[JD Ray]

Originally Posted by GT6

... And the buy & sell process is long and expensive...

What I'm trying to avoid is having to switch boats two or three times over the next few years.

I suggest you buy a boat no larger than 45' or so to begin with. Join a yacht club that does a lot of cruises. Take your time learning the seamanship needed to cruise, and then head to Alaska in the summer. After that trip, you'll have a better feel for what your needs & wants are in reality.

That's my plan, actually. I've been reviewing floor plans for boats in the 35-50 foot range, and finding plenty I like in the 38-43 foot range. As I said, I expect to spend somewhere between two and five years cruising exclusively in the PNW before attempting to go anywhere else.

Being the guy that prefers to pay to have the upkeep done, you may find that a big ocean cruiser is vastly more expensive than you can reasonably afford.

You appear to be reading a lot into my posts. I'm asking questions, presumably of experienced people. I know what my limits are, both physical and financial. I expect to take the information I get, put it in the mix with the limits I have, and decide on a boat. That's all.

Or maybe not. In that case just go ahead and buy the Fleming 55, hire a captain and enjoy the ride...

I don't know what the Fleming 55 is, but I get your drift. And, no, I don't have that kind of money. And if I did, I would use it some other way. But I'm also not limited to $25,000 hurricane-tossed pocket cruisers from the early eighties. My preference is to buy a boat that's going to not only do what I want now, but what I want for the extent of the next eight years or so. I don't want to buy something, feel it out, find out that I didn't do enough research, should have bought something else, should have listened to the people offering me solid advice... I don't have time for that crap.

I also want to buy a boat that isn't going to need a ton of fixing for problems related to previous neglect. And they appear to be out there. I'd rather buy a boat that has fewer features than might be available, but has been well maintained, than I would something that fits the description of "all fur coat and no knickers". I want to spend my time boating, not in dry dock fixing through-hull issues.

I'm sorry if my frankness comes across as being an ass. In a somewhat-related note, my favorite line from any movie is from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? where Jessica Rabbit says, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."

Cheers.

JD