Future cruiser buying first sailboat in Michigan

[Iduna]

Huh, not sure why, but I had written a pretty long reply earlier today that apparently got moderated.

Originally Posted by Jeanneau 45.2

I think the C30 suggestion is a good one - but better yet, look at this C320. BTW, it is my boat and seriously for sale. The forum is invited to opine as to suitability for the OP.
1994 Catalina 320 sailboat for sale in Michigan

That is very tempting, but slightly out of my range right now and I'm still a little bit away on the current debt payoff. I suspect you'll sell before I'm ready.

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

Best to ignore any advice about a specific boat--that is waaaay down the line and only reflects personal bias in the most specific way. Start now and start small and buy now....don't keep dreaming for five years. Read Sensible Curising: A Thoreau Approach and get the smallest boat you can comfortably manage and afford. Best to spend less on the boat and its upkeep and go now then to wait five years.. Plenty of good boats out there now waiting for you and within your budget. Much depends on your abilities, skills and tools--which can save you big bucks. Have fun....go now..

As soon as I pay off my current debt, I am starting now. Not with the full cruising as I have no way to live while I do it, but learning local and saving a bit of money. I am fully set on this, and am of the mindset where I don't back out of things once I'm committed. I'll look into the book too, I'm acquiring quite the collection as I get recommendations.

Originally Posted by Matt_Watkins27

Welcome! I got that same bug when I was your age (I'm 40 now). It's a great feeling thinking about the future! Whatever you get, plan on replacing it one day because your first sailboat will let you know what you want in your next sailboat! I'm partial to the older Hunter Cherubini's...but there are plenty of good boats out there.

Definitely. I this is my first sailboat and the one I'm planning to use to learn and see what I like/dislike about it. Hoping to do as others have suggested too and try to help out on other boats to see what's different and what I like.

So much new info to gather compared to the powerboats I'm used to.

[Beavereater]

1986 Catalina 22

$ 3100.00 practice yacht. Having a blast. Lot's of change left over for the next upgrade.

[Strypes]

Welcome aboard!

I have a good sailboat for you to learn on! It's what Mrs. Strypes and I learned with. Located 30 minutes west of Ann Arbor, Michigan and comes with a trailer, let's say $1000.

[Sinbad51]

Lake St Clair is a great place to learn. I do lots of cruising but that is where I learned to sail and it is still my home base.
There are lots of good boats nice and close to where you are.
Keep in mind the exchange rate if very favorable for you right now and the best bang for your buck is if you can find something that suits you on the Canadian side and bring it across.

[Iduna]

Any suggestions on how to go about finding boats on the Canadian side? Just the typical sites like boat trader, yacht world, etc?

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[Sirzones]

Check out " kijiji " search Ontario sailboat, lots of affordable boats there for sale

[Sinbad51]

For Canadian adds check kijiji Windsor, kijiji Ontario or Craig's list windsor

[Nicholson58]

Buying in Michigan or at least on the Great Lakes is good. Your transport will be easy and the vessel will not have ever seen salt. The rigging and engine will therefore be in the best shape possible for the age. Most boats here see only short seasons and weekends only so if they are well cared for over winter storage they will be solid vessels. Boats here will have about 1/4 of the UV exposure of typical coast boats. Look for signs of water ingress in the rudder or encapsulated keels. Rudders with water will have signs of freeze expansion and / or cracks. Look in late winter or spring and make a point of looking into the bilge or below the floors for water. You can search on Yachtworld for Great Lakes boats. Plan on a survey no matter where you get a boat. Also, call the marinas along the shoresd and check the bulletin boards in yacht clubs. A cart trip search might be fun. We are wintering at Torresen Marine in Muskegon, Mich. Their brokerage has many boats and is staffed on Saturday. Brokerage Department | Torresen Marine There are many more around the state and surrounding states. Living in Michigan, I would look here first.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Iduna

Here area a few kind of representative that I'd been looking at. If you all think that there's something cheaper/easier that would work well, I'd be all for it.

Used 1994 Beneteau Oceanis 351, Amherst, Ny - 14228 - BoatTrader.com
1996 Hunter 336 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
1994 Hunter 35.5 Legend, Kemah Texas - boats.com
1990 Catalina 34, Marshfield Massachusetts - boats.com
1990 Jeanneau 11.2 Voyager, Long Beach Mississippi - boats.com

The Hunter Legend 35.5 is a sweet ride, awesome boat for the great lakes.

I also suggest the CS36 traditional with a shoal keel.

However, don't get too fixated on choosing the right boat...start looking and the right boat will choose you. You'll understand when you see it (her).

[hamburking]

Consider buying on the canadian side to take advantage of your strong dollar.

Importing a canadian boat to the US is pretty easy. Also, lots of boats for sale on the Canadian side. You could buy anyplace on the great lakes and sail home.

Least expensive boats will be on Lake Erie near Cleveland.

Boat prices go down until July 1st (dock fees due at most marinas/clubs), then they go back up again, since they just paid for summer dockage and will expect to get that back in the sale price.

[BlueBuddha]

Hi Iduna, welcome to the forum.

