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Old 21-06-2019, 16:49   #1
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What sailboat should I buy???

Hi everyone,
I am here because I am looking for some advice/opinions on what sailboats I should be looking for. I am looking for a 30-50 ft sailboat that has some blue water capabilities with a large enough down below to live on for a month or two at a time. I say some blue water capabilities because I won’t be crossing oceans but I will be doing some passages along the east coast and from Florida to the islands. The boat should be able to sleep 4 people comfortably. My budget is 30,000 at most. I know that’s not much but that’s why I am here looking for some help . I like the down below style on the mk2 Catalina 30 a lot but it is lacking some of the other features in my opinion. Feel free to share some options with me!
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Old 21-06-2019, 17:49   #2
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

The wide of possible boats between 30 and 50 feet makes the question, IMO, ......

If you can’t narrow down your wants more how can you really except useful answers?

Get an old 32’ boat that is good ok condition
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Old 21-06-2019, 18:03   #3
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

Welcome aboard Kfay,
There has been a good deal of discussion about boat choices here, try the search function here. But you'll need to narrow things down a bit. There is a good deal of difference between a 30' and 36' let alone a 50'! What kind of features are you looking for in the boat? Full keel? Fin Keel? Heavy displacement? Newer? Older? Stuff like that. What kind of experience do you have so far? If you are new to it, your tastes in boats will probably change as you gain experience. We have a thread here that might be of interest:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...47098-112.html

for ideas on some boats that already have some good reputations check:
Sailboat Reviews of Offshore Cruising Yachts : Bluewaterboats.org
but keep in mind there are other good boats not on that list yet.

Good luck!
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Old 21-06-2019, 18:29   #4
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

I agree with the above remarks.

I am currently looking at 30-34ft boats however ended up seeing two 35 boats also - I just felt the 35ft boats were huge, significantly bigger than a 32-33ft ones and started doubting my ability to maintain and maneuver such a large vessel - I think I will stick to <34ft range.

Get aboard a few different sized boats and you will get an idea. It seems most people want the biggest boat they can afford but my criteria is to find the biggest boat I can handle and even then subtract a foot or two and find another

Good luck
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Old 22-06-2019, 03:53   #5
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Kfay.
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Old 22-06-2019, 04:40   #6
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

I would concentrate on boats between 32 and 36. Big enough to do what you want but likely to be in better condition than something larger. No need for a blue water boat as a decent coastal cruiser can make the hop from Florida to the islands. For the Bahamas, a shoal draft boat is a plus.
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Old 22-06-2019, 08:10   #7
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

All of the Above with bells on. 36 to 50 feet Me thinks you have never been on a 50ft boat to compare it to size and space to a 36 ft boat
Redfine your though process , do not call it blue water plenty AWB will do what you need, go and look around at some and see what you needs are
write a pros and cons list to what it is you want
you will never get 100% right boat , but hte least compromises the better

I would assume that a 50ft boat at your budget will need some serious work , so you need to redfine your budget ,
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Old 22-06-2019, 08:21   #8
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

First, don't doubt your ability to handle a 36' boat; all it takes is practice. Second, sleeping four comfortably depends in part on how skinny and / or tall your sleepers are, but you'll have more luck with a 34 or 36' boat in terms of sleeping berths than a 34. As for spending $30K, you can find older boats that are seaworthy for that kind of money, but they may need some work. Older Pearsons might fit the bill.
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Old 22-06-2019, 08:25   #9
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

Kfay:

We'd be able to offer you far better help and advice if we knew a little more about you. Here are a few things that must be taken into account in constructing a sensible answer to the question you are asking:

1) What, precisely, is your experience as CREW on cruising boats?

2) What, precisely, is your experience SKIPPERING a cruising boat?

3) What, precisely, is your experience MAINTAINING a cruising boat?

As you specifically mention the CAL30 II,

4) what is it, precisely, that you LIKE about the below decks arrangement of that boat?

5) What precisely, are the LACKING FEATURES you allude to?

If you answer those questions, we'll be in a far better position to give you truly useful advice.

All the best

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Old 22-06-2019, 08:31   #10
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

Well, 30 - 50 is too broad a range. 30 is too small for 4 people, but 2 couples or a couple and 2 kids would work. The Cat 30 is a nice layout for 30 ft.
Your budget is small , but maybe a Pearson type, 36-38 ft? etc would do the job in your budget. Or something similar...
Pearson 365
Pearson 386 etc
Watkins 36
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/pearson-386

Here's a bargain at $19k apparently, but it's a ketch.
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197...ller%20listing
https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/80495 $29k
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...ckpit-3135617/

For your purposes just coastal and going to the Bahamas just find the best boat avail that suits your purposes.
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Old 22-06-2019, 08:40   #11
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

$30,000 for a 50 foot boat is doable if you just want to park it at a marina and never haul it out.

If you buy a $30,000 boat and expect to sail around the world on it somewhat safely in some level of comfort, prepare to add about $100,000 in equipment and repairs along with maybe 2000 to 4000 hours of labor.

