Quote:
Originally Posted by kilboua
When its time to come back to reality, I will sell the boat and simply come home
|
That is a useful thing to know - before parting with cash
Quote:
2) The maintenance. I know there is an incredible amount of things that can be with a boat. What should I be looking for in a used boat in terms of condition? What is easily fixable, and what problems should I avoid like the plague? I am pretty handy, and my father (who sailed for 10+ years and is INCREDIBLY handy with anything, even electrical/engine/plumbing) can help if need be. Like I said, I have an excess of time, but I want to save on the $. That being said, what should I look for in a used boat? what resources exist that can teach me to repair boats?
|
Short answer (especially on your budget) is to check everything
. and then
price up the fixes (DIY and / or proffessional in both cash and time terms, and then double it!) - or decide you can make do / don't need
.
The expensive part is your
learning curve, given that you are not yet best placed to judge for yourself what is important / expensive / time consuming (for you).........but you'll learn
....and will save you good
money in the long run on the next boat / adventure.
Essentially you want a structurally sound boat (water coming up is bad
,
water coming down is a PITA - big stuff (like a
mast or a keel) falling off is also bad
) - anything on top of that comfort /
equipment wise is a bonus. Think of her as a large sailing
dinghy - with a lid on
Same things are important and for much the same reasons.....the big exception being the
engine on your
budget I would not expect factory fresh
, indeed IMO would be hard to avoid
buying a pile of poo that will require time and money (and probably at inconveniant times!) sooner or later.
Few things worse than an unreliable
motor - in some respects none is better (at least you always know where you are!). On the size and budget I would favour something with an O/b, and then just accept that won't be ideal for long passages under
motor - so buy a boat that sails! Failing that I would highly recomend getting a boat that you could later add an O/b onto the back of - if the inboard goes majorly pop and no cash to spare to fix / replace. Out of choce I would get a boat with either no o/b or a small / old one and then upgrade to either new! or something with plenty of life left in it.....the upside is that you can always sell it seperately from the boat later, a working o/b will always sell (just a question of price) - an old small sailing boat is a different matter.
Obviously one "should" replace standing
rigging of unknown vintage (because that means it is probably orginal!) - but unless any signs of problems (from sight or feel - ouch!) then I would be minded to take a punt. Same for the running
rigging....albeit something to bear in mind when
passage planning! Some old boats have
sails in surprisingly good condition - some not, go for the one with some life left in them (as a
Dinghy sailor you probably understand why better than me!). On your budget don't want to be
buying any new
sails .
Out of choice would go for Tiller
steering (simplicity and space onboard) - but if the deal is good enough on the rest of the boat then IMO a
wheel is not a deal breaker.
You will need a dinghy - and for that some sort of onboard stowage will be needed....good luck with that
......or take a punt on towing (in practice will likely be a mix of both approaches).
For equipping with "all mod cons", firstly accept that essentially you will be camping afloat - so (apart from going s/h)
head to a camping store and / or Walmart
the stuff you buy only has to last a year or so, not a 10 year cirumnavigation via both capes
. And if the boat
interior looks like a stripped out ocean
racer (with a few scatter cushions!) then so be it, no point trying to create a country cottage look and feel on something you will be selling soon enough.
In regard to
interior refurb, a
power washer, some detergent and a big pot of white
paint (no need for "marine" $$$ paint) is your freind
. Clean and tidy
....just add scatter
cushions .