82: WHAT TYPE OF BOAT IS BEST FOR US!? A Couple's Journey Searching for a Catamaran Sailboat

Would you go on a boat with me for the next few years? I'm scaring her now she may back off. Beautiful little white sand where the sun reflects and shows the azure beauty. Like oh it's got to have some AC, it's got to have four-wheel drive, it's got to have that extra performance package, it's got to have the big tires. I wonder if I fooled our listeners by now. Good morning sweetie. Good morning. We talked about our dream, our lifelong dream of sailing and that that was the big reveal and we announced to everybody that's what we're gonna do. But since then we've left China. Yeah. And we are in the United States and preparing for our adventure. Yeah. So the next few videos are going to be specifics about the boat search and this video in particular is about what type of boat are we looking for. And the challenges we've faced in shopping for a boat because we don't know what boat shopping looks like or how to even start that process. Yeah it's kind of like buying a vehicle you know. I mean what do you want? A go-kart to race around a track or do you want a passenger car to go in town? Do you need a big 18-wheeler to take things across the country? I mean there are all different types of options out there and it's a matter of what is the purpose of this vehicle or this boat is going to determine what type of boat we're going to have. So the first things we're going to talk about we're going to talk about the challenges of searching for a boat from a long distance and also having very little experience. How do we get over that? So shopping for a boat has not been easy for several reasons for us. Could you maybe explain why that's the case? We had no idea where you even begin when you shop for a boat. So we don't know much about sailing. We don't know much about boating and so that's just hard from that standpoint. But we're not going to let that get in our way are we? No we're not. No no no, au contraire. And also we started this process back in March when we kind of decided that this may be what we want to do and start on this dream of ours. And we've been doing this from China. We started from China a long way away during the COVID situation which really makes things a lot more difficult because you know you can't get to these boats even if you find one that you that you like. And we did find boats that we liked but then we didn't know what do we do from there? How do you proceed in buying a boat? Over the past few years our schedule and education teaching has not allowed us to go to one of the big boat shows. The Annapolis Boat Show, the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, the Miami Boat Show, the Cannes Boat Show. There are all these boat shows all over and it's a great way to get educated and to walk through them and touch and feel things to smell to use all your senses. Yeah we would not recommend doing what we're doing. Yeah so we haven't had a chance to do that but heck we've watched a lot of YouTube videos. Yeah we have. So we're well informed. We thank you for all those people who've done boat tours and rating different boats out there. It's been very helpful as well as some of the channels that we've been following that sell certain boats. So that's really our only experience right now and now we're getting right down to it. We're going to Fort Lauderdale. We're actually look at real boats. Get on some boats. And we're going to sail some boats so we're excited about that. So the type of boat we're looking for. What are we going to do with this boat? I'll just mention how I started sailing back when I was 12 years old. It was on a 14-foot Pobycat catamaran and this thing was something that you just throw on a trailer and take to the beach with you and you would put it on the sand and you would literally just take it out on the surf and go sailing. That was a kind of a day sailor. We're looking for a boat that's our full-time home that we're also going to travel on and that's a totally different type of boat. It's got to be comfortable. It's got to be spacious because that's it. There has to be a lot of room for people to come and visit us. Yeah, good point. So in looking at, I've been on monohulls before. Oh, monohull versus catamaran. Do you know which one we're looking for? I think so. Okay, I know so here. Yes, so we have decided that it would be much better to have a catamaran. They're far more stable. They are more expensive but they give you a lot more living space. There's a lot less rock and roll which I need because I get seasick and I'm hoping that the catamaran with its stabilization will be a better home for us. So that's definitely why we're looking at the catamaran versus the monohull. Also, where you're going to be sailing. So monohulls are a must when you get up in some of the northern climes where they're rougher seas and different wind patterns. Most of the sailing that we're going to be doing is trade wind sailing, downwind sailing. That's the the wind coming from behind and blowing into a spinnaker. This is the best type of wind for a catamaran or a broad reach where it's coming from the side. Wow, I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I? All the sailors out there are laughing right now. I wonder if I fooled our listeners by now. Also, there are redundancies on a catamaran. There are two engines on it. If one of them breaks down, you've got another one. Also, if you get nailed by reef in one hull, it's not a question