Sailboat make/model advice: Young couple looking for a coastal cruising boat in PNW

[slide]

I don't see important you get it exactly right for your first boat. Until you've owned a boat and sailed a bit, including spending some nights on a hook, you don't know what you want. After a few years sailing about, you'll be able to design your own boat from scratch. Then, if your current boat isn't exactly what you wish, move on to the one that is - after you know.

Of the two brands you mention in your OP, I strongly favor the Catalina. While slightly larger than you may be thinking, the Cat 36 would be a good choice and in the end, all you ever wish to have.

[gulfcoastsailor]

There is one high quality built boat meeting your parameters in WA right now. Pacific Seacraft 34’ sloop. I would check it out.

[TrentePieds]

At my marina there is a Fast Passage 39 listed for Can$95K, so that's within your budget. She is, I believe, ready to go transoceanic, and I know from experience that the FP39 is just the cat's pajamas in the Salish Sea. Given your specifications, I think you should google the FP39, a William Garden design, as an early step in your search.

TP

[DennisRyan]

Another vote for Catalina 34 or 36. They hold their value well and would be pretty easy to sell when you are ready to move up in size.

[kenL]

It seems that the chartering part is what will complicate your decision as there are many great boats in the 30-34 foot range. Most people chartering are going to want something a little bigger. Ericson made a nice 34 footer if you can find one. some had the aft cabin and dinette as you desired and they sail very fast. I recently bought an Ericson 38 which is easier to sail than my previous 32 footer, is fast ,comfortable and has plenty of room and the ability to go offshore is the future. I would highly recommend one of these designs. Whatever you choose find one with a newish engine and one that has been upgraded and cared for well.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Yeah, I was going to say it sounds like you are describing a Catalina 34. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

I'm biased though.


And they are hard to find. Those of us who have them tend to keep them. When I moved to BC I sailed her up from SF.



We continually see questions like this. "What boat should I/we buy???" regardless of the qualifiers, some better than others.


The reality is that there are simply so many boats available for sale that the question is practically and realistically unanswerable.


We don't know what these folks like, and "like" has a LOT of impact. Some folks dislike certain brands, just visually. It's a reality.


Buying a used boat has a LOT of serendipity involved. Timing is everything. Cost, when reasonably budgeted, rarely is. Just read all the "I have X $$$ budgeted, what can I buy for it..." questions.


For example, Don's quoted post is perfect: BOTH a C34 and C36 would meet the criteria. The 34 has an aft head and NO ONE is exposed to being only a thin plywood wall away from being pissed on when someone's in the head. The C36 has a fwd head, which I don't like in a seaway. The saloons are like night and day. But the boats have identical systems.


A good friend who had just spent two years perfecting their C34 jumped when another friend was selling their Hunter 356.


For the OP, when a question like this is asked, 99% of the time the answers are essentially "I love my boat, you will, too." Why, 'cuz we all bought what we liked and could afford. Some of us kept them (me: 20 years) others moved up to bigger but remember, fondly, their mid-30 footers. Some have even downsized.


And there are two ways to buy a boat:


1. I want a mid-30s for $X budget.
2. I want a [specific boat, C34] and I'll spend the time required to find one (I did).



One cannot do #2 without walking the docks and doing research to narrow down what YOU seem to desire, and, more importantly, dislike so as to avoid.


Oh, did I mention walk through transoms yet?


Good luck.

[Mithril Bham]

You also might look at a well-maintained Pearson. Although they are getting old they are well made. Also a way you might be able to get your money back out. I agree larger boats sail faster in light winds in many cases.

[T-Birder]

there's a Beneteau Oceanis 31 2011 in Bellingham WA 85K but the owner is motivated ...he bought a power boat. But it does need a new head sail prox $2400 for a 135 gene
You can still use the settees for bunks

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

With 70k of budget you can easily buy a 38 or 41 feet production boat with 3 or 4 cabin and prepare and use it for Bluewater sailing and you won't need to sell it later .

Yeah, you can certainly afford to buy such a boat, but can you afford to KEEP it??? It is not uncommon when buying a used boat to find you have to spend at least 50% or more than the purchase price to put it in good, safe, sailing condition & I'm sure you realise you will pay big bucks to keep it in a marina which will require you spend more big bucks to insure your new toy to meet the conditions of the marina. Then there's the matter of maintenance which is an ongoing thing. Sometimes, small is better but then I see one of your requirements is an 'aft stateroom' … happy spending, uh, uh, I meant "sailing" . . .

