Advice on purchasing bluewater - see criterion

[Clemroc]

Originally Posted by JordanH

My view is that if you are planning to leave during a Pandemic, then that's not a well thought out plan. Where are you going to be, how are you going to survive when everything locks down again. What happens if you can't enter a country? etc. Costs can build quickly and $1500/mo may run short. My advice would be to hold off, wait for boat prices to drop again due to the impending recession/depression, and stretch your money farther...

Thank you JordanH!

Let me reassure you, we do not intend to sail out during the pandemic - that would be irresponsible and dangerous. We are just planning out and doing our research before-hand; after all "good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning"

Having lived in the Caribbean for 10+ years, I'm also used to the occasional hurricanes/severe downpour, and I do not intend to live through one aboard a boat. Therefore, our plan is to sail after the hurricane season, so not before december 2020 at the earliest, january 2021 more likely candidate. I sure hope for everybody's sake that the pandemic will have calmed down by then

[SuW]

Originally Posted by RSB333

Check the venerable Whitby 42. Solid build, many have circumnavigated, and been cruised by long-term cruisers who accumulated the right gear for ocean passages. The Whitby-Brewer association is quite active, and you will find a depth of knowledge among their members.
Good luck.
RSB333

+1 for Whitby 42.

[MJH]

Clem: What we *don't* want, is to find out at the end of the Caribbean cruise that our boat, no matter how much we equip it, will never be good enough for an ocean crossing.


This has been the failure of many folks who, after years sailing coastal, decide they want to go Bluewater but their boat was not DESIGNED for it. Choose carefully and pay attention to the RATIOS...know what you are buying...go for the boat with good bones. You don't need the bells and whistles to fulfill your dreams. Get a boat with good tankage...mine has 200 s.s. gallons water and 150 gallons fuel. You don't need refrigeration, genset, water maker, latest electronics. Prioritize the hull, rigging, sails, tankage, and diesel engine; that will get you there, a nice paint job won't help one bit. Be flexible: sloop, cutter, ketch, center/aft cockpit doesn't matter; price and condition is number one priority. To find that boat you just have to spend more time looking and less time on the computer.


~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[pilott]

Clem

A Hallburg Rassy Rasmus meets most of your criteria.

Bluewater capable (depends on condition!): aft cabin; center cockpit; shoal draft. There's a couple of them on Yachtworld currently

[demacsea]

This one - https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/me...-for-sale.html - meets all of your criteria and at its recently reduced price is well within your budget.

[Clemroc]

Originally Posted by Happ

In the post you didn’t mention what mechanical skills or tools you have. you might want to go on you tube and watch Sailing Uma. These are 2 kids just graduated from Architecture School and bought a Pearson 36 for $3,000 us. On a shoe string budget they got the boat sailing and took off. They did all the work themselves. They are very resourceful! [...] I think watching their channel about 220 videos will help you out a lot. Especially the first videos.

Thanks for the info Happ!
I saw the first 20-30 videos and I must say, they did a really nice job! Now that I saw them do it, I actually believe my friend and I are quite capable of doing fiberglass work. It seems gruesome, but not too complicated.

While they did start with a low budget, there are 2 big differences:
- Their boat was a project, and they had ample time to work on it. Given that my friend and I are both tourists in the US, I do not know if we will be allowed to stay that long to work on it. I think we could have at most 2 months.
- They received a lot of help from sponsors (that $1,000 Rocna anchor for free, for example), which I'm doubtful we will receive

Still, thanks for sharing their channel, the work they did was thorough and inspiring!

Originally Posted by jalmberg

Check out The Sailing Frenchman on YouTube for a practical approach to this problem.

Another very interesting Youtube channel that's worth a watch - like my comment above, his boat was a project that he had to work on from scratch. He had a huge (free) yard to work on and access to tool and "unlimited" time, which I doubt we will have in the US.

[Tupaia]

Sailing Lucky Fish
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkH...cqUOkQZqkelyPg

[Mother1ship]

well -- I have a Morgan OI 41 ketch, two cabins (though the v-berth is one of them, the salon is less private but also makes into a queen-size bed. 4'5" draft, two air conditioners, ice maker, large freezer plus refer, big generator. in the process of being painted so less pretty than she could be but soon come, and for sale at 35K. Located Kemah, TX.

[Lance]

Demacsea shows a great option in that Ericson and who knows why it is still available and cheap .
Maybe it is circumstances that fall in your favour .
However being a cautious surveyor of older boats (1986 ) I imagine there could be some hull structual Osmotic problems in the glass .
Many buyers could consider this dilema of necessary repair a deal breaker but two ready to go workers might be able to put in the hard yards.
.Remember to always be in fibre glass mode isolation in respect to protective clothing though .
Having said all of the above the Ad does not mention this circumstance so I apologise to the seller if the boat is sound and the two blokes might just take my comment as a caution with any Fibre Polyester Construction .
Good luck with your search and on such a budget who cares how far you get , just get on the water and test your abilities , including whatever vessel you purchase .

[guitarrich]

I always dreamed of a ketch. I ended up running a big Jongert which really was a beauty. I followed that with a modern carbon fibre ketch, really fast and pretty, but ... one stick too many!
For our family cruising sabbatical we bought an old Trintella 44 ketch, and I still gaze lovingly at the photos dotted around the house. Loved her.
However...
The day of the ketch making sense is past, despite their gorgeous looks, and my old adage of “ well, if one mast falls down.....”
But in fact with modern(ish) powerful winches and running rigging, the main advantage of the ketch has gone. One main priority is staying cool in the tropics, and that second mast gets right in the way. It’s very hard to rig an effective sun shade on a ketch. This is one of the main reasons we will be going for a sloop/cutter for our retirement boat. Two downhill sails at the front are easily more desirable than anything you can rig on the mizen. For you guys an old Van de Stadt 38 or thereabouts would suit admirably. Super-strong, and very sea kindly. I have enormous respect for some French builders, but for a world-girdling boat, I’d choose Dutch every time!

[kev_rm]

960 amps and and $8 bottom paint job, that is impressive

Originally Posted by Riggerman

I have a 1986 Irwin 43 MKII, you can look up the specs on a search.
The boat is turn key, I am in Guatemala and just came back from a 4 months sail before this virus. Now when I say turn key, I mean it can sail tomorrow if I wanted to. If you want a boat that will not require any work for the next 2 years, well this is not the one.
It is 100% self contained. water maker, 560 amp solar, 400 amp wind generator. gas generator, auto pilot, Chart plotter, etc. Contact Me if interested. Also has near $6,000.00 in extra, 4 full set of dive gear, 12 ft dinghy. What it would need New set of sail, I can get near new sails for about $3,000.00 (150% furling genoa, and a main) But the one on right nowt, would be okay for for a season
. The rest is purely cosmetic, varnish paint etc... Just had a, $8.000.00 bottom job, remove blisters, re-encapsulate the 9000 lbs keel. new barrier coating and 4 coat on anti-fouling. I can sell it for the $50,000.00 you have in mind, but that would be a solid price. Any haggling on the price, I would sell all the extras separably. If interested contact Me via e-mail mrjfortin@yahoo.com By the way it has a 4'9" keel, been in 35 foot seas and 85 knots wind, so yes it is solid.

It is Canadian registered S/V Ete Infini

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by kev_rm

960 amps and and $8 bottom paint job, that is impressive

Guess he meant Watts not Amps... - there is approx 12x difference...

[Juggerknot]

You may look for Bayfield 40, twin aft cabins, good solid offshore cruiser and can be bought right.