Advice on first sailboat

[Markhh2]

Looking for a 28-36’ boat that I can sail solo or with my daughters. Very limited sailing experience. Will be sailing in and around Chesapeake bay. Would like a boat that will accommodate 3 people max for Long weekends. Budget is $40k all in and that includes repairs etc that must be vs those would be nice to have some day. I’m newly retired and have a lot time but a firm budget.

In doing my research etc I’ve ID 4 boats that may work. BTW. All this assumes they pass a marine survey that doesn’t produce any big red flags.

I’m also assuming that I’ll forgoe traditional sailing school and instead hire in instructor to teach me on my boat.

1984 Catalina 30 tall rig. $14.5k. Seems well taken care with rigging, lines controls all relatively new. Original Universal m13 hours and maintenance unknow. Beat interior but it looks like I handle those tasks easily

1985 Tartan 31 35k. Nice boat well maintained with upgrades to nearly all the sails rigging hardware in the last 5 year. Original Yanmar with service info and unknown hours. Interior is great

1994 Catalina 30 Mk III $33k. Fresh water boat 800 hours on the yanmar. Boat looks super clean and upgrades have been made in the right places.really turn key. Will have to be shipped from OH to MD.

1994 Hunter 295 $29k. Looks nice upgrades repair to sails and motor. No hour # on the original yanmar motor

So do I put $20k into the Catalina, hope the tartan won’t need much work, blow $3-5k on shipping the Catalina 30 m3 or settle for the hunter 295 and pocket the cash.


Thoughts? Should I really learn to sail and get a flying Scott for a year sad then move up next year. Which of these boats would you recommend or are there others that would meet my criteria.


Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Rob_P]

Take at least the ASA 101 class first. If you're going to do more than local lake sailing, take ASA 103 as well. For sailing on the Chesapeake, I'd say take ASA 104 too just for the knowledge on how to get from home to where you want to go and back again without getting lost.

You can move up into ownership once you have sailing experience and proficiency. Plus you'll have more knowledge on what to look for in a boat of your own when you go shopping.

40K is a big budget for a pocket cruiser / first boat. I'm thinking you could go half that and still come out ahead.

[Don C L]

Of your list I'd look to the Cat 30 tall rig. For your first boat I'd say don't spend more than you are willing to lose. Cat 30 has a good resale value, sails well, responsive, you could learn on it, though I'd recommend a smaller boat for practice. If it is in good shape (have a surveyor thoroughly check) I'd say that would be the one I'd put an offer on. They all will go for less than asking price. $40k is a lot for a first boat I think, but you'll need $ for general stuff once you have a boat.
Welcome aboard! You and your daughters are going to have a lot of fun!

[snort]

Learn basic boat surveying skills. Buy yourself a moisture meter. And then get a survey if you're investing a sizeable amount of money into a boat.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Mark,

your approach looks very reasonable and well measured. Having spent wonderful holidays on a 27' boat with 2 adults and 3 pre-teen kids, don't worry too much about size. You need one cabin for the adults and a place to sleep for the girls. That works. A little bigger is usually a little better, but you really need to check each boat. There are surprises where the smaller boat has bigger areas you care about than some larger ones.

To learn sailing, the size you chose is also very good. Here, smaller makes it a little easier than bigger (about as much as in the other direction above) but you're in the safe zone.

In my experience with boats of this size, a tiller is preferable to a wheel or - heaven forbid - double wheel. At anchor you can tilt the tiller up and have more cockpit space and there's no need to add standing space behind the wheel, increasing bench-space again. It's also a lot easier to feel rudder pressure with a tiller when underway, which helps you predict how the boat reacts to waves. For the autopilot, a simple tiller-mounted one works well enough. If missing or broken, get a new one for $500-600 or so and you're set. For these reasons, I would consider a wheel a slight negative point for a boat of this size.

For the evaluation, don't put much value on electronics and navigation equipment. There are now very cheap and practical solutions unavailable 10 years ago. You really want a working depth sounder and a magnetic compass.

For training doing the ASA-101 is a really good idea, but delay the decision for further courses until you know what will benefit you most.

