Help me spend $350 K on a boat

[ShackAttack]

We want a 42 - 48 ft sturdy, well built cruiser that we can outfit to be sailed by a couple in their fifties, but with enough room for occasional family, friends and crew. We want to start along the Eastern Seaboard then Bahamas and into Caribbean. Eventually joining ARC events in the Panama Canal and South Pacific. If you were starting out fresh with a 350K budget which MAKER, MODEL, AGE of boats would you consider? Center cockpit? Pilot house? We favor cutter rigged sloops but some people are telling us to consider a big catamaran.

I also wonder ... Is it better to buy an older boat and do the major overhaul yourself (so you know every system has been updated) or to find that boat that's been all tricked out for cruising but never really used much?

Calling for your Wisdom and Experience!!

[Lizzy Belle]

Welcome, ShackAttack.

Everybody will now post their favorite boat - but you need to buy *your* favorite boat, based on your taste, preferences, wants and needs. Not ours.

Don't try to do what people tell you to do, figure out what boats the two of you like. You'll be sailing her, not any of us.

Ask 10 sailors and you'll get more then 10 opinions ... but you only need your opinion

My vote goes to whatever boat the two of you feel safe and comfortable on, and love to have.

PS:
There are 100's of topics answering your questions on this forum already - search and read

[Eleuthera 2014]

I'll see if I can help...

(Sail) Boats For Sale

Over 200 boats (minus any catomoron) :-) meeting your requirements here. For me, opinion, a cat is not a high seas boat; I came to this conclusion after 1 hour in the Med in a 50 foot Katana (top of the food chain for catamarans). The winds were F7 and there were 3 meter waves... when one of these slaps under the center partof the hull, you immediately think it will not survive much more of this. (OPINION)

For me, only a monohull will do the job you suggest. In the list above, you will find an IP 485, a Garcia, numerous Contests, some Tartans etc. All these boats will do what you want...

Our own boat would satisfy you also. Although it is a ketch and larger than you wish after a COMPLETE refit, the total price of our boat is about the same as you want to pay but here is what you get:

- A ketch with all cruising advantages well known to long distance sailors.
- No osmosis. Amels just don't..
- Almost new main engine (600 hours)
- Almost new Onan 6.5 KW 1500 rpm genset (300 hours)
- Almost new standing rigging
- New running rigging
- Nearly new sails
- All furling motors and gearboxes overhauled
- New water maker
- Dual new Racors
- New reverse cycle Webasto 42K BTU heat/AC
- New 1500 W Windlass
- 100 meters 10 MM anchor chain with 35 KG Ultra anchor
- New AB alu dink
- New 15 HP Yamaha 2 stroke
- New soft goods all around
- New full enclosure cockpit covers with clear and sunshade roll ups
- New mattresses
- New electrics with 3.5 KW inverter and twin battery chargers
- New electronics incl SHD radar and Sonar
- New Icom 801E HF
- New galley
- All new appliances
- New 450 W solar gantry with integrated davits.

etc, etc,

See what I mean?

GL with your search!

[Eleuthera 2014]

^^^ Fully agree with LizzyBelle... a respected member of these fora...

She is a faster typist than I ...

[StuM]

Since you posted this in the monohull area, I will ignore your comment "but some people are telling us to consider a big catamaran." and Eleuthera's comment on that subject (with difficulty )

I will just say the Lizzie Belle is spot on.

Forget about make, model and age.
Draw up a list of what you consider essential and desireable in terms of design, build and fit out and then start looking for something that meets those requirements as far as possible (You will almost certainly need to make trade offs).

[MarkJ]

I would buy a 40 year old boat for $10,000 and re-build it. It needs a few masts and a long keel.
It will take years and you won't ever go sailing but you will have pride that you can converted a 40 year old boat worth $10,000 to a 40 year old boat worth $10,000.


