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Buying or renting?
To sail, you can either own your own sailboat or rent one. It all depends on how much time you have available, your geographical location (do you live close to your home port?), the maintenance requirements (do you like to tinker?) and your budget.
Sailing on your own sailboat offers the advantage of being able to customize it as you wish, as well as sailing on a boat you know and don't have to rediscover every time you use it. Sailing on a charter boat means you can easily change sailing basins and try out a variety of sailboat models (cruising, racing...).
For which program?
Monohull or catamaran? Dinghy or keelboat? Steel, wood or polyester? Sloop or ketch?
Before answering these questions (which are still important), we need to answer the first question of all: For which program?
In fact, it's the program that will define the specifications of the future sailboat. By answering the program, you'll be answering the questions posed above.
The destination
A program is defined by choosing the sailing destination. The sailboat will have to be able to cross the oceans on a long-distance cruising program, with comfortable habitability. For coastal cruising along the French coast, it will not require the same characteristics.
The team
The crew involved in the sailing program also influences the choice of boat. If you often sail with a small crew, you'll need a suitable, easy-to-manage boat (not too physical, with concentrated maneuvers). Just as a family crew needs independent spaces on board to avoid conflicts. The crew's experience will also influence the choice of boat. An inexperienced crew will need to learn the ropes on a small sailboat before considering a larger unit.
Maintenance
Harbour space and wintering space also help define the boat. If you need to take your boat out of the water and leave it on its trailer, a transportable is recommended. Unless you need a dinghy for beaching.
Skills and willingness to invest in DIY (or subcontracting) will also determine the condition of the yacht (new or used?). Do you have the time to manage maintenance? Will you opt for a polyester yacht that's easy to winterize, or one with lots of varnished wood?
What's the budget?
Finally, budget is the last element to consider. Just because you can afford to buy a large, well-equipped boat doesn't mean you should rush out and buy a 60-footer! It will be difficult to maneuver, harbor entrances will frighten you and your splendid sailboat will rarely leave its pontoon. On the other hand, a tight budget is not synonymous with abandoning your boat project. There are many ways to choose and enjoy your boat on a tight budget. Ad sites sometimes offer interesting opportunities.
Specifications
All the answers to the above questions should enable you to draw up precise specifications. Try to do this with the utmost honesty, and the answers will become obvious when it comes to choosing your future sailboat.
