Help Selecting My Boat

[bljones]

Nope.
The cal is a better choice.

[boatman61]

I'll agree with Jones'y....
Stick with the Cal...
A 1931 Wood Gaffer is not the way to go for a self confessed zero knowledge person... there's folks on here with years of experience would not go for this...

[Bergovoy]

THANK YOU

I am almost there..... I hope to be done with this house soon.. but, my issue really is one of saving money.. the longer I stay here the more money I save...

From the info on the CAL, what do you think I should do first? and lets figure/anticipate an ability to put $3k-4k into it

How much is an AC and will I need it or want it???

Bimini?

Complete tune-up and cleaning?

Re-paint?

Generator? Solar? Wind?

If i need to or want to get a new sail, what kind should i get???

Or should I just not do anything to the boat, and just sail her the way she is for a while???

If i moor her where she lies, I will need a dingy.. Or I can find a berth for a few months...

I can fly there and check things out for a week or two and buy the boat and get folks to start working on it for me, (on the things I cant do) and that will cost about $500-750

or should I just save that money and deal with all that when i get there?

Since I am going to be the only person on the boat, should I remodel it somewho to free up the extra bunks into something else???

[Bergovoy]

CAL27 SAILBOAT MARINA DEL REY OFRS EXCEPTD 818-808-8225 - eBay (item 230564484569 end time Dec-23-10 17:53:32 PST)

this is re listed because they didnt get any bids the first time around.. minimum bid was $4500

I am going to look at it tomorrow,, at least to get an idea how big/small it really is...

I am also going to look at

30ft Coronado Sloop


and this boat...

priced at about the same as the CAL but this boat seems to have more STUFF

it has AC

and most stuff is newer then on the CAL..

1979 Hunter 25 sailboat for sale in Florida

[bljones]

Step away from the eBay.
When it comes to buying a boat sight unseen, unless you are an experienced boat surveyor and/or marine mechanic and/or a DIYer with years of experience, years of time and lots of extra cash, you're just b idding on a whole hull full of heartache.
Stick with the Cal. If you need a boat now, it looks to be a good deal in a good location, and it is cheap enough that even if it is not exactly as described, you're not gonna lose your shirt bringing it up to snuff.

[Bergovoy]

i actually went and looked at the boat today... The seller flaked on me... came up with some bs about not getting my phone message and or the email i sent???

and her ebay thing said she was going to be there regardless



she had the boat listed for $4500 and no one bid on it... so she relisted it

this time she has a reserve and started the bidding at a lower price...but when i talked with her she said her reserve was $4500..... I tried to get her to understand that her RESERVE should be $4500 as that was her LOW price from the first auction...

She said she couldnt lose that much money...

but I know how much her dock fees are and her other insurance and stuff, as she told me..

so, each month she keeps the boat goes another $550

Anyways, I think for that price, it wont be much or a risk, and that at worst, I strip off some of the 'good stuff', (I will get the name of the designer hardware)

the harbor master said it was pretty much top line stuff.. and the harbor master didnt know the folks much, other then to say the old man had to have the best, and he was just too old to actually sail, so he only went out twice, with someone else at the helm...

other then that, he just came to the boat, toyed around and left...

[roverhi]

I haven't lived aboard in a Florida summer but have in Tahiti. Can't believe Tahiti was much colder or less humid especially since it's 20 degrees closer to the equator. We got by just fine with an awning over the whole boat. The front awning was a pup like affair that doubled as a windscoop. Witht the two awnings, we were comfortable the whole summer. The only heat was uncomfortable was the evening when it was transitioning from a sea breeze to a land breeze and there was no breeze. A fan helped out a lot for that about 2 hour period. We were at anchor most of the time so were oriented to the wind which helped a lot.

If it was me, I'd buy the Cal especially since it has the diesel. Even if you never learned to sail, you could power anywhere you wanted to go with that fuel sipping engine. Track that lady down and make her an offer she can't refuse.