Only a fool would go actually go on a round the world cruise. And that fool would probably take a near new 40 to 45 ft catamaran with all the mod cons. That fool would enjoy the huge cockpit and watch the exotic cavalcade of life in far off ports. Real sailors work on their boats.




Mark. (Insert smiley with winky bit.)

[Island Time O25]

Each time someone asks a question like that I somehow get the feeling that the same person would not be asking "what kind of a spouse should I get?" or "what is the budget for finding and keeping a good spouse?". But somehow questions like that keep popping up and we are expected to answer them with a straight face.

PS To OP: If you plan to sail in the tropics get a light color boat. If in the north latitudes get a darker one. Just like with spouses only the other way around.

[sailorboy1]

The OP should find a good boat broker to work with.

[HappyMdRSailor]

I'd be elated to help you... Let's divide the tasks... I'll be the money holder...


Previous posts are spot on...

And...

You'll know the right boat when you step on...

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by StuM

Since you posted this in the monohull area, I will ignore your comment

Thanks for the heads up Stu!

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

I'll see if I can help...

(Sail) Boats For Sale

Over 200 boats (minus any catomoron) :-) meeting your requirements here. For me, opinion, a cat is not a high seas boat; I came to this conclusion after 1 hour in the Med in a 50 foot Katana (top of the food chain for catamarans). The winds were F7 and there were 3 meter waves... when one of these slaps under the center partof the hull, you immediately think it will not survive much more of this. (OPINION)

For me, only a monohull will do the job you suggest. In the list above, you will find an IP 485, a Garcia, numerous Contests, some Tartans etc. All these boats will do what you want...

Our own boat would satisfy you also. Although it is a ketch and larger than you wish after a COMPLETE refit, the total price of our boat is about the same as you want to pay but here is what you get:

- A ketch with all cruising advantages well known to long distance sailors.
- No osmosis. Amels just don't..
- Almost new main engine (600 hours)
- Almost new Onan 6.5 KW 1500 rpm genset (300 hours)
- Almost new standing rigging
- New running rigging
- Nearly new sails
- All furling motors and gearboxes overhauled
- New water maker
- Dual new Racors
- New reverse cycle Webasto 42K BTU heat/AC
- New 1500 W Windlass
- 100 meters 10 MM anchor chain with 35 KG Ultra anchor
- New AB alu dink
- New 15 HP Yamaha 2 stroke
- New soft goods all around
- New full enclosure cockpit covers with clear and sunshade roll ups
- New mattresses
- New electrics with 3.5 KW inverter and twin battery chargers
- New electronics incl SHD radar and Sonar
- New Icom 801E HF
- New galley
- All new appliances
- New 450 W solar gantry with integrated davits.

etc, etc,

See what I mean?

GL with your search!

Very intelligent way of turning this thread into monohull vs multihull, from a multihull lover who spend years on monohulls you don't know what you are missing, a bad day or better bad hour on one cat in F7 can't be basis of your strong anti multihull feeling. Did you consider that in F7 if wind, waves and current are against one another a monohull would equally struggle with bad rolling certain. There are cats that do not slap! Go out with monohull and multi and anchor out few days! Then decide objectively what you want. The 350k is easy to spend!

[hamburking]

We all need to pull together and help those who only have a half million dollars to purchase and outfit their boats.

[MaxWebXperienZ]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

You'll know the right boat when you step on...

That happened for me with a house... I walked in, looked around, it felt good... lived in it for decades and always loved it. Lowlife repair people tried to ruin it for me from time to time of course but I learned to find the good ones...

I went through tons and tons of research to select the perfect car once. Went to test drive the #1 choice, took the wife and daughter along to see if they liked it... None of us liked it!

[Mithril Bham]

Many of us spend our lives trying to answer your question and it changes with age and experience. Narrow it down to a few and charter each with captain. You need to experience some time on a boat before you know if it fits. Take your time.

[Stu Jackson]

Is this your first boat?