How Did You Find Your Boat?

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by Ron Chalian

Greetings! I am planning on spending the month of March shopping sailboats in California. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have regarding brokers, yards, individuals, or any "sailboat for sale" sources you may be familiar with from San Francisco to San Diego. I regularly visit Popyachts, Yachtworld, Sailboat Listings, Sailboats for sale in Mexico and specific boat brand associations. I hope to avoid wandering aimlessly by arriving on March 1st with a plan in hand. My goal is to purchase an older sailboat under 36' that is safe, seaworthy, easily managed by a small crew or single handed, and sufficiently comfortable for living aboard under 20K. I have sailed/raced my Lancer 25 and crewed on other boats here in Colorado for the past 5 years; it's time for a new adventure. Thanks for any help you may be able to provide!

Ron Chalian

just moved to a bigger boat and my lancer 36 is for sale. message me or here is the brokerage listing. whether or not you are interested in my boat rick christiansan, my agent, is a great source.

john

1980 Lancer 36 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[Leo Ticheli]

We travelled down the east coast of Florida, up the west coast of Florida, and then all the way along the Gulf to Mississippi looking at boats for sale, with only a couple of near misses and no luck. When the "perfect" boat for us popped up in Annapolis, my bride flew up to check it out. After practically tearing it apart, and opening every sole board, she rejected it. The broker, who had been watching her meticulous inspection in awe, allowed that he had a boat that would pass her muster, and indeed it did. The boat had been cocktail lounge, so very low engine hours and well maintained. I should add that even though the boat was in great shape, the list of things we've added is considerable.

Fair winds,
Leo

[MV Wanderlust]

We mostly focused on Yachtworld and Boattrader. Found our girl on Yachtworld.

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by robwilk37

well first i knew exactly what i wanted - a derelict with potential i could rebuild. spent two years going all over north america looking at failed dreams. found several potential gems but all would fall through on documentation at the last minute. ended up on google earth nosing around in local storage yards and backyards and voi la! there it was in a field not 25 miles from my house. youd be surprised how many boats are tucked away on the hard in so cal, and the shape is quickly recognizable from space...

this probably doesnt do you much good, literally needle-in-haystack hunting. just say that getting out and looking, walking the docks and yards and talking to people can turn up a gem or two. good luck

Winner here

What a unique way to find a boat!

[chriscd]

islander 36s are nice. might have to spend a bit more than 20k. check the mast step for corrosion. ideally that will already have been replaced.

[Dirk Williams]

Id like to share my story, you see I'm a very lucky guy. I was in the market for a ocean going SV, a good friend received a call for a boat owner in Santa Cruz Ca, the deal was the boat had to be gone by mid following week.

We drove over the hill, to Santa Cruz, and my friend had to crawl around the gate, as we didn't get the key, communication issue, our fault. anyway four boats down sat my boat. I took one look and knew she was special.

A Hallberg RASSY, Mistral 33. We went aboard the first thing we did was dip the engine oil. Water on the dip stick. Ooooooooo, this boat is a ggggoirgious.

Let's go, not interested in a boat with water in the engine. As we exited the boat I just stood on shore and looked at her. God she just screamed at me to please give her a chance, to prove herself.

As we were driving out of the parking lot, I had to stop and simply admire her.
The boat was Free, it just had to be gone mid next week.

The boat also had no boom or main sail, we were told that an accidental jib
, had stripped both. So we had zero ways to move her. I wanted her, I wanted her badly. I was sick to my stomach, over loosing out.

We returned to Oregon , me heart broken. This boat " Maliki was classy sleek, smooth and her owner and his kids had taken wonderful care of her.

I was heart broken, I knew I would never see a generous deal like that ever again. That was a Friday.

Monday my associate calls me and informs me that the owners son had purchased a new SV, and needed the mooring. My friend explained our situation of not being able to move her to the sons owners secretary, in the time this gentleman needed it moved.

I don't know the owners sons name, I wish I did, what a awesome man.

So the owners son, volunteers to have the boat towed to Moss Landing Ca, at his expense, and to pay mooring for a month or two. My answer without hesitation was yes, yes yes.

I had received the latest survey, and just could not believe my luck, and this families generosity. The Owner had been a Doctor, so I did some research on him and learned this guy had been a fantastic surgeon, and had done many many good deeds for the Santa Cruz area.

I was at the boat in Moss Landing Ca, that next Monday, where I cleaned and cleaned the boat. After two days of spit shining the 1970s Swedish mahogany interior and deck, I was even more impressed. The good Dr, had clearly loved this boat, and took great care of her.

I pulled the motor and have since rebuilt her. Purchased an extruded French Boom, and a new Main Sail from Peak sails out of Hong Kong. Everytime I go to my new friend, I just realize How lucky I am to receive such a fantastic gift.

In honor of the Dr, and his family I'm intending on keeping her named, in his honor. Unless they want to use the name on their new boat, no,worries.

After she's totally back together, I would like to meet these folks and share their fathers boat with them, hopefully I will be able to show the family my sincere gratitude, for their gift.

Every time I step on her, I feel the love and TLC, the good doc, had for her.

This will sound wierd, but this SV, just fits like a pair of leather slippers. She is an old classic.

I've got a weeks worth of sanding and staining the topside wood, that labor will be done and a nice dark stain, one which shows every grain of wood needs to be done.

Like I said, God smiled on me, I'm greatful.

