What are /r/sailing's favorite Products & Services?

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Hi Mark!

So I've bought my first boat this year (a Pearson 26), and gotten deep into local racing (not with the Pearson). My recommendation is, if you're gonna teach yourself to sail, don't do what I did. Instead, buy something small (< 19 ft), used, and trailerable. Here's why:

• Small
  • Boats are expensive. Small boats are at least proportionately less expensive when you break things. Use this fact to save money for later.
  • Small boat means you don't need a lot of crew to sail, and sail well. This means you can go out by yourself or with just a friend.
  • You're going to be rigging the boat every time you take it out, and you want a boat small enough to do that by yourself.
  • Learning the wind is the same on big boats and small.
• Used
  • Used boats are much cheaper. The older you can buy (in good shape), the more money you'll have to buy something better later.
  • Assuming you don't sail directly into rocks, you'll be able to sell your small, used boat for at least what you paid for it. This will come in handy when you buy a cruiser. (Note that unless you adopt a real trainwreck, you won't be able to sell it for much MORE than you paid for it.)
• Trailerable
  • Don't pay marina fees until you have to. It's ~$2-3k/yr that you could put into your next boat instead.
  • You won't have to pay to have your boat hauled out when you need to work on it.
  • You don't have to go to the marina to do work.

Books will teach you a fair amount of what you need to know, but experience is essential. The maintenance book you want is Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual.

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Do that for a year, get really good at it, and then start shopping around for your first cruiser! Catalinas are absurdly popular, and parts are plentiful.

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Sailing is an ABSOLUTE BLAST. Welcome!

Great book about the building of this beauty.

Mine's Bigger: The Extraordinary Tale of the World's Greatest Sailboat and the Silicon Valley Tycoon Who Built It https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TDGGS8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0nQRBbEBJY9D2

Not in her case. She chilled out in Tahiti for a bit, and had her Dad come visit while she did repairs in Darwin. Her documentary, Maiden Trip is up on Netflix and covers her trip really well.

It's about being a noncommercial craft, size isn't really a factor:

oed

dictionary.com

I require them to watch the Mandatory Induction Video. https://youtu.be/avaSdC0QOUM

Before they're allowed take command, they must watch the Mandatory Training Film. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_ron/

Step 1. Be rich.

Unless you have a job that can be done 100% remotely then you're doing to need to be independently wealthy to afford to retire onto a sailboat.

Step 2. Learn the basics of sailing.

Read some books about sailing. Learn the points of sail.

This free game on steam was surprisingly helpful. Pancake Sailor

1. Buy a boat, the smaller the boat the more often you will sail it. Get something that's ready to sail without much work. The goal being to learn to sail and not to have a repair project.

It’s a windex mount that usually goes on top of the mast. There’s a pointer that goes on top of it that swings with the wind and which you can see from the deck.

https://smile.amazon.com/Davis-Windex-Bundle-Sailing-Mounting/dp/B085X6RKMX

There are tons of unwanted boats out there. After reading Tim Anderson's Free Yacht Saga (http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Free-Yacht-Saga/), I went looking for one and was able to land a 27' sloop for $1g. The downside is that I have to pay $225 a month docking fee.

On my boat the bulkheads were rotten and the diesel didn't run, so I had to invest a couple hundred in marine ply and cut and finish new bulkheads. Then I pulled the diesel and traded it on craigslist for a 5hp British Seagull outboard. With about $1500 invested, I was sailing and living on my boat during the weekends while I continued to work on it.

Two years later, I have about $5000 invested (not counting slip fees) and have installed a new diesel, refinished the wood, cushions, etc. as funds have allowed.

However, before jumping in on something like that, I'd suggest taking a weekend sailing class. See if you like it. I enjoy it, but some of my friends find cruising way too painfully slow. My boat maxes at 6.5 knots. Also, both girls I've dated while owning the boat hate it when the boat heels over. The current girlfriend is trying to convince me to sell and get a catamaran "because they're not tippy."

Before GPS / Loran, people navigated by dead reckoning: Find your position with a sextant daily, then log your velocity, direction and time to estimate where you are. Correct with the next position fix.

In The Long Way, Moitessier describes his navigation process. His book is an excellent read and doesn't require much sailing experience to be enjoyable.

Another fascinating look into traditional navigation technique is We, the Navigators.

Let's see... made in Victoria, BC by Scotty, and the tab is labeled "pull to release". Scotty makes fishing products, and this looks like it might be an older version of a mounting bracket for a rod holder. In any case, you could probably email the company and ask. My guess is the previous owner lost or broke the holder, went with a replacement rod holder on the railing, and didn't want to bother with removing the old mount.

This is a start. There are lots of books on the subject. The only other way to learn it all is to experience and then survive it. I'd just as soon do it the easy way.

yes,

back in November of 2014 I was on youtube.

I had previously made statements like. "Eh, Boats are expensive. I cannot do it etc" (basically never thought I would own a boat) I sailed little things as a kid. Small little dinghys. I always wanted to do bigger but couldnt figure it out.. Flash forward 20 years.

I was on youtube and saw a link to this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28TAdDu5L6U

I clicked it. It is worth every minute of the 29 minutes. He also wrote a book on that same Journey.

He is but one person. Tons of people do it. Many with ZERO sailing experience.

