Need Some help on what boat to buy

[misiu02]

I need some advice.
I’m looking to buy a sail boat but I have absolutely no idea what I want.
I would be grateful for any suggestions

These are the criteria I’ve come up with so far. I would prefer a Cat. However realistically I believe a mono–hull will probably end up fitting the criteria better

This will be my home. So must have a good layout for long term living.
$100,000 or less.
Reliable for at least 10 years
Comfortable to live on for 2 people only, any additional berths will be converted to office or larger kitchen.
At least 32 feet
Capable of water sailing">blue water sailing.
I’m not really concerned with what electronic package, motor etc it was manufactured with (I will probably be replacing most of it anyway to support a heavier then usual draw from electronics)
Speed is not of great concern but stability and reliability are.
Sufficient for trans-Atlantic passage.

Any suggestions on manufacturer, model, additional criteria, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
Adam

[misiu02]

I guess i should add used boat into the criteria I know I cant get what I want in my price range with new

[Pblais]

Adam,

Welcome to the forum. There is a lot of things to consider. I suggest you tour around the forum sections and do a little study of the materials already here. What I think is perfect for you is to get you thinking more about what you really neeed so you can answer the questions you pose for yourself. It will be with your money after we all go to bed.

I think in the end you'll find the criteria can expand greatly and as your experience increases you get better at figuring things out. Take the time to start and continue that process. A boat name and a brand isn't what you need right now.

A boat that will be reliable for ten years indicates you need to know a lot about boats. Over ten years you'll be doing or paying for a lot of maintenance work and repairs. Boats are only reliable a short time before they need tending to. You buy a boat and you don't have a list then all of a sudden a few days go by and you have a list things and the more you work the list the more you find to add to the list. The smarter you get the more relaible you become and so the list continues to grow. It is the way of owning boats.

Invest heavily in your training and skills for that will make the most reliable boat. You can find much to say about such things right here in the forum archives.

[misiu02]

Pblais,
Thank you for the advice. I agree that it is a process, if it takes me 3 years to find what im looking for then it takes me 3 years.

What im really looking for is a direction to look in. I dont have the luxury of being able to take the vessels i like out for a few weeks to test. So I’m looking for suggestions, on where to direct my research. Most of my experience is from one boat over 15 years.

If someone knows of a specific boat they have found that I should definitely stay away from, that would be just as helpful as a suggestion that might fit.

[Pblais]

With used boats, what they were brand new is not what they will be when you come along. You won't be looking for a specific boat you'll be looking at the boats for sale in a reasonable area you can travel to that are for sale on some specific day. You might want to spend some time looking at ads. Pretty easy to do and sort of fun. Yachtworld.Com lets you enter the criteria in basic terms and lets you look at ads that are really out there. I would look at cheap boats and expensive boats and boats you figure you wouldn't like and ones you think you do like. It's not a bad way to spend some time looking at many different boats. Just to see what they are like and what your money might buy. You wouldn't really be shopping yet and as you say you are still just getting started so a specific boat X for some price isn't going to send you off with your checkbook in the morning. The boat you may choose today wouldn't be at all what you would choose 3 years from today. Also read about the various issues we discuss here in the many threads. They all matter to some extent and covers the things you don't see or don't understand yet.

Used boats come in all conditions. Looks and brand name alone are not the whole story most of the time. For a boat that is used and can last for another 10 years they need refitting of something even if well cared for. After you make it to another 10 years you will have refitted things more than once for some items. Nothing will go that long with zero issues.

Some other things you need to consider:

Comfortable to live on for 2 people only, any additional berths will be converted to office or larger kitchen. At least 32 feet

This isn't going to work. You won't be affording a "larger kitchen". Living aboard you will have a small galley that has the minimal space required to prepare food and the aft berth won't be an office but storage. You need to get familiar with how big a 32 ft boat is and how big a 40 ft boat is. The 50 ft boat could have a big kitchen and an office. Actually a 37 ft Trawler that can't cross the ocean could have all that and be in budget. Little requirements make a big influence. So how big is this kitchen and what is this office? How much stuff do you have?

If you live near where any of the big boat shows are like Miami or Annapolis then plan a trip and just go there and get on all the boats you can and really see what they are. Sure they are all new but you are just looking. Lots of interesting people to talk to as part of it. Make it a vacation. It's not that you'll find the boat you'll buy (you can't afford a new boat) but you'll see what boats are and you will understand better what you want so you can deal with what you can afford. You need to go through those steps so you know you are doing the right thing for all the right reasons.

[dkall]

Look for displacement, not lenght for living space storage room.

[Sailormann]

If you want comfy cruiser with lots of real "living" space that can cross oceans carefully, this is a good candidate.

YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale=

If you want a dedicated, off-shore cruiser that can handle just about anything the sea can throw at it, then your budget is going to limit you to boats around 30 feet.