College Grad Looking for Cruiser

[Vitulina]

Hey everyone,


I am a college student looking to purchase a blue water cruising sailboat capable of doing ocean-crossing passages.

I am working part-time through school and full time during the summer saving EVERYTHING, and will be graduating with roughly $35,000 in the bank. I plan on working for another year, and then purchasing a boat for hopefully equal to or less than $50,000, and then spend the next few years outfitting the vessel and saving for living expenses to go on a multi-year cruise. I am not trying to purchase and outfit the boat for $50,000; the 50k is how much I would like to spend on the boat initially. I'm looking for a cruiser that's in the 35-40ft range and with a dive platform on the stern, ideally.

There are many hundreds of sailboats which fall in this range, but I want to know which models/brands make cruisers sturdy and capable enough to cross oceans, or atleast what sort of specifications (displacement, draft, freeboard etc.) are necessary for safe open water sailing vessel.

Any advice, tips, criticism or other is appreciated


Disclaimer: Im not jumping into this blind, and I certainly wont be squandering my savings before I know EXACTLY what I want/need. I just figured making a post here would be a good place to start, as I could get some information more specifically related to my situation.

Thank!

[Don C L]

Wow, well first of all welcome here!
Well, it would be nice to get a little more information about you and your preferences to help give tips. I am not sure how you will have an income over the years you will be cruising, but if it were me, (and I did have a boat when I was college,) and I was thinking of getting into a stout, good performing, sea-worthy, sea-going boat (which I would!) I'd be looking at a well cared-for and well equipped classic from the 60s, because they (can) represent an excellent value for the money. I am guessing you will be singlehanding. Not sure of your experience level. One that I like and I would consider for myself is a Pearson Rhodes 41. It is old school, but as an all around design and build (very thick hull lay-up) it's a good one to check. It may sound big, but it is more length than big, pretty narrow. I'd also consider a boat like the Columbia 38. Or Columbia 40 for shoal draft (Morgan design.) My own preferences for a cruiser though would be to avoid a spade rudder (though the C 38 has one,) but some here will disagree perhaps. I also like a molded-in keel, but that is me. At any rate, check bluewaterboats.org for a few good ideas too. There are a lot of good candidates.

[Don C L]

Oh and as far as sea-worthiness, I'd recommend checking Adlard Coles' book, "Heavy Weather Sailing" for good tips there. Olin Stephens recommended that a boat have a displacement to length ratio of between 300 to 400 as I recall, and I'd trust what he said.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Vitulina.

[boatman61]

Ahhh.!!! yet another believer in the 'Blue Water' myth put out by brokers and magazine advertising..
Beneteau's cross oceans.. Ask MarkJ.. or me.. and they have a swim platform..
Your best bet is go to Yachtworld.com and look for boats that suit your requirements then come back with a list of brands and models for us to critique.. otherwise we're just throwing balls in the air.
Welcome to CF..

[canyonbat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Ahhh.!!! yet another believer in the 'Blue Water' myth put out by brokers and magazine advertising..
Beneteau's cross oceans.. Ask MarkJ.. or me.. and they have a swim platform..
Your best bet is go to Yachtworld.com and look for boats that suit your requirements then come back with a list of brands and models for us to critique.. otherwise we're just throwing balls in the air.
Welcome to CF..

What he said! On here you will find proponents of pretty much every boat ever built. Best advice is, if you can't get out and sail lots of different boats, at least get out there and look at them. Get to know boat dealers in your area. Be honest with them about your plans and let them show you their inventory.

When we were in buying mode, we prioritized our wants and needs, developed a budget, developed a list of likely candidates, looked at a ton of boats up and down the West Coast and ended up buying something not even on our list (or exactly within our budget). Sometimes a boat just grabs you!

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Ahhh.!!! yet another believer in the 'Blue Water' myth put out by brokers and magazine advertising..
Beneteau's cross oceans.. Ask MarkJ.. or me.. and they have a swim platform..
Your best bet is go to Yachtworld.com and look for boats that suit your requirements then come back with a list of brands and models for us to critique.. otherwise we're just throwing balls in the air.
Welcome to CF..

