Best ways to compromise on a boat to save money.

[RickG]

Refrigeration drives a lot of costs on the electric side once you get off the dock. If you can skip refrigeration you can reduce your house battery bank needs. One of the Engel 12V/110V cooler style refrigerator freezers is a good alternative to a built-in.

We upgraded our electronics last year, but still use an iPad for route planning and navigation alongside our Raymarin Axiom chartplotter. A simple boat without little more than depth and wind instruments and a tablet can work nicely. A lot of people are using opencpn for their chartplotter.

If you are going to stay on the dock and only do occasional trips, then you can go for a very simple or outdated boat. If you can find a boat that is already setup for liveaboard where you want to be that might be your best deal.

If you want to spend time at anchor you need an inverter to power your computers, enough batteries to service them, and a way to charge the batteries. Refrigeration and AC appliances can drive a lot of spend on batteries and the electric system.

I'm a technology guy. I work remote 90% of the time and my clients have no idea I am not in the office. Most of my clients are on video conferences and I interact with them the same way on my boat in the Virgin Islands as I do in my office in Arlington. My video conferencing tools (zoom, etc.) can do virtual backgrounds. I take photos of my office and that is my virtual background on the boat. In the US, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands I run unlimited Internet on otrmobile.com over the AT&T network. In the Bahamas I run unlimited Internet over Island Wifi.

Cheers, RickG

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Look for boat systems that don't work but which you don't need anyway, use them to drive the price down and then simply remove those systems. Examples include:
- radar
-Loran
-SSB
-chart plotter
- wind instruments
- pressure water system
- knotlog
- depth sounder (though this one is quite handy.....)
- superfluous lights>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I appreciate your post and your experience.


However, this ^^^ about electronics appears to be inconsistent with every other "project boat" and "boat buying" discussion I have ever read.



Those generally say: "Forget electronics, they don't add or detract from the price of a boat. Most people replace anyway with something either they like better or is newer, and five to ten years is about thew useful life of this stuff anyway."



It doesn't appear that they could be used to drive the price down, based on thousands of threads about this very topic.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by chambrse

Hi guys!

I've changed careers to software engineering in the hopes of transitioning to a full-time remote job and live aboard lifestyle! I'm a millennial, saddled with lots of student debt, and not a lot of savings. The goal is to buy a boat in 2 years, and I'm saving as much as I can. However, I'm going to be looking for every way to save money that I can possibly take advantage of.

I'm willing to undertake difficult projects, don't really care about the aesthetic of the boat, and have a goal of living aboard and working on it for a year before actually casting off.

When buying a boat, what are the projects you could conceivably complete for less money than you're saving by buying the boat without said work already done? Said another way: what things would bring the sticker price of a boat down, but aren't that big of a deal to fix?

While I don't have any practical experience, I'm confident I could complete restoration of wooden parts, power/navigation/equipment upgrades/repairs/refits, etc given time and an internet connection.

Thanks in advance for your input guys!

A lot of good advice has been given on various approaches to your objective. I like to sail and cruise but not the live aboard type. However, I'll go along with the advice to first determine the type of boat you want and then on finding that boat at the price you can afford...it took me five years. That can be hard to do if you don't have much sailing/boating experience. Boat ownership is the other side of the coin and can take a lot of coin. You must do a lot of research to select which makes and models qualify before your search begins. Read everything in your local library but be careful of subjective opinions while looking for objective sources like sailboatdata.com.

Putting aesthetics aside is a good start because mother nature doesn't care how pretty she looks only how she performs in the worst circumstances. For a sailboat the hull, rigging, sails, and everything directly associated are number one...this includes thruhulls and rudder. The engine is a big item but second. Next comes tankage only because it is a bugger to replace/modify in most boats and can cause secondary expense by having to rip out stuff to get to or expand. Everything else follows with electronics last because if it works it will get you there.

God Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I think bad cosmetics are a good bang for the buck to save purchase money. Flaking varnish, dirt, mold etc.

This is pretty much what I also think. Spit and polish, painting, cleaning, elbow grease type type stuff to "fix" the ugly boat. Anything beyond as a DIY project that got a price reduction is just a crap shot. Beware that any boat with a known major issue probably has a bunch more smaller big issues hiding out.

By far the best used boat deal is on a cruiser's boat that was has systems replaced the past couple of years.

[Hesti]

You may well find, that you do not need a wind instrument unless you want to win races. For wind direction, wooden strings on the shrouds work fine. For strength - you soon will be able to estimate it sufficiently to decide if you want to leave port or not. When underway, you reef when you first think about it, again, no wind instrument needed.

[Redline452]

Originally Posted by Hesti

For wind direction, wooden strings on the shrouds work fine..

Wooden strings would work in very high winds, I suppose. Reminds me of the American flag planted on the moon.

Woolen strings would be more useful under most conditions. ;-)

(sorry, couldn’t resist, and autocorrect tried to change my woollen to wooden here as well!)

[Junk Viking]

I find the best savings are:

a) Boats stranded in less attractive places / expensive marinas

b) Professionally built hulls with DYI interiors.

c) Smaller rather than larger, as purchasing price is the least of cost over time.

I myself bought a boat that was all that.
34 feet, but roomy.
Negotiated the price down by 40%.
😁

[Ken Z]

If you are not able to fix things easily, buy a boat that someone who can and have done, somewhat ready to go. But be careful if the boat was bandaided rather than fixed or repaired, most boats need help. as said avoid massive electronics, one can do it all with a compass and lights, a depth finder is nice.

[Chotu]

The answer to the OPs original question is:
An ugly interior.

That's what will make the boat cheap and unable to sell, bit will also be something you can fix over time to your liking.

