Recommendation for liveaboard Caribbean Cruiser

[anacapaisland42]

1) Oh...forget the separate double berths.....they will be too warm..go for singles and the occasional romantic risky rendezvous on deck or squeezed in before you retreat to your own space :-)
2) Boat expense $ increase with the cube of boat length.... buy the smallest boat you can survive on :-). A number of years ago the average size of a boat circumnavigating the world was 32 feet ...what is it now? 45 feet. OK at sea but $$$ in port where most of it's time will be spent!!
3) Forget the fridge.....most electrical deficits come from fridges/freezers...live simple
Bill


Our main criteria are a boat that is:
Ready to sail around the Caribbean with minimal work to get started.
Has two separate double berths
Able to sail with crew of 2 (novice sailors)
Able to be a live aboard disconnected from ground power

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice![/QUOTE]

[alansmith]

I also recommend Clive at BVI yacht. Seems to be a decent chap.

I just want to tell you that be very careful. There are land mines that will blow your financial leg off. Surveys are not cheap. I just spent over 800 dollars and would not have done so if the boat broker had shown me the pictures the surveyor did. Plenty of sharks troll the buyer market waiting for someone who hasn't exercised due diligence. Good luck to you guys.

[hamburking]

Hunter Legend 40. Beautiful boat, sails well, luxurious, a long list of excellent standard equipment, and well within your price range. Not well suited for blue water, but you said you will mostly be just sailing around the Carib.

[Island Time O25]

This is not from personal knowledge but from someone who is a professional skipper for charters, etc. At the request of a friend I once attended an auction here in MA for a Swan 47. While it did not pan out (the final price was too high as it was bid up by wealthy friends of the owner to save the boat for him) I met this skipper there who stopped by out of curiosity as he was visiting some relatives nearby. He was in his 60s, looked and talked salty enough and said he was working winters in the Caribbean and summers in the Med.

Basically he said that the deals on boats worthy of offshore navigation are much better in the Caribbean than elsewhere because, in his words it was the graveyard of dreams. That people who started either in Europe or someplace in US by the time they got to anywhere in the Caribbean they were either too scared, too tired/despondent or too poor to continue and would fly back to their homes or bases never to return again or to return only to pass the papers.

He did mention that these people often sell boats which would normally sell for well over $100K in the $50-80K range just to get out and get on with their lives. And that these boats are usually well equipped and just need regular new owner touches, etc.

He did say that he does not recommend flying out to Caribbean and searching specifically for such boats but if one's there anyway why not to look for them. My take on the situation is that here in US even in a slow buyer's market in the segment you're looking in there are still more buyers and they are closer to the boats for sale than in the Caribbean where the boats are plenty (especially the ex-charter ones) but the buyers are few and out of area buyers have to travel great distances to see those boats.

[nautitrix]

I have currently been going through the purchase trail and I may have some advice for anyone trying to buy a boat. Unless you are able to travel the same day do not waste too much time on boats for sale not in your area. I have spent thousands of dollars to go look at boats that the owner has agreed to hold until I got there (within days). Some even with a deposit accepted. I have always gotten my deposit back but it seems that boat owners who are sellers have very little ethical consideration for buyers. The philosophy seems to follow the bird in hand theory, instead of the honour your commitment theory. To be fair many buyers just take advantage of sellers by wanting to go on a "test ride" when all they are really wishing to do is go for a run on a boat. This results in sellers having no regard for buyers so don't expect any and you will not be disappointed.
As for brokers; the first question to ask is "Have you actually seen the boat?", if the answer is "no", flee as far and as fast as you can. Remember that the broker is the sellers agent not yours, no matter how friendly they are. Many brokers have a vested interest in maintaining a higher than "going" price and will agree to list a boat for an unsustainable price just to get the listing. While I have not been
fortunate enough to actually buy my chosen piece of classic plastic, I have seen that the actual selling price seems to go at between 30 & 40% of the asking price even for a well found vessel.
In closing I still feel that if you are buying at a distance be prepared to spend time running around to look at many boats. There is no doubt that you are safer working with a broker, but have a survey done and ensure that you will get your deposit back if it is unsatisfactory, otherwise find another broker. The cost of the surveyor is cheaper than the cost of travel. The prices can be good anywhere but while there are many more boats in Florida there are many that have had no maintenance while the estate was assured that Dad's boat is worth $X even though Dad hasn't done any maintenance for 8 years before his passing.
I have met several great sellers in Florida but unfortunately I got there a day late each time. I am currently reassessing my buying procedures as I have not been successful anywhere on the eastern seaboard or down south. Boats generally are more expensive North of Norfolk Va. and most expensive across the border into Canada. I have seen great deals in the Caribbean but am now gun-shy about spending the time and money to go and look. If you live in Florida or the Caribbean I'm sure you have time to look and grab the deal. I looked at 15 in Florida over ten days and missed out on 3 and the rest where essentially derelicts. I am still searching and haven't given up but I am learning where to spend my time and money.
Buy the best boat you can afford that will do what you need it to do, but buy wisely.
Bob V.

[valhalla360]

With the separate cabin request, consider some of the classic 30-35' catamarans.

[alansmith]

Nautitrix, I am feeling your pain! Get in touch with Clive Owens at BVI yacht. BTW.....I have seen some very nice Canadian boats up in Kingston Ontario. U r right they ain't cheap but seem to be in very nice shape.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Nautitrix, I am feeling your pain! Get in touch with Clive Owens at BVI yacht. BTW.....I have seen some very nice Canadian boats up in Kingston Ontario. U r right they ain't cheap but seem to be in very nice shape.

Hey, I LIVE in Kingston Ontario! If anyone wants me to check out a local boat, I'd be happy to go see and take a few hundred pictures.

And please don't discount that we have fresh water here. And please remember the plummeting canadian dollar. As our dollar goes down, so does the price (in US dollars).