Advice for first time boat buyer

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Kayaker

I was hoping I could get some advice on how to start this process. I am a first time boat buyer with limited experience (ASA classes, charters, a couple of day trips). I currently live in Colorado and our idea is to leave Colorado around Sept 1st for Florida, spend 90 days finishing up work, buying a boat and fixing it up, do a 30 day shake down cruise in the Dec/Jan time frame, do whatever needs to be done and leave for the Western Caribbean after that, hopefully sometime in Feb at the latest. After a year we would likely leave cruising or upgrade to a different boat. We are a late 30's couple with a yellow lab looking to spend a year or more cruising. We would like our budget to be 50k (cash) or less for a boat in the 35 foot range.

My general thoughts are that with the budget and dog a pilot house boat might make sense as it would hopefully be easier for the dog to navigate. I would rather trade "bells and whistles" (Radar/Water Maker/Solar/etc) type of stuff for a boat that has better fundamentals (hull/rigging/sails/etc) that wouldn't be hard to leave in our time frame.

The challenges that I see at this stage in the game are finding a pilot house boat in that size and budget. How do I get this moving from Colorado before hand? Is a buyers broker really going to help in this scenario with my budget in mind?

Ideally we would spend a long weekend in August in the Miami area finding a boat, survey it, purchase it and then "move onto it" when we get there in Sept. This all sounds very aggressive to me in my head, what do you all think?

I'm sure this isn't easy but do you all see any obvious red flags or have any suggestions on how this could be done easier/better?

Aside from the questions above I have been searching CF for the following topics but anything anyone wants to through in here would be great on the following topics:

1. Boat purchase for first timers
2. (large) Dogs on Boats
3. Boat Brokers in the 50k range
4. Timing
5. Any other advice

Check requirements for the dog. Make sure it has every inoculation needed or not.

[B Tegge]

Hello , follow your dreams. Nobody can tell you what is coming around the next corner. Just my opinion , you have to judge your skills. Half the fun is working on upgrading or installing a new system then trying them out. I took an old 1973 Irwin 37 CC gutted it . Found all the builders faults and repaired them. Sailed it up and down the east coast , Chesapeake bay and down to Florida where she is now. Bin through three hurricanes the old girl still keeps going. check out youtube vidio Liveaboard Kid by Tim Reeves. Wife took ill so I have to sell her. Sorry for rambling on but my point is you can pay a lot for a boat and still end up with unforeseen problems . There will always be hurtels to jump and problems to solve.

[Ken Z]

I think .......😎 slow down a little, dont go to maimi to buy a boat unless its the right boat. check fl. sailboats for sale. Its owners selling most of them and they are all over fl. could be a $50,000 boat will cost $10-15 or more to bring her to decent standards, and the time limit could be longer to refit her. Miami to west palm is very expensive and some brokers are hawks esp. for new buyers. There are many sailboats in fl. for sale and great deals on some. Your dog will be a challange. All is doable, your time frame myhave to be adjusted. The winter on both coasts of fl. can create large cold seas so getting a feel for your boat could be limited. Boat work ,hired out can be costly on the s.e . coast of fl.. There are good people but be alert.Good luck.

[Cyrus Safdari]

>buying a boat and fixing it up,

Well the first thing you do is give up on any schedule because fixng up a boat NEVER turns out the way you plan, schedule wise or anything else.

Then, start by burning 100 dollar bills. Fitting out a boat for extended long-term cruising is not cheap fast or easy

Here's a tip though: moving boats is expensive, try to buy a boat located somewhere you can stay and work on it cheaply, with easy access to hardware stores.

[Cyrus Safdari]

Originally Posted by hamburking

When she wanted to go up, she went up without help or a second thought.

There were issues with a dog aboard, but companionway was never a problem.

it becomes a bigger problem with the dog gets older

[Kayaker]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

I think .......�� slow down a little, dont go to maimi to buy a boat unless its the right boat. check fl. sailboats for sale. Its owners selling most of them and they are all over fl. could be a $50,000 boat will cost $10-15 or more to bring her to decent standards, and the time limit could be longer to refit her. Miami to west palm is very expensive and some brokers are hawks esp. for new buyers. There are many sailboats in fl. for sale and great deals on some. Your dog will be a challange. All is doable, your time frame myhave to be adjusted. The winter on both coasts of fl. can create large cold seas so getting a feel for your boat could be limited. Boat work ,hired out can be costly on the s.e . coast of fl.. There are good people but be alert.Good luck.

Yeah, slow down, have to get used to sailboat speed, literally and figuratively. That being said, would rather be sailing and on the hook than sitting in a marina and fixing a boat up... I feel like if I'm not "out there" I should be working, gets into a vicious circle of not going.

So seriously, do people really think that I don't have enough time built in for fixing the boat? 3 months up front, a shake down cruise of 1 month and another month after the shake down, is 5 months really not enough time? I realize that it depends on the boat I buy but is it really the general consensus that 50k won't get me a boat I can get ready in that time period with the understanding that we are after "serviceable" and not "perfect"?

Anyone have any suggestions on "better" timing or scenarios?

I guess I am not "tied" to MIA area, but we do have family there, which would be nice.

What is the URL to the "fl. sailboats for sale" site you mentioned?

[KiwiKen]

Buying a Boat can be like getting married.
Buy in haste and repent at leisure.


The boat market is generally much slower moving than the real estate market, so you can take a much more leisurely approach, although look on them similarly if the boat is to become your home.
It's much cheaper to get it right first time

[Kayaker]

Originally Posted by KiwiKen

Buying a Boat can be like getting married.
Buy in haste and repent at leisure.


The boat market is generally much slower moving than the real estate market, so you can take a much more leisurely approach, although look on them similarly if the boat is to become your home.
It's much cheaper to get it right first time

Cheaper to divorce yourself from the boat than the woman though.

