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OldSailor1954 · 07-12-2016, 11:42

My son got his Irwin 33 in the lower end of that price range. She's a good heavy boat (which you want when you get in that size boat) He's in the Bahamas now and very satisfied with his little ship.

Scout 30 · 07-12-2016, 15:46

I found this today. Listed over your budget but that's just the asking price & it looks like it's ready to go today. Beautiful classic.

https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee...882611890.html

Scout 30 · 07-12-2016, 16:01

Here's another cool prospect that looks to be in good shape & might be worth a look. That pilothouse would be awful comfy in a blow.

https://jacksonville.craigslist.org/boa/5839848286.html

doug45 · 07-12-2016, 17:48

gemini 3000 for sale 30 footer ready CATAMERAN blue water ready $25000 call Doug 337 523 6123 with $100 slip fee a month in pamana city beach fl

Scout 30 · 07-12-2016, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by doug45

gemini 3000 for sale 30 footer ready CATAMERAN blue water ready $25000 call Doug 337 523 6123 with $100 slip fee a month in pamana city beach fl

That's quite a price for a Gemini. Can you post more info & some pics?

WSMFP · 08-12-2016, 05:09

There's a 36 Ericson in Palmetto FL that we looked last week. 500+ watts of new solar, dingy and 8hp outboard. Also had a Honda gen. New bimini. The interior was a little more rough than what we are looking for but the boat seemed to be in good shape otherwise. The asking is 25K but I heard it the owner may take substantially less. It's on yacht world.

AiniA · 08-12-2016, 05:54

There is an immense difference, in all respects, between a 32' and a 45'. I think it would make a lot more sense for a one year trip to look in the 30 to 36' range. Not a bad idea to see what is available in your price range in the Caribbean - Yachtworld is your friend.

Isailerman · 08-12-2016, 10:03

I have the perfect boat for you, illness my reason for selling. Pull up the. 1979. ENDEAVOUR 32. If you like il. Just email me for more info. Has wheel tho but auto pilot. Dingy, Honda outboard, eco mac.mckim@gmail.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by chowdan

Hey everyone,

My girlfriend and I recently have come up with the decision that we are in a financial position to allow us to take a year long(or so) sabbatical. We are both young(24 and 27) and want to take this sabbatical prior to having kids and all that jazz.

We are sitting on roughly $70k in cash and we are thinking that we would like a boat that is cruise ready for under $30k, preferably $15-20k. We dont mind boats that need some work, but the price would have to be right as it'd need to fall into our budget with the included repairs needed.

We are not new to sailing, but rather we would be new to passage making and more offshore work, so we would be stepping into new territory on that front.

Does anyone have any recommendations on vessels in this size range in the price point we are looking at?

ramblinrod · 08-12-2016, 11:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by chowdan

Hey everyone,

My girlfriend and I recently have come up with the decision that we are in a financial position to allow us to take a year long(or so) sabbatical. We are both young(24 and 27) and want to take this sabbatical prior to having kids and all that jazz.

We are sitting on roughly $70k in cash and we are thinking that we would like a boat that is cruise ready for under $30k, preferably $15-20k. We dont mind boats that need some work, but the price would have to be right as it'd need to fall into our budget with the included repairs needed.

We are not new to sailing, but rather we would be new to passage making and more offshore work, so we would be stepping into new territory on that front.

Does anyone have any recommendations on vessels in this size range in the price point we are looking at?

If I could offer any advice on this, it would be to narrow the field of view.

There are plenty of really great 32 ft boats for $30K.

There are no really great 45' boats for $30K. In general, a 45 ft boat is about 4 times the size (volume and displacement) as a 32' boat.

Our criteria when purchasing our current boat was, "What is the lowest cost (lifetime) vessel, that we could reasonably cruise, that we would be proud to own, would serve us today and through our retirement, and would not limit where we could go." This was our third boat so we had a decent point of reference to start from.

After considering many boats over many years, we decided on a 1975 Douglas 32. We bought the boat with a great bottom, new sails, and pristine interior 8 years ago.

We have enjoyed many years of cruising (weekends and vacation) and are outfitting for a 1 year extended cruise. We are due for new sails now before we go. When all is said and done, we will have $60K in purchase price and improvements. We constantly look at larger boats, and while larger accommodations and a walk thru transom may be desireable, the cost, by the time we got the boat where we wanted it, and ongoing cost, is unacceptable, for what we gain, for what we gave up.

The only thing tuffer than finding the right boat for you, is the repeated evaluation and conclusion that it is still the right boat for you.

ramblinrod · 08-12-2016, 11:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

If I could offer any advice on this, it would be to narrow the field of view.

There are plenty of really great 32 ft boats for $30K.

There are no really great 45' boats for $30K. In general, a 45 ft boat is about 4 times the size (volume and displacement) as a 32' boat.

Our criteria when purchasing our current boat was, "What is the lowest cost (lifetime) vessel, that we could reasonably cruise, that we would be proud to own, would serve us today and through our retirement, and would not limit where we could go." This was our third boat so we had a decent point of reference to start from.

After considering many boats over many years, we decided on a 1975 Douglas 32. We bought the boat with a great bottom, new sails, and pristine interior 8 years ago.

