Looking for Adventure? Cruise Yacht Sales to Find the Vessel of Your Dreams

by Art Gibb, freelance writer on behalf of of Rob Webb Yachts ( 7-Sep-2012 )

Have you ever dreamed of leaving the rat-race, workaday world behind to sail the oceans on your private yacht? Even if you need to stick with your day job, you might still fantasize about weekends away harboring in private coves or fishing on the high seas. If your finances allow, buying a yacht can be the perfect choice for needed rest and relaxation. But before you hit the yacht sales on Long Beach, take a moment to educate yourself on your options.

Yachts are boats that have a luxury component to them. They are meant more for leisure rather than as part of your daily labor, so unless you plan on hiring yourself out as crew, your yacht will be for fun. They come in a variety of sizes, styles, building materials, and amenities.
The first thing you need to do is determine your ultimate goal in owning yacht. Do you want to compete in regattas or make stops at ports all over the globe with 15 of your closest friends? Your decisions on this point, plus your budget, will help you find the right size and type for your needs.

Sailing yachts are built to fly across the water. If you’re planning on daytime outings, a dinghy might suffice, but an overnight journey on a long weekend would require a cabin – something that dinghies lack. Weekender yachts contain small cabins that can accommodate two or three people (if they’re all very comfortable with each other), so you can make a longer trip.

For those who want to spend more than a couple days aboard, it’s time to look at the larger yachts. Cruisers, luxury yachts, and mega yachts are built for extreme comfort as well as stability on the water and the ability to travel long distances. The longest yachts can reach over 70 feet, so you can haul along an entire entourage of guests with plenty of space for some alone time as well. The larger yachts often require a crew for driving, maintenance, and housekeeping.

Traditionally, yachts were always made with wood, and sometimes the interiors were artfully carved and completed by skilled carpenters and artisans. Today, you can still claim the luxurious luminescence of polished wood inside but have the structure of the boat made from metal, fiberglass, or carbon fiber, all of which are lighter than wood. This yields a swifter vessel that is less prone to certain types of degradation from salt water and sea creatures.

Cost can be an essential factor in choosing your yacht, and most people will never be able to afford the kind of luxury yachts seen in movies or on television. New yachts can range from tens of thousands for the smallest to multiple millions of dollars for a boat you can live in full time. For this reason, there’s an advantage to buying a used yacht or taking advantage of plans that give you part ownership or use for a fraction of the full price. It’s important to find an expert in yachts and yacht sales in Long Beach in order to make sound decisions. And when you do, happy sailing!

Browse our top cities

Browse cities by state