Ziay!

Wildbill

I am ready to buy a 36-40 ft sailing boat to start cruising around the world. The more input I get the better it is. If you have experience or ideas let me know what you advise is.

fuzgoat

There are many, many boats that would meet your criteria. In the end, your budget will have a great impact on the boat you decide to buy. Here are a few suggestions that can help you learn:

1. Join online sailing formus, absorb the information, and ask questions. Here is a nice group on Yahoo that I have found helpful: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-cruising
2. Talk to some brokers in your area and ask to look at some boats. Don't beleive everthing the say, as they are trying to make a sale, but they can provide some good information about what you get for your money and what would meet your criteria.
3. Attend some boat shows. Strictly Sail (http://www.strictlysail.com) runs a bunch of shows across the US. Other big shows include the Newport Boat Show (newportboatshow.com) and of course the Annapolis Boat Show (usboat.com).
4. Join a local sailing club or look in a local sailing magazine for crew opportunities. By meeting other sailors you can get a lot of ideas and learn a lot about what works and doesn't work.
5. Buy some cruising books that talk about how to choose a boat. Some top authors Nigel Calder, Beth Leonard, and Jimmy Cornell (who also runs the excellent noonsite.com cruisign site).

In general sailboats come in lots of types, styles, ages, conditions and more. As I said, your budget may limit your choices to some extent, but personal perference, where you want to go, and the level of comfort you want to have will play a big part as well. Whatever you do, don't rush into to buying a boat without doing your research first or you WILL be sorry later.