Production Boats vs Custom Boats

[TanzerTom]

Kenomac, that's just the point Sailorboy was making... He ain't going to Antarctica and doesn't want or need a boat that will. Few do. Thankfully, there are boats that are fine for that and boats that are fine for what most folk will do with them. A sledge hammer is a poor tool for driving tacks and, as you point out in your own way, a tack hammer is useless on railroad spikes. The discussions and arguments on this forum helped me reach that conclusion and for that I'm very appreciative. I started out looking for a better alternative to a Catalina 30, with Cape Dory and Bristol in mind. Either of those are fine boats but would have been the worst buy I could have made for my particular wants/needs. Denigrating a product that meets someone's needs but not yours is not helpful. Discussing specific positives and negatives relative to intended use is. Now, having said that, I do feel those who aggressively defend their opinions, regardless of whether it's relevant to a particular person, results in exchanges that add to the overall value of the discussions.

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by TanzerTom

You may change your mind after paying for maintenance on a five year old Mercedes, Land Rover, etc. Unlike sailboats, there are tons of data on cars. Your experience with a Honda was a rare one. You base your opinion on an exception.. if everyone did that with boats, nobody would every buy one. While I don't care for the blandness of the car, if I were to buy a circumnavigating boat based on a car analogy, it'd be a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. There are some fair analogies between cars and boats, but not many. I know a LOT about cars and am just beginning to learn what I need to know in order to make a good decision on which 30 year old boat to buy. I'd like to be able to buy a Toyota or Honda kind of boat, but the closest I can come to that is the Catalina 30. I'll likely end up with exactly that but not until I exhaust reasonable alternatives that fuel a little passion, like a Hunter 34's performance per dollar or a Contessa 32's sheer perfection. Just my two cents

Hmmm.....I'm currently driving a 2000 Ford Taurus, with 315,000 miles on it, the only failures in all that time were an alternator at 215,000 miles, an air conditioning pump at 255,000 miles and a fuel pump at 305,000 miles. Regular oil changes and transmission filter/fluid changes every 65,000 miles the major upkeep. I bought it in 2004 for $4,500.00, I've gotten my moneys worth there. I'd say that Taurus is closer to a Catalina 30 than a Honda or Toyota, I've owned a Catalina 30 and although a nice family boat I don't know if I'd want to cross an ocean in it without significant modifications to the boat, it was never designed for that type of undertaking, although it's a fine family coastal cruiser. I did use that boat in conditions that exceeded it's design intent and was surprised with it's robust nature for such an affordable boat but would still think twice before using it for a world cruiser, the Catalina 27 with modifications would be a better choice. They do make other models like the older 36 that are better suited to that cause, with modifications of course.
Like an automobile, an older boat, no matter what make, is often the end result of the previous owners maintenance and care; maintenance and upkeep are the main factors in the quality of a used boat. The quality of the original build plays a part in the longevity of a hull but won't overcome poor maintenance. If you can pick up a used boat of good quality that's been properly maintained then what the heck, why not.
I've seen quite a few well built boats ruined by poor upkeep and the owners still wanted top dollar for them, I've also seen some pretty robust production boats which were well maintained that would make perfectly good cruising choices.
You figure your budget, then figure spending that much again on upgrades/repairs then go looking for a suitable boat.
I lucked out on the present boat, it was well maintained and all the expensive repairs/upgrades were done. Of course I still need to buy new sails and electronics before heading off, but you pretty well plan on doing that for any used boat you buy. Did I mention the plumbing......

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by TanzerTom

Kenomac, that's just the point Sailorboy was making... He ain't going to Antarctica and doesn't want or need a boat that will. Few do. Thankfully, there are boats that are fine for that and boats that are fine for what most folk will do with them. A sledge hammer is a poor tool for driving tacks and, as you point out in your own way, a tack hammer is useless on railroad spikes. The discussions and arguments on this forum helped me reach that conclusion and for that I'm very appreciative. I started out looking for a better alternative to a Catalina 30, with Cape Dory and Bristol in mind. Either of those are fine boats but would have been the worst buy I could have made for my particular wants/needs. Denigrating a product that meets someone's needs but not yours is not helpful. Discussing specific positives and negatives relative to intended use is. Now, having said that, I do feel those who aggressively defend their opinions, regardless of whether it's relevant to a particular person, results in exchanges that add to the overall value of the discussions.

Tom,

This thread is over a year old, please quit looking for an argument... I don't want to play today. I was answering a guy's somewhat irrelevant question about the cars I have in my garage and their maintenance records. The thread died thirteen months ago, please let it rest quietly.

Ken

[TanzerTom]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Tom,

This thread is over a year old, please quit looking for an argument... I don't want to play today. I was answering a guy's somewhat irrelevant question about the cars I have in my garage and their maintenance records. The thread died thirteen months ago, please let it rest quietly.

Ken

Sorry you got up on the wrong side of the bed. If you don't want discussion, perhaps you shouldn't respond. Making assumptions about others' intentions is immature. You do not chose what others respond to.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

The thread died thirteen months ago, please let it rest quietly.

I hope you're not overlooking the irony of posting, therefore not letting the thread rest, in order to say let the thread rest. A couple more and you could have it fully revived.

It's about like "This page left intentionally blank" which is, of course, untrue by it's very nature.