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Old 21-09-2012, 07:57   #16
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by Cheechako View Post
Welcome! You can probably find one. It's not as easy as one might think sometimes though. Many bargains out there, but many of them seem to have one thing that keeps them from selling. If you are primarily cruising the Caribe, then you dont really need an 'around the world" boat. This will help with cost some. Sometimes you find a great basic boat, but all the electronics etc need updated ($10-15k with autopilot), sometimes you find a boat with great gear, but the basic boat is not too good... take your time and get the right one!
Thanks for that good advice. We have time on our hands I guess. With some sound advice from this forum, a good friend who has been a yachtsman all his life, and a brother-in-law in Canada who has owned a number of yachts and still owns one, I guess I will be in good company getting sound advice.
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Old 21-09-2012, 08:01   #17
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by WebWench View Post
We just recently completed the hunt for the perfect cruising boat for us.

You will find that the bigger boats in your price range will be older and need more money spent, to be cruising ready. Finding the right boat is all about compromises. You have to decide if an older boat and doing some work will be right for you.

We could have bought a bigger boat for our budget but we wanted a blue water, high quality, well maintained, cruise ready boat....and ended up with a 40 footer. For us it it the perfect size.
Thanks for that info, we will do our best to get as much as we would prefer in a yacht for our price range. I guess we just need to be patient even though we wish we were on the road already hunting for the right yacht for us.
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Old 21-09-2012, 08:02   #18
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by Rocketman View Post
Welcome to the forum.

Here in Florida you could more than likely find a great boat in your price range. Don't know about the UK. It sounds like you have just started your search and don't realy know what you want yet. If you are buying an older boat you should plan on spending 20-50 percent of the price of the boat to repair, upgrade, and outfit to your standards. This is if you can do alot of the work yourself. If you spend less than that concider yourself lucky.
The little stuff adds up quickly, Dinghy, dinghy motor, safety equipment, ground tackel, electronic's, the list goes on and on. Just be prepared.
Thanks for that good advice. I'm glad we joined this site because we have received a lot of sincere and seemingly sound advice so far.
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Old 21-09-2012, 08:04   #19
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by swabbmob View Post
Agree with many of the comments above - a 36 to 40 ft monohull sailboat is a great size for a couple. I happen to be the proud owner of both a 37 footer and a 46 footer. Love em both and when one sells, would be happy on the other! The 46 footer feels like twice the size of the 37 footer when raising the mainsail or maneuvering in a tight marina, and we have to watch the draft more closely.

One boat that really caught my eye when we were out cruising was the Pearson 424. This is a big 42ft boat, and they seem to be solidly built. And to my eye, they have very nice lines. Check some out on Yachtworld. They look better in person than on the computer screen.
Thanks for the tip. I will certainly have a look.
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Old 21-09-2012, 08:06   #20
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by Bash View Post
Welcome to the forum.

When you're shopping at a certain price point, you ultimately have two options. You can try to find the nicest boat for the money, or the biggest boat available at that price. Can you get a 44' boat for $100k? Sure, but it's likely to need considerable refitting. Compare that with a 35' boat available for the same price, and the smaller boat may be a much more comfortable liveaboard.

This is especially true for a first-time boat owner. When it comes to boat projects--or project boats--bigger is seldom better.
My initial knowledge that I have a lot to learn is certainly being confirmed lol.
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Old 21-09-2012, 08:09   #21
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Welcome! While you can certainly find what you're looking for, don't lock your self into something so big if its your first yacht. When I first started looking to live aboard, I was fixated on needing something 40-50 feet and 13-16 feet wide. Which would have ment a boat over twice as long and wide as anything I had ever owned before. Not to mention going from a 2-4,000 lbs powerboat to a 30k lbs sail boat. I decided on a 35' x 9.5' boat that, for me, is extremely comfortable and seaworthy. Just my .02, and it may not work for you, but don't rule out a smaller boat just because you want the space. I think you'll find a smaller vessel would work out well to live aboard. As well as being far easier to handle.
I will take your advice onboard (excuse the pun). I did crew an 80footer in the Indian Ocean, so am not a complete stranger to a very large yacht. It's my wife that has only ever once been on a 36 footer belonging to a good friend of mine. She is determined and keen to take on this adventure and we are motivated to make this dream come true. I have a healthy respect of the sea but my wife has a slight fear of the sea ... not sure which is better lol.
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Old 21-09-2012, 08:12   #22
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by Cheechako View Post
Welcome! You can probably find one. It's not as easy as one might think sometimes though. Many bargains out there, but many of them seem to have one thing that keeps them from selling. If you are primarily cruising the Caribe, then you dont really need an 'around the world" boat. This will help with cost some. Sometimes you find a great basic boat, but all the electronics etc need updated ($10-15k with autopilot), sometimes you find a boat with great gear, but the basic boat is not too good... take your time and get the right one!
I guess that we would be happy to pay about $70k - $100k for the right yacht and then spend another $15k on getting the right equipment to make the boat ocean-ready. Hope I am being realistic here?

