Liveaboard Catamaran on a Budget

[tmoney]

My wife and I have decided to move to a liveaboard. I have been looking and researching for a few months now for a catamaran to purchase. I would like to find one that is 33' or larger. I would like to keep it under $20,000. Is this possible what are your thoughts?

I dont mind doing some work on the boat I can deal with mechanical issues and refinishing some of the interior but would like it to be sailable and nothing to major. Is this possible? Does anyone know of any?

On the other hand I have a very wealthy friend who loves to diversify his money. I have been thinking about building a business plan to have him purchase a boat my wife and I could charter. Most likely in the $200k-$400k range. I would however like to have my own boat and some experience before I bring my friend into it. Thoughts?

I know this is quite the paragraph to read sorry.

Thank you,
Tyler.

[ozskipper]

Firstly, I assume you are in the USA, otherwise my points may be moot.

You wont get anything in plastic under 30k that still floats. Even at 30k, there will be some work required. For the same 20k budget you may be smarter to look at mono's like Columbia, Endeavour etc where you should get a reasonable boat to live on with minimal structural or mechanical work needed.

A very quick multihull/cat search gave these results on yachtworld.
(Sail) Catamaran Boats For Sale

Small cats 30-33ft are quite small in volume and suffer heavily from excess weight. Its not until you get towards the 35 ft mark that the volume really increases and overtakes monos.

[tmoney]

Well I missed out on a decent deal for $10,000 not to long ago. I would like to find another deal like this. Is it possible??

1979 Prout 33 Catamaran 33ft sailboat for sale in Florida

[Pete7]

Tyler, is that one still for sale? it looks like a shed but for the money if you are willing to put the time in it could be worth it.

You would want a survey to ensure the hull is sound even if the decor leaves something to be desired.

Pete

[thinwater]

I don't get expecting a comfortable live-aboard boat to be 5-10% of the cost of a house. Get something enjoyable, finance it if need be, and consider the payments to be like rent.

TANSTAFL

[simonmd]

My simple answer is 'no'.

The longer answer is it will be almost impossible to find a Cat' that is good enough to live aboard for that money. You may find an old Prout or maybe a Catalac 8m/9m for 20k but i'd want to budget another 10k to get a boat of that vintage and price properly back to good order. However, you say you want 33ft+ and that's when the prices start to climb dramatically. Saw a 37ft 1992 Prout Snowgoose here in Spain reacently that was 75,000 euros and a 1990 Dean 365 for 85,000 euros for example.

I'd accept that your budget isn't in the right area and look for a mono. I'm sure you can find a half decent 40ft ish ketch for that kind of money, giving you almost as much room as you'd have in a 30ft Cat'.

Now, the 'charter and liveaboard' idea is much more realistic. At 300-400k you are spoilt for choice, just depends on the charter market, etc. where you are as to whether it's financially viable. Certainly, a well run charter boat can give a healthy return, more than the banks would for his cash anyway. I'd suggest doing some legwork and speaking to some local companies about their rates, how busy they are, etc.

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by tmoney

Well I missed out on a decent deal for $10,000 not to long ago. I would like to find another deal like this. Is it possible??

1979 Prout 33 Catamaran 33ft sailboat for sale in Florida

At this time, my idea would be to get a boat like that and fix up the interior. Just make sure the hull, sails, rigging, and motor still are in good/great shape. At that price, I would be concerned.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by tmoney

Well I missed out on a decent deal for $10,000 not to long ago. I would like to find another deal like this. Is it possible??

1979 Prout 33 Catamaran 33ft sailboat for sale in Florida

These are boats with known coring problems and almost all of them have serious hull and or deck problems. A deal you say? ...I have this bridge for sale......

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by tmoney

...I would like to find one that is 33' or larger. I would like to keep it under $20,000. Is this possible what are your thoughts? .....

In short. NO. Not in a Fiberglass boat. You could do it with a Wharram in wood.

One good list is here. This is for sale by owner ... no commissions... and it will give you an example of the real world pricing on boats in this range

Catamarans for sale by Owner 27' to 37' feet LOA

[cat man do]

You never know, with a liberal dose of


It might come up looking ok on the surface, but underneath it'll still be a

Well you get the picture

[Sand crab]

There are a few that come up from time to time like this one at $22,500.
Piver 40' Trimaran Best Offer Secures
Plan on doing some work $$$$$ on top of that.
There is a 40' cat with an asking price of $50,000 also. And there have been a couple of multis on ebay.
I have recommended SearchTempest as a way to search all of Craigslist in the past. I'm not a real tekkie so it works for me.

[Sand crab]

This really old one just came up.
1963 Kennedy Custom Tri-maran Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
Maybe you could get some kind of grant for historical preservation.

[snort]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

This really old one just came up.
1963 Kennedy Custom Tri-maran Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
Maybe you could get some kind of grant for historical preservation.

1963 was a bad year for the Kennedys.
Something's missing on this sailboat. Not too sure, but there's something not quite right here.

[SearenitySail]

I'm not sure about liveaboard, but this 30' Iroquois Mk II catamaran was the best deal I have seen in a while--asking $21,500!

1972 Sailcraft Iroquois Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by snort

1963 was a bad year for the Kennedys.
Something's missing on this sailboat. Not too sure, but there's something not quite right here.

Ouch to the first sentence.
Usually that's what they say about me to the second sentence.