Yep, one of those guys ;)

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

RBK is spot on. Your going to put that into it again on the refit. But other than the rigging and sails, refit costs are the same. A pump is a pump..Another can of bottom paint more or less...

Don’t forget that I’m fairly certain he is posting in Canadain dollars so take another 35% off his price point.

OP if you really want value look at Valiant 40’s. They get a bad rep due to blisters, which is cosmetic and most have been repaired but they are a bargain if you find one well outfitted coming back from cruising.

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by rbk

Don’t forget that I’m fairly certain he is posting in Canadain dollars so take another 35% off his price point.

OP if you really want value look at Valiant 40’s. They get a bad rep due to blisters, which is cosmetic and most have been repaired but they are a bargain if you find one well outfitted coming back from cruising.

I am too and by your sig your also CDN.



Your right on the Valiants. There was a Valiant 44 at my club.. Nice heavy weather boat.



One of the things that bugs me is how expensive things are here. They will try and tell you its duty, taxes, high wages and shipping and all the crap. Fact is it is distribution. A distributor gets distribution rights on something and they jack the price 50-75-100%. Your local store can not buy it direct they have to go through the distributor.



Look at the price of stay-loc fittings in Canada and then go to Rigging and Hardware Only and see the huge difference.


I needed a new March pump for my A/C unit. $650 Cdn. I ordered one from the US... $220 US. I needed a spare wet end for the pump. $300 CDN. Ordered it from the US. $60 US.


I could go on and on.



When the same product is less than 1/2 the price in converted dollars in the US, I look for it there and happily pay the taxes at the border.


We are planning to leave this year and there are a few things going to be bought on the other side of the border on the way out.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Good I like the spunk. I have sailed 25 footers, 35 footers 50 footers and 50 footers. They all sail the same way.


The only difference is in maneuvering room and level of prep. A 25 footer you can just give a shove. A 50 footer requires a little more planning and prep.


Things are also much heavier muscle wise on bigger boats. So we have this.

https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-072...=28+volt+drill


and this


WINCH BIT HOME


Now its all easy. If you go that route you will want to add a second angle attachment to the drill otherwise the load is to heavy and you kill the battery.


We use it to hoist the main and trim the head sail.



Once your into 40-45 feet things get heavy...

Ya it’s nuts. I wish most US marine stores had better payment options, cause Visa/MC like to tack on another 4-6 cents on the dollar.

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by rbk

Ya it’s nuts. I wish most US marine stores had better payment options, cause Visa/MC like to tack on another 4-6 cents on the dollar.

If you use paypal with a CDN credit card on a US purchase they will do a straight exchange at standard bank rates so visa/MC does not even know it was a US purchase.



I also have a US visa card.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

If you use paypal with a CDN credit card on a US purchase they will do a straight exchange at standard bank rates so visa/MC does not even know it was a US purchase.



I also have a US visa card.

Ya I use PP where I can but it’s not always an option. Wife has been bugging me about getting a USD visa as well.

[TheRailRoader]

Thanks for all the info guys, a little busy right now so cant post more. But just wanted to say thanks and that we will check out valiants.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by TheRailRoader

Thanks for all the info guys, a little busy right now so cant post more. But just wanted to say thanks and that we will check out valiants.

Here’s a good resource in the meantime, lots of good info. Find a few that fit the bill then look into them further for availability, price etc. Good luck in your search.

Sailboat Reviews of Offshore Cruising Yachts : Bluewaterboats.org

A good read is Bob Perry’s book (I am biased) but it has some good technical chapters on hull form and design, it gets technical at points but he does a good job explaining the basics as well, you can probably find it on Amazon.

[TheRailRoader]

Ah good times, spent some time on the bluewater website today. Skimming through ads etc and oddly enough, my wife and I found a valiant 40 for sale, we looked at it and are inspecting a little closer. Getting more pictures, then a survey and having my brother who is a boat builder go and look at it. (There is a story there, we both like sailing.. but all the boats we have been on.. were well new and expensive so I assumed I was to broke to get into it haha.. turns out I was wrong. Not all boats cost 500k).

If it is a go, I will be grabbing about 20 days off in the fall and moving her up closer to me. It has the valiant pinhole issue, I've worked with glass and epoxy before so I figure I can deal with that (but yes risk there).

My wife and I are not in a hurry, we are not rushing per-se I will also be offering what I am comfortable paying and if he says no so be it and/or if to many issues exist. If everything goes ahead, I may be looking to hire someone to transport and possibly teach or may use a close family friend albeit I prefer not taking advantage of friends so i prefer paying a professional to do a job.. not a friend for free.

