Advise on yachts under 200k USD

[hellsfire]

Hi I am planning to circumnavigate in 2016-2017 when I retire then.

I have a $200,000 - $250,000 USD to spend on my yacht and have been going over many yachts on sail boat listing and to be honest a just getting mind blown as there is so much available. I really need to have help from seasoned sailors on what are must haves that will fit within my budget. The question of hull material keeps coming into my head and would like some comments from sailors about what is the best for the right environments. I would also like to here comments on keels and which I should be looking for.

I am planning to sail mainly in the trade winds but not limited to that as I am originally from south of New Zealand and would like to visit the south again where I am familiar with how big and gnarly the seas can be. I have also always wanted to sail up to Alaska so the yacht needs to be quite versatile and be able to take me where I want to go safely.

I would like it to be conformable but practical not just a pretty yacht. I would also like it to be able to be sailed short handed as I do not like to much company on my trips as it spoils the tranquility. I was thinkink of somewhere 44-55 feet but please let me know you comments on this

I have read many posts on here and people pretty much say its up to your choice but I am sure there are some horror stories of choosing the wrong yacht as well. So I would really value constructive comments to help with my planing.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by hellsfire

Hi I am planning to circumnavigate in 2016-2017 when I retire then.

I have a $200,000 - $250,000 USD to spend on my yacht and have been going over many yachts on sail boat listing and to be honest a just getting mind blown as there is so much available. I really need to have help from seasoned sailors on what are must haves that will fit within my budget. The question of hull material keeps coming into my head and would like some comments from sailors about what is the best for the right environments. I would also like to here comments on keels and which I should be looking for.

I am planning to sail mainly in the trade winds but not limited to that as I am originally from south of New Zealand and would like to visit the south again where I am familiar with how big and gnarly the seas can be. I have also always wanted to sail up to Alaska so the yacht needs to be quite versatile and be able to take me where I want to go safely.

I would like it to be conformable but practical not just a pretty yacht. I would also like it to be able to be sailed short handed as I do not like to much company on my trips as it spoils the tranquility. I was thinkink of somewhere 44-55 feet but please let me know you comments on this

I have read many posts on here and people pretty much say its up to your choice but I am sure there are some horror stories of choosing the wrong yacht as well. So I would really value constructive comments to help with my planing.

This boat

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...le-136440.html

is owned by Evans Starzinger and Beth Leonard who have circumnavigated twice and sailed virtually everywhere on the planet. This boat is built to take anything you can dish out and designed to be sailed by two persons

[JPA Cate]

Golly, Carsten, y'all beat me to it. ++++++

A.

PS. Another alternative, look at Lavranos 48's. Way nice boats, well in your price range, sweet sailing boats.

[Jim Cate]

Hawk, while obviously a superb vessel, does not fall into the OP's proposed budget. Somehow I don't believe that Evans will be receptive to a lowball offer!

Jim

[JPA Cate]

Ya know, I must apologize here, I was under the wrong impression that Hawk's asking price was $173,000. Sorry, my error.

Ann

[hellsfire]

Hi All
My budget is not fixed at that and if something exceptional and ready to sail comes along i am prepared to go the little extra.

The Yacht recommended is definitely the seaworthy sort of yacht i am looking for.

Regards Hamish

[robert sailor]

You need a friend who is very experienced and that shares similar biases on sailing styles to spend time with. This group on CF is a wonderful group but the opinions will run from one extreme to another. It won't be long and the multi guys will be trying to get you in their camp, LOL(which is OK) but it will just confuse the hell out of you. None of this is abnormal on forums like this and can be a lot of fun but I'm not sure exactly how much it would actually help you.

Hawk is a nice boat for sure and it can be taken anywhere with confidence. Maybe drop Jim Cate a line, he's in your neck of the woods, sails a similar sized boat offshore and has a wonderful base knowledge. Its a really tough decision and the less knowledge you have the tougher it is.

Good luck in all your endeavors, I know you will find the right boat given the time.

[carstenb]

I was aware that Hawk is $300k. But the poster noted $200-250k. My thinking is that Hawk needs no extras to go to sea. So potentially those saving are the $50 difference.

Of course Beth and Evans are somewhat spartan sailors - and I don't know what the OP would want to add.
But at least he can be sure Hawk can take anything he can dish out.

[s/v Moondancer]

Hells,
My wife and I are circumnavigating on a boat at the top end of what you seek...A 55 ft boat that cost less than $300,000.

