Gave my two week notice at work...

[robbievardon]

Winter in Canada is a time of boat buying bargains. Storage fees of $1500 to $2000 are a real incentive to owners to sell if they are changing boats or giving up. It is possible to obtain a boat "Free" just to get the owner out of the storage fee and the boats are by no means "a wreck" For your needs assuming you are going to live a simple life 25ft to 27 ft is a good length as you can find many versions with varying internal layouts and varying prices. I have seen recently the same make and size of boat on "o b o " from less than $3000 to more than $15000. this is all about equipment and condition and not necessarily age. First you need to go and see some boats to decide what layout you like internally,does it have a head, what is the cabin headroom,is it organised on deck for a single sailor,ie can you manage the sails from the cockpit? Unless you are thinking South, the sailing season is over for most of Canada so you can find boats for sale where the price includes winter storage and putting the boat back in the water next year. I would suggest you pick 2 or 3 types then start looking at the for sale adds. For some reason which I cannot understand many sailors seem reluctant to post many pictures of inside and out of their boat and the quality/angle of the shots is often poor along with little technical data. Others give lots of pics, tech data and service history. I have seen both. You can of course ask for more details but quite often it is slow to arrive at all with a typical response of "thats all the pics i have" Think modern cell phone!!!! Having said that no information does not always mean the boat is not worth seeing/buying.I would suggest that if you are not desparate to become a nomad you consider waiting till next spring to buy.Although prices will go up then,the problem now is that many boats have been wrapped up for winter so you can*t see inside. Next viewing for a boat I was interested in is April 2017! To start you off try searching Kijiji webb site, you can select price,size,area to avoid a few thousand adds. Best of luck, but you have to balance a mixture of patience and speed to get the bargains, Robbie

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by windshadowthree

I forgot to mention in my last post: Get Don Casey's book, "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat" before you go any further. This book would also be helpful for power boats. If I had of read that book before purchasing a previous boat, I would have saved myself about 6k!
This book is excellent! You can do your own preliminary surveys on interested vessels and when you finally, after viewing several duds, find the one that passes your survey, hire a professional surveyor for the boat and another mechanical survey for the motor. My $300 mechanical survey saved me a $900 bill, netting me a total saving of $600. Canadian $. Bottom line, get the book!

+1

The book gives a nice method on how to appraise a potential boat BEFORE you get to do any kind of survey. This will save you loads of time. And once you have a good candidate you can do a more in depth survey of your own. If you feel confident in your abilities to assess a boat you might skip the professional survey to save money. But, I advise against skipping because you don't have money to waste by buying a bad boat. A surveyor will know more than you, no matter how careful you are.

[Sea Dreaming]

And I agree with kimak too. Mexico is a great place to buy a boat and live on a budget. Mexico is pretty accommodating to foreign boaties and there are enough Canadians and Americans around that you won't have any problems with the language in many places. If you know a smattering of Spanish so much the better!
Get yourself out of Canada for a little while! There will be more rain and snow "later".

[Dave22q]

$10k for a 30 footer is a little too cheap even if US$. Unless it is a special situation like death or divorce I would stay far away. Necessary refit might run you another $15 or more unless you have the skills to do a lot yourself. A 25 or 28 would better fit your budget. Anyway $40 Canadian is insufficient for a cruising lifestyle. You absolutely will need a source of income to avoid going broke in a year or two. A smarter financial strategy is to find another job and start with a trailer-able 25 or 28.

[groundtackle]

Keto, I do pre/post purchase undocumented surveys. Also steer clients into or out of their chosen list of potential vessels. Not a surveyor, just a guy with well rounded experience.
You find anything that catches your eye in my backyard (Sidney/Victoria area) and I'd be happy to have a quick peek for you. In 5 minutes or less I can tell if it's something worth persuing..even from an ad. All I ask is you consider a nice new EXCEL anchor if your new baby doesn't already come with one.
My advise..Buy a nice boat that someone put to much $ into it and get a deal or- Get a beater and go sailing, don't fix anything except the stay safe stuff.
I saw a yellow Niagra 31 on Used Victoria not long ago, thats my choice for option 1.
ce

[GPSocal]

Keto

You can get quotes from marine trucking companies. If you have a flexible pickup and delivery schedule it can be a saving. Also if you can find a trucker who's looking at a deadhead run back to Seattle or Vancouver there should be some savings.

