The first thing you should know when choosing a boat is that no single boat will do everything. If your looking for a boat that inspires confidence, don’t expect it to shine in light air. Boats that are exciting to sail on the weekends aren’t the ideal boats for a passage through the ocean.
You shouldn’t expect to find quick acceleration and load carrying capacity together with the same boat. You can buy a boat now to race or fish, then sail around later – as you can only do one or the other with a specific type of boat.
The logic to choosing the right boat is determining how you plan to use the boat. Think about why you want to own a boat, what you plan to do with it, and how you plan on using it.
For some, beauty is the first consideration. For sail boats beauty is very important, as you’ll spend a majority of time floating and sailing around, with many people looking at your sail boat. With people looking at your vessel, you want to make sure that it looks nothing short of amazing.
If you are planning to race instead of cruise, then speed is your primary consideration. There are many cruising sailors out there who...