A New Boat in the Family

[Jim H]

The term "new" might be misleading...

Anyway, we finished a two-month process of buying our second sailboat today. We went through all the steps of

• viewing and research
• test sail and evaluation
• accepted offer
• survey and research
• counter offer and acceptance
• funds transfer, insurance and moorage
• title sign-over, this morning

We now own Bailiwick, a 1973 C&C 27. This is a well-known boat in our sailing community, having cruised, raced and daysailed locally for many years. The previous owner was very conscientious about maintenance and upkeep, and the smooth Atomic 4, nearly new sails, and recently replaced standing rigging were serious "pluses."

Pictures from the survey are available at

http://www.photos.sailingvoyage.com/v/bailiwick/

We purchased our first boat, a Cal 20, last June. We learned about restoring an older boat, maintenance, ongoing costs, and next year it will introduce us to local racing.

Our C&C 27 is the next step forward in both sailing and cruising. It has systems, 14 sails, and is prepared for off-shore coast hopping. Our primary uses will be daysailing, cruising, and eventually racing. This year, the big trip will be a 10 day cruise to Astoria and back. Next year, I hope we can prepare for an offshore hop to Puget Sound.

It was tempting to hold out for a 29 or 30 footer, but this 27 won over my wife with its size and overall quality. She's excited about taking it out with her friends while I have the kids at home. It's not the perfect boat for headroom for me or doing serious cruising with two kids, but enthusiasm can make up for many short-comings, and in a few years we can always move up in size. Additionally, there was a major difference in asking prices between a 27 and a 29, and it was hard to justify 100% more in purchase price for 2 more feet.

So, we have a boat we can afford (no loans), and maybe we'll grow out of it in 3-5 years (or maybe not, if we don't like offshore cruising). All the lights are green for sailing it every week possible, and we're feeling pretty excited today about reading its manuals, mastering the GPS, maintaining the Atomic 4, and all the other "fun" things of a sailboat with systems.

Quick financial note: we made withdrawls for the boat from our "sailboat" Roth IRAs with no problem, and we can afford to keep making deposits for them even as we own and maintain this boat.

I would note that the threads here, at Sailnet, and the SSCA were really helpful in the process-- no "big jumps" for us in terms of boat size or complexity. If we move on to something more serious in the future, great. If not, this boat is going to be fun regardless.

Thanks to all!

Jim H

[CaptainK]

Nice sailboat Jim H

I'm happy that you're happy, with your boat!!

[BC Mike]

Well done folks. There is one just like yours parked two doors down from me, sailed alongside it many times.
Michael

[Alan Wheeler]

Looks lovely, hope you have some tremendously fun times aboard her.

[Jim H]

Thanks for the comments!

As like any boat this age, it's not perfect, but the surveyor agreed that there's nothing below the water line to worry about for 1-2 years, and the rest of the needed work is fairly basic compared to what we've already done on our first boat.

Today, the conditions are right for a first sail (sun, light winds, relatively warm), but there is a lot of water and current in the river. Worse, I have a cold and need to make sure I'm not going out with overly trashed senses...

Still, the boat is calling...

[hammerfelt]

Wow Jim, enjoy your new boat. It looks like the perfect cruiser. A couple of questions -- you showed the C&C "smile" on the keel -- is that a slight keel joint problem? Is this something people worry about? I guess perhaps if you do to it what you did to the other boat (i.e. outstanding re-do), you have nothing to worry about. I just didn't know if that was something typical of C&C's in that spot.

Also, are these boats cored hulls or solid GRP?

This is the perfect boat to make bullet proof and take it around the world!

Enjoy.

Eugene

[Jerry]

She's gorgeous! What better way for a family to take a Sunday drive. Sure beats TV &/or the X box.

[CaptainK]

Too much TV or the X Box can rot your brains out?

Better to go sailing!!

[Jim H]

hammerfelt once whispered in the wind:
A couple of questions -- you showed the C&C "smile" on the keel -- is that a slight keel joint problem? Is this something people worry about?

Also, are these boats cored hulls or solid GRP?

This is the perfect boat to make bullet proof and take it around the world!

Eugene, thanks for the post.

The C&C Smile is very common (at least on this model). Here's an enlarged and lightened view of ours:



Our surveyor was well-informed about this issue, and she noted that ours was only 8-9 inches long and near the front of the keel. She made two vertical lines (gray in the picture above) near the center of the keel, and noted that we should only be concerned if the smile extended into that area.

The smile is caused by keelbolts becoming too loose, keel impacts, side impacts, etc. Once it's there, I've read there really isn't a long term fix, because the flex will make any repair fail after another year or two. There's a lot more information in the forums section of this site: http://www.cc27association.com/.

One of the "to dos" on our boat involves the keel bolts-- they are stainless and in great shape, but there are 4x6 plates beneath the nuts that are rusting and rotting away, and they need to be replaced with stainless ones.

As for the hull, our model is solid GRP, which pleased our surveyor. She noted that a friend of hers sold his aging J-30 and replaced it with a C&C 27 primarily because of his fears of the cored J30 hull. I'm not knowledgeable enough to "knock" cored hulls, but it seems like just about anything can happen over time. Having a solid GRP hull meant one less thing to worry about.

As for sailing around the world, I'd choose this boat (heavily reinforced) over a Lapworth 24, Cal 25 or Catalina 27, but it's not really a boat for crossing oceans (a Contessa 26 or Albin Vega 27 would be closer to that challenge).

I really liked what Don Casey said at the beginning of his "This Old Boat" book-- he noted that many people make the mistake of thinking "more seaworthy" is always "more better." I.E., to begin cruising, do we all need ocean crossing vessels? He pointed out that things that make a blue water boat (weight, keel, heavy rigging, smaller cockpit, narrow beam) actually reduce the suitability for daysailing and short-term cruising.

Since we don't plan to cross any ocean for 3-5 years, we opted for a boat that is optimal for the sailing we want to do right now. I agree that trying to buy "your last boat first" is a bit too much of a challenge and compromise for us. The cool part is that an affordable boat like this allows us to sail and do short term cruising, while continuing to save and scheme for a possibly different boat in the future.

Thanks again!

[CaptainK]

Hey Jim.

That's a great weblink. I thank you on my behalf of this forum!!

Nice history of the company who built your sailboat.

[witchcraft]

It is always wonderful to acquire that new boat, just like it is wonderful to sell the other one.
CONGRATULATIONS
I hope you have many happy hours of sailing
Cheers
Witchcraft