[hamburking]

OK..you asked...here's one priced in canadian dollars, but already in the bahamas, waiting for you to start the good life:

Sailboat | sailboats | City of Toronto | Kijiji

Alberg 30 in Belleville Ontario (atomic 4):
ALBERG 30..FREDAWN | sailboats | Belleville | Kijiji

Although I'm not fond of the grampian line, I make an exception for the 28:
Sailboat 28' - Family Cruiser/Racer | sailboats | Oakville / Halton Region | Kijiji

This is a solid boat too:
C &C 31 Corvette newer Yanmar 2YM-15 diesel 2008 under 100 hrs | sailboats | Oakville / Halton Region | Kijiji

ENJOY!

[Juho]

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

Yeah I love that nobody seems to like the BC winters, keeps anchorages quiet, mostly. Even the locals leave their boats tied to a dock on a sunny 16 degree (Celsius) Saturday. Fine by me, fewer people to crash into, haha.

Yes, late autumn sailing is great fun . You have all the water, islands and colourful scenery there, just for yourself. Unfortunately I had to lift the boat up before the sea freezes.

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

True, I'm a pretty simple bloke, all I spend money on normally is food and I'll be taking it easy on the boat so as to avoid stressing the standing rigging and engine, not much point getting an extra knot of speed if you dismast, I guess, lol.

Food and some heat is all you need in addition to sailing and scenery.

[JoJoLady]

We purchased our boat in Rhode Island, no sales tax. Yacht world has tons of boats. Are you sure you want to sail? Lessons first than choose what you are comfortable handling.

[Mike OReilly]

Lots of good advice here. I too am in your financial neck of the woods, so can offer my experience. My spouse and I left the daily grind 1 1/2 years ago. Said goodbye to land home, most possessions, and jobs. We’ve left with no guaranteed income, but with what we hope is sufficient savings to bridge us to when we can start collecting very modest pensions beginning in about five years (the longer we wait, the better). We left with a somewhat larger boat than you are considering, but it is simple, solid, and fully ours (zero debt).

We stay away from marinas as much as possible, live modestly but well, and generally go slow so avoid putting undue (and costly) stress on boat or crew. So far we’re doing just fine.

I describe all this as a way of saying I think your plan is doable — as long as you are willing to live at the modest and frugal end of the spectrum.

A couple of thoughts:

• The cheapest boat is not necessarily the least expensive. Sometimes it’s worth spending more up front. That’s not to say there aren’t incredible deals out there, but don’t simply go by initial price.
• Along the same line, quality matters. With your budget you are probably looking at 20 to 40 year old boats. Not all boats are created equal, so zero in on quality-built boats that have been well maintained.
• Look for boats with solid, simple equipment lists. Don’t be seduced by lists of fancy electronics. Upgraded wiring, standing rigging, winches, etc. are all gold.
• A good time to buy in eastern Canada/US is early fall before boats have been set up for winter. Another good time is late winter/early spring before they’ve launched. IOW, just ahead of big expenditures are due.

A few years ago I priced out the cost of moving our 37-foot (30,000#) boat via truck from Ontario to BC. Quotes came in around the $10k mark.

Good luck

[reed1v]

Indeed a conundrum. Bigger kitty needed; thus get a wife with money. The other alternatives: robbing a bank, dealing drugs, or working for the government probably are not good ideas.

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

Hey cruisers

Well, earlier than expected I gave my notice at work yesterday.

I remember when I did that 5 years ago. Mixture of hope, remorse, grief and down right fear. The fear dropped away after I bought my boat and sailed down the Chesapeake from Annapolis to Hampton. Then the beauty began.

I am starting my second half decade with a new boat, not sail, a 47' trawler. Intent on traveling further and further into my future. I will never go back to owning a house.

The first night you anchor out in the middle of nowhere and all you hear are the shrimp and dolphins, you will forget all the bad stuff and forever be hooked.

Good luck, and following seas.

[mitiempo]

If you want to sail in BC best to buy here. We don't haul out in winter either.

Crazy to buy in the east and pay 6 or 8k to have it shipped west. Better to save that money to upgrade the boat if needed.

Here is a link to Used Victoria's current sailboat listings. Certainly a few good buys here: Sail in Victoria, BC

[snort]

I'd agree with mitiempo to buy where you live. Lots of nice sailing up there! And if you find a Westerly, it's a sensible and sturdy boat. Thanks for the photos, Weavis!
Just keep your eyes open and follow kijiji.ca, craigslist.org, sailboatlistings, etc... and you'll eventually find a very good deal.

[hamburking]

Have you seen this Alberg 30 at a crazy low price:

Classic Alberg 30 sloop | eBay