Boats Less Than $30K Recent Noteworthy Finds

[pete c]

Congrats on your purchase, Patrick.

Where will you sail?

Looks like the St Lawrence is quite wide just upstream from Montreal and would make nice sailing grounds?

I will be sailing in Long Island sound with hopes to wander up the coast once I am comfortable with the boat, at least to Nova Scotia and maybe even up and around and up the St Lawrence some day. But I suspect that would be a minimum of a month long trip, up and back.

[SuW]

Hi pete_c
Great news on your new boat! It certainly looks like procrastination paid off there!

For specific advice about repairing the rudder etc. you'd be better checking the Hunter owners groups. I think there are several, including on Facebook. There were a lot of these boats built!

All I can say is that the rudder issue may also show up in wear or damage to the wire and/or chain of the steering wire on the quadrant, so it's worth checking that. There's nothing too difficult about it - except watch out for meat hooks on the wire!

If you haven't taken the mast down, do it as soon as you can. People in your area don't take them down very often and it's surprising what you find when you get up close...

Tired running rigging (as long as you check it all) isn't usually a problem, although handling stiff, dirty lines is not great. You can clean them though which helps a bit.

As for the standing rigging, I think these are double spreader performance boats with a lot of stress on the rig. If it were me, I'd replace it, starting with the forestay, backstay and outers. It's not that expensive to get the wire made to size, if you're prepared to measure and install it yourself. We did it by instalments over the course of several years.

Oh, and post a few pictures, we'd like to see her!


Sue W.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by Patrick of M

Congratulations! Nothing ventured nothing gained. I rolled the dice on my purchase as well.... if I sail in the spring I did well, if not, well, I will have learnt alot. For my purchase it's the unknown engine that will be the challenge. I bought the boat for almost nothing, knowing I might have to repower. As I go through the systems, I have my work cut out, if I get the motor functional I'm ahead, if not I'm still good. No survey here either, doesn't make sense under $20k ish, to me anyway.

Good luck with the engine! Did you find a strut for your prop?

[SuW]

1979 Endeavor 32 near Halifax Nova Scotia for C$8500 (About $6500 US).

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-sailboat/cit...oat/1633676994

I like these boats. Very good accommodation for a couple. The boat looks reasonable from the few photos.

I hesitated a while to post this; it looks too cheap. I know it's getting to the end of the season, but I wonder why?

[pete c]

Endeavours are great boats, I'm not sure I'd wanna buy one names Irie.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by pete c

Endeavours are great boats, I'm not sure I'd wanna buy one names Irie.

Why not?

[Patrick of M]

Originally Posted by pete c

Congrats on your purchase, Patrick.

Where will you sail?

Looks like the St Lawrence is quite wide just upstream from Montreal and would make nice sailing grounds?

I will be sailing in Long Island sound with hopes to wander up the coast once I am comfortable with the boat, at least to Nova Scotia and maybe even up and around and up the St Lawrence some day. But I suspect that would be a minimum of a month long trip, up and back.

Thanks mate, I will hopefully be training my family on Lake Champlain next summer, after that I will start heading out the St Lawrence, possibly in stages, storing over winter elsewhere.

[Patrick of M]

Originally Posted by SuW

Good luck with the engine! Did you find a strut for your prop?

.

Thanks,
The prop strut is on hold while I sort the engine, I sourced a blank that can be modified, but no point in installing one until the engine is sorted.

[Morequestions]

Originally Posted by SuW

1979 Endeavor 32 near Halifax Nova Scotia for C$8500 (About $6500 US).

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-sailboat/cit...oat/1633676994

I like these boats. Very good accommodation for a couple. The boat looks reasonable from the few photos.

I hesitated a while to post this; it looks too cheap. I know it's getting to the end of the season, but I wonder why?

Ive read reviews saying they won't sail to wind? They say they just motor when they go in that direction. So find one with a newer engine

[Morequestions]

Originally Posted by pete c

I am the new owner of an '88 Hunter Legend 35.

My admittedly untrained eye thinks it is in pretty fair shape.

The good-

Good running diesel.

Sails not new, but perfectly good for cruising.

Hull seems to be in great shape. A scuff here and there, new bottom paint.