[hamburking]

Your biggest savings project would be CLEANING!

So many neglected boats out there that are disgustingly filthy, but in otherwise excellent condition. NO ONE wants to buy a dirty boat. A dirty boat is very hard to sell...hell, a CLEAN boat is often difficult to sell!

I personally have bought several boats this way. The owner "gives up", and the price goes down. Often its due to circumstances that have nothing to do with the boat....change of job, family issues, health issues, or death.

Thinking about it now, most of the boats I bought were really dirty when I bought them...at great prices. Scrubbing and cleaning on your hands and knees in uncomfortable positions goes a long way, but most people are not willing to do this.

So, look for a dirty boat that will clean up nicely. Look for a boat make/model with a good reputation, and see past the dirt. Good luck!

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Chotu

The answer to the OPs original question is:
An ugly interior.

That's what will make the boat cheap and unable to sell, bit will also be something you can fix over time to your liking.

LOL...I did this! I bought a Paceship 29 for $100 (one hundred) dollars. It was the worst of the 70's...shag carpet below with plastic wood veneer everywhere and cushions not fit for a dog bed. But it had good sails and gear, no soft spots, and an atomic 4 that will outlast us all. I sailed it home (150 miles) the day I bought it.

[guyrj33]

Devote your energies to your software engineering career, become as skilled and as you can and seek exposure to a wide range of technologies.

Buy a nice boat that you can comfortably live on while working a full time land based job. Work for enough years to pay off the boat and build up a nest egg. It won't take that long if you budget carefully. Don't let cost of boat and marina exceed typical rent in your area.

Make as many professional contacts as you can. Accept friend requests from head hunters on LinkedIn. Return head hunter calls. You may need these contacts in the future.

Work as a software consultant for a year or two.

Go sailing.

[wa1bda]

Hi Chambrse,

I will take a slightly different tack from some responders.

Keep it simple. - my Dad once told me that the more stuff you have on a boat, the higher the chances are that something won't be working. You don't need all the latest electronics... people have sailed great distances without them. You (probably) don't need a new engine. Most old diesels can be nursed back to service (even if they smoke a little). Understand all of the systems on your boat and be able to fix them.

Find a pretty boat that calls to you. Get a beautiful boat that you fall in love with. You need to be able to row away from her with a smile on your face. Personally, I love the CCA designs from the mid 1960s. These were heavily built and just lovely. I like designs by Rhodes, Alden, Tripp, Shaw (some), S and S, etc. It has to be a boat that you are proud of.

Buy smaller than bigger. - Because the volume of a boat expands logarithmically (generally) to an increase in length, costs will as well. Replacing the standing rigging on a 45 footer will not be 1.5x replacing it on a 30 footer... it will be more like 3x or 4x!! Same for sails, engines, running rigging, etc. The forces at work on a bigger boat are just massively more than on a smaller boat. The Pearson Triton (28') has circumnavigated twice. (https://atomvoyages.com/) (That website has a list of smallish, reasonably priced boats suitable for some offshore work.)


Buy older than newer. - Sure, new boats are cool and some are hard to resist. But you will spend your life saving up for one... and by then they will be even more expensive! As I've said, I like the boats from the '60s and early '70s (but that was my youth so I'm probably dealing with other issues there...). They tended to be well made and somewhat overbuilt... usually encapsulated keels and solid hulls. Decks were often cored and soft cores can be a big project... but not an impossible one. You can work on pieces of the deck at a time. You will gain experience as you go. "Soft decks" make a boat almost worthless in the marketplace because no one wants to deal with the project and having a yard do it will cost thousands. I haven't tried it but would avoid the quick, spray-in foam solutions. I may be wrong here.

Buy fiberglass. - Yes, there is a lot to be said for wood, steel and aluminum boats. (I think I'd avoid ferrocement at all costs.) All of them can be good deals IF they have been constantly maintained. The nice thing about fiberglass is that it probably has survived even if it's been let go for awhile.

Don't buy teak decks. - Repairing them really means replacing them and that is not close to a DIY job.

That's it.

Good luck! DO IT!!! There is no perfect boat and no surveyor will find all of the problems. Find a boat with "good bones" and dig in. You will find some good surprises and some bad ones. That's life. Get the basics done first so you can get out on the water... then work on the details.

Best,

wa1bda




I've changed careers to software engineering in the hopes of transitioning to a full-time remote job and live aboard lifestyle! I'm a millennial, saddled with lots of student debt, and not a lot of savings. The goal is to buy a boat in 2 years, and I'm saving as much as I can. However, I'm going to be looking for every way to save money that I can possibly take advantage of.

I'm willing to undertake difficult projects, don't really care about the aesthetic of the boat, and have a goal of living aboard and working on it for a year before actually casting off.

When buying a boat, what are the projects you could conceivably complete for less money than you're saving by buying the boat without said work already done? Said another way: what things would bring the sticker price of a boat down, but aren't that big of a deal to fix?

While I don't have any practical experience, I'm confident I could complete restoration of wooden parts, power/navigation/equipment upgrades/repairs/refits, etc given time and an internet connection.

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by GILow

One point I rarely see mentioned in these discussions is the aspect of the boat’s performance in terms of its ability to be sailed in the manner and location the owner is likely to use her...

Boy, there is a lot of meat in that succinct statement -- yes...

[Tanqueray]

I am not in the cruising life, but when I bought a boat, I went for a small (smaller than I wanted long-term), low Maintenance boat (Hunter 280). Learned everything there was to k ow about the systems, etc. BUT, importantly, there was not much maintenance costs involved. A few years later, I bought a larger, 10-year older boat. This boat needs more love and attention, and has more maintenance needs, but I feel equipped to handle most of them.


Greg