Want To Buy: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

[GaryMayo]

The gentleman told us twice he wants a wheel, and did a great job explaining why. Maybe read the posts?

I found sailboat, trailer, complete with Edson steering, for under your budget.

Keep looking, she is out there.

Steering is 4,000 and 1 times better than tiller steering, if it is a wheel you are looking for. I would not give a plug nickel for a tiller again, on anything bigger than a dink.

How many people have sailed the exact same hull, exactly the same, with both a tiller in one, and a wheel in the other????? Sailed them the same day????? Well, I own two identical sailboats, one with a tiller, and one with a wheel. Until you have exactly compared apple's, to apple's, be mindful of others feelings, and your own limited experiences.

Wheel? Tiller? Hands down, the wheel for me! No contest.

[RabidRabbit]

If you want a wheel and centercockpit you need to upsize a few feet, is really not practical in a 26 footer

[RabidRabbit]

Gary I agree that wheels are nice, but it makes us outcasts in the sailing world.

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by RabidRabbit

Gary I agree that wheels are nice, but it makes us outcasts in the sailing world.

I own a Clipper Marine, talk to me about being an outcast. Lol. I wish William C were still alive to set people straight about a few internet posts by people claiming to know what they were talking about.

Back to wheels. You know why the wheel is pushed aside, and discouraged? Because those folks don't have one, in most all cases. Once they trade up to one, the coin flips.

I see it as a personal preference. Boxers, or briefs. Ford or Chevy. Butter or margarine. Blonde or brunette. Or is all about choices. If someone wants a wheel, or a blonde, or a certain cut of underware, why try to sell them on the choice in your pants?

[JimGo]

Thanks everyone! As I mentioned, this is our second boat. For those asking why I want a wheel, please see my earlier response, but suffice it to say that I've put a fair bit of thought into it, and in our intended use, the wheel makes more sense.

For those advocating the need for a larger budget, I certainly understand your perspective. Spending more up front can certainly help reduce the incremental expeditures needed along the way. However, I know that I am capable of certain kinds of repair and maintenance, and I'd rather buy "more" boat and make those repairs myself than by "less" boat that doesn't need as much TLC.

By way of background, we bought our first boat, a 25' Catalina, for $1000, including the 8HP Honda outboard. The sellers really wanted her gone, and didn't really understand what they had. I spent all winter cleaning her, inspecting her, refinishing woodwork, etc. In the spring, I compounded the hull, washed and re-stitched the sails, recovered some of the cushions, replaced the running rigging, etc. In other words, she had a LOT of TLC put into her. It was exhausting, but well worth it. Yes, that TLC meant that we sunk another $1500 or so into her. But, the big thing at the time was that we were only willing to spend $1000 for the boat (long story), and the other costs were incremental costs that were spread out over at least a 6 month period. I also got to know every inch of the boat, including where many of her strengths and weaknesses were, and could devise a plan of attack for all of her issues. Had it not been for Hurricane Sandy, I'd be busy doing some of that work right now, rather than searching for a different boat.

Lest the budget nay-sayers think I'm crazy, I have done some research, and I know boats that meet my needs are out there, and can be found in my price range. Will they be pristine 2013 models with all the latest bells and whistles? Nope, not a chance. But I already have leads on:
S2 8.0 C
S2 9.2 A
S2 9.2 C
Pearson 323
Pearson 30
Catalina 30
Hunter 30 (Cherubbini)
Hunter 31
and possibly a Hunter 35 and an Endeavour 32.

All of these can be had in my price range, and all are in "sail away today" condition. They pretty much all need lots of TLC, like my old boat did, but they are perfectly functional as-is. The problem is, most of them are several days' sail from my intended home port, and I'd really prefer to find something closer to home if I can. I'm headed south of Philly to see some of them this weekend, and next weekend I'll be heading north to look at others (hopefully the bitter cold won't impact my perception of the boats this weekend!). But I thought I'd post this "want ad" here in case anyone on here knew of someone who was thinking of selling. Sometimes there are "motivated sellers" who are more interested in the speed of the transaction than in the exact dollar amount. Sure, most people want to maximize their sale price, but I have cash in hand, and for some that's more attractive than having to wait for a buyer who is willing to meet your dream price. So, if you know of someone who is, or who might be thinking about, selling a boat that would meet my needs, I'd love to hear about it.