[Pizzazz]

Buying a starter boat in my view is wasteful - mostly because you would be outfitting the boat twice (electronics, running wires, sails, etc.). You could decide not to spend any money on the starter boat but then you will not love it. Boats like to be taken care of and this takes money. You also lose some money in the transaction and it typically takes a long time to sell a boat which means that you may end up with two boats at some point.

If you decide with a starter boat, you have three categories in the 30-34 range:

1. Hunter/Catalina/Beneteau, designed for coastal work, with great space, light, easy to handle and relatively simple. My vote will go for the Hunter 31/34 but a Catalina 34 is good as well. Emphasis here is value for money.

2. Older Water boats">blue water boats. I say older because the blue water market has moved to 40 feet+ boats for various reasons. In your suggested size the boats are a lot smaller than the coastal cruisers above. Some of the space is taken at the bow for a big anchor locker, some at the back, the beam is smaller and not carried aft. You end up with a tiny boat. Not recommended.

3. Performance oriented boats such the suggested Beneteau First and some others. These boats are optimized for racing and I would not recommend for extended stay aboard. But they are light, well built and can go anywhere.

Most important is how you feel inside the boat: light, space, fit and finish. I particularly like the Hallberg-Rassy boats, have a look at the 31 and the 34 models. Many regard them as successful offshore boats. Then compare layouts on sailboatdata.com to narrow down your choices. This is how I chose my Hunter 31, a boat with a very similar layout to the HR31 (but lower quality and cost). See attached file.

If you decide to skip the starter boat, I believe you can get a decent boat for $70K or slightly above. For example, there was a Beneteau 45f5 (an amazing boat for its time) that recently sold around here in Marina del Rey for $75K.

SV Pizzazz

[Slovak]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Remember that to charter your boat in the US, it has to have been U.S. manufactured.

I'm curious to hear more about this restriction. Where/how can I search for info?

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by Slovak

I'm curious to hear more about this restriction. Where/how can I search for info?

I don't remember where I saw this unfortunately but the rule is that skippered charters that take on passengers in the US have to be done on a boat with a keel that was laid in the US. (And I believe you also must have the US flag, not sure whether you need a state or federal registration.)

Bareboat chartering in the US can be done on foreign built boats, not sure about the flag. There’s an official USCG decision on the interpretation of the rules about that.

Or skippered chartering where you embark the passengers outside of the US can be done with foreign built boats under foreign flag.

For example, if as a skipper you embark your passengers in Vancouver BC and then sail to the San Juan Islands WA, then you don’t need a US built boat nor a US flag.

[gjordan]

After re-reading your original post, I am going to suggest that unless you have been in the hospitality business, just skip the charter idea and get the best boat for you and your wife. This will open up your choices of boats, so you can get what you need without too much compromise. The idea of making money with your boat is very appealing but many (maybe most) find that it isnt worth the hassle or worse yet ends up ruining the dreams of boating. Chartering puts a big burden on the first mate and can take the fun out of sailing. If you have run a hotel or B&B then ignore this, but it is something to consider. _____Grant.

[Sand crab]

I don't know about that Grant. I still sail on my buddy's MacGregor 26M and he bareboats that out here in the PNW all the time. He said he made something like $12 or $15k gross last year. About half of that would be profit I'm guessing. That boat is only worth $25K so not too bad. There is a short season here so factor that in.


Maybe I'm comparing apples and oranges though: bareboat vs crewed charters.

[TrentePieds]

Bare-boat and skippered are two different beasts. Bare-boating can work because the regulations are different. In bare-boating the vessel is just a tool for generating ROI, and the last kind of boat you want to use for that is a boat that you could be in love with :-). Here in Canada "chartering" used to be profitable because the Capital Cost Allowance (depreciation for taxation purposes) could be offset against income from other sources. It is no longer so, but I doubt not that with interest rates being what they are, bare-boating yields a better CONTRIBUTION than term deposits or even equities.

Around here, the best ROI is on real estate. The annual CONTRIBUTION (not ROI) would be about the same twixt a bare boat in charter and a cheapo (slum) apartment. The apartment, however, APPRECIATES in real terms, the boat DEpreciates. Thus the ROI on a slum-apartment is far superior to that on a boat.

The OP, I read between the lines of #1, is hoping to have charter income offset to some degree the cost of ownership of the boat to come. Not likely IMO to be very efficacious at all, in a vessel such as the one envisaged by the OP. I may be wrong, but I would have thought that for someone in, say, Redmond or Issaqua there are far better ways of offsetting the cost of boat ownership than messing about with skippered charters :-)

TP