Dirk

[varkpilot]

[IMHO, looking for "a boat" is silly. Determining what you want is very critical. A Catalina 34 is a completely different boat than say, a Cal 34 or a Sabre 34, or a Tartan 34.

It's like saying: "I'm gonna go look for a car!" Really?]

I'm kinda like Stu on this one. I figured out what I wanted/needed to accomplish my goals first. I wanted a glass boat for the ease of maintenance as compared to a wood boat; I needed a power boat instead of sail because of my age, health and stamina. My not-so-thick wallet demanded a late 1960s to early 80s; it needed to be big enough to live on permanently if I wanted to; it needed twin engines because I hate single engine maneuvering. There were several other things I wanted, but those were the biggies. It all funneled down to a Chris Craft Commander, so that's what I started looking for. First thing I learned was there are about a zillion boats out there. Since I had already narrowed it down to the Commander, I only had about 30 to look at. So, do yourself a favor and don't "go look for a car."

Ray

[patprice]

Our new boat found us! Had no intention of buying a yacht in the Med.
Saw an ad, on the internet, for a Bavaria 42 in Greece, an Australian registered unit, we are Australians in Tasmania. Bought it and have loved the past 3 northern summers in the Med.
Tassie summers are great but come May we will be heading back to Greece.

PS Never buy a boat site unseen. we did and.....it worked out just great, condition above expectation! Thanks to a very honest vendor.

[Starbuck]

Ron,

Sounds as if you know exactly what you're looking for, and that will serve you well.

jrbogie, he say:
just moved to a bigger boat and my lancer 36 is for sale. message me or here is the brokerage listing. whether or not you are interested in my boat rick christiansan, my agent, is a great source.

I'm going to echo John's recommendation of Rick Cristensen. I just had a great experience with him myself, which resulted in bringing home my retirement yacht, a Catalina 34 MkII. He bent over backward for me to make the deal happen, and I couldn't be happier with the result. Even if John's Lancer is not in the cards for you, Rick is worth a call to see what he might have in his stable, or know about in the area.

Here is the contact info. Tell him Jeff the teacher referred you.

Cell: 805-432-8220 Office: 805-200-3161 : Fax: 805-715-3418
Email: Rick@SeaCoastYachts.com Web: Seacoast Yacht Sales & Brokerage

[s/v Moondancer]

My wife told me which boat I was signing the check for...turned out to be a great decision...The first point on her spread sheet was 'angle of diminishing stability'...

She used yachtworld.com and traveled 10,000 miles until she found the boat she wanted.

[Ron Chalian]

Thanks, everybody, for weighing in on my help request! I'm glad I have over a month to, now, better prepare for my trip by 1) narrowing the field based on my purpose and needs, 2) identifying what I don't want as well as what I do want in a coastal sailing boat, 3) laying out a shopping course aimed at attainable targets, 4) taking my time, 5) placing added importance on the condition of a boat, 6) looking at additional sites that were mentioned, and 7) avoiding strapping toast to a cat's back, not leaving without a rabbit's foot, finding a few frogs to kiss and, by all means, getting back to the right ferry on time! This all feels very good to me, so thanks again for sharing your thoughts, experiences, suggestions and amazing stories! Ron Chalian

[safariKY]

For us, it was really a pragmatic decision. We have owned smaller monohulls but our only ocean experience has always been chartering. Why? Because we are both still working and don't live near an ocean! We both turned 60 and decided its now or never. Only one problem, we are both still working. It only made sense for us to purchase a new yacht within the charter companies. Why pay a mooring or dock fee, maintenance, insurance, etc. if we can only get away 2-3 x/year. Now the fun part...what boat to buy. All the charter companies offer a purchase program of either Benes, Jennies, cats, and the like. We love chartering cats, but seriously, they were cost prohibitive for us. We also knew in 5 years, we wanted to take it out of the fleet, and sail 6 months out of the year after we retire. After months of research and I mean serious research, we chose a brand new Dufour 460. The reasons are numerous; we have 5 grandkids and wanted a 3 cabin 2 head version, not the standard 4 cabins 4 tiny heads. We have chartered with Moorings, Sunsail, Horizon, and Dreamyachts. Satisfied with all. However, we chose Dreamyachts because #1 we felt the Dufour 460 Grand Large was the closest thing to a cat we could find. (Love cats but too expensive) #2 We love, love the fact that the cabin is real mahogany, not faux wood. #3 We loved the outdoor galley, which would allow some really fun meals with friends and family without heating up the cabin, and #4 we liked the flexible program where we can be in charge of our own maintenance. We would rather pay up front and know the boat maintenance is up to snuff. So we are very excited to report our new Dufour i son a cargo ship as we speak on her way to Dreamayachts for the charter fleet.

[Hoodsail]

What was very helpful n my search was narrowing it down to a couple of boats based on quality of build, draft(<=4 ft), seaworthiness, and cost. Searched all the typical sailboat sites and 2 salvage sites for 2.5 yrs. compiled annual spreadsheets of boats, late 1970's- early 1980's tartan 33 or sabre 34. Visited a number of boats, bid on some, even one sight unseen in Texas. Then one broker that showed me a tired looking sabre told me about my current boat, a 1978 Bristol 35.5 centerbrd. Once I saw the build on her compared to the other 2 makes I knew that it would only come down to price. The yrs of looking at just 2 different boats gave me the knowledge to separate the good from the not so good. Good luck and enjoy the hunt.