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

[carlosproa]

If you are looking for $20,000 keel boat, please consider my 1979 CAL39 MKII in Miami Florida.
I have a soft buy offer from a guy from Spain who already saw the boat but will not be able to buy it until April. He is planning to live on it. Let me know your timing

I have it for sale in craiglist miami
The boat is in overall good condition, the Perkins 4-108 has recently being serviced with new injectors, new starter, new fresh water pump. You need to plan for bottom paint, change the bearing on the solid furler, and change the stuffing box. All can be done out of the water at the same time.
If you want to see pictures, or video:

[carlosproa]

And the fin keel is encapsulated, no bolts to worry about

[Capn Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I would really not make full keel a high requirement. If you're new to sailing you probably did a bunch of Googling and full keel came up as something that is a significant benefit, since t protects the prop and rudder, but there are other factors, in particular the overall condition and maintenance of the boat that are far more important. For example, a full keel boat is not such a great boat if the rudder falls off or breaks off it's post.

While full keel boats, all other things like condition being equal, do provide that protection, they also come with some downsides, like maneuverability and pointing ability. Also, they tend to be slower, which when making passages can become a factor. The faster the boat, the better the chance of outrunning or avoiding bad weather.

In short, a full keel is great in some respects but it's not the be all and end all of bluewater boat design.

I'll also say that being new to sailing, you're not really in a position to pick the best boat for you. You may very well learn that the boat that you bought is not what you had hoped, or thought you needed, and when you get to a point where you're confident about circumnavigating, look for another boat.

As a circumnavigator you have to be, in no particular order, a navigator, a sailor a weatherman, a mechanic, a plumber, an electrician, an electronics person, and a few more hats I can't think of right now. You're going to learn all that in years to come. I guarantee you that when you've absorbed all that knowledge you'll wish you'd bought a different boat.

Buying a 30 year old boat for $30kk, you'll probably end up: rewiring it, putting in new chainplates and new standing rigging, rebedding everything on the deck, rebuilding the winches, putting in a new primary fuel filter, redoing the plumbing, new hatch seals...the list goes on and on. You're going to know a lot more about boats when you've gone down that road.

I would buy a boat suitable for living aboard, learning, and traveling the coast and worry about what you're going to circumnavigate on somewhere down the road. That does not mean excluding boats that you can circumnavigate on from your search, just that it's a very limiting requirement at this point in your journey.

To me - going through the process - this is an excellent post. After looking at everything from major project boats & literal floating wrecks - to turnkey, of course the prices are from cheap to 2nd mortgage levels.

I'd add the thought that buying a nice 25-27, in "good enough" for weekend and limited coastal condition - AND - that has easy resale, is not a bad idea. I keep seeing ads for folks who bought such a first, get going boat - discovered the 2nd real McCoy, but then have to giveaway the first.

[windstalkers]

very good advice .

Originally Posted by Suijin

I would really not make full keel a high requirement. If you're new to sailing you probably did a bunch of Googling and full keel came up as something that is a significant benefit, since t protects the prop and rudder, but there are other factors, in particular the overall condition and maintenance of the boat that are far more important. For example, a full keel boat is not such a great boat if the rudder falls off or breaks off it's post.

While full keel boats, all other things like condition being equal, do provide that protection, they also come with some downsides, like maneuverability and pointing ability. Also, they tend to be slower, which when making passages can become a factor. The faster the boat, the better the chance of outrunning or avoiding bad weather.

In short, a full keel is great in some respects but it's not the be all and end all of bluewater boat design.

I'll also say that being new to sailing, you're not really in a position to pick the best boat for you. You may very well learn that the boat that you bought is not what you had hoped, or thought you needed, and when you get to a point where you're confident about circumnavigating, look for another boat.

As a circumnavigator you have to be, in no particular order, a navigator, a sailor a weatherman, a mechanic, a plumber, an electrician, an electronics person, and a few more hats I can't think of right now. You're going to learn all that in years to come. I guarantee you that when you've absorbed all that knowledge you'll wish you'd bought a different boat.

Buying a 30 year old boat for $30kk, you'll probably end up: rewiring it, putting in new chainplates and new standing rigging, rebedding everything on the deck, rebuilding the winches, putting in a new primary fuel filter, redoing the plumbing, new hatch seals...the list goes on and on. You're going to know a lot more about boats when you've gone down that road.

I would buy a boat suitable for living aboard, learning, and traveling the coast and worry about what you're going to circumnavigate on somewhere down the road. That does not mean excluding boats that you can circumnavigate on from your search, just that it's a very limiting requirement at this point in your journey.

[LittleWing77]

Why do people do this? This is a necro-thread from 2016...

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Why do people do this? This is a necro-thread from 2016...

It’s very easy when you’re browsing topics for a particular subject or just generally browsing to engage in a discussion without checking the date of the last post. Especially if you’re new to the forum. Why do you think it matters?

[interminabilis]

I found this thread today and OP's questions were very similar to my own, and I found the responses helpful. Wonder what boat OP ended up with or if they're still looking.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Why do people do this? This is a necro-thread from 2016...

So what? People just gathering information and giving opinions...lighten up or join the Internet police.

[XtaSea]

I like this thread. It provides valuable information and serves as a good inspiration to boat searchers at all budget levels.



Both Westsail and O'Day are models I have seen and would recommend to consider.

[Vagabond131]

Personally I think you should up the anny on price. Save time and problem money. Plenty of Morgan’s out there. There’s one in Malaysia is love to have you could probably get for around 30-35. All the Morgan’s have been on the market since before COVID hit. But maybe look at the pacific seacraft 33. Good luck