Anyone bought a boat and started cruising in the South Pacific?

[HIP]

You read about people buying boats in the US, the Med and the Caribbean and starting their liveaboard/ cruising life there.
I can’t find anyone that bought a boat and started living aboard in the South Pacific. It always seems to be a destination folks pass through and then carry on to Australia or New Zealand to get more supplies or refit done.
How feasible is it to buy a boat in French Polynesia and hang out for a few years without everything breaking and having little ability to fix it?

[john61ct]

Pay enough to get an already immaculate boat and you're fine, just slower / more difficult and expensive to keep up with all the ongoing maintenance / fixups required.

Unless you're just camping around one atoll group, cruising is all potentially hairy bluewater, so I reckon not a safe place to just buy a cheap project boat and start sailing.

That said I bet plenty of RTW attempts get abandoned that part of the world for various reasons, and maybe there are already-sound bargains to be had?

[sailorboy1]

It’s just supply and demand. If there isn’t a large population of sailing people at a location there’s not going be a big supply of boats for sale.

[Cheechako]

Coming back from New Zealand or Fiji or Tonga etc is the hard trip I guess compared with going down. So there may be boats down there, but be sure yours in in faultless shape. Or be ready to circle the globe getting back via the Indian ocean.

There was a point in time in my younger life where thinking "out of the box": Why not buy a $35K well found but cosmetically poor Westsail 32, sail it through the So Pac, ending in Australia or NZ. Sell it there paying the high duties and fly home. Or give it away. At 35K who cares? It'll cost $20K or more to ship it home, or it'll be a lot of time (6 mos to a year) and wear and tear to sail it back. You can make more working in that time than you would lose if you gave it away! :>) The end result is you have as much or more $ in your pocket a year later just flying home.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by HIP

You read about people buying boats in the US, the Med and the Caribbean and starting their liveaboard/ cruising life there.
I can’t find anyone that bought a boat and started living aboard in the South Pacific. It always seems to be a destination folks pass through and then carry on to Australia or New Zealand to get more supplies or refit done.
How feasible is it to buy a boat in French Polynesia and hang out for a few years without everything breaking and having little ability to fix it?

There are a few boats available for sail in FP. So your choices aren't like in a more popular area, e.g. Mexico, NX, Aust, Carib.
You can not cruise a boat long term without dealing with continuous maintenance. It is just the nature of the beast.

[boatman61]

Yup.. way different to spending 90% of its life in a marina slowly rotting..

[overthehorizon]

We just left Langkawi, Malaysia. There were plenty of good used boats there. Some sold for very cheap as the owners had already flown away and just wanted to sell. Phuket, Thailand could be another place to check out. A friend in Tiamon, Malaysia originally was asking $120,000 for his comfortable 42' sailboat but the only offer he had was for $45K....and from what I hear, he is taking that offer. Check the listings in Tahiti and see what is available. But even for the French, keeping a boat in Tahiti is a very expensive proposition, even though the French heavily subsidize French Polynesia. Look around, throw out a bunch of offers and you will eventually get the boat you are looking for. I have known people who buy a cheap boat in one area and use it for several years then sell it.....they move on to another part of the Pacific and buy another boat and do the same.

[Saltymoggy]

Check out Raiatea Yachts .... plenty yachts for sale and based in Raiatea with excellent and reasonable haulout and yard facilities .... importing stuff can take time .... helps to speak French ...

[Siberian Sea]

Everything including good boats are very very expensive here in French Polynesia. I have French papers so hanging out hanging out for extended time is no problem for me but I’m not sure how long you can stay.

[Flyingriki]

These people did just that:
https://rubyslippers49.wordpress.com/


Crewed the boat from Vanuatu to Honolulu in 22 days alone with the owner. Long delivery.

[JPA Cate]

The above responses show how much folks want to help, and I want to honor that.

However, the question does bring up some concerns for me. Mainly it is that the answer to your question about the feasibility, for me, mainly depends on how experienced a cruiser you are already (starting off in a foreign country with different hazards to most of the US), and your MacGuyver abilities.

Another issue, for me, is that by flying to Papeete and Raiatea, you would cut out all the lovely sailing from Mexico to the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, and the arrival in Papeete, and sailing around the Societies. Those experiences are part of your growth as a cruising sailor, an ambassador to the countries you visit. It is something significant to miss out on.

Ann

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by Siberian Sea

Everything including good boats are very very expensive here in French Polynesia. I have French papers so hanging out hanging out for extended time is no problem for me but I’m not sure how long you can stay.

As a non EU person you can stay 90 days. But if you know you will be staying longer you should apply for a French Polynesia long stay visa before you arrive. That will get you a year and easily renewed. Linda just renewed her visa for the 3rd time.

We know many people that have purchased vessels in FP. It’s very doable to go east to the Tuamotus and even the Marquesas islands but you need to have patience for the right weather.

Yes the cost of maintenance is higher than some places but the cruising is fabulous and the water clear and warm.

Good luck with your choice

Chuck
Jacaranda
Mo’orea, French Polynesia

[nhschneider]

I would encourage the Original Poster to consider buying a boat in the USA or perhaps even Mexico and shaking it down well before going offshore. Doing a sea trial and getting a survey can easily disguise serious limitations that can become significant problems when dealing with heavy weather, long passages, etc. Essentially, it comes down to what level of discomfort you and your crew are willing to tolerate and what level of safety you require.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[HIP]

Thanks to all who have replied. I just hadn't read of a lot of people doing what I originally proposed.

From the gist of most comments, the overall answer seems to be that it IS possible to start in FP but probably isn't the best choice for a novice cruiser and/or someone budget conscious. Plus I've been told it is so beautiful that it will ruin you for other cruising destinations