Living/Sailing - MEXICO

[jhughes]

The "Final Third" (end of life crisis), Requesting any thoughts on;

* Buying a sailboat in Mexico.

* Keeping a sailboat in Mexico.

* Cruising/Sailing the Coast of Mexico.

Greatly appreciate any feedback, thank you for your time.

[AndyEss]

East coast (Caribbean) or west coast (Pacific, Sea of Cortez)?

[jhughes]

That would be West coast.

[Training Wheels]

Highly recommend it, come on down......oh wait, it’s too dangerous, don’t do it!

[senormechanico]

A lot like the PNW, but warmer, bigger and (20+years ago) more beaurocratic.
Go for it. Ain't nothing like it ! I wish I was back there.

[AndyEss]

There are plenty of boats for sale in La Paz. There are abandoned boats in La Paz. There is a good boating support infrastructure for refitting.
Good plan - but sailing can be tricky when the nortenos are blowing - short, steep choppy seas. Having a bit of experience is probably best before venturing into these waters.

[jhughes]

Thank you Andy and thank you for confirming what I've heard about the winds.

[AndyEss]

Winter months can be treacherous. Spring and fall usually better. Summer (before the depth of hurricane season) can be kind of windless - but the snorkeling is sublime.

[zeehag]

mainland mexico is different from sea of cortez. no northers. warmer.
storms are real in summer, but there are places to hide from them.
is kinda like sailing west coast usa only warmer waters. no winter storms.

[mikereed100]

I wouldn't worry too much about the northers. They rarely blow more than 25 knots, which is just a good day sailing for many people. Sure, it can get a little lumpy, but you just avoid going to windward when they are blowing. Some of our best sailing had been during northers in the Sea of Cortez.

Mexico is a great place for "retirement" cruising as it is relatively easy, good weather, great people and cheap tacos. If you have family ties in North America, keeping in contact is easy. Lots of variety too. If you like pristine nature and seclusion the Sea of Cortez is one of the best cruising grounds in the world. If you like warm water and a social scene, the mainland is perfect.

[Stu Jackson]

Latitude 38 wrote a MX guide. If you don't know what Latitude 38 is, they won't let you into MX.

[TheRailRoader]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Latitude 38 wrote a MX guide. If you don't know what Latitude 38 is, they won't let you into MX.

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1946-latitude-38-s-first-timer-s-guide-to-mexico-boating

^^

[nhschneider]

We are completing our 8th season on the west coast of Mexico and have enjoyed it as much as ever. One of the things that has improved since the last time we were here are the dealings with bureaucracy. It turned out that we had a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) from 1994(!) that hadn’t been cancelled and they couldn’t issue a new one without canceling the old one. Several hours on the phone, two visits to the Banjercito and it was taken care of. Big improvement.

The Sea of Cortez will draw us again and again for the spectacular scenery, the beautiful water, the delightful weather, the fabulous people/culture and that it’s quiet and dark at night.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[Ruso]

Originally Posted by jhughes

The "Final Third" (end of life crisis), Requesting any thoughts on;

* Buying a sailboat in Mexico.

* Keeping a sailboat in Mexico.

* Cruising/Sailing the Coast of Mexico.

Greatly appreciate any feedback, thank you for your time.

* Buying a sailboat in Mexico - I am already for over 6 month on this stage.
Can't talk about all Mexico but only San Carlos and La Paz broker listed..
Absolute majority boats on hard for sale is in neglected state, sometimes sitting there for years. They are "project boats" - no less. pricing listed often higher you can find in US but - no tax, just documenting cost. For me buying a boat in Mexico looks less and less attractive.. I prefer spend a extra money during purchase and deal only with "upgrading" - not "overhaul"
The boats pool not so big - not so many to choose from.
I am seriously thinking about buying a boat in CA and bring her into Sea of Cortez.
If you still committed to buy a boat in Mexico
Move there for a few month. Look for boats. Hire a different surveyors to do initial walk trough ($80-$100) per hours for 2 hours. Isolate good one.
Locate good repair resources - you WILL need them for sure.
Looking into the boats inventory for almost one year ... asking/sale price.. You can buy a boat with 30%-50% off original listed price if she on hard and stay there over one year - as most of the boats listed . Don't get upset if the seller not replying on your questions or offers submitted via broker - some boats listed because "wife said so" or "may be it sells to an idiot between a seasons". On one boat the seller never got back to me when I offered $1K less after he gave me counter-offer on $20K boat.
Ohh.. Most of the pictures very outdated and you might not get what you see - ok... you WILL not get what you see.
This is a grim picture but... If you around you can snap really good deal if you around. Like this one - 1987 aft cabin Pan Oceanic Cutter 38 ft Pilothouse was sold for under$20K. The key IS to be around

[jhughes]

Russo, some great insight, thank you so much. I too am looking in San Carlos/La Paz via internet only at the moment. Thank You for confirming the "be there" approach. Noticed you are out of AZ, I'm out of CO. When you've traveled to say San Carlos, drive of fly? I'm considering a "project boat" approach to a sailboat, it's a matter of how big a project. At my age, I do want some sail and enjoy time. So if I'm hearing your comment correctly, it may be cheaper to buy a boat say in San Diego and sail it/move it to MEXICO? Again, thank you for your great feedback!