Want To Buy: Looking for a Bluewater Sailboat for under 20k

[Tia Bu]

Originally Posted by wunderluster

1969 Allied Seabreeze 35 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Check out this Allied.

That looks like a beauty. But pay attention to the suggestion above that you expand your search to boats listed for $35,000-$40,000. The reality is, if you find a boat like this that the owner says "has to go," the owner might just be happy to entertain an offer at 50-60% of asking price.

And if he's not happy to get it, you can keep looking. Just be nice...

[SVTwilight]

I think there are definitely good reasons to have a full keel boat.

For example, I often find them much more sea-kindly than fin keel counterparts. The smaller they get, the more I notice it.

Further, I hate keel bolts!

That said, they are slower and more difficult to maneuver in tight quarters.

I definitely would not disregard fin keeled vessels. There are many very nice models that I wouldnt mind owning.

I think the best criteria for this topic is to search for boats that are likely to survive a grounding while traveling at hull speed. I have been dumb enough to have done this in my full keeled boat, twice, the first time was on a huge boulder. I would bet big money it would have ripped the keel clean off- and maybe the rudder as well- if I had
Been piloting a Bendy Toe!

It is reasonable to conclude that a fin keel boat with that quality is also more likely to retain its keel intact over time during offshore use.

Have fun, the only thing almost as fun as sailing -and I am referring to the category of fun undertaken while clothed- is the thrill of shopping for boats!

[Flagon]

Peter Ibold design, Endurance 37 "Flagon" for sale. The expensive work has been done.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Exactly, hit the boatyards and always ask if they have any boats for sale.

The boat I bought in 2011 didn't have a for sale sign on it.

It had been on the hard for 5 years.

The boatyard was out in the boonies about 6 mile from a town of 1,800 or so. Boats with 4' draft can only get in there near high tide

Yup, a lot of boatyards nowadays are in fields out in the boondocks due to high prices near water. Many have boats without any signs saying for sale. Ask around and you will find many are for sale. Best to wait till spring when boats are being opened up. We saw a really nice Rhodes Reliant in such a field. Yard attendant said it had been sitting for several years. Told my son; short end of the story, he bought it for $6k. Everything in good condition except varnish had long weathered away and topsides needed a paint job. Here is where a good house paint, some sweat, and endless beers will do wonders. He also met his wife who had the boat next to his in that field.

[bluewater-bound]

Originally Posted by Don C L

There are lots of good candidates, but try, try, try to avoid a "fixer-upper" if you can. Let the former owner do the fixing up.. there are very good fixed-up deals out there. Be patient. If one comes up, put it here and we'll go over it with a fine tooth comb for you.

BTW, welcome here!

Thank you everyone for your input! I mostly wanted a full keel incase I do run aground so that way my rudder and prop are somewhat protected. But I have started to look into a lot more fin keels and such, then this popped up and I was wondering what anyone has to say about the 1975 Bayfield 32. http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/59949

[pdxsailordiver]

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/56563
How about this one

Sent from my SM-T710 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[SKG56]

Originally Posted by pdxsailordiver

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/56563
How about this one

Sent from my SM-T710 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Looked at this listing, 504 is Louisiana, there are too many digits in following number, The T37 was on my short list, almost bought one for 20k before coming to my senses, there is something strange about this listing, a T37 in even fair condition will bring considerably more than the price listed, I don't care much stress the guy is under, be careful when buying a boat outside the US or Canada, make sure you can match all the doc's, if there are any, with the guy selling it, if it's in Honduras , why don't he get it to Rio Dulce and sell it from there, yeah, something's weird about this one

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by SKG56

Looked at this listing, 504 is Louisiana, there are too many digits in following number, The T37 was on my short list, almost bought one for 20k before coming to my senses, there is something strange about this listing, a T37 in even fair condition will bring considerably more than the price listed, I don't care much stress the guy is under, be careful when buying a boat outside the US or Canada, make sure you can match all the doc's, if there are any, with the guy selling it, if it's in Honduras , why don't he get it to Rio Dulce and sell it from there, yeah, something's weird about this one

I agree, the price is low, very low, for a boat with the listed recent work done, if the pictures are recent and show the current condition of the boat. They've kept up with the bright work, which is almost a full time job on that boat, and would indicate an owner devoted to maintenance. That said, there are no pictures of mechanicals, FWIW.

One thing that points very clearly at a distressed sail is the fact that the Hydrovane has 2 hours of use. The owner must be selling unexpectedly and be under pressure to sell.

This could in fact be one of those amazing bargains. Unfortunately, the cost and complexity of finding out, by going to Honduras to inspect it, makes it a pretty hefty dice roll.

