buying a blue water boat

[Rodman]

Hello guys and gals my name is Rodman and I need your help. I live in San Diego and am looking to sail to Hi where I will live on my boat for the forseable future. However I have not purchased said boat and this is where the cf community comes in. I am looking for a boat that my girlfriend and I can safely and confidently sail there on. My budget is 10k. Thank you in adavnce and I sure I will be keeping up on this forum as new questions come up and as I get closer to my depart date.

o I am an expiernced sailor haveing raced and crewed on several boats however they all were either way to small (420's,hobie's, and lasers) or way to expiensive (50ft+ lagoons and bennys). Also I am willing to trade size for a boat that requires less work to become ship shape.

Thanks,
-Rodman

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Rodman

Hello guys and gals my name is Rodman and I need your help. I live in San Diego and am looking to sail to Hi where I will live on my boat for the forseable future. However I have not purchased said boat and this is where the cf community comes in. I am looking for a boat that my girlfriend and I can safely and confidently sail there on. My budget is 10k. Thank you in adavnce and I sure I will be keeping up on this forum as new questions come up and as I get closer to my depart date.

o I am an expiernced sailor haveing raced and crewed on several boats however they all were either way to small (420's,hobie's, and lasers) or way to expiensive (50ft+ lagoons and bennys). Also I am willing to trade size for a boat that requires less work to become ship shape.

Thanks,
-Rodman

I don't think you can do it for 10k. Especially something you want to be a long term liveaboard when you get there.

Your budget indicates a 25-26 foot boat which may not even be rready to sail to Hawaii. For me to consider living aboard for two people I'd need 31 uncomfortably and 36 to be happy.

Welcome to CF BTW...

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

For me to consider living aboard for two people I'd need 31 uncomfortably and 36 to be happy.

My wife would need a 40+ to consider it at all

I'd suggest rodman that you first need to define what you and your girlfriend would be comfortable living on. Or what you'd be comfortable living on and your girlfriend would be comfortable making the trip on if she wasn't going to remain living aboard once you arrive.

Once you figure that out, it would be easier to determine what is needed, but even with my little knowledge compared to many here, $10k just doesn't seem like enough.

[Rodman]

Ex-calif Thank you for your honest opinion this is why I enjoy this forum however if there would be any advice you could give me on selecting a boat I would be very greatful.
Thanks
-Rodman
Maybe I sould add that I'm 25 so my forseable future is pretty limited(untill i can find a job and afford a place to live) and the small quarters are an expected con that is greatly out weighted by the many pros.

[Cavalier]

+1 to the comments above.

We were happy for a while on a 36' - a 30' would be too small for a longterm live-aboard IMHO: of course, it all depends on what you're after.

I agree that you may be struggling to find something for $10k - if you do, then it'll be sub-30' and will probably need a substantial amount of work (and more money) to get it into a condition that you'll be happy taking outside of coastal waters - especially to Hawaii.

Just for that trip, many people would want a chartplotter/GPS to ensure that didn't simply miss the islands sailing on a bearing. If you go for the cheapest option, a half-decent handheld marine GPS on amazon is anywhere from $200-$250. In addition, the trip to Hawaii will require a multitude of equipment which will most likely not come along with a $10k boat ...

If you're after a quick sanity check, have a look around on the internet and see if you can find either a nearby small boat-show or a dealer who wouldn't mind showing you and your girlfriend around boats ranging from mid-30' and down. You're going to get to a certain size where either one of you (or both) will step down the companion way and say "no!".. this normally happens when the toilet it integrated into the forward v-berth which is also part of the cabin.

Once you know your minimum size, it'll be easier to start looking around on the internet again for the best balance between cheap/old/inequipped and work-required/equipment-required.

You may also want to post or start a thread asking to Forum what they would perceive to be the realistic (not heroic) minimum equipment list which they'd consider essential for a trip to Hawaii.. i know that there's a very good thread going on right now regarding minimum equipment, started by "newt".

Good luck on your journey fniding a boat, and please be sure to keep everyone updated (adds to the knowledge base)

Phil

[Randyonr3]

If I were in your shoes. I'd hit some of the marinas and boat yards in the south bay of SD.. friend of ours picked up a steel hull that needed finishing in Costa Mesa, (I believe thats the place) for a couple thousand..
He was on the water sailing in no time, with the help of a few used items from mini's

[hellosailor]

Beer budget, no experience, long crossing, and oh, Hawaii...did anyone mention there aren't a lot of places to keep a boat in Hawaii? Oddly enough, many boats, few harbors, and living aboard a boat is problematic in many places these days.

