Advice in this article is based on authors personal experience plus his discussions with many yacht buyers who are experience in yacht trade.
This article will focus on the buying process and vesse…

Advice in this article is based on authors personal experience plus his discussions with many yacht buyers who are experience in yacht trade.
This article will focus on the buying process and vessel
characteristics. The process described applies to both new and used
sailboat purchases. Subsequent articles will apply the suggestions
presented here to specific sailing areas and boat types.
The Buying Process Buying a sailboat is a multi-step process that
involves answering three questions. Successfully answering these
questions will lead you to the vessel that can provide years of joy,
while failure to accurately or honestly answer the questions may steer
you to the wrong boat, little usage and no fun.
The three questions are:
1. How will I use this sailboat?
2. What characteristics of a sailboat are best for this type of use?
3. What sailboats have those characteristics?
The most important question is “How will I use this sailboat?” and
getting this question right goes a long way toward buying the right
boat. The answer to this question, however, must be detailed. It can’t
be a general answer like “to race” or “daysail” or “to cruise.” If you
only answer the use question generally, you are not yet ready to buy a
boat and run a high probability of making a large and expensive
mistake.
Answering properly means knowing the details of where you will sail,
the weather conditions in those areas, the length of the trip you will
take, number on board and how far you will be from assistance. Table
one provides some examples of the detail you should know BEFORE you
consider buying a sailboat:
TABLE ONE — DETAILED USAGE EXAMPLES
Primary Sailing Desired Normal Trip Length Cruising Grounds Expected
Wave Conditions Expected Wind Conditions No. on Board Distance From
Help
Example One Daysail 2-4 Hrs. Local Bay 1-3 ft 5-15 Knts 2 1-3 Mi.
Example Two Extended Cruising Months Ocean Any 5-50+ Knts. 4 100+
Example Three Weekend Racer 8 Hrs Lake and River 1-6 ft. 5-30 Knts. 8
1-6 Mi
Vessel Characteristics
Once we know on how we will use our new boat, we can determine the
vessel characteristics best for our use. Vessel characteristics can be
divided into three categories: sailing, safety, living. Sailing
characteristics include speed, stability (tendency to heel), ability to
point, ease of steering (tendency to sail straight), balance. A racer,
for example, will want a fast boat that can point close to the wind and
may be willing to sacrifice some stability and ease to get it. A long
distance cruiser on the other hand may be willing sail a little further
off the wind to get more stability and balance. Sailing characteristics
will be determined by the boat design, specifically: sail plan, keel
type and depth, sail area to weight ratio, and displacement (Table
Two).
TABLE TWO — BOAT CHARACTERISTICS AND BOAT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Vessel Characteristic Impact
Keel Design Fin Keel – Easier to maneuver, more difficult to steer
straight
Full Keel – More difficult to turn and wider relative turning radius,
easier to steer straight
Keel Depth Deep Keel More stable (more resistance to heel), greater
ability to point (sail close to the wind) but less access to shallow
water
Shoal Draft Keel – Less stable with access to more shallow water, less
ability to point upwind
Sail Plan Sloop Rig – Bigger sails, better upwind ability
Cutter Rig- More flexibility in sail options, smaller sails (easier to
handle), reduced ability to point Multiple Masts (Ketch, Yawl) – More
flexibility in sail plan and good reaching performance with even less
ability to point
Sail Area High (SA/D) – More speed with less stability
Displacement Increased displacement delivers more stability while
sacrificing speed.
Our next consideration is safety equipment. The need for safety
equipment is primarily dictated by the conditions we will face and how
far away help might be. If we will carry life rafts, EPIRBs, offshore
first aid gear and emergency water and rations, we will need places to
securely store these items when not in use. In addition, other safety
gear may include advanced communications devices (SSB radio, satellite
phone, email or fax) power generation (wind generator, genset, and/or
solar panels) and items like sea anchors and drogues, radar and
navigational gear. Again, the safety equipment list can be generated
based on distance away from help and likely weather conditions we will
face. The key vessel consideration is to assure any boat purchased will
have a place to safely store everything.
Next, we must consider living space. Again, based on our usage we
should know the number of people and length of time of our voyages.
This information is then used to determine the required living
conditions and space. For example, a boat cruised away from shore for
weeks would need to have a much different energy management system,
provisioning ability, and cooking equipment than a boat sailed for
weeks, but doing short hops between ports. This seemingly small change
in sailing usage can mean large differences in vessel necessities.
Consider power generation for example. Extended cruising means high
output alternators, larger battery banks, external voltage regulation,
and potentially alternative energy generating — all things avoided
when short hops between marinas are the plan.
Summary Sailboats are the stuff dreams are made of, but buying the
wrong boat can be a nightmare — expensive, unpleasant and dangerous.
The most important way to avoid making a mistake is to know exactly how
you will use the boat in great detail before you begin shopping for
your dream boat

Article Tags:
Vessel Characteristics, Sail Plan, Safety Equipment

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