I am sitting here inside my cabin at a marina 24 miles from home after a 4 day trip. Winds are going to pick up on Lake Erie tommorrow so I am getting home at a leisurely pace.

I love it.

Also.. on the 9 hour sail from home to the island I listened to the audio book by Joshua Slocum "sailing around the world alone"

https://librivox.org/sailing-alone-around-the-world-by-joshua-slocum/

Now I think I have a goal in life to sail around the world. I bet I do it too one day.

Here's some more info:

- the boat is a ferrocement (floating rock) Hartley Tahitian 47' that displaces 26 ton

- we sailed past it one day in the estuary and noticed it looked abandoned and had Harbour Master stickers on it, so snuck aboard to try and find out who the owner was

- after finding the owner, we bought it from them for $4,000 USD

- we've raised the funds to buy and save the boat entirely with cryptocurrency (mostly Holo and Ethereum) - to be used as a free place for people to stay and work on interesting tech to save the world. Updates about this project will be posted in the #scuttleflotilla channel across the Secure Scuttlebutt decentralized offgrid social network: https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/

It's where I got my ASA certs. It's an amazing experience. However, there is a bit of a learning curve.

Because of the way the tides flow through the islands as they ebb and flow the currents can be strong and also complicated. Luckily, the Canadian government did a bunch of number crunching back in the '90s and put together a handy &quot;current atlas&quot; that describes the patterns, it's basically a set of maps which each show a specific pattern of current directions and strengths throughout the islands. You can either figure out what the given pattern development "should be" over a day by reading up on how the currents should develop based on the tide patterns. Or, you can buy a cheap little booklet (published by Waggoner) that's published every year which tells you which current map will be most relevant for every hour of every day of that year.

Then, to plan a day of sailing you'd look up the tide info and the current info and figure out what the currents are going to look like that day and plan accordingly. Your little 5 hp motor is probably not enough to fight the strongest currents, so you'll definitely have to do your homework to plan ahead.

I would also recommend picking up both a spiral bound set of charts (maptech makes a nice one) and a single large folding map of all the islands, it'll make it easier to plan. You also probably want a cruising guide which will tell you all of the ports, harbors, etc. along with their amenities and the radio channels they use.

That said, I don't think anytime this year will probably be good for visiting the islands. All of the marinas and resorts in the islands are closed, so while you can still sail around and explore a ton of stuff there is a lot you would miss.

I'm with you, man. I am currently finishing up my MMD certification. Only thing I am waiting on is my urine to be free of THC. From what I have researched, these jobs are easier once you obtain your MMD.

Also, keep checking this site for openings. https://sites.google.com/site/sailcargo/home

As well as this one, www.reddit.com/r/sailingcrew

Garmin Forerunner 310XT -- GPS wristwatch. I have the timer set for 5 minute countdown and it starts storing my tracks. I also use it for hiking and swimming, or anything else outdoors. My old GPS was always out of arms reach when I needed it while sailing, and I lost it last year when I broke a hobie 16... the port hull folded about 6' in from the bow. Garmin has a great auto-upload, and cool tools online for playing back your tracks. The Forerunner is used by triathletes, so it's waterproof as well. Here are the tracks from a small boat race I did earlier this year: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/87109223

The whole front page is some version or other of the meme based on this scene from 'Captain Phillips' at the moment.

Ed: There's also clearly a nod to this meme as well.

Grease helps, but vaseline is bad for plastics and rubbers, something silicon based is better. On research ships we use the good stuff but anything silicon based is fine, including sprays. https://www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning-Electrical-Insulating-Compound/dp/B0195UWAHG?th=1

Since you seem to be already committed to this path: buy and read: Inspecting the Aging Sailboat.

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=

But I echo other comments that "buying a sailboat before you've even been in one" is a bad idea up front, and putting the cart before the horse. Some folks assume that to go sailing, you must buy a boat, and this just isn't true. It's quite possible to learn to sail and get lots of opportunities to go sailing on "Other People's Boats" without ever buying a boat.

The best course is to learn to sail, sail on a number of boats, discover what kind of sailing experiences you like, and *then* proceed towards buying a boat.

EDIT: make sure you're reserving plenty of money for repairs. Even if you provide your own labor, old boats inevitably need a lot of work. The cheaper the boat is up front, the more money you're going to need. Don't make the mistake of assuming that if you paid $X dollars for a boat, the most it can cost you in repairs is $X.

"Makin' Bacon" might be a reference to a game in the US in the ... late 80s? Particularly the one pig mounting another, as this was the term used in the game when your rolled your pigs and they landed like that. I realize how this sounds, watch the youtube video below ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Q3w1ivAkk

Actually don't, that video is awful. Here's a link to amazon where you can waste your money on this terrible game.

You'll need some experience in someway, know anyone with a boat?

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Search out your local sailing club, they are not full of stuffy old men, just salty old sailors who need extra hands on a racing weekend.

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Buy a cheap little dingy second hand and it'll teach you all the basics on how the wind works, you'll see if you like it or not.

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Wait on the boat stuff, they do cost anything from.... pocket-change to the moon.

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Take a course is you can, do a Competent Crew with a RYA instructor (Royal Yachting Association) or a sailing 101 with the ASA (American Sailing Association). They are pretty reasonable priced.

