Hey all,
Hoping to get some perspective before I do something smart or stupid, depending on how you look at it. Recently moved to
Vancouver from Toronto for more sailing, less ice and snow more
wind and, well rain. Have been eyeing and obsessing over sailboats for 3+ years, and the idea of owning rather than sailing on other's boats has always been the goal. Hated
racing (j24s) too much yelling, and loved cruising. Tranquility and slow deliberate moves is more my speed. But I'm still new at this.
So I finally narrowed it down to a
boat with certain parameters: a 34-36 ft, with a
Yanmar engine, want a coastal
boat but one that could go far, 40k - 70k to spend. Spacious for a 6'1inch dude, got a head/shower, decent kitchen,
storage, ventilation,
heater. And more importantly a brand with
history and seaworthiness. Fast and sturdy to out run storms and make quick decisions. And something that when I look at her gets my heart
racing.
I started considering C&Cs and landed on a
C&C 35 as a possible option. So fast-forward to today, I found one in
Vancouver, went to see it and got that fuzzy feeling almost like this could be the boat. The
deck wasn't soft,
rigging looked great,
interior meticulously looked after,
engine clean, everything marked and labeled well by the owner, from hoses to wires, really detail oriented. No obviously
leaks - was raining so a good time to check but had tarps so couldn't tell the full story. Overall no
water marks, leak marks, dampness or
water penetration. Except for the
bilge which the
broker told me is common (?).
So here's the rub. I generally don't act on the first thing I see but I recognize that gut instinct is usually a good measure of something. And after 3+ years of contemplation and
research I feel like this could be the one. The
price is right 40k, comes with a chart plodder and a bunch of other goodies, nothing overwhelmingly good but then I believe it's really about a sturdy well maintained boat/engine, etc. Downside? needs new
sails, definitely a
power wash, slightly dated
interior (not a real issue) some touchups here and there, but I feel like the boat comes first, bells and whistles later and I could sail her away for a summer. Or two potentially.
So before I pull the trigger and embarrass myself, or act on instinct/impulse I figured I'd run it by some old/new salts around here to see what they think of the situation, whether I should go ahead with an offer,
survey, sea trial etc. Or park my thoughts on ice and keep looking. Whatever. Don't hesitate with your warnings, anecdotes and jokes I'm humble and totally open to new thinking so it's all welcomed. And I'm sure many of you have been here before.
Cheers.