Running rigging a few years old, but looks good. Standing rigging is at least 22 years old, but looks fantastic. Other older boats I have looked at generally have some indication of corrosion. I see none on this boat. This tells me the owner has done a good job keeping it clean. I realize that "looks good" is not a sufficient test if I had blue water aspirations, but I think it's fine for close coastal cruising.

Interior looks good. A bit of weathering around companionway, but nothing a little sanding/oil won't fix. Cushions reupholstered a few years ago.

Deck seems very solid. One small area a little soft. Will likely try the injected epoxy fix or may just live with it for now.

Functional furuno radar, 2 VHFs and an older GPS.

The bad-

Rudder bearings a little sloppy. Plan to do them this winter while it is on the hard.

Is there a way to assess the rudder internally short of cutting it open and having a look? I am an xray repair tech. I am half tempted to run it through an xray. I would think that corrosion would show up as it changes the density of the metal.



The ugly-

Hunter, to save a couple of dollars used regular steel chainplate anchors. These hide behind the liner. Mine look to be pretty well corroded.

Upon finding this issue (after handing over the check!!!!) I became a bit worried, but after researching the issue and the fix (cutting a hole in the liner and replacing them) I am confident I can make it better than new, for short money and not too much of my time.

So, what did I pay for it?

I first looked at it back in May. Seller was asking 12K. I offered 10 and he accepted. I thought this price was more than fair.

He wouldn't take the deposit I offered.

He should have.

After going home and researching the cost of keeping it and coming across an opportunity to have unlimited use of a friend's Pearson 27 in exchange for helping him sort out a few issues, I decided to withdraw my offer to buy.

I assumed it would sell this past summer. It almost did a few times, but a few weeks ago as I am scrolling through the craigslist ads, there it is. 8K obo.

Hummmm. I really didn't need to see that!!!!!

So I messaged him.

Hi Barry, this is Pete, the guy who backed out of the sale this spring. I see it's back up. I am still interested.

To be honest, I wasn't THAT interested and would have passed at 8K.

A couple days later he texts me that he has an offer for 4500. Beat it and it's mine!

Damn. I really dont need to this boat now....but this guy is doing a pretty good Don Corleone imitation. He's making me an offer I can't refuse.

I probably could have been an a-hole and offered him 4550, but this guy has been completely honest with me all along and I still felt a little guilty for reneging on my original offer to buy. So I offered him 4800.

I am also on the hook for this winter's storage and launch next May ($1925).

So, did I screw up?

I realize that buying a boat without a survey is a crapshoot. My personal opinion on surveys is you'd be a fool to pass on one if you are buying a boat for 50K or even 25K.

But for under 7K?

This is money I can afford to lose and I would rather put that thousand bucks, give'r'take towards the boat.

In the end it came down to my feel for the owner. He seems like a very honest person who had a perfectly plausible reason for selling. He says his knees are shot so he bought a powerboat last year and the admiral laid down the one boat rule.

If there is anyone in the Newburyport, MA area familiar with these boats, I would love to have you take a look so you can congratulate/ridicule me for my decision to buy this thing. I will provide the beverage of your choice for an hour or two of your time.

Would also like to hear from anyone who's done the rudder bearing job an a Legend 35/37....

Love that transom easy in and out of the water for swimming, diving, getting in and out of the dingy.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Morequestions

Ive read reviews saying they won't sail to wind? They say they just motor when they go in that direction. So find one with a newer engine

Depends on which version the standard 3/4 keel or the center board version
Center board has a better bite on the water so bit better to windward but best advice I have is don't sail closer to the wind than your age regardless of the vessel .

[George_SD]

At least to me it does seem like good deals have dried up compared to a year or two ago. I'm seeing the same with used cars for racing - people are keeping what they got and not much trading hands.

[newhaul]

She is a bit rough but if clear title

https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/boa/7550465282.html

Decks a bit cluttered but a trip offshore will cure that problem

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Morequestions

Ive read reviews saying they won't sail to wind? They say they just motor when they go in that direction. So find one with a newer engine

I looked at a 37 and was quite impressed with it's layout until I read reports on its dismal performance. So maybe it is the 37 that does not sail so well.

[OldManMirage]

We have the E32 and we are impressed with the sailing ability. No, she's not the fastest nor does she point the highest but all in all the ride is very good and comfortable. And the storage is great for a 32 footer. And she just feels rock solid. We're pretty happy !