RR

[rbk]

The catch with the Valiants is in the hull numbers. If they fall within the blister era they go for discount prices. If outside that era (before and after) they fetch a premium. I’ve know. Several valiant owners and none cared about the blisters as it is not a structural issue. Even met a surveyor on the island (Vancouver) that had completes a 5 year (can’t remember) west cost, South Pacific, Hawaii, west coast loop. He had done a complete refit including new kubota, rig, sails etc (everything was 5 years old) was done his cruise and selling for 85 cnd. I almost jumped on it, but thought it would be a bad idea to have 2 boats. They’re fast and comfortable.
Also if they’ve spent years in cold water the blisters may not be bad/visible. They become more prevelant in warmer waters.

[TheRailRoader]

Aye I was reading up on that today, my wife actually did more research then me haha.

I figure i will be putting 50-60k into it worst case scenario over the next few years. But if she is a solid project it could be nice making it our own.

[rbk]

If you like them go on here https://sailboatdata.com/designer/perry-robert amd take a look at Bob’s other designs. He still works out of Washington (Seattle i think). He is sometimes active on online forums. Also don’t discount his ‘ripped off’ designs, some only have minor modifications to his actual designs and can be well built great boats but are sold at discount because they’re not actually ‘Perry boats’ Union 36 is a good example or the Hans Christian 36; While some of these are regularly sold as his designs, they are copies and he has at times tried to correct people, but ultimately gave up denying it. Again his book is a good read.
Sailboat data is another good resource for specifics.

[wtmf]

get rid of the pets it will simplify and save money. BIGGER is BETTER and in my opinion learning one boat is better. Besides when was the last time you enjoyed moving all your belongings from one place to another?
Consider the "extra" space FOOD or water storage. The bigger boats haveless wave roll and you shoulf also consider multi hulls, I have a trimaran. BUT with bigger plan on anchoring and using a dingy to get to shore, down side more money, upside not being near all the noise. I refer secondhand and put NEW instead of questionable second hand, upside NEW, downside more money. do you know B-O-A-T means bring out another thousand? best of luck.

[TheRailRoader]

Thanks guys, I will get that book RBK even if it is just for fun. My brother is a huge Hans Christian fan, so I'll be trotting that little fact out so thanks

Wtmf we do not have pets.. well unless you mean the kids lol. We did look at trimarans and catamarans, but discarded them due to cost and heard the ride in a good monohull was far nicer but slower. I looked at docking, maintenance fees etc as well and felt mono hull was a better choice for us. I used to move a lot of used cars around working for a dealer and I like quality used over new.. but that's me personally.

[Mainstreet]

Welcome Aboard! As a fellow Canadian good to have you in the group. Honestly...if you’re new to sailing, buy a laser or optimist dinghy and find a small lake. Be prepared to get wet. Dinghies are the perfect way to hone your sailing skills. They’re safe fun and require you to be on point to the slightest changes in wind, water and direction. I would, after a few seasons in the dink, go for some big boat lessons. The same sailing principles apply but the reaction time is slower while the consequences generally not as catastrophic!

You will really need coastal navigation and familiarity with electronics such as GPS, AIS, RADAR, NAV PLOTTER. These skills you can pick up on a big boat cruising course.

The ideal course to take in my opinion is the International Yacht Master course.
It covers all the bases.

As other folks have posted, buy a small used boat and when you’ve mastered it move up. The value of small trailerable cruisers is that you can take them to small lakes nearby and use them much more frequently especially if your in the prairies.

Your budget vs size expectations are a bit out of whack. Anything you find that fits those criteria will require the same amount or more again to make it safe and comfortable. There are two ways to look at a boat purchase, either you buy one knowing it will need repairs and upgrades or you buy one not knowing it will require repairs and upgrades. In either case, be prepared to spend double the sale price! At least when you plan for that it will tend to keep the admiral much happier!
Best regards, enjoy the sport and realize it’s really a lifestyle!

Joe

[fozrunner]

Originally Posted by rsn48

You hit a pet peeve of mine, you don't live in the Pacific North West - an American term - next you'll be spelling colour - color. When Americans in Washington tell me they live in the Pacific North West when I was living in North Vancouver, I told them I lived on the south coast, above the North West... lol. My guess is your are living in Prince George.

There are some decent charters out of Comox into Desolation Sound, and one company offers training on their sailboat. I've never taken the course but I've been moored beside their boat and talked to the owner/trainer when they were tied up at the Texada Boat Club (notice they don't use the term "Yacht Club.")

I believe you are talking about Graham Evan's Moka Luna. He operates under Cruiseandlearn.ca

My wife, two kids and I did a course with them a few years ago. My son and I did the IYT Flotilla skipper and my wife did the comp crew. We sailed out of Comox to Desolation Sound and it was a great week. Since then I've done the RYA Day skipper which has a lot more charting work.

PM me if you want more info and a private review.

cheers, Foz