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Read some books like Get real and Get gone and Buy, Outfit, Sail , if you don't have the moon to invest in a boat these books will get you thinking in the right direction.

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lastly.... dream, build, train and do.

Vinyl is great. I've done my rudder in Vinyl for example, and the water line. Prices might be to local though to give you a good estimate. But to cover a boat, maybe $1-2k

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPXIae3j7npA8AH4MzJyvOl3BM3UZFxbO_KeYjdsjnm1xmB7wHRnkl-kuRzZnq2gQ/photo/AF1QipN9RmKbN2ykh9Uo2SvGU417yJKiTZXB892Ia3-p?key=cC0yZHd5blZ5dGlYTnNpekluMjduSGV1bHJET2NB

I am a Patreon Cruising Channel (Shaun Sailing).

I am nowhere near the league of these bigger Patreon Cruisers, but I can provide some insight. You definitely need to consider the monthly cap, as your income for each successive video released is roughly halved (then reset again at the beginning of the month obviously).

Also, Patrons that pledge a higher amount per video are more likely to set a monthly cap. Those in the bottom tier (ie. $1/video) don't care as much about you releasing a ton of videos, and they make up majority of your income on your 3rd or 4th video release in a month.

So to help your analysis, channels with a higher percentage of Patrons in lower tiers would likely have less of a dampening effect of their income on each successive video.

Patreon itself takes roughly 5% of your income each month (roughly - I can't find the exact figure) and then Paypal takes 2% (up to a max of $20) to transfer the money to your bank account.

Feel free to ask me any other questions you have!

Edit: I also forgot to mention the costs of sending out rewards. Patrons tend to come from all corners of the world, and postage can really add up. In addition to any digital rewards, I send out t-shirts and postcards (soon to be adding beer koozies to that list!). I send out about 10 postcards every other month, at a rate of around $4 per card. T-Shirts in small batches cost $20 per shirt to produce and then that again for postage.

A year and a half ago I bought a Catalina 22 '76 for $1000 with trailer and 7.5hp motor. $2000 cdn is as close to that as you are going to get now days. Can you do the work spotted here? How bad do you want to sail? Can you afford $2K cnd? ARE YOU WILLING TO DO THE WORK? If this is your passion, by all means, go for it. If it's just a passing fancy it will be an expensive one. If in doubt about the boat get this book and at least have some idea of what you are looking at.

No pics of the inside. That would be the deal maker/breaker. If its acceptable inside that's a good price on a very sturdy boat. You will be shelling out for a slip fee every month, if you can handle that I'd jump, but I like fixing boats. A power sprayer and a 50 gal drum of elbow grease will take care of most of that boats problems that I can see. It's the ones I can't see that you need to be concerned with. If you don't know how to do a survey get this book. It won't make you an expert but it will give you some idea of what to look for and where to look for it. It's only a couple bucks and it can save your bacon if you don't know what you are doing.

I just posted this on another thread. If you really want to get the gears grinding upstairs get a copy of The Sailors Sketch Book. Someone suggested it a couple weeks ago so I got a copy. It is filled with little projects to make your boat beautiful and more functional. Lots of piratey projects that will make your boat stand out in the crowd. If you have a vivid imagination this book will light your fire. Absolutely worth a couple bucks.

Most of the stuff in this book can be done in a simple wood shop. I'm currently working on the belaying pin rope stowage.

I don't have a boat... or money to buy one lol but i had my first experience fom Aveiro to Oporto. And was great! You went to Azores from were? How much days?

Watch out for Ophelia! https://www.windy.com/?37.423,-24.258,5,m:exqafht

Here ya go: http://manybooks.net/categories/NAU

These are all free...I suggest "Sailing around the world alone" by Joshua Slocum "2 years before the mast" by Richard Dana, "Cruise of the Snark" by Jack London. There's a ton more. If you check the /r/sailing FAQ on the sidebar, there's a ton of suggestions in there.

Good luck!

To fix that crack watch this video. It is very similar to what you are up against. I did this repair to the inside of the footwell of my boat last summer. It worked great. It will be a nice boat once you get it done but it won't be cheap or easy. It will be worth it. I hope you are handy.

Edit: If you really want to work on your sails get this book. It will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair and improve your sails.

Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum is my absolute favorite book.

Free Kindle/text download at Project Gutenberg

Free Audiobook at Librivox read by Alan Chant

I looked at them a few years ago, but too expensive for me - I'm of the "cheap as I can get/build" variety of sailor... mostly because until the wife starts making money, I've got to save as much as possible.

Those hulls look to have a lot of flotation if they can handle the 42 kilos of boat plus whatever passengers, each (when flying a hull). Lots of sail area, too... I'l look at the size of the center/daggerboard(s).

The one thing I will mention about inflatables is that they do NOT pierce waves very well - they bounce, a lot sometimes. My Nomadic hulls from WildWasser do a great job staying above water, and they are taller than the ware wide, so they are better at going through waves than the Smartkat hulls are. Those are just round with a point on the bow, so it would seem they would be a lot more bouncy on waves than mine are. On a cat like a Hobie or a Prindle, the hulls tend to go through the waves, so you have a smoother ride. These would give a lot of up-and-down motion to your ride, so you need to decide if that's going to be an issue.

