Hi.

My first post on this Forum and I was hoping I could get some advice on buying a cruising yacht.

My wife and I are looking at an early semi-retirement which will give us time to spend on looking after and enjoying yacht ownership. I have some experience bareboating around the Whitsundays (yes, credit card skipper I think it's called!). Now my wife and I are keen to take it to the next level and buy our own yacht and we hope to eventually cruise the top end of Qld, NT and the Kimberleys. However, I won't be attempting a lifestyle trip like this unless I feel confident in not only my ability, but my wifes' as well. So we won't be charging off into the wide blue yonder until that stage, but we want to buy a yacht soon that will be capable of doing that when the time comes.

I'm thinking of a monohull, around 36'- 42' with a limit maximum of $200k. Cats appeal to me but the price doesn't.
Fiberglass, steel, aluminium?
Bolted on keel or encapsulated, the Cheeky Rafiqui disaster is fresh in my mind.
Annual maintenance costs: what is required?
Insurance?

Some of the things I am looking for:
Gotta get a good nights sleep, so a cabin in the rear with a decent bed!
Water capacity - generous and maybe a water maker.
I'm looking at a cruiser, but at the same time I don't want to buy a slug, it needs to get a move on in a good breeze!
As mentioned above, I like the idea of a cat, more stable and can be beached (Kimberleys etc), but I think the purchase price will be too high for me. Are cats slower than mono's? Pointing ability suffers??

There's heaps more to talk about, so if anyone want's to get involved with this thread, please join in!!

Marty Loader.