How old is too old

[Dean Paul]

Hi All.

I have a 45 yr old Islander 30 MKII since new. Boat spends half of its life in heated storage. Like new every season with regular maintenance.

Old boats will last forever with proper care and upkeep.

Yes there can be problems at that age, but most preventable.

[billdomb]

Originally Posted by GS1

Hi all,

In about 5 years I am planning to buy a sailboat and cruise the Caribbean with my wife and 2 kids for about 6 months.
Thanks

No idea, but curious what it would cost to rent/charter a bareboat for six months.

Then the hardware's relatively new, and the problems are not yours.

When you're done, you're done with no hassles with brokers and crazy looky-loo buyers, etc.

[mlinden]

I would like to add an extra step to akprb's advice. You haven't said anything about your experience and your date to this forum looks recent. If you haven't visited the Caribbean yet, do a bareboat charter in the BVI for a week. If you are new, do your first visit with someone who has been there before and leave the family home. Next, go back with the family for a week or two. The money you spend on this experience will be well worth the price. In addition, you won't be stuck with a boat if things don't appear to be what you thought. Also, rent from a second tier charter company like Conch Charters, this should give you a good idea of what to expect from a used boat.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by Dean Paul

Hi All.

I have a 45 yr old Islander 30 MKII since new. Boat spends half of its life in heated storage. Like new every season with regular maintenance.

Old boats will last forever with proper care and upkeep.

Yes there can be problems at that age, but most preventable.

Yup, mine's 10 years older than the Titanic, and her dual-zone A/C is still working fine.

Age is not the issue. Look at me: a couple of hip and knee replacements, some back work, a couple of femoral stents, a high-performance pacemaker and a year's supply of Viagra, and I'm almost good as new!

[pma_foyl]

There is NO boat that will offer you no maintenance or "trouble free" cruising. Not 20 years old, not 10 years old, not even 1 year old. ALL cruising boats will require significant work during a 6 month trip (and likely for some time before you cast off).

Also, if you're looking at a 40' boat from 2000, for only $80K, it is clearly a charter boat. So the "mileage" (use, wear-n-tear) will be 2 - 5 times what a private boat would be. Many 30 and 40 year old boats will be in better shape. the charter boat will absolutely need substantial work, both before and during your travels (just like the 40yo boat).

[MikeInMaine]

I wish there was a way to up-vote other's replies, Akprb!

MikeinMaine

[daveball]

Your second boat should be your first boat.

[GS1]

Hi
I did indeed look into renting long term but there isn't really an option for it. Even the site mentioned above makes no sense. At 15k per month I am completely loosing over 90k for 6 months of sailing. I'll never get that back. True that I won't need to worry about repairs and getting the boat ready to.
If I buy, even after spending time and money some cash will be recovered once I sell her...

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by GS1

Hi all,

In about 5 years I am planning to buy a sailboat and cruise the Caribbean with my wife and 2 kids for about 6 months.
I considered the idea of buying a boat in Croatia that seems like the cheapest place in the med, and sail it across the Atlantic, but it seems like too much hassle for the 6 month trip.
Now to keep it simple, .....

What you are proposing is anything but simple. If you want simple, don't buy a boat. Rent it, or lease it for 6 months from a snowbird. It may cost you a sizable deposit, but if you care for it, you should get most of it back.

But I'd like to pose a different question to you: How much money are you willing to lose to give your family this 6 month experience? This amount should easily show you which way you should proceed. If you were to approach an owner offering this amount, they would likely agree. Just know that renting is brutally expensive, but so is buying, maintenance, upgrades, berthing, ....and brokerage fees.

As to older, I'll take a well cared for older boat far sooner than a new one; I'd rather have a boat that someone who cared for it actually re-bedded all the hardware and windows, rather than buy a new one only to discover the methods used in construction were only to make a fast buck on an unsuspecting new boat owner.

Just remember, the cheapest boat is rarely the least expensive.

[Dave9111]

I think you are understating the issue.


This is a very serious issue and your family's lives may depend on your decision.



You need to further breakdown your requirements:


1. Boat must be in excellent working order.
2. Boat must be ready to sail when you arrive or soon after.

3. Boat must be mechanically understood by you so you can keep it going

for 6 months so you don't spend 3+ months retrofitting the boat. You are the mechanic when it breaks 100 miles offshore.



I see only two options:
1. Buy a new boat and study the mechanical aspects of the boat before you arrive. Take delivery and test sail it near the delivery point several times to shakedown the boat.

2. Purchase a boat in Europe, prepare it for months/years, sail it for months in the med, then sail to the Carib and spend 6 months there. Or have someone sail it to the Carib (pay them) for you and then take over the boat when it arrives.



The chances of you buying a 20 year old boat in the Carib that is ready to go without "issues" is slight. The Carib is tough on boats. Fleet boats are abused. Abused boats mean months of repairs. People want to move/sell their boat. What you do with it after they sell it is not their issue. Yet your life could depend on it.

[MisSailor]

Instead of going through the hassle of purchasing, outfitting, and selling a boat for what adds up to an extended vacation experience, why don’t you charter a Catamaran? Inquire if you can make a deal for an extended rental. A month at a time or more, for example. Many used boats after purchase will need approx 20K in basic maintenance upgrades which upon sale you will lose off the top. Additional money to spruce the boat upon sale is also a possibility. A huge investment for a six month cruise. Maintenance costs are higher in the Caribbean than the U.S.

[Kenpimentel]

Did something similar, but went with a newer boat and did 3 years. My family loved it.

Suggestions:
- 6 months is way too short, do whatever possible to extend it, if that means spending less on the boat, do it
- 6 months is better than zero months, just do it
- figure out where you want to go before you get into buying the boat, your destination will reflect your boat choice - Bahamas requires a shoal-draft to get to interesting places, other places in Carib are less sensitive
- figure out what you love doing, is it sand-bars and crystaline waters? Is it snorkeling, is it diving? Is it cultural? All this will affect where you want to go and therefore the boat.
- you also need to figure out if you love sailing or want to optimize anchoring. This can also affect choice of boat.

Yes, a lot to figure out, it took me five years to plan it too, but I overplanned it. Could have gone a year earlier and saved a lot of money. It isn't as complicated as it seems. I saw plenty of boats that were much less prepared having just as good of a time as me.

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by Dave9111

This is a very serious issue and your family's lives may depend on your decision.

May? Me-thinks YOU are understating the issue.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by GS1

Hi
I did indeed look into renting long term but there isn't really an option for it. Even the site mentioned above makes no sense. At 15k per month I am completely loosing over 90k for 6 months of sailing. I'll never get that back. True that I won't need to worry about repairs and getting the boat ready to.
If I buy, even after spending time and money some cash will be recovered once I sell her...

Call me antiquated, but I never thought that renting a used 40' sailboat for 6 months would cost over $90k anywhere around the Med. In that case, you're probably right to buy, but only if you can actually re-sell it in a reasonable amount of time.

I've been told that parking on the Italian or French coasts of the Med isn't exactly cheap, and that keeping boats on the hard there isn't much cheaper.

Also be aware that at any given time, there are more boats up for sale around the Mediterranean than in Florida, Maine, Maryland and California combined.

[houseofcharm]

I was one of those that thought you were asking how old is too old as in human years! At 61, I'm questioning distance cruising myself.