Cost has to balance the time you are spending on doing something (or not doing something).

Pick ONLY 2 of the following three: Speed, Cost and Quality. Personally I think we are picking speed and cost and hope for the best on Quality. We can always pick 2 out of 3 again in the future. My theory anyway.

[Capt. Hack]

I spent much time looking at boat on internet. When I would find opne then research it . Draft could be a major thing . Yacht World was a good starting point. We found a boat and called the broker and talked . The broker started sending us boats and info on them. It worked well for us. Good luck on your endeavor . If you want PM me and I can give you our broker's name and number . He was good to work with

[Cyrus Safdari]

Originally Posted by Kayaker

3 months up front, a shake down cruise of 1 month and another month after the shake down, is 5 months really not enough time?

I remember thinking that too.


You can indeed buy a boat for less than 20K. Many "classic plastics" are about that. But they will need work. In the end, it all depends on what you want to live with.

[12BCruzn]

My advice, based on your desire to shove off with a short time frame, would be to spend more on a newer smaller boat that, theoretically, will have fewer issues than a larger older boat. Also I would keep the boat as simple as you can stand so as to cut down on initial expense and the number of things that will break. Things always break on boats. Bon Voyage and Bon Chance

[Tillsbury]

The problem I see is the one month after the shakedown. You’ll have found a bunch of things that you either want fixed or looked at, and it’ll take you half of that next month to get someone to look at it, at which point you’re left with two weeks to get something that could be a whole set of major repairs booked in. Just before Christmas.

I bought a boat recently on a tight timescale, it was three months from starting looking to having the boat. It’s fairly new and has few significant issues, but I’ve left myself four months until the start of the season to get things sorted.

[njoynthewater]

We looked at boats in Florida and didn't have a good experience. There are so many boats that have been damaged in hurricanes. The boats we looked at all had issues that may have been the result of hurricanes but the brokers and sellers were evasive at best. As an example you find signs of repairs on the outside of the hull. It has been repaired but you have no idea as to how extensive the damage was. It is extremely difficult to check for hidden damage behind the interior walls & cabinetry. The surveyors are so busy that some are doing 2 surveys in a day. We travelled to look at 3 boats that had all been "meticulously maintained by their loving owners". One we drove 3 hours to look at and were told just before we walked on to the boat that it was damaged in Irma. They had to tell because they were sanding the interior woodwork prior to new varnish because of the water damage. Exterior hull had obvious repairs but no pictures available of damage pre repairs. Second boat engine compartment had been flooded resulting in engine being seized. Found this out after noticing rust on engine mounts & on outside of engine block and asking to see records of repairs. In my opinion engine had been patched together to get it to run but not for longevity. Third boat had been sailed to Cuba and back according to broker. Found out it had travelled all over the Caribbean and when we looked at it found it to be well worn. We had spent much time looking at listing pictures and asking questions of the brokers before deciding to travel to view. After our experience we decided buying in that part of the US was more risk than we were prepared to take. Wherever you consider purchasing your boat look into the local state tax/user fees. They can add an additional significant cost to your budget. Not wanting to put you off in your quest to get out on what should be a grand adventure but be cautious and take the time you need to get a boat that Isn't full of expensive surprises. Good luck and safe travels.

[Kayaker]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

The problem I see is the one month after the shakedown. You’ll have found a bunch of things that you either want fixed or looked at, and it’ll take you half of that next month to get someone to look at it, at which point you’re left with two weeks to get something that could be a whole set of major repairs booked in. Just before Christmas.

I bought a boat recently on a tight timescale, it was three months from starting looking to having the boat. It’s fairly new and has few significant issues, but I’ve left myself four months until the start of the season to get things sorted.

Tillsbury, was there significant slow down on the actual transaction or was most of that 3 months "looking" for a boat?

How much time should I budget for the actual "transaction" once I find a boat? Assuming I don't drag my feet finding a surveyor and am not in need of a loan? Are we talking 1 week or 2 months? I don't see what would slow it down at that point after a survey was complete other than "haggling" over discounts, it should be a simple here is the money sign over title right?

[Kayaker]

Originally Posted by njoynthewater

We looked at boats in Florida and didn't have a good experience. There are so many boats that have been damaged in hurricanes. The boats we looked at all had issues that may have been the result of hurricanes but the brokers and sellers were evasive at best. As an example you find signs of repairs on the outside of the hull. It has been repaired but you have no idea as to how extensive the damage was. It is extremely difficult to check for hidden damage behind the interior walls & cabinetry. The surveyors are so busy that some are doing 2 surveys in a day. We travelled to look at 3 boats that had all been "meticulously maintained by their loving owners". One we drove 3 hours to look at and were told just before we walked on to the boat that it was damaged in Irma. They had to tell because they were sanding the interior woodwork prior to new varnish because of the water damage. Exterior hull had obvious repairs but no pictures available of damage pre repairs. Second boat engine compartment had been flooded resulting in engine being seized. Found this out after noticing rust on engine mounts & on outside of engine block and asking to see records of repairs. In my opinion engine had been patched together to get it to run but not for longevity. Third boat had been sailed to Cuba and back according to broker. Found out it had travelled all over the Caribbean and when we looked at it found it to be well worn. We had spent much time looking at listing pictures and asking questions of the brokers before deciding to travel to view. After our experience we decided buying in that part of the US was more risk than we were prepared to take. Wherever you consider purchasing your boat look into the local state tax/user fees. They can add an additional significant cost to your budget. Not wanting to put you off in your quest to get out on what should be a grand adventure but be cautious and take the time you need to get a boat that Isn't full of expensive surprises. Good luck and safe travels.

Good feedback! Mind if I ask where you did decide to purchase?