Searching For The Right Live-Aboard Bahamas Boat

[Sailboat Story]

Hello there.

My family of 3 is on the search for a good liveaboard sailboat that will serve us to island hop the Bahamas.

The tricky part is that we're up against a tight budget. I'm talking about that we need to be able to get into a decent boat for no more than about $15,000 or so.

There are some basic features / specs that I'm working within - although I'm quite aware that we may have to flex a bit to make the plan come together.

Here's are our "needs/wants" in a sailboat -

Pretty Much Mandatory:
~ 33' - 35' overall
~ Sloop rigged
~ Something close to a 4ft draft
~ A good diesel (Perkins, Universal, or Yanmar preferred.)
~ Stove / oven
~ V-berth + quarter berth + convertible settee.
~ Bimini
~ Wheel steering
~ No soft spots or major maintenance issues

Very Nice Additions
~ Davits
~ Small outboard
~ Composting head
~ Rigid dinghy + oars
~ Basic solar system


Now, what I would like to do is put up some posting URLs to boats that I think are a somewhat close match to those specs.

I will say that every single boat that I've looked at are a compromise in some way.

The other thing worth mentioning is that I am getting the feeling that we will be better off by paying a bit more for a boat that is more "complete" concerning the features we need, rather than to pick up something extra cheap and have to go through the expense and labor of adding on what we need / want.

To start things off, here is a boat that I think is somewhat close for us...

1974 Olympic Marine Carter 33 sailboat for sale in Florida

This is a Olympic Marine Carter 33. The things that are "off" if that it has a draft that is 16" deeper than what we would really prefer. Also, I have read somewhere that the included Volvo MD2030 was lovingly nicknamed "The Green Death"... gotta say - that's a bit scary to a fella like myself. Haha.

What do you think? Is this something that might work as a liveaboard Bahamas boat for a family of 3 on a tight budget?

[Hudson Force]

I notice that the Carter 33 that you have referenced is lacking at least three of the mandatory criteria that you have listed,- shoal draft, bimini & preferred diesel engine. You will be able to find a boat on the market that meets all of your criteria including your price. I would advise you not to compromise your main desires. Still, it's important to recognize that no boat exist without some compromises, but your "mandatory" list is not too long.

I would not be distracted by boats that don't measure up.

[denverd0n]

Don't mean to burst your bubble, but I honestly don't think you're going to find a boat with all of those features, that you can live on, for $15k. Or if you do find one for that amount, you are going to soon realize that it needs another $20k in repairs and upgrades before you can live on it comfortably. A $15k boat in that size range is going to be pretty much a junker, which needs a lot of work to be liveable and sailable.

In any case, good luck to you.

[Sailboat Story]

Thanks for the reply.

Listen, I definitely know it's a challenge to find the right boat in that price range. There's no delusions about that at all.

I know they are out there. I've watched several come and go, a few even on this very forum.

One thing that's going for us is that we don't need or want a lot of bells and whistles. So, that should help.

On the other hand is that I'm not at all expecting to find a deal on a boat from a person looking for anything close to retail value. I'm looking for the motivated seller, and I know those come in a variety of flavors. Yes, I know some sell because the boat is garbage, but they also sell because of financial reasons, divorce, sickness, job transfer, on and on.

Our boat is out there somewhere. I mean, I keep finding ones that are close - just not quite on the mark. The fact that it's really not all that hard to keep digging up ones that are close should be in indicator that we'll eventually come across the one that's a really good fit.

I do agree that it will be tough to find the right boat, but I have faith that if we're patient and diligent in our search that we'll find it.

[jhulmer]

Patience and persistence, your boat is out there. you'll have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your princess! but you'll know it when it happens and it will seem easy when it's all over, but not before.

somebody is trying to sell their boat right now to move up to their dream boat and will be motivated to sell quick at a discounted price.

speaking from experience here bother! good luck!

[tomrealest]

Similar post recommended looking in the Chesapeake Bay better boats at better prices

[Sailboat Story]

Here's another boat that is a close match to our requirements:

https://www.popyachts.com/boats-for-...-island-101015

I think we can probably negotiate the price so that it's more within our range, but this one does meet much of our needs.

