The boat you want to sail Vs. the boat you want to restore

[Crazer]

I have recently sold my Pearson Triton, feeling that she was simply too much of a commitment for me to take on at this time. Although I wavered in my commitment to selling her, I had set the processes that would lead to her sale in motion some time ago and I knew in my heart of hearts that this was best for both me and the boat. So around the same time I began the process that would lead to my purchase of a new boat, one that fit my time and budget constraints.
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I now I have the opportunity to buy one of two boats, both of them at very attractive prices. One is a 1960-something Pearson Ariel with a soft foredeck, bad paint job and dirty interior. The other is a 1973 Pearson Wanderer with no electrical wiring and some cosmetic issues that need to be addressed, including new topsides paint and new paint inside. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, one is a relatively big project (but still much smaller than the Triton I just sold) but a small boat. The other is a big boat, but a much more limited project. Of course, I could simply not buy either boat and hold out for something else, and there is a good chance I will do this. But it's got me thinking. The problem is that one boat is the boat I want to sail, and the other is the one I want to restore. To me, they are two sides of the same coin. I love the idea of both equally. I prefer the Wanderer as a boat, I like it's size, the fact that it is shoal draft with a centerboard, I like the styling of the design and the possibility of real extended liveaboard cruising. The Ariel I find a bit cramped, and certainly it is too small in my opinion for any cruise longer than a few weeks. I would simply get tired of living in a space that small. I found that to be a big problem on the Sea Sprite I owned over the summer. I also like that I could take several people with me on the Wanderer while I would basically be limited to myself and possibly one other adventurous soul on the Ariel. I don't expect that I will be doing a lot of long cruises with other people, but even for two or three nights the Ariel would be too small for more than two, especially if they were not acclimated to living in such a small space. But when I look at the Wanderer, I don't get that excited about restoring her. The idea of giving her a new coat of grey topsides paint, a new wooden toe rail and new varnish isn't that appealing. I certainly don't like how she looks now, she has a nasty shade of green on her hull and I find her topsides too sterile, as she has FG coamings of the late model Wanderer, as opposed to the much more attractive wood of the pre-'68 boats. But when I look at the Ariel, my heart jumps and my mind races as I contemplate the restoration. Recoring the deck! Stripping bottom paint! New woodwork! Varnish! Cleaning the interior!

What does that tell me about the boat I should buy? Am I failing to get excited about the wanderer because she's just not challenging enough? Or is it something deeper. There's no doubt that as much as I like the Wanderer, I find the Ariel subjectively prettier. Do I just not like the *idea* of the Wanderer? Or do I like the idea better than the reality? How have you balanced the boat you want to sail with the boat you want to restore, or have they always been one and the same? And why am I still awake? Should I just take up knitting instead? These are the great questions of our age! I am curious to hear other's thoughts.

[earlylight]

Quite the quandary! I have a friend who went through the same process except he had three boats h was considering. Unable to bring himself to making the final choice, he took a slightly different approach. He made a list of 50 things he most desired in a boat and then another list of 50 things he did not want or like in a boat. He then simply checked each boat against hi two lists. With that done, he simply tallied up the results and went with the boat that scored best overall. I must admit it seemed like a rather cold and calculated process to me, but it worked for him. Just one man's method of making the selection. No matter how you go about it, I wish you the best of luck!

[triton274]

Hold out for something larger than the Ariel, but that pulls at your heart strings more than the Wanderer....

[TritonSean]

Luckily for me both the boat I want to sail and the boat I want to restore are my 1963 Triton.
Got to do a bit of both this season finally, instead of just the restore part..... know what you mean about the Ariel
just a really sweet hull !

Sean

[tikvah59]

This past spring I sold my Triton as well. I had done quite a bit of work on it, and was often asked why I was selling after all that time/effort/money invested. My first response was to point out how often folks renovate a home only to turn around and sell it. But the real answer lies in how I want to spend my time.

The Triton was in great shape for daysailing. Everything worked, the rig was in good shape and I had stripped and painted the exterior and the interior (among many other improvements). However, when I thought of spending the night on that boat I knew I'd want more creature comforts. I didn't have the motivation to set up a fresh water system, find a place for a stove, etc. She also had sails that had seen better days and the non-skid needed attention. Finally I didn't want a gas engine anymore but didn't want to install a diesel, either.

I'm thrilled with the boat I bought - a 1986 Nimble 30 yawl (http://nimble30emilyhope.wordpress.com/). She needs work, as all good old boats do. However she's not far from being ready to go cruising. I had a great time getting to know her this summer. In the end I decided I'd rather spend more time sailing than restoring - although that may be considered heresy on this forum! The Triton spent five years in my driveway while I took her apart and put her back together. For me, life (and the New England sailing season) is too short to do that again.

My advice: buy the boat that will let you go sailing NOW while you do the work that needs to be done. That's what I wish I had done the first time around.

Mark

[Carl-A259]

AHhh, the lessons learned the hard way!

[Crazer]

AHhh, the lessons learned the hard way!

Indeed, the lesson learned in this case being that, with boats, the hard decision is usually the right one. Also, choose your boatyards carefully.