Basically, it boils down to what you want. Do you want a solid, smooth ride and have the space to store a fiberglass boat? Get a Hobie/Prindle/Tornado/other beach cat. If you live in an apartment, or just don't have a place to park a cat in your driveway and you are willing to deal with the performance compromises that an inflatable has, then you can go with this.

Here's a dealer for them from Alibaba (wholesale stuff). There are scammers on that site, but my cousins deal with Chinese manufacturers on there all the time and have gotten good work (just not with boats yet). Anyway, they're got a good pic of the boat, and it looks pretty good-sized. There is another sailboat there that looks interesting - I'm going to contact them for more info.

> Would salt cake up on the sides of the wooden ship?

You could probably find pictures of abandoned boats in the Dead Sea. Which is also very salty.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22dead+sea%22+boat&amp;client=firefox-b-1&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwionanri5rbAhXE0VMKHbCnDuUQ_AUICigB&amp;biw=1147&amp;bih=413

There is also a video of a guy just floating reading a newspaper: https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-266065-stock-footage-man-reading-newspaper-in-dead-sea.html

Well, from what I know, it's a relatively simple catamaran. No dagger boards to snap off and not a whole lot of ropes to manage. And it'll still go at a decent speed. Seems like a good cat to learn on. I'm looking forward to the day I can upgrade to an F-18!

A great source of information that will become your bible for awhile is the book "This Old Boat" by Don Casey: https://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Completely-ebook/dp/B0013TRRNK/ref=sr\_1\_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=this+old+boat&amp;qid=1625164249&amp;s=digital-text&amp;sr=1-1

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0071445455/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_aAWNFb39NE4TW

Or a marine surveyor would be very useful.

But that seems like an extremely good price. Beware of scams, but I would buy it if I were you.

This. A leash is a way to drown. Keep your grip on the main sheet.

I carry a waterproof/floating VHF in my life jacket pocket. Similar to this: Uniden Atlantis 155 Handheld Two-Way VHF Marine Radio https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07N8SCGVT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TkyMFbJ98MDN0

I got these ones from Sterns on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00946EMMS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1 They seem reasonable, kids like them, type 1, and there is a handle to grab if you ever need to pull them out of the water

I have seen these come up as a recommendation for cold temperature sailing: https://www.amazon.com/Showa-Vinylove-Resistant-Insulated-Gloves/dp/B007MBDZMK?th=1

They are more of a work glove, and may be a bit bulky, but the price is good. Video from APS here.

Hi there, as a follow-up to last week's Android release (link), the iOS app is now out as well.

The Android app has received an update as well featuring a live preview of your route.

Feel free to take it out on the water this weekend and let me know what you think!

While this one is a bit Arcade-like with its levels and gameplay, the controls for the sail and boat in relation to the wind are spot on for the basics (tiller and mainsheet). It looks great and plays great as well, except the one or two bonus levels where it puts you on a sea-doo. Avoid using crew if you want the full experience, otherwise you no longer control the sails. It also lacks in the sailing rules department, so expect bumper boats from time to time.

Sailboat Championship

I second this, also a yachtie.

We use the brown doodle bugs, always perpendicular to the grain. I add some oxalic acid (very little) if it really needs it and plain old powdered dish detergent. It always seems to work better than boat soap, a little more harsh, and you need to use a LOT of water to make sure it's all flushed out.

This is short of using a two-step acid/brightener which really takes a toll if you do it more than twice a season.

Scrubbing with a shure-hold pole for the big sections and getting down on your knees for the details. Watch the paint and stainless and you'll love the results.

A little Before and After!

EDIT: Found it! Snappy Teak-Nu - This is the two part I've used on all the boats I've worked on. The video doesn't really do it justice, or maybe we just always use a ridiculous concentration. Either way, I always wear boots, full-on rubber gloves and sun glasses. It makes the teak look like it's been sanded. Keep water running over all your paint, that shit will burn.

The pic I posted, although instagram'd, is just dish detergent and hard scrubbing, so the oxalic acid and the 2 part are only really for when you have the boss coming on after a long hiatus!

Hey /u/MasterKazurel

Good suggestions. Adding a docking mission is definitely on our roadmap ( https://trello.com/b/rPJvOyB9/vr-regatta-public-roadmap )

Currently in the game there is also a pirate ship - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2LjY0i6c5U you can't control it atm, but at some point we will add that feature :-) - as you can see in the video, there is a way to change the weather - you can experience a gale in VR :-)

Greg

My wife and I went through Harbor Yacht Club last year, which is probably the cheapest instruction + boat rental you're going to find. They have a groupon now which makes it really affordable.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/harbor-island-yacht-club

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They make some money from Youtube. They have 57,324 subscribers and 12,458,607 views on their vids. They have a Patreon account for people to donate money.~~ They've made~~ They make almost $5000 per video, and I'm sure the couple in this video paid to go on the boat.

Edit: Their blog has an option to "buy them a beer". Not sure how much they make on that.

here are some groupons for sailing lessons near the DC area. An afternoon out with an instructor would be the best first step, I think you'll find that opinion is shared by most on this sub. It looks like the sailing schools are in Deale, and Annapolis MD, both only a short trip from DC, both with huge sailing communities. There's also a sail marina in Arlington, but the river is limiting in that location.

Buy Sailing for Dummies, it will be well worth your time. It gives step by step details on how to set up your boat and get underway. I don't care how much experience you have you will learn something reading this book.

