Desperate for information about what to buy

[Newguys80]

We're brand new to the cruising world and have been saving for quite some time and are finally ready to get our feet wet, so to speak. We have a few boats in mind and have been devouring all information we can find about what kind of boat to purchase to cruise the world but really find ourselves wondering what kind of boat should we buy? any brand, make or model best suited for world exploration?

We're a young couple looking to go small now as opposed to big later. Anything over 32' is going to be too much and out of our price range.

What are the smallest, most reliable and (mostly importantly) affordable boats out there? We want to do this as cheaply as possible so we can go soon and return little.

Help Sailor People Help.


The Cunninghams

[Inthewind]

That's a tough question to answer without knowing your budget. I think you definitely need to get your feet wet in a cheaper boat that you can unload easier if you find that this life style is not for you. An ocean going blue water vessel even at 32 feet can be very expensive. Learn the ropes first before jumping in deep.

[scotty]

i would go for a catalina 27 they have great support and can be found for 10 k in great shape. treat it well and next year sell it for what you paid and move on after looking for the year. it gives you a solid boat to learn and play with while looking

[Pblais]

What are the smallest, most reliable and (mostly importantly) affordable boats out there? We want to do this as cheaply as possible so we can go soon and return little.

Staying closer to home means you can limp along with a boat in less than perfect condition. It means as cheap as possible does not require much with nothing offered in return. The farther you need to travel the more it costs. You do need some budget since buying the boat does not include all the gear and provisions required to load onto it or the expenses of maintaining it and the cost of the crew (you).

If you understand what boats are capable of then you can match the trip so you don't exceed the limits of money and equipment or you can take off and end up how you will.

$3,000 might get you a well used trailer-able boat that can be fixed up over a few weekends. You can then take off for short weekend trips. That would be as cheap as possible. If you expect to take off and never come back it's going to require a whole lot more money, time and planning. Reliability is about understanding what things can do and how to use them to suit your purpose not what people tell you. With no experience or training nothing will work for you all by itself. We have a lot here about learning and many of the courses you can take do a got job of getting you started, but it does require time to learn the ropes as well as an active program of sailing boats even such as a small trailer-able boat. Prolonging your purchase until you are better prepared means you understand more things and can set reasonable expectations. It means you save a lot of wasted money.

The cheapest solution is going to require that you learn a lot about boats and how to refit them. We have a lot of materials here to help with that once you can get to the point of selecting a boat. The boat purchase tends to be the cheap part of the plan since all the rest is about spending the rest of all the money.

You don't really say what you expect to be able to do other than not spend much money. There is also a lot here to read that might help you understand what you can expect. Such ideas as sailing off can start as a dream but they require a plan to be fulfilled. Being desperate is not an alternative to well thought plans. You need to surrender from desperation if you expect to sail off. Making plans never includes desperation.

[Ex-Calif]

There are great boats in the 28-32 foot range that would meet your needs.

Forget flashy, forget modern, forget particularly fast. Think utilitarian, think seaworthy, thnk full keel, think solid.

If it were me I would be looking Westsail 32.

I wouldn't be thinking Catilina 27 for a world cruiser.

[btrayfors]

I agree on the Westsail 32. But, one in decent shape may be out of their range (it would help if we knew their budget).

A similar and cheaper vessel is the Hannah-designed Tahiti Ketch. Many of these have sailed the seven seas.

Both of these boats are heavy construction, double-enders, with an easy motion at sea. They're not fast, to say the least, but with the wind abaft the beam can turn in a decent day's run. Lots of interior room for the length, so make great liveaboards.

Bill

[scotty]

dan i did not say to get a cat 27 for the world, i said to buy one to use now while learning and sell in a year. heck if you kept care of it you might be able to make money of the boat. right now the econ in the US has prices down, next year a 10 grand boat might sell for 13 if the econ recovers. the second way is if gas prices keep going up sail boat will be worth more.

they also said they want to stay smaller they should not discount 30 foot boats, from what i saw the big price jump is around 30 foot so a deal might be had

[Delezynski]

Hi Cunninghams,


It would be a good idea to get a smaller less expensive boat now, trailerable or not. Start with that and sail as much as you can for a year or so.


By doing that you will not only gain valuable sailing experience, but you will come away with a far greater knowledge of what you expect and like in a boat! A LOT of people find out, to late, what they thought they wanted in a boat was not what would actually work for them when sailing or living aboard.


I have seen people spend 10s of years building a cruising boat only to find out that it did not turn out to be the boat they wanted once at sea!


Good luck and hope to see you out here some time!


Greg

[Newguys80]

Just want to first say thanks to all you guys, the speed and quality of all responses has been outstanding.

I should of been more specific in my posting. We're working with a budget of about 20-30 thousand canadian on the initial boat purchase, which now usually more of less exactly the same as the USD.

Thanks to all for past and future posts!
the Cunninghams

[Ex-Calif]

Sorry for the misunderstanding Scotty.

You have to be patient and be ready to pull the trigger. I met Warren and his Westsail in Singapore last year. This was basically move aboard and go sailing condition.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ale-11540.html

[Chief Engineer]

I know of an Ericson 27 in wonderful condition......Very Clean....Well Kept....The owner is very fastidious about mainenance and upkeep. Located near Baltimore....no broker involved

[Zephyr's Aura]

Nor'sea 27 high 20 to low 40,000 range (a little pricey for the size) or Flicka 20 I've seen them for as little as 5000. Both have made long distance cruises. Cal 34 is what I have. You can find them for 10,000. These are just ideas. The best boat for you is the one YOU really like.

Good luck,

Tim

[nautical62]

I owned a 26-foot Westerly Centaur for 8 years that I sailed on the Great Lakes, SE Florida and to the Bahamas 5 times. I chose it because it had a solid reputation, shallow draft and was one of the few boats in that size range that had standing headroom. Many are currently on the market for under $7,000

Other older, solid boats in the size ranges you mentioned that may be affordable include: Pearson, Bristol, Alburg, Contessa, Allmond, Seafarer. Keep in mind, the condition and upkeep of boats of that vintage can vary greatly.

For protected bays and lakes, I would certainly consider boats, like Catalina, Hunter and O'day.

[bobnlesley]

I'd add the Albin Vega to that list; a Swedish yacht but I know there are lots in Canada and the USA and an active Owners Association too.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Cunninghams,
In addition to what others have said, older Islanders, Tartans, Catalinas, some Columbias are solid boats with a few but not too many fixable problems that can be gotten in good shape with your funds. How about Grampians?
The West Sail is a good sea boat that will take you anywhere for lots of years but might be at the high end of your budget. Take a look on Yacht World or eBay to get an idea of what they look like and price ranges and then get out there and go aboard a few.
Good luck in your search.
Kind regards,
JohnL