Purchasing a sailboat for Bahamas trip

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Theunknown

Thanks for your thought rockDAWG. I appreciate you bringing up the cost/work involved with owning a boat.

Taking trips to the east coast and chartering a boat would be ideal for learning and a long term goal. Unfortunately, flying to the east coast has gotten expensive and if I throw in a charter boat cost of almost 2 - 3k per week for a 3 week trip it could easily cost 8-10k with nothing to show but some memories. Yes, it cost more than that for a boat/maintenance, but I think I would still be ahead in the long run with our goals of returning multiple times. Having a trailer to tow the boat 30 miles to the folks place and covered storage should help with cost/maintenance some but definitely won't eliminate it.

The logistics are definitely complicated by living in MT, but I am confident it's doable.

Good luck in your quest. Have the right idea about finding a boat in Florida. If your storage in North Carolina is covered. That's a big plus. If it also has power available, it will eliminate a lot of problems that are possible, even though you will have to buy a dehumidifier or maybe something like it. Maybe, the Canadians can offer you advice on exactly how to store and/or set up the boat for storage for long term. I know a lot of people do it and it happens all the time so that really should not be a big problem. Best of luck.

[Jcolman]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Good luck in your quest. Have the right idea about finding a boat in Florida. If your storage in North Carolina is covered. That's a big plus. If it also has power available, it will eliminate a lot of problems that are possible, even though you will have to buy a dehumidifier or maybe something like it. Maybe, the Canadians can offer you advice on exactly how to store and/or set up the boat for storage for long term. I know a lot of people do it and it happens all the time so that really should not be a big problem. Best of luck.

My boat has been in the water in Virginia all winter while I live 3.5 hrs away. What the PO did to "winterize" the boat is to pump all the water out of the holding tanks. Then he set up a small electric marine space heater that blows warm air onto the engine. Seems to work well.

[Jcolman]

Hey Jeff,

Check out the 89' 30' O'day for sale in Oriental NC. Scroll down and you'll find it. Looks like a nice boat. A bit outside your price range but close enough that it's worth considering.

Also take a look at the 1980 32' Endeavour on the second page.

Pamlico Classified Ads on TownDock.net | Oriental NC News

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Jcolman

Hey Jeff,

Check out the 89' 30' O'day for sale in Oriental NC. Scroll down and you'll find it. Looks like a nice boat. A bit outside your price range but close enough that it's worth considering.

Also take a look at the 1980 32' Endeavour on the second page.

Pamlico Classified Ads on TownDock.net | Oriental NC News

Snap it up. Price reduced.

This boat is ideal for cruising the Neuse. Draft is 3' and mast clears the bridge. Inboard diesel professionally maintained; wheel steering; depth and speed gauges; head, bimini, galley; main and 130% roller furling genoa.

Reduced price $14,500.00

[Theunknown]

Thanks for the tips on storage everyone. Sounds like it's definately doable with some extra effort and planning.

Love that O'day...beautiful boat! The endeavour 32/Irwin 32 are at the top of our list. I keep drooling over the one you posted and there are a few other around as well that look pretty good. Really like that boat, makes me want to go now. Hope that Endeavour stays on the market until purchase time arrives!

Also thinking about the Pearson 33, Watkins 29/30, Bombay Clipper 31, O'day 32, Irwin 31, or possibly a catalina 30 (if we could find the shoal draft version) to name a few. Trying not to focus on one brand just a good deal.

Any other good places to keep an eye out for boats like towndock? I keep an eye on craigslist, yachtworld, and sailboat listings but I'm sure there are other places.

Thanks again everyone.

[Jcolman]

You listed all the sites that I searched when I was looking for a boat. I'll keep an eye open for some "for sale by owner" signs whenever I visit the docks.

[Chili Palmer]

I'm at work and don't have time to read the whole thread but we are in a similar spot. We live in Coeur d'Alene, ID and want to sail around the Bahama's and maybe the Caribbean at the end of 2015 and into 2016 with a return to Boise time-frame of June/July 2016 (I graduate in May of this year but we don't need to be back in Boise until Summer of 2016)

Our plan is this:

Going to buy a cheap $4-$5K boat this summer to learn the basics. We will start looking in FL sometime around late winter or early spring of 2015 and hopefully head down there in the summer (late summer maybe?) to familiarize ourselves with the new boat and hopefully be in the Bahamas at the beginning of the season.

We have no place to store the boat once we're done so I would probably just unload it WAY under book and use that money to return to Boise and give a little time for a job search.

Our budget will be under $25K. When we're in FL I will find work for a few months and hopefully add to the sailing kitty before taking off.

You can easily find a decent boat in your price range, especially if you're willing to go to a 27. I used to look everyday and now I look about 2 to 3 times a week. There aren't too many new boats that pop up but there are definitely good candidates available ALL the time!

1979 O'day K/CB sailboat for sale in Florida

83 allmand 31 sailboat for sale in Florida

1974 Morgan 33T sailboat for sale in Florida

1972 Morgan 30/2 sailboat for sale in Florida

Good luck with your quest!

