Becoming a Sailor

10 posts

Buying a St Francis 50 catamaran

Buying a St Francis 50 Catamaran describes the anticipation of finding the right bluewater boat for our family’s adventure, the transition to life aboard, and some of the modifications that turned SV Aphrodite into a comfortable floating home and a capable chariot to sail.

  1. Ultraleather Boat Upholstery: Our Honest 9-Year Review

    Ultraleather boat upholstery was sold to us as durable and easy care. After nine years with four kids aboard, the polyurethane wore through and mildewed.

  2. Life Raft Servicing: What’s Inside a Life Raft?

    We watched our 10-person life raft unpacked and inflated at a Tampa service shop: what was inside, what failed inspection, and why we bought a Viking.

  3. Catamaran Test Sail: Putting SV Aphrodite Through Her Paces

    Our post-refit test sail on a St Francis 50 catamaran: two hours at the helm, why fenders matter when docking, and a boom vang that bounced like a spring.

  4. Cleaning a Used Boat: 30 Bags of the Last Owner’s Stuff

    Buying a used boat can mean buying a boat full of things. We hauled 30 garbage bags off our St Francis 50; cleaning a boat is nothing like a house.

  5. SV Aphrodite: The Family Catamaran with a History of Adventure

    The story of SV Aphrodite, our St Francis 50: designed by Angelo Lavranos, Cruising World's 2006 best cruising catamaran, and loved by two owners.

  6. Sailing Subculture: Are Catamaran Owners Seen as Snobs?

    After we bought a St Francis 50, a circumnavigator warned us that catamaran owners are seen as snobs. What we found after 40+ countries by boat.

  7. First Days With Our St Francis 50: Repairs and Reality

    Rick's first days aboard our newly bought St Francis 50: AC, fridge, freezer and leaking toilets, mouldy lines, and why she went for four months of refits.

  8. Buying a Catamaran: Our St Francis 50, SV Aphrodite, Is Ours

    The sale closed and SV Aphrodite, a St Francis 50 catamaran, became ours. Paperwork done, Rick flew to Fort Lauderdale to sail her to Bradenton.

  9. Transferring Boat Ownership With a Documentation Specialist

    Buying our St Francis 50 in Florida from Canada: what a marine documentation specialist does, the choices we made, and why Ottawa became our hailing port.

  10. Buying a St Francis 50 Catamaran: Why We Chose SV Aphrodite

    How we chose a bluewater catamaran for a family of six: boat shows, an expert adviser, a comparison spreadsheet, and why the St Francis 50 won.