[Bergovoy]

Originally Posted by roverhi

I haven't lived aboard in a Florida summer but have in Tahiti. Can't believe Tahiti was much colder or less humid especially since it's 20 degrees closer to the equator. We got by just fine with an awning over the whole boat. The front awning was a pup like affair that doubled as a windscoop. Witht the two awnings, we were comfortable the whole summer. The only heat was uncomfortable was the evening when it was transitioning from a sea breeze to a land breeze and there was no breeze. A fan helped out a lot for that about 2 hour period. We were at anchor most of the time so were oriented to the wind which helped a lot.

If it was me, I'd buy the Cal especially since it has the diesel. Even if you never learned to sail, you could power anywhere you wanted to go with that fuel sipping engine. Track that lady down and make her an offer she can't refuse.

In So Cal, if you live near the ocean, the temperature is more 'even'... it is 15 degrees cooler in the summer, and 15 degrees warmer in the winter, compared to inland temps...


and WHICH Cal are you referring to.. the one above? (ebay), or the Cal2-29 that is being sold on Craigslist?

The CAL here is possibly going to be $2k cheaper then the one in Florida... but it is here.. I wont have to spend money to drive across the country.. and i do have some 'resources' here.

but, i hate it here... the people suck, the traffic sucks, but, I can learn more here, and possibly learn how to sail and maybe save up more money to buy a bigger boat when i do get to florida???

And I might be able to 'repurpose' some of the running rigging to my new boat and still not lose any value on the boat when i sell it...

I wish i would have written down the name and info but will get it tomorrow...

something about THE guy that built/designed CAL boats...

[Bergovoy]

1971 Columbia 29Ft Yacht (Lowered Price)

Here is another 'reasonably' priced boat...

a 29ft Columbia???


same size as the CAL2-29 but a couple thousand dollars cheaper...

[Bergovoy]

30' ALBIN SCAMPI MKIV RACER/CRUISER

OK, maybe i should just give you guys the link to the CL for that area, and just let you all go thru and pick out a boat???

This boat looks fast? Is IT?

The interior looks massive? does it have a wider BEAM then the others???

[Bergovoy]

Cape Dory 28 Sailboat - Classic

A CAPE DORY? it's getting a little more expensive, but it has a couple 'extras'.. got the dingy, and some of the toys, like AC, and others...

I am guessing he still has it for sale, but not for sure... if he still has it, then he maybe willing to negotiate more on the price...

[Bergovoy]

32' Ericson with AUTOPILOT!!

here is the biggest, cheapest boat I've seen.

32 foot Ericson

Not sure if a two foot bigger boat is worth $3k+

(comparing to the Cal2-29)

[Prerequisite]

If you want AC, that will rule out living on a mooring. AC requires shore power that you can only get at the dock.

It's good that you are seeking so much advice but don't forget that the boat you are buying will be yours and no one else's. Consider other people's suggestions but choose the boat that you like best. My boat (Cape Dory 33) isn't perfect, but I love it so I am happy living on it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Try focusing a little less on finding the best deal and more on finding the right boat.

Also, until you actually learn to sail you won't need much in the way of 'toys' like you mentioned. Make sure the money you spend now is paying for a solid, safe boat that you like as opposed to old outdated electronics you won't use anyway (and almost invariably if a boat is for sale, the electronics haven't been replaced/updated for a while).

Best of luck.

[Bergovoy]

pre-requisite.. yes, I understand that I wont need the toys now but also kinda believe I wont want or cant afford them later on.. so it's trying to get thenm in the deal if i can... but that wont be a deal breaker..

and yea, I am not necessarily going for the big bang for teh buck, although that is a good part of the factoring...I just like having the options of boats and flexibility to live where ever and the boat probably going to hit me more emotionally when i start driving down the coast.... so, if i have a plan and have general prices, I hope to be able to negotiate a little better and or find my sweet heart... either way...

[Bergovoy]

i have made an offer on a boat, and am waiting for some confirmation back.. not sure if it will be before the end of the year or not... but I am confident I will end up with the boat, and be in florida in 2-3 months...


thanks for the help, and I am sure I will be haningout here more and bugging everyone with how do i do this and do that and


right now, i just wonder how to start the damn thing... hehehehehe

maybe I will fly down there before i drive just to get some work started on her, again, still waiting to get the offer accepted...