of if, it's one day when. You have two flotation devices. So in general, they're a little safer when you're looking at that. So Brown started looking. He's the master of research and he started looking all over the world for boats, which we were really excited about because we could fly anywhere from China to get our boat. We very naively thought, oh this will be a very quick process. Little did we know that it wasn't such a quick process and also that boats that were located in non-U.S. areas, we would not be able to get to them because of COVID. So the boat can be anywhere in the world. You're looking for the one with the best features and the best price and there are also a lot of overpriced boats out there. Blue water cruising boat is what we're looking for. What does that mean, sweetie? It basically means that we're going to be in blue water. Isn't all water blue? Deep blue water instead of little turquoise shallow water with beautiful little white sand where the sun reflects and shows the azure beauty. So we want to be able to get off the grid and be self-sufficient and not rely on having to get to shore to fill up on diesel or to restock. And water is a big key too. And water is a big key. So having a water maker, ensuring that we have the ability to sustain life without having to plug into a marina or to fill up on diesel and run a generator. So that means a lot of solar. That means having our own water maker. That means having some higher quality batteries to be able to draw in the power of sun and withstand the use that we have of electricity from our devices and things like that. So the key is we're going to go offshore. Sometimes we're going to be sailing for 18 straight days before we see land. How do you do that safely? Another thing is we need to be self-sustaining. Of course you need to be self-sustaining if you're going to do that. But also when we get to some of these beautiful places where you hear the angelic sound, in the background, you know that's the place. Now the last thing you want to do is be running your generator and your AC to produce power. Power is very important on a boat. And water. And then, hey, we're out of diesel. We're out of food and we've got to go back to civilization. We want to be able to maintain and be self-sufficient for long periods of time in very remote locations. And so we need to have the equipment to enable us to do this and to do it safely. What kind of features? Let's talk about the features that you'd like. I mean, you know, when you're shopping for a car, usually you're like, oh, it's got to have some AC. It's got to have four-wheel drive. It's got to have that extra performance package. It's got to have the big tires. My North Carolina Redneck's coming out. It's really important. What's important to me? What's important to her is important to me. That's right. Happy wife, happy life. What's important to me? A scuba compressor is very important. Having air conditioning. So we need a generator. We need a water maker. We need some solar to be able to be efficient in our production of electricity. So those are some of the things that are really, really important. A washing machine as well. I do not want to hand wash my clothing. That is not an option. So those are some things that are important to me. Yeah. Power is very important. Electricity. So we'll have an expanded solar package. Lithium batteries. The technology has really come a long way. These are high-performance batteries that store energy. And then, yeah, water maker. Very, very important. Size. What type of size are we looking at? 100 feet? I'd love that with a crew and all that and a chef. Man, imagine it. This is going to be awesome, isn't it? Realistically, I think between 39 and 45 feet is what we're looking at. That would be ideal for us, for two people and to handle the boat without extra crew. I think that's probably the size. Also from a price standpoint. Yeah. Some of these big boats are ridiculous. But unfortunately, that's what everybody else is looking for. This is the most competitive part of the market. It's just like houses, certain size and price point. They sell fast. So it's a very perky market out there. But it's great that you can find affordability if you can drop your standards a little bit and not have to buy a new boat. We originally thought we would buy a new boat. As long as it's not husbands, right? That's right. OK, next thing. New versus used. Let's talk about that. Yeah. So we're looking. We originally thought we would look for new boats, but we very quickly changed our mind when we saw the price tags. Yeah, it's like a car. It's great to buy a new car and stuff. And a lot of us do because that's somewhat affordable. You buy one of these boats brand new. Ouch. Yeah, it's going to be expensive and there's nothing that depreciates quicker than a boat. But we're looking for a boat that is between four and five years old, potentially even older. If there's a model that we really are looking for that's unattainable in the newer version, we will reach back. If it's got good bones, we'll reach back in the years and consider one of those also. If it's fully depreciated, the boat, that means that 10 years from now when you sell it, it will sell for approximately the same price that you bought it for originally, as long as you maintain it. And over a 10 year period, that could almost equal the amount that you paid for it in the first place. That's how expensive maintaining a boat is. So why are we getting into this? Are we