I'd suggest looking at the boats that enter the TransPac and other races, blogs from folks who have done CA to HA, see if you think anything in the $10k range is going to do it. As opposed to buying something over there (skip the long ocean crossing) and also, check out just how likely it is or isn't that you'll be able to live aboard there.

Maybe you can pull a rabbit out of the hat, but that's gonna be some hat trick.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Beer budget, no experience, long crossing, and oh, Hawaii...did anyone mention there aren't a lot of places to keep a boat in Hawaii? Oddly enough, many boats, few harbors, and living aboard a boat is problematic in many places these days.

I'd suggest looking at the boats that enter the TransPac and other races, blogs from folks who have done CA to HA, see if you think anything in the $10k range is going to do it. As opposed to buying something over there (skip the long ocean crossing) and also, check out just how likely it is or isn't that you'll be able to live aboard there.

Maybe you can pull a rabbit out of the hat, but that's gonna be some hat trick.

I lived in Hawaii for two years and there weren't a lot of options for liveaboards. There were sneak aboards but they were "locals" who knew the landscape well.

There is at least one forum poster living on a maxi 77 (26 foot) in norway or something but less than 36 is really cramped.

SailorJohn lives in Hawaii and may chime in.

[terminalcitygrl]

Someone was posting recently about the trouble with living aboard in Hawaii - no liveaboards allowed in most places and anchorages were too rolly. And this was someone who was working on the internet from his boat so wasn't tied to a job/ particular location on the Islands... if you're determined though, I think the suggestion of buying something already in Hawaii is a good one.

[Astral Blue]

$10K is really your most limiting factor. A suitable chartplotter, a pair of PFD's, and EPIRB, a pair of foul weather jackets, paper charts for the passage, set of spare sails, and spare engine parts would cost you $5K, and that doesn't even include the boat!

If you want to live on a boat in HI, your best bet is to fly there and purchase an existing boat in a liveaboard slip at a marina. You'll be legal, with a boat, and will have time to properly rig and equip it for an ocean crossing.

Best of luck in your adventure!

[Rodman]

Thank you all for the sound advise and get ready for a "one hell of a hat trick"
haha. I believe that there is a boat out that can meet mine unique needs the 10k budget is just the boat. I will continue posting in this thread as I start kicking tires in boats and gearing up

[knottygurl]

For 10k you'd almost be better to fly over and then buy a boat there.
The budget needs to be up'd a fair amount.
FreeBoatShopper - Bayfield 25 Sailboat - Honolulu
Boats: 36' Columbia Sailboat - Hawaii, Honolulu

see for yourself do some research on what island and you will find something in your budget

[knottygurl]

Originally Posted by Astral Blue

$10K is really your most limiting factor. A suitable chartplotter, a pair of PFD's, and EPIRB, a pair of foul weather jackets, paper charts for the passage, set of spare sails, and spare engine parts would cost you $5K, and that doesn't even include the boat!

If you want to live on a boat in HI, your best bet is to fly there and purchase an existing boat in a liveaboard slip at a marina. You'll be legal, with a boat, and will have time to properly rig and equip it for an ocean crossing.

Best of luck in your adventure!

Where are you shopping
5k would get me a main, genny and storm sails, they might even throw in a few bags
the electronics and required safety items would be another 5k easy
I did exactly what the OP is talking about, the 10k boat and going forth.
I'll tell ya what add in another 3k for standing rigging, 400 - 700 for running rigging, heating system, solar/wind then there's tankage, Then a refresher course in navigation, even if a buddy shows you again your still in for beers and dinner.
cooking utensils, nested pots and pan will run you 300 for a decent set
binocs, foul weather gear, shoes and boots, would be another 1k as well.
Its expensive to get started in this sport and thats why ir takes years and years to accumulate the required equipment and knowledge.

Not looking to shoot your dream, but you need to know both sides of the road. Now saying that I have spent waaaaaay to much on the other items, at first i figured the cheapy rain suit would work till I got caught in a 4 day rain storm and had to move the boat every day 10 hours a day in rain, it was sideways, vertical, horizontal, at one point i swear it was coming up from the lake. Pulled into a town on the morning of day four and spent 450.00 on a Gill fouly set, was dry for the rest of the trip and warm.
all the best and go for it, I did and was great wouldn't trade it for anything.

[Cheechako]

You've already "traded size" with a $10k budget....!

[Bash]

Flying to Hawaii is probably going to be cheaper than sailing to Hawaii, once you consider the cost of getting a project boat to the point it could make the passage safely.

So, if you want to live aboard in Hawaii on a rather limited budget for purchasing a boat, start shopping boats that are already there.

Hint: great deals can be had on boats that people sail to Hawaii on programs such as the Pacific Cup, and then decide that they'd just as soon not have to sail the boat home to the west coast of North America.