How much boat can I afford?

[Larry Florida]

Buy yourself a 30 to 35 foot boat and get going on to the next phase. 20 to 30k. No need to spend 100k to putz around on the east coast. Save the 100k for the next boat

You're welcome 😀

[bobfnbw]

For me, for a cruising boat, I would go with 40K for the boat and 60K for the refit. This would be a 40 year old fiberglass boat that would need a big refit. I would replace engine, rigging, electrical, plumbing. I would do the work myself. New sails, new anchoring system. Replace all thru hulls, heads, etc. 2 years if able to do it full time. If you can get it to Trinidad, Thailand or the Philippines, you can hire help for cheap and do it sooner for more money. Boat would be like new for ~100K but you would not be able to sell her for that.
Thats my plan anyway.
Bob

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by NedX

I've never heard a better excuse to finally get to Australia. Of course, then I'd really have to get serious if I ever want to come back to the States. Thank you!

Well, there is no need for an excuse to come to Oz, but don't expect to find bargain boats here. The USD is stronger than the AUD, but it fluctuates a bit... but the real kicker is that EVERYTHING marine here is bloody expensive,boats included. Lots of Aussies go to America to buy their boats, and it ain't just an excuse to go to Disneyland! Oh... no Cat one requirements here... that's in NZed.

Now as it happens, we did buy our current boat here in Oz, but it was a three year struggle to find what we wanted, and it was in those glory days when the AUD was about 50 cents US, and we were already here cruising. Those things really change one's outlook! It's closer to 80 cents now...

Jim

[El Pinguino]

For the OP.... as said before... if you have to ask... then you can't afford it..

That out of the way.... unless you have a solid inward bound income stream to keep on top of things I would spend $50k of your $100k on a good well maintained boat.... she shall soak up the remaining $50k quickly enough...

And also... what Jim says... do not come to Straya or Unzud looking for bargains....

I know people that make a living - of a sort - buying boats in the Carib, sailing them to NZ and selling them at a good enough profit to live for a year... then flying back to the Carib and doing it all again..

[ZULU40]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Buy yourself a 30 to 35 foot boat and get going on to the next phase. 20 to 30k. No need to spend 100k to putz around on the east coast. Save the 100k for the next boat

You're welcome 😀

This advice is entirely sound and is pretty well where I began, but I think I was unusually lucky with Zaya which is an ideal bluewater/cruising boat.

I guess what Im trying to say is mostly people have no idea what their needs are, I was just lucky and landed on my feet almost despite myself.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

This but not so much due to speed. A 40 is twice as big as a 32 and can be had for about the same price.
I’d spend no more than 50K and bank the other 50 and don’t buy anything for a year. You may be surprised at how much of that necessary stuff isn’t and in fact it may just add to a continuing maintenance cost. Running up and down the East cost require very little more than a sound hull and a good engine

Very true about the upgrades. We made a list and got what we thought was critical out of the way figuring we would do the rest as time and budget allowed. Probably 80% of the list never got done because once we got out we found we really didn't need it.

FYI - If you are dumping $15k into maintenance per year on a 32'er, you are either working that poor boat very hard or you got a lemon. We had a 34' catamaran for 10yrs and averaged closer to $3-5k/yr for maintenance.

A big question for the $100k figure is this intended to be your full living budget or just the money to get the boat and bring it up to a condition you are happy with (or something in between)?
- $100k to get a 32'er and get her in decent shape to head you...probably overkill.
- $100k to buy a boat, get her in decent shape and a few years of cruising expenses...it can be done but a lot of DIY and living as cheap as possible.

[boatman61]

Regarding the cruising/living expenses.. remember that 90% of members here are Americans of whom maybe 5~10% will venture past what I call "Frontline" overseas..
EG.. St Martin the Americans stay Dutch side and pay maybe $20 or more for a plate.. Chicken Wings in Barbi sauce with fries cost me $22 in the so called Yacht Club by the bridge..
French side I pay $10 for a rack of char grilled ribs with salad, plantain chips and Johnny cakes big enough to split between 2 off us.. most speak English or Spanish.
Europe.. Brits and Yanks stay frontline where English is spoken and pay €20 and more a plate.. I go 3rd line where the locals eat and pay 1/3rd the price..
Supermarkets are the same..
Chandlery.. sail to where its cheaper.. theres folk been known to fly from Trinny to SXM to shop.. and still save on the price back at base.
Staying in your comfort zone is expensive.. Johnny Foreigners looking to get rich.. the local peasant is looking to make a living..

[s/v Moondancer]

Boatman, you forgot to discuss the price of beer...7 times more expensive in Tahiti than in Panama!

