Want To Buy: wanting to buy 33-40 ft ready to go in south Fl

[Scout 30]

Before we all decide that the OP can't afford a boat we probably need to know if that's all the money they have or if it's just the purchase budget & there is a reserve for refitting. It is possible to get a nice 30 footer for 20k if you spend enough time & legwork. Searching craigslist Tampa including surrounding areas there are 113 sailboats from 30' to 40' listed between $10,000 to $30,000. The biggest expense with these boats usually starts with the engine. I'd look for a recent repower & would still have the diesel checked out by a mechanic. A repower runs about $15,000.

[Sailing Soon]

There seem to be nice Catalina 30s in the $10,000 range. This would leave you some cash for repairs etc. Not sure the 30 foot would be large enough for you (although the Cat30 is a big 30 footer) or the Caribbean though. Some more experienced people may be able to tell you.

Best of luck with your search, and if/when you find something please let us know what you went with.

Cheers
Peter


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[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Before we all decide that the OP can't afford a boat we probably need to know if that's all the money they have or if it's just the purchase budget & there is a reserve for refitting. It is possible to get a nice 30 footer for 20k if you spend enough time & legwork. Searching craigslist Tampa including surrounding areas there are 113 sailboats from 30' to 40' listed between $10,000 to $30,000. The biggest expense with these boats usually starts with the engine. I'd look for a recent repower & would still have the diesel checked out by a mechanic. A repower runs about $15,000.

All depends on who does it. If owner does it and is able to rebuild, a lot cheaper. These things are not stamped in stone. To the OP, what you are looking for is out there, but you need to look long and hard and survey.

[ElGatoGordo]

Echoing those who say with a positive attitude "your money is enough, your boat is too much"

They're are lots (not hundreds, but plenty) of smaller boats more than capable of doing the trip you outline in reasonable comfort. Going smaller saves on maintenance, marina fees, and physical effort, as well as opening more anchorages and docking up

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[SecondBase]

Put your first $8 towards Rick Page

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Real-Gone.../dp/B012BYBDD0

Read it several times !!

My view is you need Rick's book BEFORE Don Casey (+1 on Good Old Boat) -- you will need both books but there is a clear sequence to reading them.

Page gets you into the right mindset. Casey is the yeah or nay on the boats you consider.

[jrau18]

Originally Posted by ElGatoGordo

Echoing those who say with a positive attitude "your money is enough, your boat is too much"

They're are lots (not hundreds, but plenty) of smaller boats more than capable of doing the trip you outline in reasonable comfort. Going smaller saves on maintenance, marina fees, and physical effort, as well as opening more anchorages and docking up

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

I agree with this as well. There are many of us out here cruising who bought boats in the OP's price range. The key is to remember all boats need maintenance. It doesn't matter if the boat was bought for 20k or 200k, they can both have sails rip, engines die, etc.

The key is to take your time and look for a good deal. It helps a lot if you are flexible on the specific make of the boat, specific features, etc.

Look for the big ticket items first: engine, hull, sails. If those are in good condition, start looking at the other details.

Obviously it helps to not be new to boats. If you are new to boats, it is pretty much impossible to sort out a potential good deal from a money pit. Even people with lots of experience get it wrong sometimes.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

All depends on who does it. If owner does it and is able to rebuild, a lot cheaper. These things are not stamped in stone. To the OP, what you are looking for is out there, but you need to look long and hard and survey.

Very true, there are a lot of variables & we don't even know what boat we're talking about. I was just giving the OP a general idea of how expensive a repower is if you have it done by a professional. List price for a Beta 38 is about $14,000 and for a Beta 30 it' $12,000. You can usually get about 15% to 20% off of that. Then add for labor at $100 +/- an hour plus maybe a shaft, prop, cutlass bearing, stuffing box ... It can add up quickly.

Sails are another thing that can be VERY expensive. You could spend as much on sails as you would a repower.

Repairing wet or rotten deck core, if you pay to have it done, can cost more than the boat.

Any one of these 3 things can kill your budget. Now, if you're handy and can do your repairs yourself you can save a ton of money & that's how most of us are able to afford a boat. But don't over estimate yourself. You need to be pretty handy to pull some of these repairs off.

[42PalmTrees]

Greetings! Please check out the post I put up today titled "Oh, what to do next..." If you are interested, I am here to help!