That's for sure.

I would much prefer Mark's Beneteau to a 1960's leaner with a 28' waterline and a 10' beam.

But, that is why there are thousands of threads exactly like this on the internet.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: " I certainly wont be squandering my savings before I know EXACTLY what I want/need."


Well, yes - you probably will be. None of us EVER get " EXACTLY what (we) want/need.". What we get is something that is reasonably close to what we THINK we want/need. Then we spend a pile of money on bringing it CLOSER to what we think we need. Then, as we learn about the boat we have, and about ourselves, we spend ANOTHER pile of money to modify what we thought we wanted/needed into something we think will be a better fit with our new-found perceptions. Ad infinitum.

If you have considerable sailing experience, you will already have developed firm likes and dislikes in regard to the TYPE of boat you'll want. Accommodations, handling and so forth. If you have little or no sailing experience, you can only confuse the issue by asking us in the way you've now asked the question because while certain makes and models of boats are more suitable for what you wish to do than others, the INDIVIDUAL boats within each make/model vary so much as a result of previous owners' modifications that boats of makes/models that in the general case might not be suitable, are nevertheless eminently suitable, and boats that COULD have been excellent candidates have been buggered about by previous owners to the degree that they are now unfit for your purpose.

Don't forget that boats are for sale for a reason. When you buy a fifty year old boat that has been through a succession of owners, you may very well find that each successive owner has known less and less about what is wanted/needed in a cruising boat, and has "improved" the boat by installing gear that will only get in your way because it is either unnecessary or too complex for the task it has to perform.

So if you shop for boats with a 50K budget for the PURCHASE, allow another 25K for modifications, and another 25K for fitting out for your first long voyage.

You can find plenty of good "platforms" (a sound hull, rig and engine) for fifteen or twenty grand on which you can then spend the twentyfive to bring 'er to good nick. Don't forget that if you buy a bad engine mounted in a good hull you are looking at twenty grand to repair/replace the engine. Most older boats need rewiring. If you can do it yourself - great! Five grand would do it. If you can't, and call in a marine electrician, you'll be outta pocket ten grand.

I think we can stop there :-)

Go look for something you THINK will fit the bill. Then come back with specific questions, and someone here will give you a specific answer based on ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

All the best

TrentePieds

[CaptRory]

Find an old Island Packet 35 that requires a lot of elbow grease. Best ocean going production boat on the planet.

1989 Island Packet 35 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[bjymd]

welcome aboard!
I would say keep working till you have at least $100k to start,
then fix up a fine safe boat and sail away
it might be harder to work after being away for several years so
leverage your education now.
Have you taken sailing courses and done weeks onboard.
It would be better to know whether or not you love the life or not.
Have you sailed monos and multis enough to make a decision?
Best of luck

[Island Time O25]

If you have long term cruising/liveaboard plans my advice would be spend a year or two working as a general help or an apprentice in a busy boat yard/marina which has sailboats as a good portion of its business. Not only will you make some $ in the process but will gain a lot of experience and general knowledge of the boat systems, etc. Plus you will see, test and sail many different makes, models, sizes, vintages, etc. In a year or two most of the questions in your initial post will be answered or no longer will seem relevant to you.

Any "hanging out" at such a place gives you an insight which you will never get from the outside. I still recall years ago hanging out at my auto mechanic's place waiting for my car to be fixed. One day as I was there in came about a half dozen or more brand new looking Mercedes SLs (it was back in the late 80s). Come to find out that their then latest models were so bad that dealers were overwhelmed by the demand for repairs and were farming out the repairs to knowledgeable and experienced indie mechanics, of which my mechanic was one. Gaining that type of knowledge is invaluable, IMO.

[barnakiel]

Hi,

Congrats on your college life! You are lucky to be i na college and with a head full of dreams!

As for the boat, I would start in something:
- simple,
- easy (for simple),
- reliable (from quality),
- good value.

Have a look at boats like:

- Contessa 32,
- Pacific Seacraft,
- Waquiez Centurion,
- Vancouver 27,
- etc.

They are not of the latest breed BUT they sail well, are safe and seaworthy and they keep their value well.

