Is sailing a good choice for our family

Hello, 
I have been looking at sailboats recently. A friend has sparked an interest I guess. 

First of all, my sailing experience is zero. 

Here's our situation. Family of 4 with a great dog. 2 boys, 13 and 8. 

What I think I'd like is something that we could spend weekends on from time to time. I've been looking at 25 to 30 ft used sailboats. Not sure if this is a good starting point but I am thinking that we would spend most of out ime in calm lakes around New Hampshire.

1. Would a family of 4 be comfortable for a weekend.
2. Could a person comfortably relax on the deck, maybe in a chair.
3. Would 2 boys be content for a couple of days? Fishing, swimming, etc.

Any advice would be great at this point. I really don't even know if I am asking the right questions. Does this scenario even sound realistic?

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Delicious Digg Facebook Furl Google MySpace Newsvine reddit StumbleUpon Translate Twitter Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
m2244 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 25 May 12 Location: New Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote m2244 Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Is sailing a good choice for our family Posted: 25 May 12 at 2:31am
	Hello, I have been looking at sailboats recently. A friend has sparked an interest I guess. First of all, my sailing experience is zero. Here's our situation. Family of 4 with a great dog. 2 boys, 13 and 8. What I think I'd like is something that we could spend weekends on from time to time. I've been looking at 25 to 30 ft used sailboats. Not sure if this is a good starting point but I am thinking that we would spend most of out ime in calm lakes around New Hampshire. 1. Would a family of 4 be comfortable for a weekend. 2. Could a person comfortably relax on the deck, maybe in a chair. 3. Would 2 boys be content for a couple of days? Fishing, swimming, etc. Any advice would be great at this point. I really don't even know if I am asking the right questions. Does this scenario even sound realistic?

Mister Nick Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 01 Aug 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 389	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mister Nick Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 9:48am
	Sounds very realistic to me, you guys will have a hell of a lot of fun. 1. You'd be very comfortable on a boat of that size, your average 30 footer could probably house at least 5 people comfortably. 2. Depends on the boat, if you want to be able to do that then you should buy something aimed at crusing. 3. 2 boys would be content for the rest of their lives on a boat like that. When I was their age I could have spent every hour of the day mucking about on the boat and having a laugh. As long as the weather is alright, they'll love it. Before you go and buy a boat your wife/partner and you should go and do some sailing courses. Do your RYA Level 2's so you can get a feel for sailing and then move onto your day skipper exam later on. This means you'll be safe and you'll be able to handle the boat without being dangerous, and (perhaps more importantly ) without looking like an idiot. Try and get a bit of sailing experience on other peoples boats too - teaches you a lot about the best way to do things and you'll pick up a few tricks. Edited by Mister Nick - 25 May 12 at 9:48am

radixon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 27 Oct 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2407	Post Options Post Reply Quote radixon Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 10:01am
	What you intend to do sounds great, many families do enjoy sailing. I too would go and do a couse as the first thing on the list. Book the kids on a separate course and then see if they like it too. Before buying a boat and going to the expense of purchase, mooring etc, why not go somewhere and hire a boat once you have done a course, that way you will no if its for you. A Flotilla holiday is a perfect way to go it alone but have the option of help if needed.

pondmonkey Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 12 Aug 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2202	Post Options Post Reply Quote pondmonkey Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 10:32am
	Simple questions- do you like camping, spending time outdoors, being on the water in a row boat, do you cycle around a lake as a family and think it would be nice to be on it etc That is fundamentally what cruiser sailing as a family is like; it's good fun, but not for everyone and do remember that time away with mum and dad isn't what all kids want, especially if they're missing out on their social life. I would recommend chartering a boat as a family before investing in one. Boats are generally not selling well, so you could be left with something that costs you storage/mooring/insurance fees but you're not using it for whatever reason. Take the rental route first- a bit like moving to a new city for a new job, you wouldn't necessarily buy a property in an unknown area, you might rent for a year to get a feel for it. By the way, forget 'RYA Level 2' that's a UK based dinghy qualification, so totally irrelevant to assessing whether family cruising on a keelboat is something for your family or not. You may find more localised knowledge on chartering opportunities in New Hampshire in the following forum: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?s=3f1d6afb099707aba6c04ba917e0f796&showforum=22 Happy Sailing and I hope it works out for you Edited by pondmonkey - 25 May 12 at 10:33am

Rupert Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rupert Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 11:13am
	I missed the "New" bit of Hampshire there, too!
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6660	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 11:26am
	One comment. SA (Sailing Anarchy) can be a useful resource, but for some reason there are a whole bunch of unreformed sexist losers hanging out there who can be fairly unpleasant. Please don't regard them as being any more typical of the sailing world in general than you'd regard the nastier posters on youtube as being representative of music fans.

m2244 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 25 May 12 Location: New Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote m2244 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 12:03pm
	Thanks for all of the info. I expected a good deal of negative feedback for some reason. I have been looking into lessons at a nearby university. It's a lot to consider for someone you has never sailed before. Thanks again.

Contender443 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 01 Oct 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1211	Post Options Post Reply Quote Contender443 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 May 12 at 1:51pm
	I think the main point here is learn to sail then get a boat. Not the other way around.
	Bonnie Lass Contender 1764