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Grasshay · 26-04-2013, 09:04

Greetings to all, I’ve always had the bug to sail and have been reading this forum off and on for a couple of years now gaining insite to the world of sailing and trying to figure out if the wife and I would enjoy sailing on Kentucky and Barkley lakes, which are located about 1 hour from my home. We were in St. John, USVI this past February and charted a Beneteau 393 for the day(with captain) and had a blast. With the end game of bareboat chartering in the Caribbean and possibly cruising for extended periods, we’re trying to determine if the lifestyle is something we would like to pursue. I’ve owned a powerboat of some type all my life and spent lots of time on the lakes in my area however, my sailing experience is limited. I took the ASA101 in 1988 and have only sailed occasionally since then due to the limited access to sailboats. I have looked at different boats on all the internet sites and visited the local docks at Ky and Barkley lakes and bought the book on inspecting aging sailboats. My first thought was to buy a $50-100,000 boat. After more consideration(seeing how long it takes to sell a boat in this price range if it’s not for us) I’ve decided to ease into it by buying something in the $10-15,000 range to see if we like it enough to move on up. I have found a 28’ Oday with marine ac(important in this area in summer) that has been neglected. My first thought “No way”……the wife said “It’s not that bad”. I go back and look again with a more probing attitude and decide it is doable. I talked with a guy who does work on sailboats in the area and a guy who just cleans, polishes and does teak work. By the time it is in presentable condition I would have approximately $8,000 invested including the purchase price. I am capable of doing all the work myself but my time is more valuable attending to my day jobs. The boat does have some soft spots on the deck but nothing structural. Bulkheads and mast step seem good. Before I close the deal I would have it hauled and a surveyed. I’ve used this experimental approach with power boats, RV’s and airplanes with good results. My question to the esteemed forum is; does this sound like a good plan to get my feet wet sailing and sharpen my skills or is there a better way I have not considered? Thanks in advance for your time.

**HappyMdRSailor** · 26-04-2013, 09:20

Sounds like an excellent plan! Low budget and KEEP IT FUN are the first objectives... Be warned that soft spots in the deck are almost always a deal breaker... The work required to repair them properly is one of... If not the MOST... unbearable repairs.... BUT BUT BUT.... If you are going to use this as a daysailor and a weekend or two here and there.... and don't mind selling for the same price and only compromising on losing upgrade money.... She still sounds good.... Your surveyor will help you out tremendously!!!!

Cheechako · 26-04-2013, 09:38

Yep, good plan.

sailpower · 26-04-2013, 09:44

Sure, great plan. You can't really go wrong on the lake so almost any boat will do.

At those numbers you won't lose much.

Have fun and good luck.

Rhapsody-NS27 · 26-04-2013, 09:50

I'm about an hour from those lakes too and hope to be sailing there soon.

Good luck to you. A little elbow grease can do a lot for some boats.

BlackOak · 26-04-2013, 11:16

My house is about an hour drive to LBL, but me an me boat are in KeY West. Come buy mine and I will help ya get it to LBL. I want a longer wider boat!!

Best Wishes in your future sailboat ownership. LBL is a great place to play, but the ocean is a better place to play.

Grasshay · 26-04-2013, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOak

My house is about an hour drive to LBL, but me an me boat are in KeY West. Come buy mine and I will help ya get it to LBL. I want a longer wider boat!!

Best Wishes in your future sailboat ownership. LBL is a great place to play, but the ocean is a better place to play.

Black Oak.......My forum Hero. I want to be in Key West Too! I think you and your boat have bonded. I'd hate to be the one to break that

BlackOak · 26-04-2013, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grasshay

Black Oak.......My forum Hero. I want to be in Key West Too! I think you and your boat have bonded. I'd hate to be the one to break that

Yeah...I like me boat! We fit! Wifey and the KID coming down next month for a couple of weeks, to hang out on the boat. This should be a real hoot!