[GaryMayo]

Travel safe. Cash in hand, posted travel plans on a public internet site. I would go some other weekend and be a little quiet about it.

As for the cash, every town has a Wal-Mart. Every Wal-Mart will transfer money from one Wal-Mart to another for some tiny fee, like three bucks. If you find the right boat, small deposit at the docks, and the seller can meet you at customer service with the title to the boat and the title to the trailer as you wire the money.

Strange world today, stop trusting people, and you will live longer. Gangs, on the internet would kill you for five grand, and set your body on fire in a ditch. That just happened to a traveler in Omaha.

Enjoy that wheel!

[JimGo]

Gary,
Thanks, I should certainly clarify...I won't be bringing any significant cash with me. I meant that I have it figuratively in hand - it's in the bank. I will have a cashier's check made up at the appropriate time, after the survey.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Jimgo,

I will not try to argue with you about wheels! I've had both types of steering... and in fact our current boat HAS both fitted simultaneously!

Something that you may have not considered is that in boats larger than 25 feet the tiller swath takes up a smaller portion of the available cockpit space, and thus might possibly be more acceptable to you and yours. Doesn't help the "backwards" steering input factor, though! In truth, most folks adapt to that pretty quickly, but as I said, not gonna try to change your mind!

But -- center cockpit layouts on boats of that size are really a travesty! The below decks volume is divided into excessively small bits, leaving one feeling claustrophobic whether forward or aft. And further, the cockpits themselves are invariably small... a result of the designer trying desperately to get usable areas below decks. This seems contrary to your desires for a large and comfy cockpit.

At any rate, your list of available designs certainly includes some that should do for you. Good luck and enjoy your sailing... soon!

Oh, for Gary Mayo... Well, unlike you who had to switch between nearly identical boats to compare wheel and tiller, I can do it on one absolutely identical boat, and within a few seconds! And the answer is... I like the wheel better too! But this is on a considerably larger vessel, and I reserve the right to disagree on smaller craft!

Cheers,

Jim

[RabidRabbit]

Gary is your tiller in the CC of your boat or near the stern? I'm assuming the tiller boat is not your primary use boat, and one is a parts rig/spare or something.

[David_Old_Jersey]

The good news is that with wheel steering so unpopular (vs Tiller) on small size boats that should be reflected in the price!

[JimGo]

It's funny, I never thought a "want ad" would generate so many replies!

[SkiprJohn]

Well, you've just never posted for a boat on this one, right?

Just kidding. When I responded I didn't know your previous experience with boats so thought you might be a "guppy" and didn't really know what you wanted. Your response to me indicated that you definitely were not a "guppy" but a "blue marlin" and had your mind set for good reason on what you wanted. Sorry for the early misdiagnoses (sp).

Good luck in your search and please let us know what you find.

kind regards,

[Nago Suka]

I have an '83 s2 9.2c that's in very good shape. Bought last year and have invested another 5k in harken RF and North jib, garmin 421s w maps and other assorted sundry. I'd consider selling at 3x your looking price as I'm in the market for something the wife, 3 kids and I can liveaboard. PM me if you're interested.

[JimGo]

John,
That's how I understood your comments, and no offense was taken. I had specific reasons for wanting the things I listed, but I didn't make that clear in the original post, and given the number of guppies that come through here, Sailnet, etc., your assumptions were fair. You were trying to steer me in the "right" direction which is, in my opinion, part what forums are for. As I said, I appreciated you taking the time to provide feedback, and I appreciate the feedback from the others that contributed, too.

I will certainly let you know how I make out! Hopefully I'll have made a decision and at least put a deposit down on a boat in the next few weeks.

[sailpower]

Without trying to influence the OP but for the sake of general information, the whole left right steering thing with tillers goes away if you think about changes in direction as heading up or falling off. Heading up, push tiller towards sail. Falling off, pull tiller away from sail.

Thinking that way also keeps you more in tune with what needs to be done with the sails as you alter course.

Backing up with a tiller? Point the back of the rudder where you want to go.