It is important for the OP to realize that everything on the boat has a fixed lifespan and he needs to amortize the remaining lifespan into his budget. I got 15 years and 40,000 nm out of my roller furlers and then spent $4,000 replacing them...cost was $267/year or 10c/mile.

The OP should buy a boat that has been refitted by the last owner...someone who has spent $30,000 turning a $30,000 boat into a $33,000 boat.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

Boatman, you forgot to discuss the price of beer...7 times more expensive in Tahiti than in Panama!

I drank Chinese beer.. $1.50/bottle.. and they were big bottles.. 2 of those and I was tripping.. so cut back to one..

[CaptJamesCook]

Owning a boat also has to do with your monthly income. You may be able to afford to buy it but can you afford to maintain it for x years and not drain your bank account.

[NedX]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Buy yourself a 30 to 35 foot boat and get going on to the next phase. 20 to 30k. No need to spend 100k to putz around on the east coast. Save the 100k for the next boat

You're welcome 😀

Thanks. That wasn't really the question, but it's the right advice to another question someone else could ask.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by NedX

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Every boat I've ever sailed on has been someone else's problem to maintain. That's the question I need your help to answer.

Only if preventative maintenance is NOT part of their daily or regular boating routine. It is critical, whether you are 24/7 or just a weekender to keep up with everything that needs to be done. As zeehag said, one becomes an electrician, mechanic, plumber, rigger and carpenter. If you don't, most of us here couldn't afford it.

In 1997 we started looking for a bigger boat, having had a Catalina 25 for 12 years on SF Bay. After realizing that a C30 was only a C25 on steroids, we looked for ONLY C34s. It took an entire year. Two important takeaways:

1. We saw some horrible examples of neglect and poor implementation. Truly frightening what people could "do" to a boat! The one we finally bought was pristine. But because we planned to use it at anchor, and not a dock queen, there were things I needed to do to her that the PO didn't. First year was 25% of purchase price for a new electrical system, four years later new rigging.

2. At that time (1998) the cost of a new boat - they were still making them - was almost exactly twice !!! what we paid. We could not justify twice the price for the same boat new. So, we ended up with a 12 year old boat. Now, our boat is 30 years old, and those "new" boats are 20. Not much of a difference.

We do all our own work save haulouts and bottom paint.

[NedX]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

For the OP.... as said before... if you have to ask... then you can't afford it..

That out of the way.... unless you have a solid inward bound income stream to keep on top of things I would spend $50k of your $100k on a good well maintained boat.... she shall soak up the remaining $50k quickly enough...

And also... what Jim says... do not come to Straya or Unzud looking for bargains....

I know people that make a living - of a sort - buying boats in the Carib, sailing them to NZ and selling them at a good enough profit to live for a year... then flying back to the Carib and doing it all again..

Very helpful, thanks.

Pretty sure my original post predicted droll responses such as "all of it." I'm taking everything everyone here is saying to heart.

[NedX]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Only if preventative maintenance is NOT part of their daily or regular boating routine. It is critical, whether you are 24/7 or just a weekender to keep up with everything that needs to be done. As zeehag said, one becomes an electrician, mechanic, plumber, rigger and carpenter. If you don't, most of us here couldn't afford it.

In 1997 we started looking for a bigger boat, having had a Catalina 25 for 12 years on SF Bay. After realizing that a C30 was only a C25 on steroids, we looked for ONLY C34s. It took an entire year. Tow important takeaways:

1. We saw some horrible examples of neglect and poor implementation. Truly frightening what people could "do" to a boat! The one we finally bought was pristine. But because we planned to use it at anchor, and not a dock queen, there were things I needed to do to her that the PO didn't. First year was 25% of purchase price for a new electrical system, four years later new rigging.

2. At that time (1998) the cost of a new boat - they were still making them - was almost exactly twice !!! what we paid. We could not justify twice the price for the same boat new. So, we ended up with a 12 year old boat. Now, our boat is 30 years old, and those "new" boats are 20. Not much of a difference.

We do all our own work save haulouts and bottom paint.

This is very good intelligence, thank you. Definitely going to have to up my DIY skills. A lot of the time between now and when I actually purchase is getting my electrician skills where my navigation skills are...

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by NedX

This is very good intelligence, thank you. Definitely going to have to up my DIY skills. A lot of the time between now and when I actually purchase is getting my electrician skills where my navigation skills are...

Glad to help. Just remember: NONE of us was born an electrician (or plumber or mechanic!!!).

When we bought our boat, I had been putting off getting a bigger boat 'cuz I was afraid of diesel maintenance. First week we had her, I took off the HX to diagnose, and fix, a simple overheating problem. 20 years and 2,500 engine hours later, still good.

I did study harder than I did at school!