You are most welcome. The internet is your friend. Hit up YouTube, they have hours of video that will be of use. Now everyone will know what you are doing while sitting on the poop deck. Good luck on the exam. You'll do fine. After you pass that go get your HAM license. Pick up the General Class License Study Guide and you will be on the air in no time. Read the book twice in a month and you will pass. The right knowledge can save your life.

If you are looking for serious upgrades to make your boat blue water worthy This book has some good information.

I like your dad's boat.

75hp = 56KW. That's a lot of solar panels....and a huge windmill. How big is your boat?

There is a very old book filled with formulas for things like this on land and with houses. Not so much on the water but it is mostly formulas for engineers in the solar business and applies anywhere. Like hippie engineering. Really a fun read and resource.

If you really want to get the gears grinding upstairs get a copy of The Sailors Sketch Book. Someone suggested it a couple weeks ago so I got a copy. It is filled with little projects to make your boat beautiful and more functional. Lots of piratey projects that will make your boat stand out in the crowd. If you have a vivid imagination this book will light your fire. Absolutely worth a couple bucks.

Buy THIS BOOK.

It will give you some idea of what you are doing, what to watch out for and where to find it.

That is a big boat. If you have been piloting large powerboats you will do fine. If not, pay attention in school and know how much this boat weighs. When docking don't use your arm or leg to keep the boat from hitting the dock, 4 tons of boat don't care about bones.

On the Great Lakes it gets very cold. Live aboard in the winter is not possible. Check slip prices at the marina so you know what it's going to cost you monthly.

Check the sails for wear and tear. The bigger the boat the more expensive parts are and sails are expensive.

Check the engine thoroughly, pain in the ass and expensive to pull and repair.

> "I love refurbishing boats"

Me too. That one line speaks volumes about your chances of success. If you have the tools, mentally and physically, you'll do fine with just about any boat.

Very sturdy boat, good choice if the survey comes out OK.

Edit: HERE is a forum about your boat. They know more about it than I do.

Get a copy of THIS BOOK. It's cheap and may save your dreams. Fall and Winter are the best times to buy a boat because no one wants to buy a boat in Fall or Winter and the prices will be better. Supply and demand. Keep looking and your boat will find you. You'll know it when it happens.

If you are feeling very rich HERE is a first edition of his book.

Lifelong Clevelander and Lake Erie sailor. I've never gone out West to sail so I don't know how it compares but I know from personal experience that there are some pretty competitive boats out here. I sail on a 33ft Mono, 30ft GT Cat, and a 31ft Trimaran and I'm on the water nearly everyday after work and at regattas every weekend. Some go out as a social event, some will push their limits until something breaks. I haven't done any Interclub racing but from the images I found of the 2016 race(s) it looks like a good time.

There's a cool podcast, "Single-Handed Sailing", that did an episode about diesels recently, with some thoughts on repowering. It might be worth a listen. link

Great stuff.

I highly recommend Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World: http://manybooks.net/titles/slocumjoetext04slgln10.html

I also recommend Two Years Before the Mast: http://manybooks.net/titles/danarichetext032ybrm10b.html

EDIT: Holy crap, this is a nice find. Some of these are even audiobooks! Thanks for sharing.

I don't have personal experience, but from what I've read these guys are carrying backpackers like crew.

So let's say a single-hander or couple with a 40' boat might carry 4 backpackers.

I don't know where they're landing, but it's only 200 - 350 miles, so it's a couple of days sailing.

Surely you can see for yourself that $2000 or $2500 covers the basic running costs of a 2 or 3 day trip on a 40' boat - diesel and wear and tear on the boat, rigging, sails etc.

In theory you could do the trip 3 or 4 times a month, pocketing a few grand.

In practice none of these guys are coded or insured for carrying passengers, nor do they have licenses from Panamanian or Columbian authorities. If you were to do that, it would be a whole different ball game, and no-one here can tell you whether it's profitable or sustainable. You'd probably need licenses from authorities in both countries, probably need to establish a company down there, and it could take literally years to get yourself legally compliant. Listen to this NPR Planet Money podcast about opening a business in South America.

They're all doing it cash in hand and taking the risk that that entails - your boat might get impounded by the local customs and you'll have to bribe them to release it.

I used to keep my hobie cat on the beach here, https://maps.google.com/maps?q=chicago,+il&amp;hl=en&amp;ll=41.965539,-87.635094&amp;spn=0.001841,0.004238&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=62.870523,138.867188&amp;hnear=Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois&amp;t=h&amp;z=19

There were 10 of them parked there when I lived there 4 years ago. I couldn't figure out who to ask permission from, so I just did it. Eventually I was billed $400, but talked them down to $200.

Boat ownership doesn't get cheaper than that! Let me know if you want their contact information.

You may need a Deployable boom extension. They work like a whisker pole, but are fully adjustable and you can place one outside the lifelines if necessary.

I would suggest buying and reading cover to cover The Voyager’s Handbook. My wife and I had similar dreams and still have them to a point, but after reading, I realized that it’s probably a better fit to live near water with a boat than it is to live on a boat, but that’s just us at least until our kids get older and can do some of the watches and upkeep.

