The Search continues!!

By now it is end of January- first of February 2015 in the Blizzard.  I have to go back a few months- almost a year earlier, we (Dean) looked at a sailboat on Long Island. First observed in Wooden Boat magazine, it was an older boat, owned by a man who had owned a boat yard/marina and had since passed on, handing the boat and marina to the "kids". His children now owned a power boat and were ready to let Dad's sailboat go at a very small price for the size of boat. It was kept in a large storage shed in the boatyard and from the ground looked to be in pretty good shape. An all Teak Fisher's Island 44ft. motor sailor, built in 1962 by the original builders of the Grand Banks Trawlers in Hong Kong, a beautiful boat. But on closer inspection, she was going to need a lot of TLC, time and money to bring her in to prime cruising shape. Also as with most older wood boats, insurance, hauling and hired professional work are very expensive and difficult to find. I was in love but fortunately, Suzan helped me keep my head on my shoulders and keep searching for something more reasonable.
So now we are back to February 2015

OK Here we go- We live in New England so you remember last year's (2015) snow. Over 4 feet with drifts as high as 7.
We- Dean was out with our Boat Broker, Scott, wandering the New England country and ocean to find our boat for our venture. Went to New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine to visit different styles, sizes, and cabin orientation that we would find comfortable for our trip. Also, we are looking for a motor sail boat- different from the traditional sailboat in that the engine is a little stronger and it has an enclosed cockpit so when the weather is bad, you can motor from an enclosed area. This helps if you are traveling for an extended period and won't always have nice weather. We (I) also wanted a sailboat that Dean can sail himself  as I am not ready to learn how to sail at my age. And-- did I tell you- he is a power boat person. Limited experience with sails. We live on the South Coast in Massachusetts and wanted a boat we could putter to Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, with some ease.
Many boats were ruled out due to size- length or draft. Many parts of the rivers in the Great Loop are shallow so a short draft is required 4.5ft or less. So that also was a challenge.  We liked some of the sailboats- most were loo long to maneuver in narrow places and had too long a keel (draft). What we did like was the width- most sailboats are at least 12 ft wide-lots of room inside.
Enough for now.

Searching for the Perfect Boat

We wanted a sailboat that could be motored with no wind. And- a length so it could be sailed( sails put up and down) by one person. The search is ongoing- looking at older boats as most have more character than the newer and less pricey. I started looking in Maine, then New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island. It was an adventure to look at comforts you think you need and in reality what 2 people can live with for 6-9 months.  Some were eliminated for width and inside maneuverability. Draft can be an issue. Some of the waterways and marinas along the Great Loop have draft restrictions.
We narrowed down and decided that a motor sailor length 30-36' might  work for our trip and pleasure sailing. Now the real search begins: length, width ,draft, functionality, and price- not easy to find. Next page