I would start with much smaller, something in the 20 to *maybe* 30 foot range. If you want to sail.
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Old 22-06-2019, 08:42   #12
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

Kfay, listen to what people are saying to you. Hear it. Go to some in the water shows, get a sense of what appeals to you. Are you any kind of mechanically inclined? I met a guy last week that said he had a 6-4-2 boat. Looked quizzically, and he clarified. Drinks for 6, dinner for 4, sleeps 2. Made total sense to me then. You need you own definitions. When you say sleeps 4, like 2 in the main cabin, or a stateroom? These are the kinds of answers you will need once you start asking your own questions.
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Old 22-06-2019, 08:57   #13
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

All good comments on here. I would go for a larger Pearson if I were you. You can find some really nice boats in good shape for your price. Pearsons are really solid. Something in the 38-42 ft range would be better than smaller. Get a centerboard if you can find one. Excellent for the Bahamas. Going to the islands, you will need plenty of water, food, and supply storage and in a smaller boat you will just not get that. Everything in the Bahamas cost a lot more than the states. Stock up before you leave so you can enjoy your month long trip and not have to worry about buying this or that and paying inflated prices to get it. Plus for a month, 4 adults bring a lot of baggage with them that needs to be stowed somewhere. And with 4 people, don't worry so much about handling the boat. You will have plenty of help even if its just someone on the helm steering a heading.
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Old 22-06-2019, 09:26   #14
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

In addition to the excellent comments already posted, consider what it will take to keep and maintain your boat. Will you keep it on a mooring or at a marina? The cost difference between a 34 foot boat at a marina and a 50 foot boat at a marina is significant, especially over time.


So too are the cost differences between repair. The engine, the rigging, cushions, and all of the other components are all vastly different in price. Here is one quick example: At West Marine the Big B Taylor Made fenders are priced thusly: 10" x 26" $95 versus 6" x 15" $53. Multiply this difference by the hundreds of items you will need over the years, and the cost difference between the kit needed for the two boats is substantial.


It is not just the cost either. As KTP said, your labor (labour for my friends across the pond, above the Great Lakes, and down under!) will be more intensive on a larger boat. Brightwork, bottom paint, wiring, and everything else you will need to do on a regular basis will take more time. If you are able to do so, join a club or go to your nearest marina, and help some people fix their boats. It will give you a good idea of the labor needed.


I wish you the best of luck with your search.
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Old 22-06-2019, 09:42   #15
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Re: What sailboat should I buy???

Quote:
Originally Posted by sailorboy1 View Post
The wide of possible boats between 30 and 50 feet makes the question, IMO, ......

If you can’t narrow down your wants more how can you really except useful answers?

Get an old 32’ boat that is good ok condition
Sailorboy can be a bit abrupt, but he has point. It is certainly a good idea to get preliminary feedback here to start to get a feel for what is involved. But.....

A good analogy for an inexperienced potential sailboat owner asking what boat he should buy is like a 17 year old asking what kind of woman he should marry.

I am relative newbie. I am ASA certified to bare boat charter, have done a number of bare boat charters over the last several years. My MO because my wife does not sail is sail 6-8 weeks a year with the blessing of my wife, and therefore not end up divorced. Owning a boat makes no practical sense unless I decide I must own and buy a day sailor. A good motto is "rent big and own small" if you are hell bent on owning. Another good motto is sail on OPB's(Other People's Boats). There are always many opportunities to crew or skipper on OPB's if you are experienced enough and do not mind the personal liability. The more experience you have the less you pay or perhaps earn $$ if you are experienced enough.

Like a woman boats(boats are always referred to as "her" for a reason), are a fair amount of trouble, are expensive especially "owning" one versus "renting" one. Owning a boat is especially expensive if you have some one else do the bulk of the maintenance and repairs. Think of a car to the third power, exponentially.

Divorces rates are 50% or more for married couples around the world. By the same token go anywhere in the world and you will see zillions of lonely boats on the hard abandoned by their owners or zillions of boats sitting in marinas that get little or no use.

The best advice for both finding a boat to own or a wife is take baby steps, go on lots of dates with a myriad of options, don't fully fall in love until after you buy and listen to your heart but allow your head to rule when buying.

Before you buy determine your intended use. Just like before marrying you must determine your needs, wants and desires that work for you in a spouse. It is never going to perfect for a boat or a spouse. It is all about the trade offs, knowing what you can live with, not live with and not live without.

If you do buy a cruising boat be very conservative about what you expect to get back when you sell it, and way over estimate what you think it will cost to use, maintain and store. Don't over spend. The worst thing in the world is to be "boat poor" resulting in you not enjoying her resulting in always worrying about the $$$. Hence defeating the purpose. Similar to a marrying a financially high maintenance wife that to be happy requires more than your means can provide.

Just as bad is having a boat that does not work for you even if the financial part does, similar to being married to the wrong person. Getting a divorce depending on the circumstances is usually worse than abandoning or selling a boat because in the end with a boat only money is involved not so much emotion but depending on the boat you may never find a buyer.

I sailed recently with an experienced sailor, age 75, is well off financially, has 40,000 miles of racing, cruising and moving boats for a living under his belt, has every possible merit badge including to teach sailing, can navigate with a sextant, has moved a boat inland in France from Med to the Atlantic going through something like 10 locks a day, has done 7 crossings of the Atlantic, etc. etc. He lives in the UK and the only boats he has ever owned is a wooden canoe he built himself and a 26 ft sail boat, that can sleep 4 comfortably for a weekend, that he uses inland on lakes, rivers.

I asked him if he was 40 years old, and if I gave him a new Amel, a $1MM+ cruising boat what would he do with it? He said sell it! This is a person who in his 40's and 50's spent 6-9 months year sailing around the world.

Owning a boat is not for everyone just like being married is not for everyone. It does not sound at this point you have anyway of knowing if owning a boat is for you or not.

As a friend of mine who is cynical about marriage says, "Instead of getting married just find a woman you hate and give her 1/2 your assets in order to skip the emotional distress and you will be way ahead."
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