I've Done my Homework, Think this Might be the Ideal Boat

[SailorSlick]

Howdy folks,

Wifey and I have been looking at sailboats and educating ourselves using Don Casey's "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat" and forum searches.

I found what may be the ideal boat for us: Sailboat 1988 Oday 272LE /trailer avail. extra

We're going to be weekenders on Lake Pepin(part of the Mississippi River), and keep the boat at a marina on the lake.

The boat appears to be particularly well appointed and maintained. Haven't seen it in person, though, as it's about 300 miles away.

My current thinking is that we would also purchase the trailer, and use that as the boat's cradle for the off-season storage. My bro-in-law has a big Diesel pickup with dual wheels in the rear, so I'm thinking of hiring him to go get the boat and bring it to the lake.

Assuming I pay him with Diesel and beer, my costs would then include paying the marina to drop it in the lake at the slip, and then pay someone to step the mast and tune the rigging.

I'm not familiar with the Westerbeke Diesel engine, so any thoughts on that would be appreciated. I do know that diesels are generally safer and more highly regarded than inboard gasoline engines.

So, my questions for the experts are:

1) Is it worth it to buy the trailer for $4000 and use that as the cradle?

2) Is the Oday 272LE a good boat for novice weekenders? I plan on paying an experienced captain to give us lessons.

3) Any concerns with the Westerbeke engine?

4) Is the seller's price in the ball park?

Many thanks in advance...

[Suijin]

It's probably worth buying the trailer because if you don't, you're going to be paying transport costs just to get the boat to you and it will be significant. And you can use the trailer as a cradle but if you're going to leave it for an extended time I would jack up the trailer with the boat on it to get the weight off the tires. One thing to check is whether the marina has a boat ramp, and whether you can get the boat from the ramp to the storage area with the mast up. Compare that against the services that the marina offers in that department (hauling, blocking, etc) so you can fully evaluate how to best and most cost-effectively store the boat.

Westerbekes are great engines. You'll need to learn how to start it, shut if down, maintain it, and operate it as it is different than a gasoline engine but it is certainly going to be more reliable and as you said, safer.

Can't comment on that price. I would look for comparables on boats for sale on the internet and discount those asking prices by @ 20% to get some basis of mean market value.

Lastly, pictures of boats always make them look in better shape than they are. Don't be surprised if there is a bit of a difference when you see it in person. It is, after all, 25 years old.

[haw1961]

I must agree with Suijin as far as pictures go. Don't do anything until you see the boat in person.

[SailorSlick]

Originally Posted by haw1961

I must agree with Suijin as far as pictures go. Don't do anything until you see the boat in person.

Oh, I already learned that lesson this weekend. Wifey and I went to a sailboat consignment yard. The difference between the condition of the boats on their website pics and the reality of the condition in person was shocking.

There were literally boats for sale that we wouldn't even step foot in the cabin because of the three inches of standing, foul water covering the carpet. There was one boat that looked great on the outside, but was a living mold farm in the interior. Ugh!

We did manage to find five boats that were in decent enough shape for us to consider, though. But it was definitely an eye opener, for sure.

We won't purchase without seeing the boat in person. We'll be bringing the Don Casey e-book with us, too.

[Ocean Girl]

Great website for boat inspection tips and pointers.
Marine Survey 101, how to do your own marine survey

Specs on the 272
O'DAY 272 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Oday owners forum

[Cheechako]

For your use I would think the Oday would be fine. I think he's pretty high on the trailer... sounds more like replacement cost for a new one. If it was specifically built for the Oday, not a modified older trailer etc, a good deal might be $2500 and $3000 wouldnt be unreasonable. It would probably be nice to have a trailer to store it etc and save moorage costs. (is there an off season down there?)
Most the westerbekes are OK, hard to say without knowing the basic block.
Just for reference, there was a very clean Oday 25 up here in the PNW for sale for a long time last year....on a nice trailer, and loaded with gear. The whole package was $5500 asking and was for sale forever. Not sure what a 27 is worth but be careful... people think there stuff is worth more than anyone else's!
Catalina 27's are plentiful and popular so easier to resell than many boats. For reference, they seem to be going for anywhere $3000-$10000 depending on age. Good luck!

[SailorSlick]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

It would probably be nice to have a trailer to store it etc and save moorage costs. (is there an off season down there?)

Indeed there is! This was my car on May 2nd of this year.

[IMG][/IMG]

Yeah, even though I refer to SE Minnesota as "The Riviera", it still gets bloody cold and snowy as in the rest of the state. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that the "off" season is longer than the "on" season.

[JK n Smitty]

I can't offer much on the trailer except to remind you that trailers like this require a fair amount of annual maintenance to not become a money pit. The real way to evaluate this is to see what a marina would charge you to haul and block the boat for the winter. In New England, we pay around $55 a foot to haul, pressure wash, block and launch in the spring.

As to the Oday 272, I have sailed extensively on one and next to one. I good friend had one for the last 3 years that he used for coastal cruising in Massachusetts. I have been sailing next to this boat in winds up to 30 kts. It still stayed on its feet despite having the full main up and just a little headsail. Oday was way ahead of its time and except for the carpet on the walls and the ceiling, it is laid out like a modern boat. You will be shocked how spacious it feels compared to other 27 footers.

The price could be a little high, at least for around here. There is a carbon copy of that boat for sale here for around $10K and it has been for over a year. The price was recently reduced to just under $7K. My friend bought his for $4K and sold it for over $5K. He did put a new mainsail and stackpack on it. He also cleaned it up quite a bit and got ride of some awful cigar/mildew odors.

The one concern that I noted on his was there it appear there were gaskets under the stanchions. This is a bad design move, IMO. Look to see if there are a lot of cracks near the stanchion bases. If there are, get someone to do some testing with a moisture meter before you buy it. Also, look up bedding hardware with butyl tape. This would be something you would want to do.

As far as this boat for a beginner, you couldn't get a better boat. Shallow draft, very easy to sail and all lines are lead back to the cockpit.

The only comfort item I would point out is that the wheel is very close to the stern. You will not be able to sit behind the wheel and if you are a bigger person it will be tough to stand behind it.

Fair winds,

Jesse