Advice on buying boat

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Outwest34au

Theres this
Hartley Baycruiser - Price: AU $19,900 for sale at Australiawide Boat Sales, Manly, Newport and Sydney

I reckon that could be the one, the OP did say it had a Lehman in it.
Big sounding (6cyl) motor for a relatively small boat, aiming at planing speeds were they?

If that's the case, I would be forgetting about it as any form of cruiser and stumping up the extra money for the right boat, displacement hull for starters.

[skipmac]

Not necessarily saying no to a wood boat, just saying you should go into it with understanding.

1. Check it very carefully before buying. If you know anything about wood and boats you can do an initial check yourself. If not then find a friend to help or you have to pay for a survey. Make sure whoever does the inspection knows wood boats!!!

2. If the boat passes a strict inspection for dry rot in the wood and tired fasteners and in this case condition of the engines you still will be facing ongoing maintenance. A wood boat will require painting every few years and ongoing wood work.

3. You have two options for the ongoing maintenance, DIY if you have the time and skills or pay a yard if you don't have the former but do have the money. If you don't have a surplus of either then maybe should not consider a wood boat.

4. If you do go for a wood boat the best way to keep it from costing you big time in time and/or money is to stay on top of the maintenance. You can get away with deferred maintenance and repairs on fiberglass but if you do that with wood you will end up with a dead boat.

[Boracay]

Before doing anything it may be wise to call a few insurance companies and ask if they'll insure wooden boats and this one in particular.

Australian insurance companies are getting fussier about what they will insure and I've heard stories that they may require frequent surveys or even refuse.

All marinas that I am aware of require insurance, and also some slipways.

[gts1544]

Peter9687, I have never owned a motor yacht or a trawler, but have also been looking and researching as my age is beginning to limit my sailing ability. The thing that I have been cautioned about on older boats of any type is "Do they have the original fuel tanks?" Leaking fuel tanks can be a huge expense to replace as it usually requires a major structural repair. The fact that they don't leak now doesn't mean that they won't start soon. Check out older fuel tanks, particularly their construction material, very carefully! Best of luck! gts1544 - George

[Peter9687]

Originally Posted by Outwest34au

Theres this
Hartley Baycruiser - Price: AU $19,900 for sale at Australiawide Boat Sales, Manly, Newport and Sydney
and then there's this
Welcome to Manly Harbour Yacht Brokers

One to bring up to speed, and the other might be right for you to go now?
I think one big part of purchasing is making sure you get a base you are comfy with, something you can work with but not buy yourself a long term project, unless you really want that of course.

The Hartley bay cruiser is the one I have been looking at. Looks good but I would have to get it surveyed. Know any good surveyors around bris ?

[beachbum29]

Sounds like lots of work to me.

[Outwest34au]

The advert says it has a survey report Peter. If you are keen and the dealer wants to deal then request a copy of the survey, I don't know whether they will charge you for a copy. It says it has been surveyed but doesn't go into specifics about what's good or bad etc. Maybe the report will be glowing, maybe it will expose some major issue pending?

That could be an easier way than getting a fresh survey done for starters.

[Peter9687]

Thanks to all for advice. I think I will stick to fibreglass. Sounds easier to maintain.

[Peter9687]

Hi. Can someone advise on min requirement for coastal cruiser. As in length. Size motor etc

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Peter9687

Hi. Can someone advise on min requirement for coastal cruiser. As in length. Size motor etc

Depends, mostly on how you personally define coastal crusing.

1. What coast?
2. How many people?
3. How long a cruise: day sail, overnights, weekend, weeks?
4. Live on board or anchor out or tie up in a marina?

Basically any size boat is big enough for certain types of coastal cruising. I go coastal cruising in my 19' bow rider. I used to cruise the Bahamas in 21-25' fishing boats.

Motor? Also depends on where and how you cruise. Some people sail on boats with no motor at all. Generally you need minimum horsepower required to get your boat out of the slip and into the channel or ocean. Small boats do well with 5-10 HP outboards.

[Peter9687]

Sorry. Its east coast of aus. Two people and weeks at a time. I would use marinas but not always.

[Peter9687]

I am looking at a couple of twenty five footers. One has a thirty five hp diesel.the othe is a twenty one foot roberts longboat with a twenty eight hp diesel. Both inboards

[cheoah]

A started out with a 19' trailerable. Started poking out inlets more and realized it was not the right boat for how I was using it. That size is certainly doable, but not everyone is up to the challenge of weeks aboard a small vessel. That's for you to figure out I guess.

I think the size you are looking at would work fine, but my second boat was a 30' Cape Dory, and it was a great coastal cruiser that is comfortable for a couple of people for a few weeks, and easy to singlehand. I don't think the cost of ownership is that much more for a 30 footer, but it can have some features not found on a 25 footer sometimes. Somewhere in that range from 27-32' is what I consider to be a good size, with standing head room, functional space, and all the things I would want to have in a second home/seagoing vessel.

I'd pick a range and get the best boat in the range. Make a list of things that are important to you, set your budget, and look at lots of boats.

Things on my list might be:

rigged for singlehanding
Propane range
Big ice box/no refer
shoal draft
good shade options
good resale
and you get the idea

Good luck. Our market here in the US is full of boats at a relative bargain the that size range right now. There is no right size boat. There is all the stuff you want in a boat, and getting the best one that fits your budget, your cruising goals/location, and your ability to operate and maintain. Here's where I make lists and charts, with different color highlighters, etc and just try to be realistic about how you're going to use it.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Peter9687

Sorry. Its east coast of aus. Two people and weeks at a time. I would use marinas but not always.

As far as safety, in the opinion of most, the boat and the sailor are more critical than the size of the boat. That being said, larger boats have an easier motion and will tolerate stronger winds and higher waves more easily.

Next it comes down to your personal tolerance for small spaces. I have met two couples living on a 27' sailboat that were happy with the space and one couple that thought 41' was too small. Anything much under 30' it gets a little more difficult to store enough food, water, tools, etc for weeks. Not impossible but more difficult.

If you're going 30' probably need a bare minimum of 20 HP. A little more would be better. Inboard diesel is the preferred option.

[Peter9687]

Originally Posted by cheoah

A started out with a 19' trailerable. Started poking out inlets more and realized it was not the right boat for how I was using it. That size is certainly doable, but not everyone is up to the challenge of weeks aboard a small vessel. That's for you to figure out I guess.

I think the size you are looking at would work fine, but my second boat was a 30' Cape Dory, and it was a great coastal cruiser that is comfortable for a couple of people for a few weeks, and easy to singlehand. I don't think the cost of ownership is that much more for a 30 footer, but it can have some features not found on a 25 footer sometimes. Somewhere in that range from 27-32' is what I consider to be a good size, with standing head room, functional space, and all the things I would want to have in a second home/seagoing vessel.

I'd pick a range and get the best boat in the range. Make a list of things that are important to you, set your budget, and look at lots of boats.

Things on my list might be:

rigged for singlehanding
Propane range
Big ice box/no refer
shoal draft
good shade options
good resale
and you get the idea

Good luck. Our market here in the US is full of boats at a relative bargain the that size range right now. There is no right size boat. There is all the stuff you want in a boat, and getting the best one that fits your budget, your cruising goals/location, and your ability to operate and maintain. Here's where I make lists and charts, with different color highlighters, etc and just try to be realistic about how you're going to use it.

Thanks. You have been very helpful.