What does it cost to get into sailing, boat ownership, cruising? ?
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I’m familiar with the costs of cars, trucks, motorcycles and even a bit of airplanes. What are the licensing requirements and costs of learning to sail? What are the insurance requirements, especially in the U.S.? What are the registration/documentation costs and requirements? Maintenance expenses = ? There are plenty of books that address these matters for airplane ownership and flying, but I can’t find any that answer these for sailing.
The kind of sailing I’d like to do would be first, starting out with a dinghy on inland lakes. Later, if finances, health, time, etc. permit doing some blue water cruising around North & South America. Some of it possibly single-handed as experience permits.
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“latitude 38″ is a very interesting magazine for cruisers. people who are sailing send in articles. and they have topics related to sailing only.The most intresting boating mag. I know of. google it and get a subsciption. –you dont lic. etc for sailing in the usa. just boat regisration.====you can join a sailing club to learn to sail and they have various size of boat to use. as to prices of boats ,google” boat trader” it as a national mag. for used boats in usa
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except for a dinghy,boats of 27 feet and up, a minimum of $5000. per year.there are so many variables and options that no reliable cost can be obtained. you need to decide on many factors. visit a local marina and ask about costs.
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There are books and magazines and web resources, all easy to find. The costs vary so much that that aspect cannot be answered here, at least without specifics. Licensing/registration varies by state, contact your DNR. Documentation is a Coast Guard thing, look at their web site. Insurance may or may not be required, depends on the boat although personal liability is prudent. Maintenance and other yearly cost again depend on where you keep it, trailer or slip, ocean or lake, wood or glass, big or small, diesel or gas, get the picture.
Can you deal with a fixer-upper (this can be a real deal). Heard about an early 60s 32 foot Pearson Vanguard to be given away. Needs work but can be sailed. Just handling general maintenance yourself will save a lot of money.
Sailing lessons can be moderate in price of really expensive if you do the carib vacation schools. If you have sailors nearby hang out around the boats people are usually looking for crew. As with most everything you got to do it to do it good.
Blue water cruising is another world. Look at cruisingresources.com as a beginning. Whatever you do it will pay to get information before you spend real money. It will make sailing affordable. Fair winds!
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just buy a boat and learn to sail. I live in the UK but it cant be that different in the US
i race my topper internationally and i am only 16. However the topper is largely a UK thing as at the worlds last year there were 300 or so GBR boats and only around 20 from places such as Germany or ireland (yet they held them in italy)
However, much more than with most sports there is a huge social side which is very costly. I have to pay for all the travel costs, and it is my friends mum who takes a load of us all round the country, at as small cost to us. (usually enough to buy her lunch out with all of us)
If you work together then the cost can be minimised, but sailing is a great sport, socially and physically (i would be massive if i didn’t sail).
I don’t know what boats are popular in USA but laser is a fairly safe bet, with an even bigger racing circuit, but club racing is probably all you would need to do to be confident to sail single handed (if that)(would need to join a club, which ranges from £20pa upwards and the club would probably offer a sailing course) but before you do go out to sea please make sure you are confident in any situation, as i know numerous stories of broken masts from people doing silly things in too much wind for their ability. And that is when it does start to get costly.
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