[cheoah]

Yes you really should just come east and find a boat. There are some good ones and you have the right idea -- just find the best boat for your money. Consider the little stuff you may want, like a swim platform and cockpit shower. Also, engine access, BIG icebox/fridge. Killer canvas and cockpit table. Gotta use that cockpit in a smaller boat....or any boat really. Look for the things you will get value out of more days than not, with sound fundamentals of course.

Sounds like you may be zeroing in on one boat, Catalina 30 shoal draft. That's probably a great idea if you can find a good example of one, and would re-sell when ready to move up or out.

You'll be able to look at a lot of boats and can figure out which is best for you, then you can park it at mom and dads or go sailing.

Get one that does not need much work. You can buy someone else's equity cheap, it is very easy to invest money that you wont get out of re-sell.

Hope you find a nice one, and have a great time.

[fisherman.ben]

if I was you I would buy on the east coast, there are plenty of boats that are in your price range and are ready to go. I got my 31 Irwin for 10k, it has a shoal draft (4ft with board up, 7ft11in with board down) so it can get in close, and with the board down it can handle weather well. it has enough room for 4 comfortably, and best of all, it looks as good as it sails. look on craigslist and e-bay for a while, you'll find a bunch of good boats, (30-34ft bristols, tartans, pearsons, morgans, ect are all over the place all you have to do is find the right one) and with your parents living in n.c, you have the place to get it set the way you want it while sailing and seeing them. so start looking, go see the folks, buy a boat, go sailing, get it ready, go back to Montana, read some books, study some charts, get some cash together, go see the folks, do some shake down cruises and go to the Bahamas.

[Theunknown]

Jcolman - That would be great to hear about and great finds you come accross, much appreciated!

Chili palmer - Sounds like you've got a great plan in order. Tenatively, we are going to have a partnership in a 21' O'day to use the next couple of summers. If that doesn't come together we'll be buying a trailer sailer to spend as much time learning as possible. I agree that the 27' boat would make it much less expensive. My wife will be reading this, so I'll just say it my be a bit cramped for OUR taste (hi honey). Unless we go with a Watkins 27 which won't sail well but has a lot of space for a 27' boat. It's also going to be very hard to find a v-beth I can fit my 6'4" frame into, luckily my wife is small!

Ceoah - Thanks for the tips on what to look for. I really like the c-30 but it's hard to find the shoal draft that's not a wing keel. "Planning" on grounding while gunkholing the bahamas and the wing keel sound harder to get off.

fisherman.ben - congrats on a great deal on your boat. I am very attracting to the idea of a cb to give me better windward performance than a plain old shoal keel. They seem like the best of both worlds, but with moving parts to maintain. I really like how you spelled out a great plan for us. I tend to make it extremely difficult in my head with all the obstacles. I need to think of it step by step like you do!

Once again I appreciate all the great info
Jeff

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by Theunknown

Thanks for the tips on storage everyone. Sounds like it's definately doable with some extra effort and planning.

Love that O'day...beautiful boat! The endeavour 32/Irwin 32 are at the top of our list. I keep drooling over the one you posted and there are a few other around as well that look pretty good. Really like that boat, makes me want to go now. Hope that Endeavour stays on the market until purchase time arrives!

Also thinking about the Pearson 33, Watkins 29/30, Bombay Clipper 31, O'day 32, Irwin 31, or possibly a catalina 30 (if we could find the shoal draft version) to name a few. Trying not to focus on one brand just a good deal.

Any other good places to keep an eye out for boats like towndock? I keep an eye on craigslist, yachtworld, and sailboat listings but I'm sure there are other places.

Thanks again everyone.

Speaking of sailboatlistings.com:

1968 Morgan 34' Centerboard Sloop sailboat for sale in Florida

Note that 7.5 draft is with the centerboard down. Around 4' or less up.

[Ford Prefect]

Not sure if it was mentioned, but do you know what sales tax NC will charge you for purchasing a boat? much less than the $5k you're mentioning I'm sure, but keep it in mind. In FL it makes sense to have a separate bill of sale for the electronics, dinghy, outboard, etc. since the state will tax on 6% of the final boat purchase price.

good luck on your search!

[Theunknown]

Ford Prefect - Hadn't thought of the sales tax implication. In Montana we do not have any sales tax. I wonder if I'm a resident of Montana if I could get out of the sales tax portion...something to look into. Thanks

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by Theunknown

Ford Prefect - Hadn't thought of the sales tax implication. In Montana we do not have any sales tax. I wonder if I'm a resident of Montana if I could get out of the sales tax portion...something to look into. Thanks

No. This is where the Use tax comes in. The FL Use tax is 6% capped at $18,000 just like the sales tax.

Whatever sales tax you pay in NC, Montana, etc, you will generally pay the difference to FL in use tax when you use the boat in FL. FL is not unique in this regard.

There are some exemptions as stated in the link.

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/current/gt800005.pdf

[Ford Prefect]

Sailpower is correct; it's where you will use your boat the most. You may be able to say your RIB is going to be used predominately in MT, but a 27+ footer being trailered back and forth to the Rockies might be a stretch. the final costs for my hunter had another grand tacked on for usage tax. My inflatable has CO tags which only ran $35.