[Scratchee]

Where are you on the bay? I recommend you pick out a couple candidate marinas and find out how much they cost. In my area of the bay (a little south of Annapolis, in Deale), $200 per month is about the rock bottom monthly slip fee and those would be for a smaller boat in quirky little places off the beaten path. You can easily spend $500 or more per month. You don't want to have to post the "Where can I keep my new boat" thread after committing to a purchase. And by the way, most places charge per foot, so that should figure into your purchase decision as well.

Also relating to size: in my relatively modest experience (lots of years but not lots of miles), getting in and out of a slip/marina can be very challenging and stressful in certain conditions, and it tends to get more difficult with larger boats (though this is not always the case). Wind pushing on the boat is a big factor, in addition to the room required to maneuver. For the type of usage you describe (which sounds fantastic by the way) , I would suggest looking on the smaller end of your range as a starter. A boat that is easier to manage will make for more enjoyable outings.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Markhh2

So do I put $20k into the Catalina, hope the tartan won’t need much work, blow $3-5k on shipping the Catalina 30 m3 or settle for the hunter 295 and pocket the cash.

.

Shipping?

If you are on the bay, there's no need to ship a boat anywhere because you can buy them up and down the bay for 150 miles or so.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/d...287244734.html

https://easternshore.craigslist.org/...280213221.html

https://annapolis.craigslist.org/boa...290129545.html

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats-for...ice=5000-35000

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by Markhh2

Looking for a 28-36’ boat that I can sail solo or with my daughters................Budget is $40k all............... I’m also assuming that I’ll forgoe traditional sailing school and instead hire in instructor to teach me on my boat.

1984 Catalina 30 tall rig. $14.5k. Seems well taken care with rigging, lines controls all relatively new. Original Universal m13 hours and maintenance unknown. Beat interior but it looks like I handle those tasks easily

1985 Tartan 31 35k. Nice boat well maintained with upgrades to nearly all the sails rigging hardware in the last 5 year. Original Yanmar with service info and unknown hours. Interior is great

1994 Catalina 30 Mk III $33k. Fresh water boat 800 hours on the yanmar. Boat looks super clean and upgrades have been made in the right places.really turn key. Will have to be shipped from OH to MD.

1994 Hunter 295 $29k. Looks nice upgrades repair to sails and motor. No hour # on the original yanmar motor

So do I put $20k into the Catalina, hope the tartan won’t need much work, blow $3-5k on shipping the Catalina 30 m3 or settle for the hunter 295 and pocket the cash.

Budget looks good for all of these boats except for the 1994 Catalina 30 Mk III because de-rigging, shipping and re-rigging will exceed your budget. 1985 Tarten is priced high for that age. Newer the boat the better since it will not be as tired and have lower engine hours.... so the 1994 Hunter 295 fits that and is under budget assuming the marine survey checks out. Get an engine survey (~$500) pending sea trial and engine fluid check.

[jim King]

I'd forgo the purchase for now and join a local sailing club that has classes you can take and boats to use until you reach a confident skill level to purchase the boat of your choosing.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Originally Posted by jim King

I'd forgo the purchase for now and join a local sailing club that has classes you can take and boats to use until you reach a confident skill level to purchase the boat of your choosing.

What Jim King said.

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by Markhh2

..........Looking for a 28-36’ boat that I can sail solo or with my daughters. Very limited sailing experience...........I’m also assuming that I’ll forgoe traditional sailing school and instead hire in instructor to teach me on my boat............

Forego sailing school and learn to sail in a small daysailer AND sail with acquaintances/friends with sailboats, then charter a few times and you will be ready to buy your first moderate size sail boat. I learned to sail on my own with a daysailer and by reading. In a short time I chartered 35+ ft sailboats in the Chesapeake Bay (since I could not afford to buy one). Once I had the funds, I purchased a 1987 Hunter 31 for half your budget then moved up to Hunter 386 then to a Hunter 46.

