Choosing the Perfect Boat

Back in 2000 when I started looking for a boat, I had a few criteria that were important to me. I wanted a 30 foot sailboat that would accommodate a few friends for day sails as well as be easy to singlehand, had to have 6'5" head clearence down below, diesel engine, be able to sleep 4 folks for future trips to the delta and be turnkey. I got very lucky and after looking at two boats I found the perfect boat on the third try. We have now owned our Newport 30 for seven years and she has done everything we have asked of her and much more. While our search was pretty easy, some folks have a much longer list of criteria and it can take them many months or years to find their perfect boat. Read about one man's pursuit here.