New Hand here w/questions.

[vonotto]

I have not sailed in over 14 years and that was in a 25" swing keel, my boys are 11 and 16 now and I would like to get a boat large enough for them and my wife to cruise the east coast (at least) in comfort. I am looking to get something that me and my oldest son can work on and put our own touch to. (Plus we are on a budget, dang wife wont let the check book out of her sight).

We live in Virginia about an hour from annapolis and I saw this add. I did some checking and the same boat was listed on another site at $60 K, but not sure how old that listing is.


This is the newest listing I found, anyone who would like to comment or give advise please do.

45' Starratt 45 Yawl

• Year: 1989
• Current Price: US$ 25,900
• Located in Stevensville, MD
• Hull Material: Fiberglass
• Engine/Fuel Type: Single Diesel
• YW# 75087-1508996

__MUST SELL__THIS IS A PROJECT BOAT__ This is a great opportunity to get out on the ocean, new bottom paint and all blisters are repaired, boat will need to be trucked to a boat yard to be launched, she needs to be re-commissioned & stepped, rigged. She is now on the blocks in a yard near Stevensville, Maryland... great export opportunity as well... exporters and empty pocket cruising sailors please call !

[rtbates]

Unless the 25K for an 89 45 footer requires the use of a gun, I'd venture to guess that you and your son will have LOTS of work ahead.

IMHO it's a lot of boat for someone w/o prior experience. I'd go much smaller/simpler. The bigger the vessel the more there is to maintain and usually there are many more 'systems' to fail. Any one of which will leave you sitting at the dock instead of sailing.

Do be sure to get it surveyed BEFORE purchase.

Good luck

[Weyalan]

As a general rule if the listing says "Project boat", that is code for "barely afloat". With boats, as a rule, it seems like you get what you pay for. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to run away fast enough!

Having said that, if the hull & deck is basically sound (i.e. no or little osmosis, and the engine is not scrap metal, then you could have yourself an interesting project.

Get a surveyor who knows his (or her) stuff to do a thorough inspection. That inspection should be conducted with the boat out of the water. If the hull is sound, then everything else can pretty much be fixed/ meded/ replaced with time and/or money (probably plenty of both).


Good luck anyway.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Vonotto,
It is a big project. It is not something you will be sailing soon unless you have all kinds of money to throw at it.
My advice is go for something sailable now that needs some TLC in the 32 to 36 range. You'll find more pleasure in working a little, sailing a little, working a little more, sailing even more.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[delmarrey]

A 45 footer is going to be something that you just can't go to WestMarine and buy parts. everything is special order. That means pay out big $$$ and wait to see if it is really what you wanted.

(Plus we are on a budget, dang wife wont let the check book out of her sight).

That'll be your biggest down fall. Has she ever been out on a boat- sailing?? If not, I suggest you do that first and go from there. Kids are usually no problem.

Dreams are wonderful but accompleshing them is the steep hill to get over.

Forget about the 45'er It may cost you a more then what it's worth......................._/)

[GordMay]

45' Starratt 45 Yawl - Project Boat (Lots of pics & etc)
Starratt 45 Yawl 1989 Boat For Sale
and:
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

I suspect it will take all of (or more than) $30 - $40 K to finish/re-fit this boat, to any "comfortable coastal cruising" standard.

[Sailormann]

There is a chance that this is a hurricane boat - i.e.: has been through one or more severe storms and sustained some damage, hence it's price.

Apart from the 100K it will cost you (no I am not kidding) to get the boat into a state where you are going to feel comfortable about your family's safety on it, it would be a good idea to do some research regarding the cost of maintaining various kinds and sizes of boats.

While there are some who manage to do it more cheaply, I think that you'll find the average sailor spends 5K a year to maintain a 28 to 32 foot boat. This will cover your slip fees, insurance, storage, in and out charges, diesel, oil, filters, bulbs, bottom paint, sandpaper, and replacing one or two things that break.

I can't imagine that you would be able to keep a 45 footer for less than 10K a year. It's a very big boat to start with. Too big. You will find that a 30 foot boat is large enough for the sailing that you want to do, and you can probably find a decent one for 30K.

Good luck in your search and keep posting your options !

[Lynx]

Where do you want (can) cruise?

Staying in the USA or the Bahamas does not require a bigger boat as your supplies are closer and easier to get.

When do you want to go?
Would you like to get some experience first and then move up to a bigger boat?

There is many 26 to 30 footers that can get you out of the dock for the price range that you mentioned. You can resell if you want to get a bigger boat after a season of getting your keel wet. Plus you get to go now. With most of the time below in the bunk anyway, it might be better.

[vonotto]

Just to let everyone know I went down to that boat yard (just to look at it) and yep it was a mess. The deck is torn up in places, the inside looks like a box a homeless guy would live in. Trash everywhere, the wood and paneling is all ruined, the wooden deck below is all peeled up and crumbles in your hand, there was even old food in the fridge (Yuck, made me gag). The preveious owner lived on the boat the entire time and it looks like he never once did any work or upkeep. I would not even call it a project boat, it appears to be a total loss. They will now tell me if he died on it, but it smells like he did. (Not a joke)

Also I just found the broker put it on Ebay for 15K and has one bidder already. He put up the photos that are seen erlier in this post. How he can do that I have no idea but the boat in NO WAY AT ALL resembles ANY of those photos. When I got to the yard to look at her they had to point her out because I could not find her......and she was only 30 feet away from me.

[elf]

Wow, that listing seems quite unethical -- the boat looks great there, and I can understand why you went to take a look! How in the world can the broker get away with misrepresenting it that way? Guess those photos were taken a decade or two ago.....

elf

[Weyalan]

Vonotto,

It will probably be better to "cut your coat according to your cloth" to use an old adage.

Sit down and work out, realistically, what your budget is. You will need to take into account, not just the initial purchase price of the boat and the initial cost of any work necessary to get her up to seawothiness, but also factor in the ongoing costs that will include ongoing maintenance, berthing costs, insurance, replacement of sails, etc.

Once you have worked out your realistic budget, then start looking for what boats are available in that budget range. If you aren't planning long term live-aboard you probably don't need a 45' boat. Actually, in my opinion, even if you are planning long term live-aboard, you don;t need a 45' boat, but I digress. There are plenty of significatly smaller boats that will be fine for 4 people (think 1 double bunk and 2 singles). If I were in your position, working with a limited budget, I would be looking for something around the 32-34' range, but again, it will depend on your budget, how much work you want to do and what akes your fancy. Just don't put the cart before the horse.

[slomotion]

I agree with Weylan. If you buy a boat that you know needs work, it is pretty much guartanteed that it needs more work than you think and the work will cost far more than you ever anticipated. If you have experience building/rebuilding or refitting boats and you have some sort of special access - eg. Uncle Joe owns a marina, then project boats can be a good deal. But mostly, they are only good deals for people who enjoy working on boats more than (or at least 'as much as') they enjoy sailing.

Go after the best condition boat you can afford and feel comfortable cruising on - you'll have no trouble finding ways to spend money on her. When we decided to go cruising, the boat we bought was in perfectly good sail away condition. We still spent more than the purchase price on refit/repairs, upgrades, and cruising equipment.