marinaa wrote:Me and my mate want to get into sailing, how much would it cost for a sailing boat...?
Oh boy... that's a tricky question. Did you want to get all of the way or just half way there? For a trip from Australia to the US, you want something a bit more substantial than the PocketShip. Even with the biggest boat you can afford with the fanciest of gear on board, there's no guarantee that you will make it there. While some people have crossed oceans with very small craft, it's a lot more usual to have something a bit bigger, and a bit bigger means a lot more money.
We dont know anything about sailing, except that the last scene in The Shawshank Redemption is actually quite funny when he's fixing the boat by himself on a deserted beach with no means to get it into the water.
To be honest, watching a movie about a couple of guys in the slammer isn't enough to get you ready for ocean cruising. I would recommend starting with a small boat and learning how to sail... within the limits of that boat and local conditions. And doing a lot of reading. If you still want to cross oceans, move up to something bigger, but don't set off until you are ready for it. That means having a boat that is capable and preparing yourself as well. That means having everything you need for self-rescue as well as all the latest sat phones, EPIRBS, life rafts and so on.
My immediate goals are to finish building the ten footer that I'm working on now, then a Wood Duck 10 (kayak), an Eastport Pram (dinghy), and then finally a PocketShip. I'm just planning on coastal cruising, but if after a few years I have enough confidence in myself and the PockeShip, I might consider trying a dash to the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwai) or a circum-navigation of Vancouver Island. Both would be lofty (ambitious) goals for a PocketShip. Both would need a stretch of good weather. If you want to build a small boat, the PocketShip would give you something to use while you are learning to sail, and while you are deciding if crossing oceans is for you or not. If you decide to not start crossing oceans, it would still give you a nice trailerable boat that you could use where you are now.
Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:47 am