[SKG56]

Just wanted to say my bad on the phone # listed with the T37 in Honduras, 504 is the country code for Honduras, found the owners email on a Facebook listing after goggling Tayana 37 for sale Honduras, he sent me some questions that had been asked of him, the owner, and his answers, I asked how the boat is documented but haven't gotten a reply as yet, owner says he and his wife have to get back to the UK, for good, by mid Dec, These are the questions and answers

Is the engine operational and approximately how old is it?
We assume that the engine is the same age as the boat. We have no idea
how many hours it has on it. It is reliable and starts first time
every time. (I feel like I'm tempting fate now!!) We haven't done a
lot of motoring because we sail more than we motor. Our longest motor
was 2 hours when taking the boat down to dry dock (with no wind). The
previous owner replaced the cylinder head and we have replaced the
exhaust manifold and stainless exhaust as far as the mixer. The
mechanic who replaced the cylinder head said that there was very
little wear in the cylinders.

What is the state of the bottom. When was it last painted?
She was last hauled and painted 3 years ago. Unfortunately they did
not do a very good job and the antifoul pealed away along the
waterline. But we've managed to keep the bottom clean by diving on it.
The hull above the water could do with painting, and was on our to-do
list. There is a shipyard here and if you wish to haul out it can be
arranged.

Do you have a to-do list for any repairs or ongoing maintenance?
There are currently no house batteries as we had no need for them. (We
live ashore and the boat is moored in front of our house). We use one
car battery as a 'house battery' and one car battery for engine
starting. We made provision for extra solar panels on the bimini hard
top. We had intended to use the flexible flat solar panels that stick
on. We have a new Rutland wind charger that is not yet installed.
There is an existing post (which has a faulty Whisper charger on it).
The manual fresh water pump in the galley needs attention but the
pressurized system works fine. All other systems are in working order.
The bimini window is cloudy and probably will need replacing soon. The
dodger sunbrella is weathered, as well as the sail cover, but still
functional. We recently restitched all of it. The remaining cockpit
canvas and awnings are in good condition (most of it still new, never
used). The main fuel tank, situated in the bow, is black iron and has
a small leak. So we have been using 2 x 5 gallon day tanks instead
which would give approx 20 hours motoring. We planned on installing a
bigger plastic tank because there is space to install it aft.

What condition are the sails in?
The sails are in fair-to-good condition. We believe that they'll last
for many more years. The sacrificial sunbrella strip on the jib is
faded and has some wear but is still functional.

Does she have life jackets and safety flares?
There are life jackets but no safety flares.

Is the boat anchored/on a mooring or in a marina? If in a marina,
cost? Are marina moorings available? Cost?
The boat is on our private mooring in front of our cottage in Port
Royal. There are several marinas here. Fantasy Island Marina and
Brooksy Point are adjacent to the shipyard. Turtlegrass Marina is in
Calabash Bight which is close to us and has the most reasonable rates.
Turtlegrass Marina told me they charge $4 a foot per month. 10% off if
paid a year in advance. The links to the other 2 are
http://www.fantasyislandresort.com/marina-en.html

http://www.brooksypointyachtclub.com/marina.html

Are there any haul out facilities in Roatan?
There is a shipyard in Roatan. Details can be found here...
Roatan (Coxen Hole) —.

If I fly to Roatan, how long will it take me to get to the boat?
It takes about an hour to get from the airport to the boat. We can
collect you from the airport.

[old pirate]

Look at "Flagon" above. The Endurance 37 by Peter Ibold is a great cruiser/liveaboard. Don't be put off by the ferro hull. This boat, professionally constructed, has been sailing for 36 years and will possibly do another 36.
All the hard work has been done for you and you would be in the USVI !!!
Possibly you could negotiate with the owner to bring the boat to Florida (with you as crew) ???

[SunnyJ]

Astragale (circa 2002)....sister to the Blue Mason 33' up top.

Cheers

SunnyJ

[Tailwheel]

Look at http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/boa/5883560558.html

Looks cool to me

[carlosproa]

I have a 1979 CAL39MKII for sale. Look into the craiglist add in South Florida. I have currently an offer of $18,000 from a guy who wants to buy my boat for parts. He basically wants my mast and rigging, as well as my engine and deck hardware. . I really do not want to do that - is not the price, is that this is a really nice boat that is very close to cruising and requires minimum investment. If you are going to live aboard, then this is the boat for you. The biggest coast will be to haulit out of the water and do a new bottom paint, and a new stuffing box. The roller furler needs 6 new bearings, and the nav lights need rewiring. Depending on how handy you are or not, then we are talking anywhere between $5,000 to $9,500 for turn key. i have a list of mechanic and yard hands that are trusted. Engine runs very well.

Contact me if interested. I would hate to see this boat as spare parts, I get that a new mast is $15K and a refurbished engine is $6K, but man, this is not what I had in mind for my beloved Cal

[carlosproa]

Here is the link to miami craiglist

1979 CAL 39 MKII SAILBOAT FOR SALE

Is moored in dinner key marina in coconut grove, miami

[luremusa]

Hey mate. I just sailed my 28ft Dehler Duetta to Tobago from cape Verde. It may be on the smaller side of what you are after but it was no problem for me and two mates to live aboard. Anyhow, i'm open to delivery options and can probably meet you somewhere in your price bracket. If you want more details or whatever let me know.