass up, even though I was kinda looking forward to fooling around with electric propulsion. The fact that the boat was all set up for single-handing was a huge bonus, seems like Scott really had all the important pieces taken care of.

Now, if I can get it down to Coyote Point without running aground... I've been looking at the charts between Richmond Pt. and there sure are a lot of flat spots. Any advice for the trip?

Cheers,
Alex.
 
Fooling around with electric propulsion. Oh yeah, that does sound like fun. Not. Anyway, Mike Farrell of Yellow Jack used to keep his Cal 20 at Coyote Point, if you give me your email privately I will forward it to him. He and I sailed into and out of that marina in good wind. There is a narrow channel surrounded by death defying shoals (only kidding about the death defying part. really. they're just ordinary shoals). Of course, Mike could sail the River Styx smoothly without going aground.
 
Thanks Alex.
Just get her to the start line and she will do the rest. That boat sails itself such a balanced helm and very simple setup. I love that boat. I am sure you will too. I hope to see you out there. You should do the 3 Bridge. It is always an interesting race. A good one to start on as well because it is a reverse start so you don't have a bunch of boats to deal with at the starting line.

Scott
 
She sure was easy to handle on the way to Coyote Point. Unfortunately I've had to motor-sail after Bay Bridge as I had a late start and was running out of day light quickly, and am I ever glad I didn't go the electric way. It would've been much more nerve-wracking it I had. That diesel is sweet, 6.5 Kts without straining even after I dropped the sails on approach. The sail to the bridge was very nice as well. The only problem was the jib kept getting blanketed by the main downwind, I guess I'll have to get familiar with that massive spin pole soon. After I tightened the tiller bolts, steering was nice and tight.

As for TBF, I definitely plan t join in on the fun, just have to get comfortable with the boat first. This past weekend had been a write-off, but I have some quality time planned for this one!

How is your new ride coming? Will you be there at TBF? Hope you get squared away by then, but if not, you're always welcome to join me on Hatikva.
 
Speaking of the passage to CP, big thanks to Mike for the great pep talk and Jackie for introducing me. It was a big help, especially on the approach. Despite that, I did manage to run aground slightly while rounding the corner at the entrance, but was going so slow at that point I barely noticed it at first. A little reverse engine got me free.
 
Scott, I see you bought Ergo. What. A. Great. Boat. And that you are registered in the Fiasco. Was Bill pleased to know that he sold to a SSS sailor?
 
Because your skills will grow quickly once you start sailing frequently, don’t buy a boat so safe and stodgy it’ll put your grandmother to sleep. Instead, find out what boats are popular in your home waters, especially among racing sailors. Even if you don’t race, you’ll soon want the performance of a racer. One thing all sailors enjoy is coaxing more speed from their boats, and that’s more fun if the boat has the speed potential to start with.
 
I sailed out of Coyote Point for years, and will almost certainly do so again when I take the plunge and buy another "big boat". Dock 11 is a great place to keep a boat, hidden from the prevailing winds by the hill. I sailed into and out of berths at the north end of dock 11 dozens of times.

Cal 2-27's have been a popular boat in the SSS for many years. I remember Terry McKelvey's 2-27. She did the SHTP in, hmmm....something like 1998, maybe? '96?
 
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