Cheapest live aboard sailboat to buy, own and maintain?

[cruisernewbie]

Hello fellow cruisers,

I am looking to buy a live aboard type sailboat and as a newbie want to gather your thoughts on what type and model of powered sailboat is the cheapest to buy, own and maintain. What kind of budget should I allocate per month to have one in the SF bay area? I'd like something with plenty of room for a live aboard that can also do long distance cruising down to San Diego or up to Vancouver.

[Sailmonkey]

How long is your piece of string???

[gonesail]

you said SF bay area .. hope you have a generous bank account

[cruisernewbie]

I'd like to buy something around 100k or less and need to look at maintenance costs and slip fees for marinas in the Bay Area.

[cruisernewbie]

I do well financially so not an issue. I am not a billionaire like Larry Ellison but a small sailboat is within means. Right now I will do the training course and look for a good boat and slip.

[Stumble]

Cruiser,

Most sailboat of a given size and equipment list will be about the same cost to maintain, with new boats being cheaper than older boats, at least until they age.

A good rule of thumb is that it will cost about 10% the purchase price of a boat to maintain each year needs to be budgeted for repairs each year to keep it in the same shape it's in. The more systems (air conditioning, water maker, generator, ect) a boat has the more expensive it will be, but it's hard to make hard rules on this, where a boat is stored how hard it is sailed, the amount you are willing to do yourself vs hire, all play a part.

Think of boat maintenance like house maintenance. It doesn't matter much who build your house, replacing the AC is still going to run about the same. As opposed to a car, where a Porche is typically more expensive to maintain than a ford.

[cruisernewbie]

Thanks Greg,

This is helpful and will allow me to plan for the budget.

[WebWench]

From what I have gathered from reading other posts on this forum is that the boat is not your biggest problem....it seems to be finding a marina with liveaboards allowed that don't have a very long waiting list to get a slip.

[cruisernewbie]

That's correct. Finding a live aboard slip is very difficult here in the SF Bay Area! That's why I'm doing the legwork before purchasing a boat.

[nimblemotors]

Might just buy a boat that comes with a liveaboard slip already.

[cruisernewbie]

+1 nimblemotors, thats the game plan and probably my best bet to avoid issues.

[Suijin]

As for size, that's really a personal matter. I know couples that live happily on a 27' sloop. I also know couples who have traded up from 40' because they felt it was too small. You might want to contact a broker in your area that has a large inventory of cruisers and spend an afternoon poking around in them. Two boats of a given length can have substantially different accommodations below, some of which work for some people, and others for others. The more boats you see the more context you'll have for making an informed decision.

Relatedly, you're going to see boats in a wide variety of condition. A few will be immaculate, most of them, if older will be a bit worn although in decent shape, and a few will be completely roached. The price is obviously related to condition and refits/upgrades that have been done. The more boats you see, the better a view you'll have on what the range is and how it correlates to value.

[Kenomac]

We did the same for a couple of years oboard a Hunter 450, beginning in the SF Bay area and ending up in Southern California. Excellent for your intended use, and a few of them will meet your price point.

[cruisernewbie]

Thanks I'd be happy with a nice 30-40' sailboat with autopilot, GPS in good condition that can be short hand sailed easily by just me.

Looking for recommendations on best used sailboat monohull construction. I can afford new but rather save on a used one in top condition that won't fall apart in first year.

[Pirate999]

Boats are like fairly individual. I would recommend that you look at a bunch of them, figure out what you want and need for a liveaboard then narrow the selection farther.

Remember, a boat is a bunch of compromises. Shower or more locker space, centerline berth or offset with a desk, and the list goes on.