Any tips on why some yachts are not selling ie, what that "one reason" is for not selling? I imagine it has something to do with tax not having been paid and where they are registered?
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Old 21-09-2012, 09:57   #23
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I would say youre realistic.
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Old 21-09-2012, 10:18   #24
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

Congratulations. There are plenty of comfy catamarans at under a hundred k, even down to thirty feet they are liveable, you pays your money, and keep half of it back for repairs, bi-annual lift-outs, and repairs. the old Prouts are a sound cheap boat, a bit slow under sail, but easy and safe to handle, motor and moor well and have the same accommodation as longer mono's.
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Old 22-09-2012, 18:13   #25
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

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Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812 View Post
....then spend another $15k on getting the right equipment to make the boat ocean-ready. Hope I am being realistic here?
Personally I think that might be a little low but it will depend on what you are getting with the boat that you buy and how much work you are welling to put into the boat yourself.

I think that we will easily have that much into our Endeavour making it into a boat that we can comfortably live aboard for extended periods (not full time as we like our home and where we live).

I've seen a lot of really nice boats in the $50,000 to $80,000 range, way more than we spent, but I can also see putting $15,000 to $20,000 into them to turn them into boats that would be compatible with what we want in a cruiser. Getting a boat that is say 40 feet in that price range is going to mean that it most likely will be from the 80's or older.

Most need or will need canvas, sails, bottom paint and maybe blister repair and removal of old paint to accomplish that, new modern refrigeration that is not an energy hog, solar so you don't have to run the diesel for hours every day, new wiring if it is an older boat (most likely which it is if it is going to be in the 40 foot range for the budget), new rigging, better anchoring gear if you primarily anchor out, maybe new thru-hulls and plumbing lines, does the diesel need an overhaul at first or shortly down the road, interior mods to make the boat your boat and more efficient, new cushions and covers, does the boat have davits for a dinghy, does it have a good useable dinghy and the list can go on.

We are doing most of the above and I'm sure we won't ever get all of the money and for sure not our time back out when we sell the boat, but it will be comfortable, efficient and safe while we own her. All of that stuff can add up real fast and I'd try and put away as much as you can to cover those costs. I'd rather buy an older boat for less and fix it up right than a newer one that looks great, but isn't really that efficient to own and live on full time.

I think that we could live on our 37 full time if we ever decided to go that way comfortably.

I've seen some boats that are owned by people in their 70's that had the money to do the above and unfortunately their cruising days are over. They spent the money and made the boat into a real cruiser/live-aboard but now have to part with her. That is the type of boat I'd be looking for to start with. I've seen them outside the country in the Caribbean and in Mexico and they look nice, but you have to spend some money to go look at them.

I'd also suggest that you find some way to go out on a boat for 1 month or 2 months minimum before you make this decision. One week isn't very long to use as a basis for if this is right for you. Maybe buy a smaller under 30 footer that you could get into and out of pretty quickly and try that out. Not trying to discourage you as we love it ourselves even though we won't be full time.

The best,

Sum
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Old 22-09-2012, 18:51   #26
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

We just purchased our boat and started our earch about a year ago so I know exactly what you are going through. My advice... go to some marinas or boat shows and look at different models. Find out what features are important to you and focus on them. For us it was a 38 footer. My wife had her list of must haves and want to haves as did I. There were compromises but we got a boat we are both happy with. There are deals to be had out there but beware, sometimes if a price looks too good to be true...it is! Put aside $700 or so for a survey to protect yourself before you buy.
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Old 22-09-2012, 19:25   #27
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

I would suggest making a "must have" list. This will help you narrow your search down. My list is as follows:
Blue water comfortable
Standing head room (I am 6'4)
Bridge Clearance 55' or less
Shoal draft of less than 5'
ketch
Very solid build
Total cost including refitting less than 100K
Classy lines, wow factor.

A yawl which fits the above except for being a yawl and not a ketch is the Hinkley Bermuda 40. There are several other boats on the radar too.

If I was shorter, I would have many more choices.

I have bought several boats using a must have list, and then there is "it would be nice list" too. i find having a check list really speeds up the search and then I can narrow down and pin point the search.

Hopes this helps
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Old 22-09-2012, 19:46   #28
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

as it may, I am listing a Corbin 39, ready for world cruising. up to you but check out 'JOINT EFFORT' on the corbin 39 website. I have lowered the price after this summer. a very special boat and a great deal for someone looking to explore the world's oceans.
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Old 22-09-2012, 19:50   #29
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Re: We are going to buy a liveaboard

Getting our boat 'set up' for cruising took a lot longer than we had initially thought !! In the end I was on it full time and it still took a while. Looking back on it ... the best thing I did was to ignore the 'Nay sayers' and those many 'bar stool sailors' at the club house who said I would never leave the dock ... I pressed on and completed 99% of the tasks in my home town where I could source local suppliers and had local knowledge of costs and what to expect. That saved me a whole lot of money according to friends who couldn't take the pressure and just left in order to complete the tasks along the way. This not only disrupted their cruise but also frustrated them having to deal with different cultures and cost structures.
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Old 22-09-2012, 20:14   #30
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Originally Posted by sailr69
as it may, I am listing a Corbin 39, ready for world cruising. up to you but check out 'JOINT EFFORT' on the corbin 39 website. I have lowered the price after this summer. a very special boat and a great deal for someone looking to explore the world's oceans.
Sailr69,
Who made your main sheet traveler? How is it supported below decks? I have hull #25 and been wanting to move the traveler out of the cockpit also.
BTW nice looking Corbin, and I'll vouch for the fact it's a great blue water boat. My only complaint is the cockpit is tight with 4 adults
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