Buying a Boat that Once Sunk

[Jon Neely]

our boat was partially sunk in salt water before we bought it. We didnt think didnt think it to be a big issue until we started pulling stuff apart. Black mold everywhere, heavy rot in anything in wood that went in the water. Hose clamps where heavily corroded, the electrical seemed good, upon further inspection it was plain dangerous. Well we basically replace every piece of wood in the boat and all electrical and plumbing. but then again we wanted a bristol boat at the end, I think it depends on how cherry you want your finished product.

Jon

[motion30]

Reefdog
Dont be discouraged but do be honest with yourself I think it would also depend on what you plan do do with your boat If you are just want to sail on saturday maybe you can eliminate the ac system and some other expensive systems If your plan is to live aboard you will need more complete systems If I were going to do a ton of work on a boat I would want to wind up in the end with the biggest best name boat I could find In other words No sense putting a lot of work and money into a no name 25' boat if you could with a little more work and time wind with a 40' well known brand

[Jon Neely]

Where are you located? There are a lot of boats in that price range here in the sf bay area on the west coast

[JonathanSail]

I'm not sure where you are located but recommend that you get to some coastal areas where sailing is popular to find bargain boats. Some of the best deals aren't well marketed and may not show up online, etc. If you are o.k. with a project or neglected boat you can find tons of great deals out there on a wide variety of boats.

Jonathan

[Reefdog]

Thanks for the support and advice. For thouse of you who asked I am 26, and a boat captian in Boston but moving to Miami in the fall. My grilfriend and our two dogs spent last year living and working in Eleuthera Bahamas where we were introduced to the cruising lifestyle. Our real dream is to cruise the islands and east coast in a Catamaran but have found them to be way out of our price range. We thought we could find a 35 + ft monohull that had working sails and engine for under 8k but now are find that to be not true. We will keep looking. A few of you suggested I try to get project boat that is made by a great builder, any suggestions on what to look for and what not to?
Thanks

[allanpeda]

Originally Posted by Reefdog

Thanks everyone, great advice. I guess I will keep looking. So far the only boats I have found in any sort of usable sailing condition, and in my price range (7,000 max for boat) have been 30ft or less. I would really like to get 35ft or higher boat but may have to wait.
Thanks again

Well, you will never make money from a boat, but consider buying something smaller but nice, fixing it up and slowly trading up. Or go partners with someone you trust; keep accurate records and hope to buy them out.

I bought an 89 Catalina 30, which the surveyor described as a "sweet boat" for 15k, and right off I needed a new furler ($1000) and $300 in engine work for a thermostat housing that corroded due to an internal zinc that was never changed. When I casually mentioned that to the previous owner, he acted as though I called his daughter a slut. Well it is a sweet boat, but it's still a boat.

As a friend said to me, with repairs, you never win that battle.

[JonathanSail]

It seems like you have the desire, experience and know-how to succeed at this venture. My guess was that you were inland somewhere surfing the sailboat classified sites only, which can work but is limited compared to being surrounded by boats on the coast.

As for which high-quality boats to consider, the list is really too long so you will have to evaluate each boat on its own merits. It's also fairly subjective as we all have our own favorites. Also, as I'm sure you know, a well made/reputable sailboat that has been damaged and worn-out is going to be worse than a lower quality boat that has been maintained and improved over time. When looking used these maintenance factors become more important than most others over time. With all of that being said, I can see at least a few ways to evaluate the boats -

-by how well they meet your needs/desires - will it be comfortable and perform well where and how you use it? This may be the most important because with all of the labor/$ you will put into any boat, etc. etc. you need to love her on some level, and feel like she is the right boat for you. It's somehow a personal relationship
-by how well the boat was made and by the quality of the components - will the boat be safe, will it and it's systems/components be more reliable (relatively speaking), does it need a ton of replacements now, etc.? This is where some would say that Hunter, or any boat that has been sunk may not do too well.
-by how popular the boat is on the market - will it resell when you are ready to move on. You can forget making money on the boat unless you are really good and lucky, but there are a handful of boats that will resell much more easily based on their name, all else being equal.

