How to determine what I can afford

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

A good sound boat with a partially full keel (cutaway) will take you just fine. Cape Dory, Bristol, Westsail.. plenty others. I've been hard pressed to find a reason PS boats are so well thought of; it's not the furniture work! I have seen a brand new, not even fully unwrapped PS 34(?) that arrived at the dealer's with huge cracks in the deck aft of the cockpit... it was obviously from a bad mix of resin to hardener ratio from what I could see. I saw the boat when I was using a ladder to look at another PS on display right next to it, then I switched over to have a quick look at the 34... and noticed it. What does this say to me? Lack of quality control. I'm not saying PS is bad... just saying "are they really better than anyone else... enough for the $ tariff?" I doubt it. The interiors in the late 90's early 2000's surely no better than Cape Dory. Austere, cut and paste joinery.

Not to mention how the orion 27s have a bunch of plywood thrown in as coring for the decks. Rot, leaks, and structural failure. Not uncommon in these old boats going on 30-35 years old. Plus the only way to recaulk the deck/hull seams(and they will need it) is to rip out all the cap rails and try to refasten(almost impossible without hull destruction) the flanges. Seen two orions recently in need of such work.

[SkiprJohn]

If you like your Columbia then there would be no reason to switch but upgrade to a Columbia 29. Hard to find but a really good boat. Yes, larger would be more comfortable but also will invite a lot more expense.

Good luck in your search. I like Atom Voyages for recommendations and there are many books in the public libraries about what might be a good cruising platform.

[Salty Skipper]

If you are really serious.....you need lots of money....a lot! On the same thought, many have sailed around the world, on boats never designed for such!

My dream from early was to sail around the world....I dreamed such from reading books from the likes of Slocum's epic world voyage to Vacation Sailing..Rothrock....in the Chesapeake, and many many others.

Years have passed and now I actually own a blue water boat capable of world passage! Now 30 years after my dream.....will I do it?......Plan on having money....lots and lots of money and a dedicated crew of either family or close friends to help you all the way....or just become Joshua Slocum in that other world a century ago that no longer exists! Hard-truth............................................. ........

[reed1v]

Well, Salty Skipper the world certainly has changed from the 60s-80s in terms of cruising. Certainly more expensive, less safe, and a lot more red tape. That said, a lot of poor folks are still floating across oceans in fairly inexpensive sailboats. More a mental attitude rather than a pocketbook.

If you get rich and old enough, an elegant meal at a fashionable resort seems preferable to being on a small, wet boat bouncing around somewhere mid ocean. If your young, poor, and not a lot of interest in conventional life, then heading out to your destiny on a Pearson Vanguard with some bags of rice and beans is the adventure of a lifetime.

[Jim Cate]

SS, you might tell us what YOU mean by cruising? If it means long ocean passages and long term remote anchorages, a different type of boat is required than if you mean gunkholing up and down the California coast, trips up to the Delta, the Channel Islands and so on.

The latter venues are frequently visited by boats very similar to yours. Many years ago Ann and I did a bunch of coastal cruising from SFB, and eventually a round trip to Hawaii... all in a Yankee 30. I see these sweet boats offered in the 10 to 20 K range, often with a diesel instead of the venerable Anemic Four originally installed.

The desire for a full keel for longer passages is often based on folklore and internet opinions. There are thousands of us cruising in fin keel boats, and most of us don't like suffering all that much. Our personal total mileage is now approaching the 150,000 mark, and every inch of that has been done in fin keel designs. I have not observed that our fellows with full keels have done much better in any way, including comfort. None of our keels have fallen off, BTW, and all of these boats have been directionally stable enough that either a wind vane or an autopilot has been able to direct our course successfully.

So, let us know a bit more about your plans, and open your mind to other solutions to your quandaries.

Cheers,

Jim