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Bluewaters2812 · 18-09-2012, 08:35

Hi folks, my wife and I are new here. We have made the decision to make a lifestyle change. By the end of next year we want to travel to the USA/Caribbean from the UK and buy a yacht. We will be looking at 44ft upwards and are willing to pay up to $100 000.00.

I have crewed on yachts and completed one 7 day Ocean sail before but have never owned a yacht or "lived aboard". I am hoping to get some sound advice and tips on this forum so please feel free to respond with anything sensible

Would we be able to find a comfortable cruiser for the price I have stated and will we find something with good ocean going capabilities and equipment for that sort of price?

Thanks for your time.

Cheechako · 18-09-2012, 09:02

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!

Kevin84 · 18-09-2012, 12:40

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.

Bash · 18-09-2012, 12:54

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.

swabbmob · 18-09-2012, 13:34

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.

Khagan1227 · 18-09-2012, 13:44

Welcome aboard!

Can't add much to the comments above, but being in the market (again) for a live aboard reminds us that there are a lot of boats for under $100k, sadly be perpared to travel a bit to see several "suitable" boats.

Rocketman · 18-09-2012, 14:00

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.

WebWench · 18-09-2012, 14:02

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.

zeehag · 18-09-2012, 14:16

remember--every cruiser is a live-aboard, but every live aboard is NOT a cruiser. applies also to humans, not just boats....

Rocketman · 18-09-2012, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khagan1227

Welcome aboard!

Can't add much to the comments above, but being in the market (again) for a live aboard reminds us that there are a lot of boats for under $100k, sadly be perpared to travel a bit to see several "suitable" boats.

Khagan, I see you are from KC, I lived in Johnson Co. then KCMO for most of my life. We have a small group of us that live in SWFL now from KC, you should PM me if you ever get down this way.