There are a lot of other ways to slice it, and that's a lot of opinion etc. but may be helpful. The Hunter would theoretically have met criteria #1, would have done poorly on #2 and #3 (my opinion, based on being sunk etc.. I used to own a Hunter so am not anti)..

There are a lot of much older boats like the ones designed by Carl Alberg, the Cape Dories, Pearsons, Cals, Pacific Seacraft, etc. etc. etc., which are solidly made but may need a lot or refurb etc. In your price range and at your age I can see an older, solid boat being a decent option since they are more simple (cheaper) and solid (sometimes). You may be able to find one really cheap, fix the essentials and then start sailing and fix or add on the rest as you go. This wouldn't work as well if you were off to circumnavigate, but can work if you are coastal hopping. Newer boats in the size range that you are looking at will typically be more complicated and more expensive either to purchase or repair (pretty broad generalizations there, sorry).

In the end it depends on the individual boat you are looking at since each will be a unique case in terms of build/specs/maintenance/seller circumstances. It's definitely possible to find boats that were the pride and joy of someone who took great care of them until recently and that now have to sell due to life circumstances. I've seen cases where widows have really nice boats on their hands that they just want/need to get rid of but that they aren't interested in and don't know much about. The boat may have been sitting a few years and will need some work but is well spec'd and solid. It sounds like you've been around boats enough to have seen many of the likely scenarios. With the way things seem to go if you can put your $$ within easy reach and then stay out there, in touch and looking around you will find the perfect deal eventually and in this market it won't take long to find a lot of options. I'd definitely consider going to boatyards to ask the yard managers/owners if there are boats like what you are looking for on their yard. They may put you into contact with owners of boats that have been sitting for a while, are behind on payments etc. and you may be able to buy a boat with a cash offer that the owner was on the fence about, was too busy for, or too lazy to sell. I know of some boats like this in the boatyard where I am now, though they seem to fall outside of what you are looking for.

Also, I'd recommend putting more thought into the size boat you are looking at. I agree that a 37+ foot boat will be more comfortable but if you are expecting to spend less than 10k to get going it is going to be a real challenge in that size range and may make your on-going budget more of a challenge as well. There is a big price difference between 37' and say 32' in terms of on-going costs, etc. This is another broad generalization but unless you find a deal where someone is unloading a boat below market value my estimate is that it will cost around $15k at a minimum to put yourself onto a safe/reliable boat around 30'. Throw in a few curve balls or luxuries and this quickly jumps into the 20k range. If you are patient in your searching, have cash on hand and don't mind a little hard work you should be able to beat those estimates (maybe by a lot) but you make it much more of a challenge by adding on extra feet to the loa you are shopping for.

Anyway,, there's a lot more knowledge and expertise here on the forum so you will keep getting great information as long as you ask questions. I'm not sure that any of this falls into that category but hopefully it helps a bit. Good luck in your searching,

Jonathan

[allanpeda]

Originally Posted by JonathanSail

... This is another broad generalization but unless you find a deal where someone is unloading a boat below market value my estimate is that it will cost around $15k at a minimum to put yourself onto a safe/reliable boat around 30'. ...
Jonathan

The marine surveyor said my Cat 30 would be worth 25k, and I got the seller down to $15k. I know now that I could easily put 5k into it checking the mast head, fixing a screwed up electrical system etc. Also, if it can't go on a trailer, you will need to rely on -- *cough* honest Marinas for some types of work, like hauling.

[motion30]

I can agree with almost everything Jonthansail says with one exception I have seen several of my friends put way to much time sweat and money into a project boat only to find out when complete that it was not the right boat for them Few people say hey my boat is to big and comfortable for me, You do hear, we need a bigger boat I am just saying choose carefully before starting a big project you dont want to do it twice