I am in Ann Arbor and I'm in a very similar "boat", in that we hope to buy a cruising boat in the next 5-7 years and set sail to warmer seas. Like you, I wanted a "first boat" to keep in Lake St Clair and last year I went through the boat search process. I agree with some suggestions that one of the best boat for the money you will find in the lakes is the Catalina 30. I have sailed several of the usual suspects in that range and the Catalina 30 is just feels in a different league to the rest in terms of size and accommodations. You will find several for sale at or under 30K in the region. I even know of one owner that is considering selling his located in LSC and I can put you in touch if you are interested.

However, let me provide a contrarian view on the boat buying plan. I ended up not buying a boat (for now) and this is why. I currently race in LSC every Wednesday and most weekends during the season - on other people's boat. So the question I had to answer for myself was: is the extra 7-10 days of sailing days per season (i.e., days that there were no races and I could not sail on other people's boat) worth the 40K I wanted to spent on a Catalina? Was buying such a boat the best use of those funds in the context of my sailing plans. The answer for me was NO.

Why? I decided I could do a lot more for my sailing with that money than buying a catalina, especially considering I was already sailing as much as I could in Michigan in other people's boats. So what did I do instead? I realized there were other experiences that would help my sailing a lot more than the extra days on the water on LSC. These experiences include:

- In addition to the ASA sequence, I spent several weeks in Antigua and completed the RYA sequence up to Coastal Skipper. It was 1000 times more effective than ASA. Next year I will go back to Antigua to do the RYA Yachtmaster preparation course and likely sit for Yachtmaster exam.

- Many weeks bareboat charting larger boats in the Caribbean! We did the BVIs on a 45ft Cat this past December. We are leaving to Grenada on friday to do a week on a 45 mono in the Grenadines. We have also booked a week on a 40ft cat in the BVIs again in May and December. This year alone we will spent 4 weeks chartering and plan to do 3-4 weeks next year. This is not only giving me tons of skippering experience in a variety of boats and seas (much more diverse than doing loops in LSC), but I also get to sail many different type of boats that are on my "potential" list. BTW, just the savings on maintenance and marina costs alone, gives me one extra week per year chartering in the Caribbean.

- RYA ocean crossing mile-building trips to gain experience to one day sit for YachtMaster. I am doing my first ocean passage this may with the ARC-USA (Tortola - Bermuda).


So although I completely understand the lure of buying a boat - believe me, every day it pains me that I don't have my own boat - the rational part of me decided I could get a lot more important sailing related experiences during the next 2-3 years with the funds I was going to use on a boat. At some point I will buy a catalina or similar so I get boat ownership experience before buying our cruising boat, but for now I will be reminded of why I don't have a boat when I'm sailing through the Tobago Cays on a new charter boat next week.

That said, I hope you buy a boat because it is always fun when others buy boats and if you do and need an extra pair of hands when you take it out let me know.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Iduna

That is a good idea. I do plan to reach out to some local sail clubs, not sure on the best way to do that yet though.

Many clubs have a web page with local boats for sale:
Listings
Buy & Sell -

Other, typically older clubs, just have a bulletin board with boats for sale. Its great fun to visit clubs, say hello, and check out the boards. Often, the boats listed for sale are just a few docks away to view.

Also, kijiji is big in canada for selling boats by region:
Buy or Sell Used or New Sailboat in Ontario | Boats for Sale | Kijiji Classifieds

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by BlueBuddha

However, let me provide a contrarian view on the boat buying plan. I ended up not buying a boat (for now) and this is why.

BlueBuddha, you are a genius.

I recently sold my boat for your exact logic. I was going broke paying my annual fees and maintenance. Roughly, my boat was costing me $5,000 per year. And thats assuming no big maintenance issues like engine, sails, or electronics...which can pop up at any time.

With the savings, I can charter a boat for a week or two this summer, or like you said, do a Caribbean charter. I finally get to be that "experienced" friend who helps with deliveries, etc.

I got a good price for my boat, and I can always buy another if the right boat comes up at the right price. Until then, I won't spend my springtime sanding and painting the bottom, or any of the many nasty boat owner jobs that keep west marine in business.

[Iduna]

Originally Posted by hamburking

BlueBuddha, you are a genius.

I recently sold my boat for your exact logic. I was going broke paying my annual fees and maintenance. Roughly, my boat was costing me $5,000 per year. And thats assuming no big maintenance issues like engine, sails, or electronics...which can pop up at any time.

With the savings, I can charter a boat for a week or two this summer, or like you said, do a Caribbean charter. I finally get to be that "experienced" friend who helps with deliveries, etc.

I got a good price for my boat, and I can always buy another if the right boat comes up at the right price. Until then, I won't spend my springtime sanding and painting the bottom, or any of the many nasty boat owner jobs that keep west marine in business.

Man, I really hate when sound logic interferes with my desires... It is a good point though.

I am going to take the other advice here and keep looking though, especially at the canadian boats nearby. I'm in no rush to buy as I'm still up in the air on what I want to do. I guess I'll keep it at the idea of just keep looking and see if the right boat finds me. In the meantime, I just may get in on some of that racing and see you out there. I'm only a nice 15 minute drive from the lake so I'm out there often.

[Stu Jackson]

Whatever you buy, and especially if you buy one of the mid 30s sized boats, make damn sure there's an active owners association website, like ours: www.c34ia.org.

It'll save you gobs of $$$ and you won't have to reinvent the wheel.

Having a builder that's still in business helps a ton, too. You don';t have to go finding obscure parts that may be unavailable.

Welcome & GOOD LUCK.