[Island Time O25]

Today finding a mid 30s ft boat for $20K or less is the easy part. Choosing the one which will not become a $100K boat over the years is the hard part. But a lot will depend on the OPs level of boat expertise and willingness to learn and DIY. Most boat maintenance is not a rocket science if one is mechanically inclined, willing to learn and willing to get one's hands dirty. And has the time to do all that. And does not let the perfect be the enemy of good enough.

I also would discount somewhat the opinions of CF perfectionists who buy brand new boats for $300K and up and spare no expense in maintaining them in Bristol shape over the years. It is all fine and good but most of us regular folk can't afford that level of care and have to live within our individual budgetary constraints. My own experience and that of many of my boat owning buddies is that one can liveaboard and cruise on a tight budget provided the above listed criteria is followed. If there is shortage of $$ it should be compensated by some other factors.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Very true, there are a lot of variables & we don't even know what boat we're talking about. I was just giving the OP a general idea of how expensive a repower is if you have it done by a professional. List price for a Beta 38 is about $14,000 and for a Beta 30 it' $12,000. You can usually get about 15% to 20% off of that. Then add for labor at $100 +/- an hour plus maybe a shaft, prop, cutlass bearing, stuffing box ... It can add up quickly.

Sails are another thing that can be VERY expensive. You could spend as much on sails as you would a repower.

Repairing wet or rotten deck core, if you pay to have it done, can cost more than the boat.

Any one of these 3 things can kill your budget. Now, if you're handy and can do your repairs yourself you can save a ton of money & that's how most of us are able to afford a boat. But don't over estimate yourself. You need to be pretty handy to pull some of these repairs off.

In my 11+ years of boat ownership (last 6 of which was a 36 footer) I have yet to purchase a brand new sail. I personally think it's going overboard (unless one plans to start cruising right away) to put new sails on a 30-35 year old boat. For local cruising and especially for liveaboard decent used ones should be just fine. So right away sails budget is not tens of thousands dollars but hundreds, may be a few thousand tops. Same with windlasses - I installed a used sturdy Nielssen including initial purchase, a thorough internal check, re-paint outside, installation and addtional shoring up the deck underneath it for under $1000, done by a boatyard guy with me helping him. Same type of windlass new with similar installation by the yard would run me around $4,000-5,000 easily. I never bought a used sail for more than $500 and most for $200-300. None lasted me less than 2-3 seasons and most are still usable 3-4 years later (my threshhold of being happy with a used sail if it ends up costing me less than $200 per season and extremely happy if under $100/season). That's another $10-15K in my pocket. I got a $100 2000/3000W peak inverter at HF and it is working fine 3 years later. Sure it is not as fancy as a $1,000 one but I could not afford that one and think a HF el cheapo one is better than none at all. Installed a nice 8'X8' hard top and a stern arch for under $1000 including purchase price (used, off of C-list) and installation for both. Sure it does not look like it was done at the factory but it does its job well and people marvel at how unobtrusive it looks from the side (which actually surprised me and my marine pro buddy who helped to install it as we expected it to look more massive and "unnatural" than it ended up looking). And so on and so on.

What I would look for as far as big ticket items which may make the boat too expensive are the engine, large wet deck and hull core areas, keel bolt problems, shod rigging. Although again as far as engine and rigging are concerned one can get away with getting a decent used engine and hiring a boatyard guy to install or help with install and the rigging can also be purchased used just a size or two up which will more than compensate for its age.

[RealGusto]

Have you looked into Cabo Rico's? We have a 1990 34' cutter rig, very seaworthy, very comfortable for a couple. Boat has been well maintained and it has spent most of its life in Great Lakes. We are asking $90,000; boat is in Fort Lauderdale.

[Dave22q]

Am considering sale. '76 Morgan 33 Out Islander fully equipped. PM me if interested.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by RealGusto

Have you looked into Cabo Rico's? We have a 1990 34' cutter rig, very seaworthy, very comfortable for a couple. Boat has been well maintained and it has spent most of its life in Great Lakes. We are asking $90,000; boat is in Fort Lauderdale.

I love Cabo Ricos but I'm not sure what you're saying here. Considering the OP's budget of $20,000 are you saying you'll come down to 20 from 90?

[Scout 30]

It would be good to know how the search for a boat is going. Made any progress?

[RealGusto]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I love Cabo Ricos but I'm not sure what you're saying here. Considering the OP's budget of $20,000 are you saying you'll come down to 20 from 90?

No we would sell 34' Cabo Rico for $20,000 but you could purchase a sailboat for $20,000 and end up spending a lot more to get it seaworthy or you buy well-maintained quality boat and start sailing.