Good boat for a family to sail from Florida to Australia

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Hard light of day (maybe a little brutal) ..... 30k for a sound family voyager for that trip will cost you 100k in the end and take a full year to get ready. All this is assuming you actually like your family.

I'd agree with the above, at least in most instances. Since when preparing for a voyage like you're speaking of, you almost have to treat the boat like it was a bare hull. Meaning she'll need lots, & lots of TLC. Such as pulling, & rebedding many/most of the deck fittings. Along with lots of other repairs, not to include upgrades, like:
- New rigging wire @ $5K minimum.
- A new sail or 2 @ $5k - $10k.
- Tankage.
- Water maker
- Windlass @$3k minimum
- Chain (?) @ $1k+
- New, or 2nd & 3rd anchors @ $1k
- Life Raft $3k+
- EPIRB & PLB's
- Dinghy & Outboard @ $3k.
- Navigation electronics
- Solar @ $3k
- Batterys
- Charts

And the above numbers don't include installation (labor), nor the consumables used to install them, which ain't cheap. Plus you'll want spares for the key systems...

The above list is far from all inclusive. So you may wish to build a spread sheet to track/plan out some of this stuff. And also to compare what the outfitting costs for a 35' boat are as compared to 40', or 45'. Since the difference is more vast than many at first comprehend. Much as is the case with a boat's outfitting, & upkeep costs.


EDIT: The below linked thread might be of assistance. It contains quite a lot of tools that one can use for self-education on boat buying. Along with some bits on gear, & key questions to ask about yourself, & your sailing goals, so that you wisely choose your boat.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-a-172247.html
In it there are also links to a few websites of professionals who assist peope in selecting a boat.

[markpierce]

I keep wondering if people wanting to boat on the cheap are successful.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by markpierce

I keep wondering if people wanting to boat on the cheap are successful.

You & me both. Though it's tough to fault those new to sailing for not understanding where the money goes, & why. Much as is the case for those new to any sport, particularly those where the "equipment" needed for it won't fit into a hall closet.

Heck, even many owners of $1,000,000 racing yachts wince when the words new sail, or sailmaker are mentioned. Understandably so (mostly), at least so long as they don't ignore (requested) sage advice (repeatedly). Ever go through $250,000 of sails in a weekend?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by markpierce

I keep wondering if people wanting to boat on the cheap are successful.

NO !

I see it all the time in my business, They get in over their heads, loose a pile of money and walk away leaving it to rot in some yard until someone else pays to have it chopped up.

[Sailing Soon]

Thanks for the replies guys, but I think people are confusing the initial fee I'd like to spend buying the boat on the entire cost of the finished product requires for eventually sailing the boat across the Pacific. As Uncivilised eluded to, these costs to get the boat ready for a long trip would be there whether I was spending $30,000 or $50,000, or $100,000 on the boat initially.
Not sure I agree that I'm looking at doing it on the cheap, as I'm aware that on top of the AUS$40,000 I'd like to spend on the boat there will probably be at least AUS$15,000 to fix it up well enough to sail around the Caribbean, and another AUS $20,000 on safety equipment. Then there's the sailing cost, putting the boat on the hard for several months, flights home, canal fee, etc etc etc. I'm probably looking at well over AUS$100,000 over a 2 or 3 year period. But, this may be cheap for some people I guess.

As I've said I've been on the site for a long time and have read a lot of posts so I'm aware of a lot of the things pointed out on costs, safety etc.

What I'm hoping for with this post is some ideas on boats that would have the structure and may be in this initial ball park figure for purchasing. Obviously a boat with watermaker, solar panels, new sails, etc will command a higher price, and would be worth paying more for. But there are also many boats that will never be offered in the initial price range that I'm looking at so there's no point even looking at these.

Again, thanks for the posts.

Cheers
Peter

[JPA Cate]

SailingSoon, just fyi, when we came across from Mexico to the Marquesas, and also when we went from SF to HI and return, we always carried 50% more than we thought we'd use. Of course, there was no EPIRB, then, and we knew we were on our own. Something to consider for you is the balance between self sufficiency and help seeking.

ANn

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Sailing Soon

Thanks Adelie - lots of useful stuff to think about.

