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Old 26-09-2014, 17:20   #1
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Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

In N. CA, been racing in the Bay and Ocean for 12 years now and have the opportunity to liveaboard and cruise pt.

That said, looking for advise on what to purchase.

ideally, between $50-80kish

If you can share with me what, why and why not to the below questions:

- What size
- construction, through bolt with glass, not just glass like Catalina
- What brands, why or why not
- Needed gear
- Unexpected expenses
- Sail inventory
- ?????

Since it blows in N. CA and waves are high, boat needs to be ocean worthy!

Coming from a Moore 24 (5 yrs) and a Santa Cruz 27 (3 yrs)

Appreciate the feedback, and let's sail!
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Old 28-09-2014, 04:08   #2
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

Quote:
Originally Posted by GOTSAIL View Post

In N. CA, been racing in the Bay ...............
liveaboard and cruise pt ..........................
ideally, between $50-80kish ....................
construction, through bolt with glass ........
'just to clarify for all:

You'll remain in the San Francisco Bay Area?
The pt refers to "part time"?
"kish" is "thousands of dollars"

and the "through bolt with glass"? Are you specifically speaking of the hull/deck joint?

You might have the best response if you add more specifics related to
how you plan to use the boat and needed accomodations.
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Old 28-09-2014, 04:58   #3
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

I would echo the questions from Hudson Force. In general more specifics and details in the question will allow the same in the answer.

Making some assumptions,

Through bolt with glass and not just glass. If referring to the hull/deck joint there are very few wrong ways to do this. More important than the specific method is how well it's executed. I kind of like the idea of the joint being glassed over. If done well that should be a never leak, never break solution. About the only method that comes to mind that is almost certain to leak and cause problems over time is a joint where the two parts have a flange where they are joined, some variety of goop is put between the halves and they are just screwed together. Fortunately this is relatively rare.

What is more common and should be checked is for deck hardware that is bolted and not screwed plus anything that carries a significant load is bolted through a big, solid backing plate. Also, check carefully the wood core around every hole screwed into the deck for water penetration, delamination and rot.

Size. How many living onboard? Just you? You and a SO? And a 75 lb dog? Plus will depend on your personal preference for space. Some people are happy in a snug cabin, others feel cramped and need more space.

Gear also depends a lot on you. Very little is "necessary" gear. If you have simple needs then a bed and a way to get food and water is about it. If you must have your espresso, bagel and fresh cream cheese every morning then you will need to plan for more room and more amenities.
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Old 28-09-2014, 08:38   #4
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

Thanks for the advise.

It's my wife and I, no dog, that's for sure.

We're going to be sailing, mostly up and down the West Coast.

My dream boat is the Crealock 37, but price prohibited.

The boat needs to be able to withstand weather and seas, thus the through hull bolted/glassed, not separate like Catalinas for instance....where I saw one break apart just under the Golden Gate Bridge 8 yrs ago and sink in seconds.

I prefer an aft cabin type living arrangement, not V-Berth if possible.

One head is fine.

Again, thanks
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Old 28-09-2014, 08:57   #5
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

My cousin campaigns a 37 Santa Cruz Transpac boat... Loves it...
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Old 28-09-2014, 09:07   #6
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

GOTSAIL,
Not to sound mean, but you need to do a lot of this homework on your own. There's LOTS of great info & boats out there, & with your budget, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a good one. The kicker being what does "good" mean to you. And part of me being flippant is that I just did a 5 second search, & came up with a Crealock 37 for $59k... in your area Crealock 37 Sailboat For Sale -
I typed "Crealock 37 for sale" into the Bing search box. It was the first listing which came up.

Do some reading, come up with a list of design features & divide them into; must have's, fairly vital, & nice to haves & get to looking at boats. Online, and Live.
Take notes, videos, & pictures (when you're viewing boats). And a lot of sellers have already done this for you also, in the online ads for their vessels posted for sale.

Plus, since you race, I'm sure you know of plenty of boats in the size range you're thinking of, cruising wise, which aren't full on racers. Many of which would make good cruisers... so odds are it wouldn't be hard to catch a ride on them, or at a minimum, get a good tour. Since you know folks in the racing fleet.

I'm curious to hear more about this Catalina which sank in seconds. Do you have some specifics on the incident, & the vessel?

PS: For the kind of coin you're talking, you could even find a decent, used Valiant 40'. Have a look. They're classics, solid, decent performers, & hold their value. In addition to being easy to sail, plus be at sea on.
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Old 28-09-2014, 09:09   #7
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

Quote:
Originally Posted by GOTSAIL View Post
...My dream boat is the Crealock 37, but price prohibited...
Hard not to like.

There are other double-ended choices that could easily fit your budget. When I was shopping for Terra Nova I launched my inflatable and explored every boat dock in harbors up and down the SoCal coast, looking at (used) Baba, Tashiba, Rafiki, Fantasia, Union Polaris, Hans Christian, Pacific Seacraft, Cape George, Ingrid, Alajuela, Southern Cross, Valiant, Tayana--more--before finding my Freya.

Look at a lot of boats. When the right one finds you, you'll know.
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Old 28-09-2014, 09:16   #8
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

Quote:
Originally Posted by GOTSAIL View Post
...................

