wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:
I think his point is that with experience you are likely to have a better
idea of what your ideal boat would be.

Well, sure.

... For example, when I bought my second
boat some 30+ years ago I had been reading in cruising magazines about
the
virtues of a full keel boat, so looked for one (actually a cutaway, but
you
get the point). I found that for the kind of sailing we do and the place
we
do it a fin keel with a bit more of a turn of speed was much preferable.
So
I learned from owning a 24' before springing for a slightly larger boat.

But JL probably doesn't want to wait 30 years before buying his "real"
cruising boat. And my point is that with a dearth of properly-equipped
boats to pick from, if he buys a 'learner' to save bucks, planning to
sell it in a dropping market... all he's going to gain is experience
in spending/losing money on a boat he doesn't really want... if he (or
anyone) spends a year or two sailing OPBs, doing deliveries, etc etc,
he's going to learn enough to make a very good start at picking out a
serious boat that will do what he wants.

If it turns out that a couple years of cruising on that boat makes him
want a different boat, then he's got about the same problem he had
trying to sell the 'learner' to move up, only the boat is likely to be
in much better shape and he'll have more contacts to help move it.

I couldn't really say how many boats I've owned over the years... to
be fair, most of them were small one-designs and none were in great
condition... but they were all the closest thing to the perfect boat
for me at the time I bought them. And that's the only way to choose
IMHO.

Maybe it's that I'm totally out of touch with the way most people like
to do things? A heck of a lot of people, men & women both, seem to
like to choose 'starter' spouses before getting serious about the real
thing.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King


So, what you're saying is the BS' wife is a stepping stone? LOL

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com