SkiprJohn · 27-04-2013, 20:22

Just a bit of advice from an old guy. I think you'll get a lot more fun and use from a smaller trailerable sailboat. You'll soon grow tired of the local lakes and want to take it to another bunch of lakes or the Chesapeake or the Gulf or on the Ohio, or the mighty Miss. Easily done with a trailerable.

Again, as was said before soft decks are a deal breaker as far as having the repairs done. For a first time boat owner you want to have solid everything and as things deteriorate then make the repairs.

Grasshay · 30-04-2013, 06:05

Tack change. Thanks to all who responded to my question. I've been mulling over the idea and putting myself(family and friends) in the scenario of being on a boat of the 28 ft Oday's character and decided for the difference in money, I like this better 1983 Hunter 34, Email offers Encouraged! Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com . I have a contract in hand and plan on flying up and meeting with the surveyor in the next day or two. Pros? Cons?

Mike Vogdes · 30-04-2013, 16:48

That Hunter looks like a nice, well maintained boat for the money.

Rakuflames · 30-04-2013, 17:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grasshay

Tack change. Thanks to all who responded to my question. I've been mulling over the idea and putting myself(family and friends) in the scenario of being on a boat of the 28 ft Oday's character and decided for the difference in money, I like this better 1983 Hunter 34, Email offers Encouraged! Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com . I have a contract in hand and plan on flying up and meeting with the surveyor in the next day or two. Pros? Cons?

I have the 31' version of that boat. They handle extremely well in tight spaces. They're "big" for their size.

Be sure to get an engine survey (not just an oil analysis -- have a certified marine diesel mechanic go over the engine). Engines of that era are salt-water cooled, and mine was eaten up with electrolysis. I had to replace it.

Also get a marine survey. He/she probably won't go up the mast, but they can inspect the rigging with binoculars -- there's a lot of rigging on those boats. In particular pay attention to the forestay, which is easily compromised by the headsail halyard unless a proper halyard restraint is installed. Got the scars to back *that* one up!

Also look carefully at the roller furler. If it's a Hood 810, try to get the buyer to drop the price by about $500 to replace the lower unit with a single line drum. As the Hood 810 is originally built, you *cannot* reef it in an emergency.

Have the surveyor run some kind of swab down the rudder shaft, which is accessible at the stern of the boat from the inside. What he's looking for is rust. I had one rust from the inside out. Fortunately the shaft broke while I was already under tow. It could have been disastrous if it had broken in a storm. The rudder blade is solid foam and fiberglass, so shouldn't be a concern.

My Hunter has NO leaks. NONE. The toe rail is quite stout.

See what kind of gas it uses for cooking. If it's compressed natural gas, you'll have an extremely hard time finding it and will most likely have to replace the stove, and that boat does not come with a propane locker, so that could be a problem. Not all boats of that era used CNS. Mine came with an alcohol stove.

My boat is fast but bow tender, and the high freeboard causes the whole boat to act like a sail. It's really not a problem once you're used to it, but in the marina, if it wants to turn to port and you want to go to starboard, just give it its head. It will turn on its center axis and you'll end up where you need to be.

One thing Hunter did with this series was make the cockpit a little shorter to make the living space a little bigger, but that's probably not an issue with the 34'. My cockpit is a little on the small size for a boat of its size but it gives me more living space. On my boat, the ice box is awkwardly placed and WAY too deep. I filled half of it up with broken up styrofoam coolers and used the lid as a shelf. Otherwise you'd have to have the arms of an orangutan.

Speaking of long arms, take a good look at the cockpit storage. It can be very hard to get in and out of the lazarettes, and not that easy to use as storage.

**HappyMdRSailor** · 01-05-2013, 07:07

Your "tack change" is strongly supported!!!

endoftheroad · 01-05-2013, 07:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grasshay

Tack change. Thanks to all who responded to my question. I've been mulling over the idea and putting myself(family and friends) in the scenario of being on a boat of the 28 ft Oday's character and decided for the difference in money, I like this better 1983 Hunter 34, Email offers Encouraged! Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com . I have a contract in hand and plan on flying up and meeting with the surveyor in the next day or two. Pros? Cons?

70 pictures and the only interior pics are shots ofthe engine.
waaasup with that?