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Old 23-03-2010, 15:25   #1
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Thinking on the Caribbean - Bahamas

Coming from the meetings and greetings Thread !!

As posted at the tilte... I am thinking about sailing this winter at the caribbean... with a piece of hart wishing to explore Bahamas... but all my plans are heavily influenced on Where to find a cheap boat ... as my intention is to buy and sell it later (no chance to take it back to Europe).
My first desire should be starting at the US (FL) and sail to Bahamas, explore as far as turks but with no initial intention to go further south.. no hurry !!
Actually I have found a good deal at Panama, but that should take me to the long way North.. maybe too long..(but OTOH many beautiful places to see).

Anyhow.. as my initial intention starts at the US... I had a look at the typical websites (Yachtworld,boats,boattrader,sailboattrader) but my question is... Are the websites the best option to find cheap boat ???.. or this side of the market is better found with local dealers... harbour contacts/anounces... or any other way ??.

The Bahamian waters seems to be really shallows,, maybe small boats are and advantage.. I am plannig maximum 38 feet long... maybe be a better option is close to the 30` ??..(considering draf is acc length...)...

In terms of boat insurance (all but hull insurance.. I mean .. all I can do or that the boat can make me, in terms of breakdown assistance... excluding the boat "lost"), for this kind of insurance , companies will ask allways for a survey ?? ..as I am not used to the general uses of US insurance terms...

For the rest... following the threads of this forum... everything concerning Bahamas is (more or less) clear to me...

Thanks for your help !!
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Old 23-03-2010, 16:07   #2
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There are thousands of cheap boats in Florida. How cheap you looking for? Best lf you have the luxury of spending some time in Florda looking.

5 ft draft is fine in the Bahamas 6 FT is ok but begins to limit some harbors and anchorages.
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Old 23-03-2010, 16:15   #3
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No problem to go !!

As I am airline employee... airfares are unexpensives to me....But once there.. where to go ..where to look?... some good contacs or just read the newspapers...???

As cheap as 9.000-12.500 eur maximum -12.000 to 16.800 USD- (only need basic electronics depth/log ..compass).. as GPS/charts will come along me ...

But... where shall I look out of the web sites ???
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Old 24-03-2010, 04:39   #4
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Search the net and if /when you come to Florida get a rental car and go to the boat yards along the coast. Many boats are not listed but can be bought. Fort Pierce, Stuart, St Augustne etc, Along the east coast makes it easy to jump to the bahamas. The Chesapeake Bay area is also a great place to get a good boat cheap.
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Old 24-03-2010, 14:37   #5
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Ola Benares.. como esta ...
Primero mira aqui.... Sailboat Listings - sailboats for sale
Then... another question.. why not take it to Europe... if you would like it in the Med there is always a way around it..
Sail to the Caribbean and stop off at Anguilla... register your boat there like a Swiss friend of mine did.. then take it to Europe.. true you cannot keep her there in Malaga indefinitely due to EU tax/registration problems but... I notice you live in Malaga... thats only 105 miles from the airport at Ajdir in Morrocco.... keep the boat at al Hoceima.. to all intents and purpose's and you can cheerfully fly/sail back and forth around the Med to your hearts content... just make yourself aware of all the regulations regarding Foreign Flagged boats...
Hell, if you sell her in while she's based in Morrocco you could even make a profit... otherwise yours is just another one of 1000's of boats in Florida waiting to sell and costing you euros in storage fee's for who knows how long...
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Old 24-03-2010, 16:50   #6
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Thanks Boatman.. Nice web site.. I have found few really good options for my plans !!

Take her back to EU... no way... If you have to live 100 miles away from her (having to take planes or boats to get there..at the end... you will not use it at all !! and for the same reason.. selling to another local is not ok, as usually (rich) folks looks for the typical brand new Beneteau/Jeannau EU yacht instead of USA boats (note US cars are different style than EU cars.. same with boats...ok,.. few exceptions.. but too much expensive to me .
I have decidet to buy small size boat here (22 to 30 feet) with no berth... if I find a sheltered place for mooring (anchoring) not far from home.. but almost no options too
Boating at Spain was decided to be only for rich folks .. such different mentality from other countries as US or France...

That is the reason I have decided to buy so low budget boat !! if I have to loose it .. or sell it to an adventurer hippie... or else.. it should be no such loose !!.

---------------------

After writing you this brick.... I have been thinking on business... so.. under your knowledge which US boat could have market here at europe.???. at least I am in love with. Formosas and Cheoy Lee (on spite Lee´s has to few cabins compared to its length )..
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Old 24-03-2010, 18:15   #7
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Check sailingtexas.com there are great boat deals all over the US. I find myself kicking and screaming when I see the boat prices these days. But as they say dance with the one who brought you.

And as far as how big it is only my personal opinion that 30ish foot range is ideal as it is comfortable and less over all maintance and upkeep. And is more likely to find a full keel with somewhere in the four foot draft range which I would figure is nice to have in the Bahamas.
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Old 24-03-2010, 18:22   #8
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Try Yachtworld.com . We live in South Florida. Have helped other cruisers provision and set up for the Bahamas. Let us know if we can be of help!
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Old 24-03-2010, 19:55   #9
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Ola Benaris...
Glad it was useful to you... if you want to talk boats for business PM me and we can discuss boats off this site... maybe via e-mail..this place is monitered by more than the Moderators...
Some things should stay private...
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Old 29-04-2010, 14:17   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Benares View Post
Coming from the meetings and greetings Thread !!

The Bahamian waters seems to be really shallows,, maybe small boats are and advantage.. I am plannig maximum 38 feet long... maybe be a better option is close to the 30` ??..(considering draf is acc length...)...
We are a 7'+ (just filled with water, see my recent post, gave us another few inches to deal with) draft boat.

While there ARE areas we can't get to, dinghies work wonders for explorations (see my Jumentos logs), and, for a vast majority of the islands, we do just fine.

So, you pays your money and you takes your chances. 3' draft boats go aground just as often as 8' ones, just in different places :{))

L8R

Skip, currently aground after waiting too long during our watering, but we'll be off in an hour or so

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Old 29-04-2010, 15:16   #11
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In addition to yachtworld try:

New Boats And Used Boats For Sale By Owner And From Dealers
Boats for Sale, New Boats, Used Boats, Boat Parts - iboats.com

The Bahamas do have some very shallow areas. While any draft will allow you to go some places, the shallower, the more flexibility you will have. On my last cruise, I can think of at least 6 places I went that had 3.5 feet at low tide which might mean only 5.5 feet at high tide. (depending on the tide cycle).

I ended up buying a Hunter 30 shoal draft for my last cruise and was happy using it for a 3 month winter cruise. Other boats I considered that might be in the price range you mentioned include: Catalina 30 shoal draft, Hunter 31 shoal draft, Endeavour, Irwin and Morgan OI 30 or 32.

If you can find one of the Westerly twin keel boats on the market, they offer very shallow draft and are well built.
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