Realistically, at this stage I'd prefer a smaller 33 to 37 foot boat, but as you say it's all about the trade offs. There needs to be space for the kids to get away from each other if need be, and for the storage of food, water, and spares for the Galapagus to Marquesas portion where a 33 foot boat may be sailing for around 20 to 30 days. A 40 foot boat should be around 12% faster, so this would knock about 3 days off the trip, meaning 3 days less food etc that was needed. Ideally we'd want to provision enough to feed us the basics from Panama to Tahiti if there was room on the boat so we wouldn't need to ravage the islands of food in the case where there wasn't enough for the locals after the last cruise ship had docked. I won't be in any rush to complete any of these voyages, but maybe a slightly larger boat will get us there in more comfort?

Having said that, a smaller boat with a double cabin that allows door access to a subdivided it into 2 may work, or a quarter berth that doesn't took and feel like a Japanese capsule hotel may work for my son for a few months at a time.

Thanks again Adelie,

Best
Peter

Longer boat is not necessarily going to get you there 12% faster. The things shown to improve speed are waterline length and Sail area to displacement. If you want I can get you the formula to estimate daily runs. I'd do it now but I'm past my beddy bye time.

[icedog11]

The boat that makes the wife happy anything else is secondary. Sailing 3000 nm of open ocean with an unhappy wife could prove fatal.

[Sailing Soon]

Originally Posted by icedog11

The boat that makes the wife happy anything else is secondary. Sailing 3000 nm of open ocean with an unhappy wife could prove fatal.

Luckily she enjoys sailing as much as I do. She wants something larger than the usual 32 footers with a small Vberth and smallish double aft for the longer runs.

[Pelagic]

Welcome to CF Sailing soon

Are you and the Family committed to buying in the USA, specifically for the delivery back via the Pacific?

To me, that puts a lot of pressure on "a new liveaboard family on a new (to them) budget boat".

Potential "deals" in the US can be misleading, once delivery costs add up as well as exchange rates.

I would not limit yourself to that one location, but keep an open search for a "must sell" boat that fits your needs, sails well but allows you to make shorter passages and cruises with the Family towards Australia.

It takes time and patience, but there are also many good deals in Asia, when retirees decide to stop sailing.

[Bleemus]

10k in first three months on a boat bought for 30k? Not happening. Figure a minimum of 20k with 50k being more realistic if you are going to the South Pacific. I suggest Quantas Airlines and buy a daysailer when you get there with that budget.

[Sailing Soon]

[QUOTE=Adelie;2284539]Longer boat is not necessarily going to get you there 12% faster. The things shown to improve speed are waterline length and Sail area to displacement. QUOTE]
I went with 1.34 x square root of LWL. I know it's not exact, but is better than nothing I guess.

[Sailing Soon]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

SailingSoon, just fyi, when we came across from Mexico to the Marquesas, and also when we went from SF to HI and return, we always carried 50% more than we thought we'd use. Of course, there was no EPIRB, then, and we knew we were on our own. Something to consider for you is the balance between self sufficiency and help seeking.

ANn

Thanks Ann, I 'll keep that in mind. We plan on taking as much food as possible, without overloading of course.

[Sailing Soon]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Welcome to CF Sailing soon

Are you and the Family committed to buying in the USA, specifically for the delivery back via the Pacific?

It takes time and patience, but there are also many good deals in Asia, when retirees decide to stop sailing.

Thanks Pelagic.
I've been watching the prices for a few years and there is the occasional cheaper boat in Asia, that is on a part with those listed in the US, but it's a long way to go to look at one or two boats and to not find it is anything like it looked online. Australian prices tend to be double those in the US, which on you take exchange rates, taxes, and delivery costs are similar I guess. The family and I have wanted to look around the Caribbean and Galapagus for a while so sailing through makes sense. Also my inlaws live in the US so we'd have a base while looking at boats.

[Sailing Soon]

Originally Posted by Bleemus

10k in first three months on a boat bought for 30k? Not happening. Figure a minimum of 20k with 50k being more realistic if you are going to the South Pacific. I suggest Quantas Airlines and buy a daysailer when you get there with that budget.

Hi Bleemus. Have you had experience buying a 30K boat and getting it up and going? Where in the South Pacific have you been - any places you'd recommend above others?

Cheers
Peter