Help finding a boat

[Danielle]

Okay ~ So I asked this question under a previous post. I thought perhaps I would get a better response by giving it "It's very own" Thread so to speak.

I am sure you all get tired of people asking the same question over & over again "What boat is best?' Need suggestions...If it was you and this is what you would be doing & wanting what would you be looking at?

We are looking to spend several years (could be more) as a live aboard
Sailing the areas of Florida Keys, Island hopping through the Caribbean, Possibly to South America , Belize and on to Mexico.
Most of our sailing appears to be Coastal or Island hopping.

The crew will consist of 2 People (unless I get frustrated at hubby and throw him overboard) joking :O)

We have looked at (used) production boats as well as (used) Water boats">blue water boats.. around 36 -38 ft. We would like to not spend more than $65,000 US Any info you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated..
I am sure there are many questions you can ask to help narrow it down.. so just ask away

[delmarrey]

My first question would be, how skilled are the both of you on maintenance and repairs.

The reason I ask is, you can get a BETTER boat for the money if you know how to fix and maintain mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fiberglass. You could pick up a boat that has been neglected a bit, BUT seaworthy. The cost of labor in doing a lot of this stuff is for the wealthy which would take a big bit out of the kitty.

One of the things about sailing is being self-sufficient/independence. This will determine the best boat soothed to you.