Hey guys. My wife and I have been looking at cruising boats for the last two years. I've read that is about the average length of time to find the sailboat of your dreams. Like you Mike I am 6'3" and had to take that into consideration when looking at boats, as well as our limited
budget. We found ourselves being drawn to Taiwanese boats of the late 70's and early 80's. The excellent craftsmanship, and the prodigious use of solid
teak instead of laminate in these boats was a real plus. During our two year
boat search we stopped in
Annapolis and took a look at Moon. Aside from a small section on the ceiling in the
head, this
boat shows every bit as well in person as on yachtworld. She is also $10,000 cheaper now than when we looked at her.The
broker, Richard Kahn, is very knowledgeable about these boats, as he has his own Baba 35 which he took us on, so we could get a perspective of a slightly different boat. (His was not for sale) We passed on this boat because, I thought the
salon and the
cockpit would be too small for as time passes. He also had, and still has a Tayana
Vancouver 42 that is in your
budget. The outside needs some
work, but the
interior was not only beautiful, but very spacious. She had an offset Pullman berth which was very easy to get in and out of. At my height I won't consider a v-berthIn our opinion though, the boat didn't have enough opening
ports for ventilation in the tropics. If you do go to
Annapolis there is a 35' Young Sun you may want to look at. This boat is also in your budget and, has a little more
interior space, larger
cockpit, and much more room in the
engine compartment. As far as the Pullman berth in a Hans Christian, my wife and I looked at two. One in Annapolis and one in
Maine. Both 38' boats. There was room for me to lie down and plenty more to spare. If you have the opportunity, take a look. The Pullman berth along with the tiled
head in the forepeak is a winner in our opinion. Since you have a condo down south, there is a 42'
Cheoy Lee Clipper
Ketch in
North Carolina you may want to look at. The owner is "very motivated" and I know for a fact the boat can be purchased in your budgeted amount. While we are on the subject of your budget, Capt. Ed Jirsa of Larsen
Marine once told me "Boats between $50,000 and $100,000 will most likely need a friend" One last word on your budget. Don't look to far afield to find your boat. We were interested in a Bristol 40 in
Washington state until we found it would cost north of $10,000 to have her trucked to NE
Ohio where we live. All that being said, what did my wife finally decide on? A Shannon 38
Ketch of course. Now if mother nature would only give us a break, so our
surveyor can get on and give us the thumbs up!!! Good luck with your search and, let us know if we can be of any more help to you.