First you need to be reasonably competent to short-hand a 55 ft boat.

Second unless you have a significant income you need to keep 25% of your cash for ongoing maintenance...What people fail to realize is that older boats are bought at a large discount, 50%-70%, to the new cost but that except for the main engine, mast and hull everything else has a 5-10 year replacement cycle and replacements are bought at 100% of cost using labor at $50 to $100/ hour!

My advice is to buy a well fitted out boat in the 45 ft range, smaller if it is a cat and check out replacement costs of all the bits and pieces before you buy so that you can get an idea of what you will spend over a 5-10 year period.

Remember...we never received a yard bill that was less than we anticipated!

Good luck

[a64pilot]

How many people will be with you? Why so big a boat?

[Tiva]

My wife and I circumnavigated on a 1999 42' Jeanneau Sun Oddessy. The boat did fine and we saw a lot of boats that were less than 42'. We spent $125,000 on the Boat and another $50,000 on equipment.


What would I choose if going around again. Maybe something along the lines of a Lord Nelson. But then again I love the sportyness of a faster haul.


Three things: you must be able to single hand the boat while on watch; the depth of the keel matters (there are many port entrances and anchorages may entry with more than five feet of keel a challenge); a combination of anchors that can work in a variety of bottoms (we were under equiped in this regard and spent to many nights on anchor watch or moving around trying to find a hold).


Your knowledge and capacity to handle emergencies and maintenance issuses is probably more important than picking the perfect boat. Good luck and happy sailing

[ski69sail]

Hi there, I spent about 3/4 years looking at fero, steel, glass and wooden boats between 44 and 48 foot. I found a huge bias against steel yachts until I can back to New Zealand.. Here they love steel as it is easy to work with, very strong and safe. I have meet many steel yacht owners who are proud to tell you what they have run into without damaging their vessel. The ocean is full of rubbish. A steel vessel also has more room on the inside because of their design. There is more maintenance with steel but it is repairable. A full keel is desirable My 41 foot Ganley ( cor-ten steel ) has as much cabin room as a 44 foot glass boat .

[Budawang]

You should include the Ovni 435 in your search. French aluminium "go anywhere" boats also known as the "4WDs of the sea". Extremely versatile, capable and easy to sail. Jimmy Cornell even sailed one to Antarctica.

They are generally a bit outside your price range, but you might be lucky.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Tiva

My wife and I circumnavigated on a 1999 42' Jeanneau Sun Oddessy. The boat did fine and we saw a lot of boats that were less than 42'. We spent $125,000 on the Boat and another $50,000 on equipment.


What would I choose if going around again. Maybe something along the lines of a Lord Nelson. But then again I love the sportyness of a faster haul.


Three things: you must be able to single hand the boat while on watch; the depth of the keel matters (there are many port entrances and anchorages may entry with more than five feet of keel a challenge); a combination of anchors that can work in a variety of bottoms (we were under equiped in this regard and spent to many nights on anchor watch or moving around trying to find a hold).


Your knowledge and capacity to handle emergencies and maintenance issuses is probably more important than picking the perfect boat. Good luck and happy sailing

Great first post, Tiva. Welcome to CF.

[dwhardee]

Originally Posted by hellsfire

Hi I am planning to circumnavigate in 2016-2017 when I retire then.

I have a $200,000 - $250,000 USD to spend on my yacht and have been going over many yachts on sail boat listing and to be honest a just getting mind blown as there is so much available. I really need to have help from seasoned sailors on what are must haves that will fit within my budget. The question of hull material keeps coming into my head and would like some comments from sailors about what is the best for the right environments. I would also like to here comments on keels and which I should be looking for.

I am planning to sail mainly in the trade winds but not limited to that as I am originally from south of New Zealand and would like to visit the south again where I am familiar with how big and gnarly the seas can be. I have also always wanted to sail up to Alaska so the yacht needs to be quite versatile and be able to take me where I want to go safely.

I would like it to be conformable but practical not just a pretty yacht. I would also like it to be able to be sailed short handed as I do not like to much company on my trips as it spoils the tranquility. I was thinkink of somewhere 44-55 feet but please let me know you comments on this

I have read many posts on here and people pretty much say its up to your choice but I am sure there are some horror stories of choosing the wrong yacht as well. So I would really value constructive comments to help with my planing.

John Kretschmer has an excellent list of Blue Water yachts on his website. Check them out