Would a 28' glastron/spirit sailboat be a decent liveaboard?

[Confederate]

Im young and single with just me and my dog. I dont know anything about sailing but would like to buy one to liveaboard and learn along the way. Would a 1979 glastron/spirit 28' be decent?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Confederate.

My wife & I lived on a similar sized C&C29 (Mk 2) for 10 years.
➥ http://spirit28.com/

[Pete7]

Possibly, depends what you wanted to do with it, were you are staying during the winters and what cruising areas you would like to visit.

For alternatives I would have a read of John vigors blog and in particular buy a second hand copy of his excellent "20 Small Boats to take you anywhere" book.

Pete

[rw58ph]

Warm climates maybe. Cold climates NO!

[Confederate]

Thank you for the replies. i live in east TN so the winters arnt usually that bad. as far as whered id be cruisein< for now just the local rivers with the inboard lol till i get educated. how was it Gord?

[barnakiel]

If you like living in this amt of space, you will be a happy live-aboard too.

b.

[Confederate]

well im going this weekend to take a better look at it and get a "real feel" of how much space it will be. I was in the army for 6 yrs so i know ive lived in smaller and made it work lol

[laika]

It's me and 50lb dog onboard a 27'. My opinion, the most important thing is just keeping the dern thing clean. It's wonderful waking up to a clean boat and dreadful otherwise. Been cruising up and down the east coast the last few years without regret.

[Confederate]

thats about how big my dog is and i could see keepin it clean would help out alot.

[Confederate]

these are the specifics in the ad with the boat.

1979 Glastron Sail boat for sale. This boat has it all. Inboard Yanmar diesel motor that will run for a summer on $20. The motor has 2 batteries on a bank and a gate switch for them. The boat runs great and starts right up. I have never had a hard time starting or driving the boat on long distances.

There is a bathroom and a sink. The bathroom has a built in toilet and plumbing system that draws the water from the lake and stores in holding tank. There is also a water tank">fresh water tank on the boat that can supply anything you need. There is a stove in the kitchen area and a ice box that could hold probally 20 bags or more of ice. I will also throw in a air condition unit with the boat. It is great and will chill the boat on even the hottest of days. I also have a ship to shore cord that I can throw in. It is a 30 amp that hooks right into the boat.

The boat has a ladder on it that come stock mounted to the transom. That is a nice feature if you have had a boat with out one. There are extra railing mounted to the back for a grill placement. 2 bilge pumps. Ship to shore radio and water proof CD player.

All three sails are in great condition. You won't find a boat like this for the price.

It is 28 ft. and very wide if you have any questions give me a call, email or text

Over All Length: 28'
Beam: 10'
Displacement: 6900 Lbs.
Fin Keel: 2900 Lbs.
Draft:4.9'
Inboard 15 HP Yanmar Diesel
Cabin Clearance: 6' 2"
Mast Height: 37'
Full Tilt Boogie: 6 Knots

[laika]

Don't know the boat but sounds like it could be a nice liveaboard. 10' beam and 6'2" headroom are nice. Depending on how tall you are it can be tough to find standing headroom in a boat under 30'. It's a really nice luxury to have though. The icebox will not hold 20 bags of ice, must have meant 20lbs. I have a little Yanmar diesel and, while parts are expensive, it's been a reliable engine and they tend to enjoy a good reputation.

Based on the description from the current owner, the boat may be a little rough around the edges, but then again they all are. If you're serious about buying and not planning on hiring a surveyor, just make sure you cover your bases: thru-hulls and seacocks in good working order? any soft spots on deck? hows the rigging look? any delaminating of the bulkhead tabbing/joints? does the yanmar look serviceable and operate as described?

[Confederate]

as embarasing as it is i dont even know what half of the things you just listed are. thats my biggest problem on top of not even knowing how sail. and im doing this on a budget. the fella wants 3500.00 does that even seem decent for how it sounds?. if i knew how id post some pictures of it.

[barnakiel]

Weather plays a huge role: it seems in warm and dry climes a smaller boat is fine (your cockpit a balcony, your dock a yard) while in colder and rainier places a bigger boat is a much better house.

b.

[WebWench]

If I were you I would do more research before investing in a boat when you are not familiar with the costs of maintaining a boat...especially if you are on a budget and did not understand the things that can be wrong with a boat that will require huge costs to fix.
Some people imagine that they can live on a boat at anchor for free...not really. You still have to get to and from the boat to land and maintain the boat if you plan to live there long without major problems. Then if you are at a dock, you will have monthly marina fees, utilities, etc. and still have to deal with maintenance. Many small boats leak and if they don't right now it is just a mater of time until they do....unless you maintain them well. Everything for boats is more expensive.
For example....if you pull the boat out of the water and find problems with thruhulls, blisters, bottom needing paint etc. it could cost as much as you paid for the boat to have the repairs done....if you don't do most of it yourself.
Bottom line....do lots of research to find out just what boat ownership, maintenance and sailing is all about....before you jump in to buy a boat.