That's crazy! This is what I bought for $12 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AEBKYPG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_9KH4ETBQJKZ7VPSBGDQE?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Although you might need a wider/longer roll - I was just sealing my existing boot to make the top edge watertight.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aquasure-Neoprene-Repair-Adhesive-Tube/dp/B0030UP2DM

This stuff, we use it for repairing neoprene and rubber diving drysuits. Very stretchy and strong. Not entirely Uv resistant. it get yellow and harder after a few years.

Definitely put a patch inside like other commenter said. You can even stitch it. as long as you cover the stiches with glue after it's waterproof.

Have a read through this:

Sailing a Serious Ocean: Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea (INTERNATIONAL MARINE-RMP) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/007170440X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_E4N3VBSX73TEG9K3CD2H

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1408188007/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_I74BL2I1PHuMq

This book does a great job explaining the how-to's and why's of what is happening and when. How to correctly preform actions and what each inputs reaction is. Read it, go sail and read again to absorb what went right and wrong. It says for dinghy's but trust me it helps for all sailing.

All you need is a pair of Beckson radio holders, and a handheld VHF and a Garmin GPS 73 or 78.

The handheld GPS will give you approximate depth information and speed over ground. Don't buy electronics for future owners, let them spend!

Others have addressed the sail shape issue. If you want to go deeper, two good books to look up are:

• <em>High Performance Sailing</em> by Bethwaite
• <em>Higher Performacne Sailing</em>, also by Bethwaite

LT;DR: "square" sails are actually preferred, see the sails used in the current America's Cup, various past rigid wingsails, as well as the trend towards "fat head" or "square top" mains. The "Square" sails that old timey tall ships use are downwind sails that don't try to create an arifoil shape.

Reader's marine gift set:

1. Kindle Oasis
2. Amazon US Gift Cards
3. Anker Power Core
4. A small dry bag

I've seen these kind of buckets recommended - I can't find them on the US Amazon site for a fair price, eBay might be worth a try.

Looks like here in the UK large ones (30 - 40 litres) are cheapest from big DIY stores. To save water, these shallow ones look good.

I know you said books are not right because of time, but I still want to highly recommend The Complete Sailor, Second Edition.

Amazing intro book on sailing. Amazon Prime in just a few days if you can wait that long!

Buy this book - it is an illustrated beautiful little book and will give you great insight.

The Craft of Sail: A Primer of Sailing https://www.amazon.com/dp/1934982172/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nucbDbRENNQ88

A decent video about sailing can be seen on Amazon Prime or you can buy the DVD - Basics of Sailing with Penny Whiting - terrible 80’s quality - really good instruction.

Best of luck out there. It will be awesome.

Part II:

A conclusion of "suicide" from bits of broken megayacht sounds a lot like the shipping company's insurance agents getting their way.

That said, solo sailing can and will do odd things to a person's mind. Checkout Andrew Evens' Singlehanded Sailing for an extended discussion of the psychological challenges faced by solo sailors (as well as techniques for watches and advice about avoiding shipping!).

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Answering a slightly different question than you originally asked, If I were writing a novel about insurance fraud involving a large racing yacht and a tanker, I would imagine something like the following:

Plan to meet a friend on a very small but fast powerboat at a known location near a busy shipping lane. Disable active radar reflectors and take down any passive radar reflectors. Also, get rid of any large flat surfaces like big solar panels that could act like radar mirrors. With the powerboat off in the distance, intentionally put the boat in the way of an incoming cargo ship, ideally under cover of fog or bad weather. Abandon ship and swim away. If the seas are calm and the weather is foggy, the friend in the powerboat might be able to take you off at the last minute without the ship spotting you.

Plenty could go wrong, but the history books are full of complex marine insurance and insurance fraud cases.

I haven’t done any crossings yet, but a lot of bay and lake sailing. Depending on how much time you spend on the boat in the Med, you might be able to just acquire the skills for passaging as you go. There’s a great book, The Voyager’s Handbook. Buy it and take it with you. Do some hunting for videos or articles on or by John Kretchmer. He’s a great skipper and has decades of experience passage making. If you guys are going to be cruising in the Med for like 6 months or so and have all of the safety equipment needed to endure a long passage, then you can probably develop the skills to make it from the Med up to the NL over that period of time. It all depends on your (and your friends’) drive and how quickly you can absorb and develop your seamanship skills.

I don’t know if it would work, but what about an oil extractor pump? Mine pulls the oil out of a dipstick tube, which would presumably be small enough to fit in your space.

I use this one: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--manual-oil-changer-2-9-quart--11097714

Oh, and on the charging cable, you might have luck with a universal DC charging cord. Make sure that the voltage and current ratings are acceptable. Maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISM267G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_e-ejFb1QERMJJ

It’s a boot dryer. I discovered them while on a ski trip last winter and it works great for running shoes, climbing shoes, anything you sweat in. But it’s really amazing for dinghy boots.

JobSite Original Shoe Boot Dryer - Electric Warmer - Deodorizes, Prevents Mold – Ultra Silent https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYJKBHE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qbzhFb3J74N0F

Not the most stylish thing to wear daily but for racing I’ve been using one of these for 15 years now it feels like. Get a new one every 5 years. https://www.amazon.com/Timex-T54281-Ironman-Full-Size-Silver-Tone/dp/B000B545BO

Light, waterproof, easy to use count down timer.