stupid or what? Charter versus non-charter. What's a charter? Can you tell everybody? A charter boat is a boat that's been rented, like a rental car. So we originally thought we did not want a rental boat and we were looking at non-charters, but they're very difficult to find. Privately owned boats just either don't exist or if they do, they're really expensive. Some of the cutting edge boats is the charter industry that really drives design in the catamaran market because these people, they may charge like $10,000 a week. They want the newest and the latest. So these are boats that are fully loaded. Some of them are just built for the companies themselves like Moorings and Suncell. They have fleets all over the world and really they've got all the features, generators, air conditioners, things that we're looking for. But if they're not maintained very well, you could have a lot of problems later on. Oh, it's like a rental car. Yeah, it's like buying a rental car off of a Hertz fleet. It could be a mixed bag. It could look nice and everything, have a certain amount of miles, but versus buying from a private owner with the same amount of miles who really takes care of their car and has a sense of ownership, you could have some problems versus a privately owned boat. Now, privately owned boats are going to be more expensive. So you've got to weigh all of these things. But one of the benefits of non-charter is, well, it can be a benefit or it may not be considered a benefit depending on what you're looking for in a boat. In a non-chartered boat, typically the master suite is one entire hall and it's a bedroom and a large bathroom. And then the other hall has two bedrooms and either two bathrooms or one bathroom depending on the size of the boat. So that is an advantage in one sense because you have this beautiful hall that's all yours and the privacy. You have a big bathroom. Yeah, a walk-in bathroom that can probably house a, could handle a washing machine as well out of the way. The downside of that is you lose a lot of storage space because one half of the hall loses all of its cabinetry. We're looking at some well-known brands. We're looking at Lagoon. We're also looking at Leopard. Lagoon is made in France. They're the largest catamaran manufacturer in the world. Leopard is made in Cape Town, South Africa, and they have a great reputation. Very sailable, sturdy boats that are comfortable to live in. They've got, they're just very good boat builders. Also, we're considering some of the boutique builders. Now these are builders, most of them out of South Africa, that may only make four to six boats a year. The names of those are Kaisna, forgive me if I mispronounce that. That's the name of a town and a beautiful bay in South Africa. St. Francis, Voyage, Maverick, and Royal Cape. So those are going to have to be like a really good deal for us to swoop one of those up. That's more of a BMW, a Mercedes quality. Different fit and finish and the way these things are made. And then the next thing is... The last category. Yeah, now this is one that we never really considered until we got right down into it. Is hurricane damage versus non-hurricane damage. Ah! Hurricane damage. That has a real stigma to it, doesn't it? It sure does. I mean, it could be anything from just the paint being messed up or it could be like... Demasting. Demasting. The boat could have been sunk. They're all different degrees. Irma just tore a route through some of the most popular charter areas in the Caribbean in 2017. Cat 5 hurricane direct hit over Grenadines, St. Martin, the BVI's, Puerto Rico. You heard all about that. And there are a lot of boats out there that are being repaired in various states of repair. Some of them really well. Fiberglass is highly repairable if it's done correctly. And there's some great deals on these boats. And as we looked into this, we saw some very attractive. Yeah, some opportunity. The next boating episode, we are going to take you through our actual search of which seven boats are involved so far. Maybe more by the time we get through this. Hopefully not. And we're going to talk about each one of those searches. Yeah, you'll get to see the boats, a little bit of each of the boats. How it ended. It's a very frisky market. We've had boats get bought out from under us, kind of like a seller's market in a house market where you got to show up with your checkbook and buy it right then and there. We're going to go through all of these. I think you're going to find it really interesting because we certainly found it interesting. Maybe a little too interesting being directly involved with the process. Guys, we appreciate you watching this video, don't we, sweetie? Of course. And coming along with us on this adventure. Perhaps you want to follow in our footsteps. You can learn from us. And if not, hey, you can just live vicariously through us. Watch us make all these mistakes and think, you know, hey, I could save myself from doing that and sharing the adventure. If you really like these videos, please subscribe. Hit that subscribe button. Hit the like button. Share. Make sure you hit the bell. Yeah, the notification bell. I think you have to hit it twice to be informed by email when a new episode comes out. But you don't want to miss our new episodes. Absolutely. It's going to be quite an adventure and we want you guys to come along with us. Thanks a lot. Right around the corner. So don't don't miss it. Yeah. Watch out for the next episode. We'll see you guys. Thank you.