I do like the Perkins 4108, newer rig, interior space, berths. It doesn't have a composting head, davits, or solar... most don't at this price point.

It is an OI33 - which is the boat that I feel like would best suit us. Not too big, not too small, lots of room and storage, etc.

Anyways, wondering what the feedback would be for this particular boat?

[douglong]

Look for a Glander "Tavanna" 33' built at Key Largo. Might be just right

[dwedeking2]

There's one in Green Cove Springs FL for $22k, but it's been out on the lists for a while so the price might be negotiable.

[Hudson Force]

The 1979 Morgan OI that you cited has one major improvement over the 1973 Morgan 33 OI that my family lived aboard from '73 to '85. This advantage is having the hull-deck joint at the toe rail instead of the more vulnerable rub rail.

This boat suited us well for our cruising to the Keys and Bahamas with our son and daughter until they were 7 & 9 years old. We found that they continued growing and we determined that they needed their own space. This is what led us to our current 41' Morgan that we've had since '85.

The 50hp Perkins is a larger engine than these boats were originally provided and this extra can be advantageous at times. Some of the most common issues with these boats are: Mast corrosion at the step, rudder delamination, corrosion of the back up plate or separation at the stem head fitting, soft spots in the balsa deck coring, rain leaks at portlights. The portlight leaks may have just been a weakness of the earlier boats with the large rubber port gaskets. All other features are subject to a survey as well. In general these are strong and stable boats, but not "performance" machines.

[SVNeko]

Get anything. We were hanging around with a family of 4 from Canada on on a Macgregor 26 who were having a blast.

[PhillyBill]

A couple of thoughts:
In general yacht brokers are not too interested in this end of the market. They don't stand to make any money on a sale. Unless they have possibly taken such a boat as part of a trade or someone moving up.

You should look at Craig's List and eBay, especially Chesapeake Bay area and in particular Tidewater Virginia area (Norfolk, Virginia Beach area). There are lots of sailboats in that area.

Also you should spend your weekends visiting marina and boat yard back lots. You can very well see boats that have been sitting for awhile. Some may not even be on the market officially but could be available at a great price. Some may have even defaulted back to the boatyard for non payment of storage fees.

I'm sure you don't want to defer your dream cruising but think about working for another year, scrimp and save every penny so you could be looking in the $25k to $35k price range. And/or have some funds to make the repairs and additions to the boat you find for $15k.

Suggest you get or look at Don Casey's book, Inspecting the Aging Sailboat. Follow his guidelines to eliminate boats with major flaws before you spend the money on a professional surveyor.

Good luck and happy hunting! Don't let yourself get too discouraged.

[WindwardPrinces]

You'd do a LOT better by raising your budget by 10K, or by getting by with a 30' boat.

[Sailboat Story]

Just throw another 10k at it, huh? Simple as that?

I jest... I agree that it would get me into a better buying range for sure if I could increase the budget by 10k.

Imagine yourself in my shoes...

You've got X amount of dollars saved. Out of those dollars you have to buy a boat, prep the boat, provision the boat, then have something left in the kitty to be able to actually, you know, sail. Lol.

Technically, I could increase the boat buying budget (B.B.B.) by another 10k, but I would simultaneously be decreasing my cruising kitty by an equal amount.

So, what I've got here is a bit of a balancing act going on. A nautical budget-based teeter-totter, if you will.

I'm seeing boats that are just about right. Granted, there's not a ton of them, and I'm having to both dig extra deep for them, and also negotiate pretty hard, but I think I'm getting there.

For instance, there's a P35 that I can get into for 14k - maybe a hair less even. It even has a bimini, rebuilt Yanmar, dinghy, and outboard.

Getting close. I think it can happen.

[jackheape]

If i were you I would look at the older Peason centerboards. For instance there is a Pearson 35 centerboard right now on sailboatlistings.com for $19k in Rhode Island. You could davits for about 41400, composting head $1000. Adding solar is going to cost $4-5k. A draft less than 4 ft is pretty much going to mean a centerboard boat. I think you can find a boat in decent shape for $15k but not with all of the "nice" extras you want. As mentioned, try ebay and craigslist as well.