[Bill Seal]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

Mark,

your approach looks very reasonable and well measured. Having spent wonderful holidays on a 27' boat with 2 adults and 3 pre-teen kids, don't worry too much about size. You need one cabin for the adults and a place to sleep for the girls. That works. A little bigger is usually a little better, but you really need to check each boat. There are surprises where the smaller boat has bigger areas you care about than some larger ones.

To learn sailing, the size you chose is also very good. Here, smaller makes it a little easier than bigger (about as much as in the other direction above) but you're in the safe zone.

In my experience with boats of this size, a tiller is preferable to a wheel or - heaven forbid - double wheel. At anchor you can tilt the tiller up and have more cockpit space and there's no need to add standing space behind the wheel, increasing bench-space again. It's also a lot easier to feel rudder pressure with a tiller when underway, which helps you predict how the boat reacts to waves. For the autopilot, a simple tiller-mounted one works well enough. If missing or broken, get a new one for $500-600 or so and you're set. For these reasons, I would consider a wheel a slight negative point for a boat of this size.

For the evaluation, don't put much value on electronics and navigation equipment. There are now very cheap and practical solutions unavailable 10 years ago. You really want a working depth sounder and a magnetic compass.

For training doing the ASA-101 is a really good idea, but delay the decision for further courses until you know what will benefit you most.

If you're just looking for a place to escape to and maybe spending the evening at anchor playing Yahtzee with the kids, a 30 footer with a nice cabin and galley is probably what you would like, sort of like having a floating RV. A canvas cockpit enclosure (tent) will almost double the living space.
You guys on that coast have it made for gunkholing, we used to have Island White off Long Beach, but now it's Catalina or nothing.

[AiniA]

There is a huge difference between a typical 28 footer and a typical 36 footer. You are not adding eight feet on the ends but in the middle. If the boat is 12' wide it means adding an 8' x 12' room in the middle.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Markhh2

Looking for a 28-36’ boat that I can sail solo or with my daughters. Very limited sailing experience. Will be sailing in and around Chesapeake bay. Would like a boat that will accommodate 3 people max for Long weekends. Budget is $40k all in and that includes repairs etc that must be vs those would be nice to have some day. I’m newly retired and have a lot time but a firm budget.

In doing my research etc I’ve ID 4 boats that may work. BTW. All this assumes they pass a marine survey that doesn’t produce any big red flags.

I’m also assuming that I’ll forgoe traditional sailing school and instead hire in instructor to teach me on my boat.

1984 Catalina 30 tall rig. $14.5k. Seems well taken care with rigging, lines controls all relatively new. Original Universal m13 hours and maintenance unknow. Beat interior but it looks like I handle those tasks easily

1985 Tartan 31 35k. Nice boat well maintained with upgrades to nearly all the sails rigging hardware in the last 5 year. Original Yanmar with service info and unknown hours. Interior is great

1994 Catalina 30 Mk III $33k. Fresh water boat 800 hours on the yanmar. Boat looks super clean and upgrades have been made in the right places.really turn key. Will have to be shipped from OH to MD.

1994 Hunter 295 $29k. Looks nice upgrades repair to sails and motor. No hour # on the original yanmar motor

So do I put $20k into the Catalina, hope the tartan won’t need much work, blow $3-5k on shipping the Catalina 30 m3 or settle for the hunter 295 and pocket the cash.


Thoughts? Should I really learn to sail and get a flying Scott for a year sad then move up next year. Which of these boats would you recommend or are there others that would meet my criteria.


Thanks in advance for your advice.

You seem to have a nice budget for the boat you're looking for. I think I'd go for the 94 Catalina (fresh water boat) and hire a captain to help you bring it back - thereby killing two birds with one stone. This may well come down to which boat surveys the best as they are all expensive enough to merit the survey cost.

[Ken Z]

I would go with thecal., tall rig may challenge you. I agree with Don cl advice. Pay especial attention to the engine, a good engine, but old check all areas where salt water was, if f.w. cooled. Pulling a rubber water hose and looking at the housing can give you a idea how much rust is. I would not rebuild a rusted engine, a repower, which greatly varies is about $10,000- 15 , altho have seen some new repowers around $8000. Save your money, get a excellent surveyor, and good sailors are always needed, good luck.