The boat needs to be able to withstand weather and seas, thus the through hull bolted/glassed, not separate like Catalinas for instance.... ............................
Please trust that I am not trying to be difficult by asking. I definitely understand your quest for strength in the construction of a vessel, but I'm not deciphering the, "through hull bolted/glassed".

At first I thought were were specifically talking about the hull deck joint which is a critical structural feature as Skipmac addressed above, but maybe you're referring to the "through hulls" which are where better built boats would have bolted seacocks instead of less robust points where seawater, like cooling water">engine cooling water, can pass through the hull.

Your clarification may not be essential because we know the point is to have a strong ocean going vessel.
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Old 28-09-2014, 09:37   #9
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

Great Advise! Someone messaged me a Passport 40 which looks interesting, and a Nordic 40.

I'm curious to hear more about this Catalina which sank in seconds. Do you have some specifics on the incident, & the vessel?

It was a Catalina 36, didn't catch the name, but gusts we just about 35kts, typical for SF summer sailing. He was between the South Tower and Mason, which you don't want to go through, shallow and breakers....thus, how he sank. I text my partner and he didn't get the name too.

Cruising boats are difficult to decide on. All boats mentioned above, have perks and it comes down to sailing, and maintenance like someone mentioned---teak, etc..

While racing, you really only have a handful of options.
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Old 28-09-2014, 15:54   #10
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

I'm trying to locate info on the boat which you mentioned, in order to increase my knowledge of marine safety. However, your included link just takes one to the Catalina sub-section of this forum.

Do you have; a direct link, a vessel name, incident date & or report, cause of sinking?

Did some structural part of the vessel fail, if so, what & what was the cause?

The specifics I'm inquiring after would be part of any post incident report or investigation of such magnitude. Particularly if there was any loss of life, or lawsuit vs. the manufacturer. So, if you can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

Back to looking for boats, here are some good reference sites, as well as search headers;
www.sailboatdata.com Has specifications on a LOT of vessels, it's virtually an encyclopedia.
www.yachtworld.com You can search here for about anything which floats & is for sale... based on; size, cost, hull material, rig type, etc., etc.
www.bing.com Just type in a vessel which you're curious about, followed by the word "reviews". You can also use Bing or any other search engine to find owners associations on a HUGE number of vessels. Ditto on using it to find a particular make & model of boat for sale which strikes your fancy.
www.practicalsailor.com Has reviews on a LOT of boats & gear, although you have to join for a small fee. But it has ZERO advertising.
www.cruisingworld.com www.sailingworld.com & many, many others (periodicals) have reviews of most production boats ever made. Many of said reviews are available online for free.

If you start doing some searching, & studying with the above tools, it'll be difficult NOT to learn; what to look for in a vessel, what to steer clear of, various good & bad construction & details tips, ad infinitum.
And that's just scratching the surface.

PS: I forgot this one, Sailboat Reviews of Offshore Cruising Yachts : Bluewaterboats.org They have reviews of loads of boats which are cruisy oriented.
Also, here's a Valiant 40' listed at $80k in Portland. 1977 Valiant 40 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com Listed being a KEY word, its REALLY a buyers market when it comes to boats right now.


Quote:
Originally Posted by GOTSAIL View Post
Great Advise! Someone messaged me a Passport 40 which looks interesting, and a Nordic 40.

I'm curious to hear more about this Catalina which sank in seconds. Do you have some specifics on the incident, & the vessel?

It was a Catalina 36, didn't catch the name, but gusts we just about 35kts, typical for SF summer sailing. He was between the South Tower and Mason, which you don't want to go through, shallow and breakers....thus, how he sank. I text my partner and he didn't get the name too.

Cruising boats are difficult to decide on. All boats mentioned above, have perks and it comes down to sailing, and maintenance like someone mentioned---teak, etc..

While racing, you really only have a handful of options.
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Old 28-09-2014, 16:54   #11
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

If you've been racing SF for a few years then you know theres a **** load of retired race boats avalable.. Many of which can be had for a song..
From experance myself,comming from a racing background in the same area, I found very unsatisfied with the traditional cruiser and wanted something with a little more spunk.
My choice was a First 38 but I found a 42 I couldnt turn down.. Not a V-Berth but instead a pullman with 7 feet of length..
Because you have knowledge of the SC, check out some of the older models or a few of the J boats in that size..
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Old 28-09-2014, 17:24   #12
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

Quote:
Originally Posted by GOTSAIL View Post
It was a Catalina 36, didn't catch the name, but gusts we just about 35kts, typical for SF summer sailing. He was between the South Tower and Mason, which you don't want to go through, shallow and breakers....thus, how he sank. I text my partner and he didn't get the name too.
Doesn't sound like a hull-deck issue to me. Sounds like a personal problem.

I met a Catalina 30 in the Azores this summer that had circumnavigated. Doesn't seem like you have been out very much, you should consider getting out more before you form your opinions.
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Old 28-09-2014, 17:28   #13
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Re: Racer becoming Cruiser/Liveaboard p/t

PS- Tip-o-the-hat to Webb Chiles! On his Moore 24 somewhere in the South Pacific!
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