It's not going to go to weather as well as some other designs. These are pretty common in places with extreme tides so they can settle on the bottom.

26 is a good sized boat. Big enough to be a proper yacht you can sleep on and have most of the normal inboard systems you find on larger boats but not so big that you can't handle everything yourself.

Buy these:

https://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-4/dp/0071790330/

https://www.amazon.com/Marine-Diesel-Engines-Maintenance-Troubleshooting/dp/0071475354/

They'll give you enough information to be able to manage all the systems on that boat.

You should not worry about running the diesel. People who aren't familiar with them tend to not run them enough, just to get in and out of the harbor, and that murders them because it cokes the valves up. Run it fairly hard every time you take it out, enough to get it all the way up to operating temp for 10-15 minutes so you don't do that.

If you don't know how to sail, you should take some lessons.

This is the Bible:

Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pXGeFbZZTF2S2

Also good:

Marine Diesel Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071475354/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bYGeFbNVKM8AV

https://www.amazon.ca/Steel-Boat-Building-Plans-Launching/dp/0877423121

You can do it!

I’ll attach a video link here that documents (in a 1980’s/90’s way) the building of one of those steel hulls.

My father in law currently owns this ship, but he didn’t build it.

https://vimeo.com/31053836

Have you read Principles of Yacht Design yet?

I found it slightly hard going, it's quite mathy, but it very comprehensive and it does start with the basics.

Using a VPN is in now way "IT heavy", nor does it violate any law.

Personally I use SurfEasy. Even my elderly mother could use it.

To watch the Americas Cup I opened the VPN app, clicked a country that allowed streaming, then opened the Americas Cup app. Easy. (and AirPlayed it to my TV in full HD etc.)

There's more to using a VPN than just that, by the way. I don't need to be "tracked" by anyone, for example.

> The cheapest I can find that is a proper EPIRB is 700€.

I bought this one for 470€. That's 47€ for each year of use I get out of it - for me that's well worth it

I don't know about the ASA qualifications, but the RYA ones have a clear training path up so that you can end up qualified to sail large yachts (up to 80', I think?) commercially.

Competent Crew and Day Skipper are each 4- or 5-day courses, but schools can also break them up into halves - well, the Competent Crew can be, at least, so that schools can offer a 2-day "intro to yachting" course and then you complete that into Competent Crew with a subsequent 2- or 3-day completion.

You can also buy the logbook (I believe it's this one and instructors can sign you off on components of other courses if you do them - it's pretty common to run Competent Crew and Day Skipper together, so when I was doing Competent Crew the instructor had me do some of the Day Skipper tasks and signed me off on them. Then a year later he had me skip Day Skipper and go straight to Coastal Skipper.

You don't really need the Competent Crew course if you have appropriate experience, but if you're starting from scratch and you want to sail, then paying for a Competent Crew course gets you 5 days on the water.

The qualification is awarded following the practical course / assessment at each level, but if you get the theory courses invigilated then you can can get the qualifications commercially endorsed. Yachtmaster is recognised world-wide, although I'm not sure how widely the others are.

David Seidman's <em>The Complete Sailor</em> is the best introductory sailing book I've read - it's consistent and clear; each topic within it is a page or two, and each topic builds on the foundation of what it has explained previously. IMO it is very, very good - you will never find yourself wondering "what is he talking about now?" because of the way topics are explained simply and built upon in this way.

I think it's very hard for a sailing book to be comprehensive, but The Complete Sailor is very clear and accessible.

https://imgur.com/a/QYzc4

>don't like burning things inside

LED tea lights provide a safer, good looking alternative IMHO.

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>anymore

Hard earned experience?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VYP3L3I

Drop in 2x 12v deep cycle batteries and never have to deal with engine problems. Very very easy to use and install. I use this on my 22ft without any issue and often the 1st (of 5) throttle setting is too fast. 110AH batteries and I can run this thing for ~4 hours before I hit ~50% battery charge.

Here's a link https://www.amazon.de/Sturmglas-Barometer-Messing-Wandhalterung-S-Soerensen/dp/B002LFX608/ref=asc_df_B002LFX608/?tag=googshopde-21&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=309953281430&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=6892307526416447498&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvpt...

I don't see anyone recommending a good stereo - you won't regret it and the cabin is an amazing acoustic cavity if you put in a pair of reasonably priced extension speakers^* facing up the companionway.

*No affiliation with this, but I've used these for years.

Bought this when I stripped a screw in my motorcycle once. Absolutely saved my ass.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZSH76P/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

https://imgur.com/fB3QcpF

https://www.amazon.com/Baomain-Double-Electric-Safety-Switch/dp/B01LYJYCXM?pd_rd_w=vw0WX&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.3cb9b85f-43ef-4d4b-94d0-0a8efe2194e9&amp;pf_rd_p=3cb9b85f-43ef-4d4b-94d0-0a8efe2194e9&amp;pf_rd_r=17PVPEFQ7ZVX6TZW4QK7&amp;pd_rd_wg=s...

Yes, as long as you know how to work with its issues. Main rules are 4mm walls minimum if hollow, and fill it with something. I haven't had to do that just yet. But smaller objects work great if you can fill them 100%.

Issues with petg are going to be that you probably will want to paint it to prevent moisture and crud getting into the micro crevices of the printed part. Structural parts should be expected to break if you have stress across the printed are, ie. a starlink tube holder will probably break. Printing bimini parts works pretty decently. Also petg does not do well making "artsy" designed things.