We have enjoyed many years of cruising (weekends and vacation) and are outfitting for a 1 year extended cruise. We are due for new sails now before we go. When all is said and done, we will have $60K in purchase price and improvements. We constantly look at larger boats, and while larger accommodations and a walk thru transom may be desireable, the cost, by the time we got the boat where we wanted it, and ongoing cost, is unacceptable, for what we gain, for what we gave up.

The only thing tuffer than finding the right boat for you, is the repeated evaluation and conclusion that it is still the right boat for you.

One more thing to add, in only 8 years we have paid twice as much in marina slip and storage fees, as we did for the boat. This is separate from our maintenance and imrpovement budget.

doug45 · 08-12-2016, 13:46

more pics of Gemini for sale

chowdan · 08-12-2016, 16:43

Really appreciate everyones input's here!

As our budget is, we say we will be on sabbatical for 1 year, however, if life is still great while being out there at the end of the 1 year, we can tap into our longer term investments. Realistically, if we said we would like to cruise until our safety net is sitting on 20k(excluding value of boat if sold), we'd be able to survive for about 2 years or so(on a 35k/year expense rate), so finding a boat that will not just "suffice" for 1 year, but potentially for a longer term cruise is somewhat in our search criteria.

I do agree that a smaller vessel is the smarter choice, it's just a matter of convincing the other half it's the better choice(financially).

Now we both like the idea of purchasing IN the Caribbean already as it pretty much starts us off in cruising grounds.

I would like to ask experienced cruisers if our expectations are properly in line, and if they aren't, PLEASE set us straight.

We will be purchasing the vessel(with survey and likely mechanic inspection on engine) somewhere. Our route that we will take will be based of where the boat is located.

Since we both still feel "new" to sailing, our plans are to do exactly what others have mentioned - start small. Our plan is to sail daily remaining in the area where the boat is(maybe finding locations within a few hours so no overnight passages) for a few weeks(maybe a month or so). I was raised in Fiji, anchoring is nothing new to me(except i was on power boats), but it is new to my GF.

I know how to sail, however, confident skills are limited(such as heaving to), so during day sails we will essentially be doing training(heaving to, MOB, and anything else anyone recommends) and just to get a feel for how the boat itself sails and handles. I am also planning on practicing anchoring with the GF so she becomes comfortable with how its done, what to do, just the entire process of it. Of course if possible, we also will dive on the anchor to actually check that it's set(growing up this was a habit for my family as we often had local boats drag into us and we never wanted to drag).

The next thing I would like to add is that since we haven't found a boat(yet) and aren't actually completely ready to jump ship(we are actually in the process of selling/sorting/donating everything we own), I don't know EXACTLY when we will be there. If we found "the boat" tomorrow, and we pursued survey/inspection(I'd fly down to take a look as well), and we'd give notice to work(2 weeks) and would be on our way beginning week of January as it'd give us enough time to sort out all the odds and ends here(selling car and a few other assets).

That means in January we'd be aboard our boat, getting adjusted and such. We'd have roughly 5-6 months before hurricane season hits, which means either finding an area to hang out for the next 5ish months. My thought was to possibly plan our route out so that we could do a Panama Canal transit and cruise the pacific side of south america for that remaining timeframe.

My girlfriend on the other hand, doesn't think we'd have the "skill set" needed to make it to the canal and we'd actually have to stay in the atlantic during the hurricane season. I feel that since our sole time will be spent maintaining the boat we'd have time to do plenty of exploring and reading, to learn much more about navigation(so we dont need to rely solely on electronics as that's how I was raised), and if we spent our time sailing around daily, we'd gain enough experience to be confident in actually making it to the Canal.

Anyone have any insights or suggestions? Am I a bit unrealistic? I assumed since all the charter companies operate mainly out of Caribbean, it'd be easy learning grounds for us and our skillsets would grow enough to handle it, compared to if we were in Fiji(where i grew up) or anywhere in south pacific.

Livia · 09-12-2016, 09:22

Your plan of getting through the canal and splitting your time in Atlantic vs Pacific will, obviously, include a lot of passagemaking.

I think you need to ask yourself what percentage of time on passage and preparing for passage would be fun for you and partner. Some people love passagemaking and the associated prep. We've cruised with boats that would have a great time with the plan you floated. If you guys are those people, don't let anyone dissuade you. There are as many ways to cruise as there are cruisers and just because someone wants to anchor until stuff grows on their anchor chain doesnt mean you have to.

We, on the other hand, would feel rushed on your plan. Each to their own. I dislike it when cruisers say "don't rush" or "why are you in a rush" because how much time each person wants/needs in a place before moving on is very personal.

So, my advice is to make sure that you are building a plan that balances to your liking your amount of in country vs passage prep/on passage/post passage fixing time. Also, you may not know what your balance is until you head out and that balance may change over time. With all of that in mind, the most flexible plan is usually my first choice.

**roverhi** · 09-12-2016, 09:52

Experience is the best teacher. No reason that you can't hone any skills you need by doing. That's not to say go out sailing cold. You need some formal education whether from reading or a school. Sail around the Carribean, probably not exhaust the possibilities of that area in a year. If you feel the need to go further, have at it when you feel comfortable.