Good luck in your undertaking!

Let us know what boat you get, when you get one!

Cheers,
b.

[Southcoasting]

Originally Posted by Vitulina

Hey everyone,


I am a college student looking to purchase a blue water cruising sailboat capable of doing ocean-crossing passages.

I am working part-time through school and full time during the summer saving EVERYTHING, and will be graduating with roughly $35,000 in the bank. I plan on working for another year, and then purchasing a boat for hopefully equal to or less than $50,000, and then spend the next few years outfitting the vessel and saving for living expenses to go on a multi-year cruise. I am not trying to purchase and outfit the boat for $50,000; the 50k is how much I would like to spend on the boat initially. I'm looking for a cruiser that's in the 35-40ft range and with a dive platform on the stern, ideally.

There are many hundreds of sailboats which fall in this range, but I want to know which models/brands make cruisers sturdy and capable enough to cross oceans, or at least what sort of specifications (displacement, draft, freeboard etc.) are necessary for safe open water sailing vessel.

Any advice, tips, criticism or other is appreciated


Disclaimer: Im not jumping into this blind, and I certainly wont be squandering my savings before I know EXACTLY what I want/need. I just figured making a post here would be a good place to start, as I could get some information more specifically related to my situation.

Thank!

This is pretty much an open ended question for this forum. I'm afraid you will not get a precise answer...You will get tons of answers on the forum member's specific favorites that may be biased. You may be better off looking up old threads...

To be honest though, my advice is to not look for a specific boat...Just be open minded about the market and what it has to offer based on what your budget is, and boat qualifications for you...After you see the ones that meet this list, then you can do the research about them...

Any boat can be made safe for a lengthy passage as long as you read up on what it takes and take the measures to make the boat what you want it to be...Some are built rugged without needing structural changes...some need re-enforcement in specific places or upgrades in certain areas...that all depends on build, etc...

With $50k to spend up front, you can certainly get a cruise ready old boat with the works (ie. electronics, windvane, etc etc)...I know that for a fact...

or get a decent to good $25k old boat and have $25k for refit...if done smart and you do your own work within the couple years you have, you should be ready even if you had that boat in the water for use in the summers...that is if you stay single and focused and not party too much.

An awesome reference for me that I love is "Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat" by Daniel Spurr. It will give you an idea what it takes for a boat to be structurally ready for passage.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Ahhh.!!! yet another believer in the 'Blue Water' myth put out by brokers and magazine advertising..
Beneteau's cross oceans.. Ask MarkJ.. or me.. and they have a swim platform..
Your best bet is go to Yachtworld.com and look for boats that suit your requirements then come back with a list of brands and models for us to critique.. otherwise we're just throwing balls in the air.
Welcome to CF..

I'll join the crowd agreeing with Boatman. There is no generally accepted definition of a bluewater boat or even what bluewater means.

I got into a long "discussion" with one guy who had obviously read too many books and done very little sailing, who was convinced that to sail 50 miles from Florida to the Bahamas that he had to have a super sturdy, full keel, ketch rigged, double ended tank. Never did get a satisfactory answer when I pointed out people take jet skis and Hobie Cats to the Bahamas.

On the other extreme, people have sailed small, cheap, light weight production and home-built boats all over the world and lived to tell the tale.

I would try to narrow down the question to what you mean by bluewater. Do you mean sailing around Cape Horn or sailing across the Pacific trade winds route. Both are "bluewater" but entirely different.

If trade winds, Caribbean and Bahamas sailing then 90% of the production boats built, with a tiny modicum of care, will do the job.

[laika]

Sounds like a great plan. Would echo some others' advise in not overthinking it. Don't get too full of ideas with what you think you want or need. Don't spend too much time getting the boat that's "just so". Buy a boat that you can appreciate, come to know it well and trust it, and go have fun.

I started at 25. If I made a mistake in prepping it was spending too much time in a boatyard. The boat and all the gadgets pale in comparison to the experience itself.

That said, would be hardpressed these days to give up the watermaker, the composting head, and the windvane/AP.

It's a truly great lifestyle and a real bastion of freedom in the world. You wont regret it!