Quote:
Originally Posted by aquarian
I'd love it if you all would keep it resurrected - I'm in the market too. :{
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I'll give some different
advice if you're looking for the same type of
boat, 30-35' for $20,000 to sail the
Caribbean and maybe further.
There are about 50 different types of boat you could pick and they would all be fine. The type of boat doesn't matter anywhere near how much
the condition and equipment of that specific boat matters.
It's like looking for an old used car for $1000. Ask people their opinion and you'll hear "get a Ford", "I got a Chevy truck for $1000 and drove it 10 years, it was great!" "Get a
Honda they last forever" and the truth is the model of car doesn't really matter, what makes a difference is when you find one near you at the right
price that has decent tires, brakes, runs ok, doesn't leak
oil,
transmission doesn't slip, and the body isn't too rusted. Then you found the right car for a $1000 and it was the right brand, doesn't matter what type.
Same thing with boat
shopping. Don't get all hung up on "I want a xxxxxx because BillyBob down at the West
Marine says they're the best old boat and he knows boats". Picking a boat by brand is something people with lots of
money looking for fairly new boats do. Spend your energy
learning how to tell if a boats
rigging is any good or not. Learn all about
diesel engines so you know how to tell the condition of one. Figure out what a spongey
deck feels like and how to do
fiberglass repair. Make sure you know how much a new sail costs as well as radios, plotters, and all those other goodies that you want to end up with in your cruising boat.
Then when you go looking at boats in your area of search in your price range you can determine which of the 10-20 or so boats you look at is the best deal. You won't be able to look at more than that because it costs too much money to keep driving around looking, and remember that nice pictures on the
internet don't mean crap, they
all look good on the
internet.
Everyone undervalues the
equipment when they're looking for a boat. It's all about the equipment if you want to go cruising on a
budget, because
boating equipment is expensive!!! A 40 year old 30-35 foot
hull and rig are worth about $5000 if they're in good condition. On a $20,0000 boat you should be able to walk around it adding up the value of each piece of equipment in your
head and total about $35,000. Yes, the boat would be worth a whole lot more if it were stripped and
sold for
parts than it's sum. That's just the way it works, sucks when you're selling.
Once you're out cruising you'll learn to love the boat whether it's got a fin
keel or a
full keel, and whichever one it has you'll tell everyone "that's the best type of boat" but what will really make you happy is that you got the one with the
propane stove, the
refrigerator, the
diesel with low hours, and the
roller furling jib.
Cheers
Re: Best Old 30'-35' Cruiser
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