Best uses I have had were framing in the new vhf with a custom mounting, framing b&g screens to use as a trace for acrylic, temporary toilet seat hinges (felt better replacing with the nylon kind), a leg stopper for the fold down table, and I even replaced a 6" part of the rub rail (which was originally made of abs!). I also am starting to use petg in my rv as well, I am testing magnet mounting for more flexible vertical storage.

My work has also used petg successfully outdoors for the last 3 or so years. Here is the petg I have had the most success with.

I'm a bit south of south Florida, I agree a sun blocking curtain is good. Casting shade upon the whole boat deck is an order of magnitude better. (That's why a third of my boat has a roof over it.)

They make "sun shade sails" that help a lot!

Mine is 3 sided, clips onto standing rigging a few inches above the deck (very fast and easy) so it can be stepped on (it's stretchy) without issue and doesn't interfere with the headsail/sheets.

This size matches the fabric manufacturing dimensions well so is much cheaper than most other sizes:

https://www.amazon.com/ColourTree-Triangle-Canopy-Awning-Shelter/dp/B07WXJQ57W?pd_rd_w=vEB9t&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.fea327c4-5fbe-469f-b9dd-c809442d925d&amp;pf_rd_p=fea327c4-5fbe-469f-b9dd-c809442d925d&amp;pf_rd_r=SXQJ5QTKNC4CTCK1DXE1&amp;pd_rd_...

Lots of suggestions for stuff, I'll put my 2 cents in for some of the best non-jackets or pants I have found. I sailed in the PNW (Seattle and Vancouver BC) pretty much all winter with these and thought they were real game changers to keep warm when on the boat.

HANDS

Best gloves for cold, wet weather AND needing to actually do something are these - https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Waterproof-Breathable-Technology-Insulation/dp/B015WU52MI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=18B2K1CC11D52&amp;keywords=showa+gloves&amp;qid=1668478104&amp;sprefix=showa+glove%2Caps%2C161&amp;sr=8-2

Enough dexterity to handle the lines from time to time. But for stuff where you need more dexterity, I would wear my regular sailing gloves, then put these on when im sitting on the rain to try and dry my hands off and warm them up.

SOCKS

Keep those toes toasty and dry. https://www.sealskinzusa.com/products/waterproof-cold-weather-knee-length-sock

Warm feet are super important and these really help with that. Waterproof and knee high help keep your feet and calves warm.

NECK

Wearing a warm, loose gaiter/balaclava around you neck will REALLY help keep you warm. Keeping the wind off your neck and keeping the heat close will make a huge difference.

I've been using Anchor Watch for a long time. Free, no ads, no in-app-purchases and it does what it says.

On my newest phone I got a warning that it was designed for older Android versions, but it still works.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schumisoft&amp;gl=US

Thats awesome! I live next to the guy they call in to man the guns. He introduced me to sailing the Irving. Awesome crew and cant wait to go back next time. Last time we went out we tried pegging a smaller sailboat with a waterballoon slingshot.

Edit: i took video and put it on instagram if you wanna check it out https://instagram.com/p/z-jb8qQCIr/

That sounds EXACTLY like what I have. And I did furl the sail on its own luff, which it seemed to do quite naturally/ easily.

Here's a pic: http://tinypic.com/r/ojgxfn/8

So I'm not doing it wrong? That's how it's supposed to work right?

I'm a delivery skipper who seems to have built a reputation for cold weather deliveries. *sigh*

I wear ski gloves with straps, so if I pull a glove off when I need dexterity the glove stays attached to me. There are lots of choices. I also have two sets of glove liners - one of silk and one of polypropylene.

I have two butane catalytic hand warmers (mine are silver). These are magic. I wear Damart long underwear which are a little hard to get in the US. These are what Chicago motorcycle police wear in the winter. The socks I wear are no longer available; shop hard for socks. Warm feet make your hands not so cold. Good boots. Go for layers but don't let clothing get too tight. You want to be able to move and you want air (insulation) between layers.

Absolute best thing you can do is get a forced air diesel heater. Keeping the cabin warm makes a huge difference in how long you can stand watch in cold weather.

Get a copy (also available for kindle) of "The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat" by Mark Nicholas. https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Boat/dp/195111602X

This book woke me up to some important realities of what is in store for liveaboards. Years ago it was instrumental in convincing me to _not_ move aboard a boat. At the time that was the right call for me and saved my love of boating/sailing. However it can be just as equally useful for making that change successfully. As time and experience have helped me grow, I may end up spending a lot more time aboard in the future.

The drill has enough torque :-) but it’s not the one we will end up with. The Milwaulkee one is.

Link to the Harken Powered Furling Drill Adapter 7431

$16 for two at West Marine. Seems to be the going rate, $17.50 from a 3rd party seller on Amazon.

This, 100%.

Even a perfectly functioning stove and LPG system can fail unexpectedly. You can also run out of propane.

A little butane stove and 2-3 butane canisters can make life so much more pleasant if anything goes wrong with the main cooking system. They take up little space and can be placed atop an already gimballed main stove. The Iwatani would be a good choice, but you can also find cheap alternatives for $20-30.

They're also handy for picnics and camping. :)