Question Regarding Purchase

[Helbent]

I recognize everyone's opinion is different, that the specifics of our situation (beyond what I will outline below) might impact the decision, and that there is probably no correct answer to this question, but I wanted to hear what folks had to say about a dilemma my wife and I are facing.

We are 2.5 years from setting off cruising. We will start during my wife's six month sabbatical, return to land for another four months, and then - if all goes well - set sail permanently. We live near the Great Lakes and have lots of options for boat storage in our town, but few marine services. We are currently weighing three options for our boat purchase and refit plans: 1. buy now, ship the boat to us, store it indoors, and do an extensive refit in the next two years 2. buy now, store the boat where we buy it (East Coast), work on it during the summers, sail it whenever possible (probably just for a month or so over the summer, though possibly for a few weeks over the holidays as well if the boat is in Florida), and then complete a more extensive refit before going cruising full time 3. wait until it is nearer to our departure to purchase the boat, do some work on the boat at the beginning of the sabbatical, cruise the East Coast and Bahamas during the sabbatical, and then complete a more extensive refit before going cruising full time.

We are trying to determine the relative merits and costs of each plan. We would welcome any advice you all may have, whether it is specific or more generalized. Thanks in advance.

[sardinebreath]

Boats which have lived in the Great Lakes are often in much better shape than boats that have been kept elsewhere (no salt water, at least half the year on the hard). There are a surprising number of cruising boat available in the Great Lakes; why not buy a boat closer to home? You could get a great boat, save the transport costs, and have the opportunity to get to know your boat really well before cutting loose.

[Mike Vogdes]

I would target a boat that is already pretty much set up the way you want a few months before your wife's sabbatical. There's lots of good boats out there that will fit or come close to your needs. Buying now and paying all expenses associated with owning a boat doesn't make sense when that money could be going to your cruising kitty.

[hpeer]

How big a boat?

Makes a big difference.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1984.../United-States

[Helbent]

We are honing in on boats that are 40-42 feet.

[rw58ph]

Originally Posted by Mike Vogdes

I would target a boat that is already pretty much set up the way you want a few months before your wife's sabbatical. There's lots of good boats out there that will fit or come close to your needs. Buying now and paying all expenses associated with owning a boat doesn't make sense when that money could be going to your cruising kitty.

I agree!

[ssanzone]

if your wife's sabbatical lcoks you into a specific time frame, then you would be crazy to undertake a major refit in 2 years.

2 years may seem like a long time but in boat refit terms (unless you are working 'full time')... not so much. especially in an area where working year round isnt an option.

i suggest you find a boat that is ready for the water. spend the next 2 years sailing and making changes to the specific elements you want upgraded for cruising (electronics, head, re-rigging for single handing, LEDs etc).

good luck.

-steve

[sailorboy1]

Unless you are going to get to use/sail your boat it makes no sense to get it now and store and maintain it etc. and It costs me $1000/mo to use and store my boat and most of this cost would still be there if I didn't use it at all.

Get the boat closer to when you are really to do you refit and take off.

Now if you want to sail now maybe it is different. But consider you use time to decide if you would be better off chartering a boat once in a while.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Helbent

I recognize everyone's opinion is different, that the specifics of our situation (beyond what I will outline below) might impact the decision, and that there is probably no correct answer to this question, but I wanted to hear what folks had to say about a dilemma my wife and I are facing.

We are 2.5 years from setting off cruising. We will start during my wife's six month sabbatical, return to land for another four months, and then - if all goes well - set sail permanently. We live near the Great Lakes and have lots of options for boat storage in our town, but few marine services. We are currently weighing three options for our boat purchase and refit plans: 1. buy now, ship the boat to us, store it indoors, and do an extensive refit in the next two years 2. buy now, store the boat where we buy it (East Coast), work on it during the summers, sail it whenever possible (probably just for a month or so over the summer, though possibly for a few weeks over the holidays as well if the boat is in Florida), and then complete a more extensive refit before going cruising full time 3. wait until it is nearer to our departure to purchase the boat, do some work on the boat at the beginning of the sabbatical, cruise the East Coast and Bahamas during the sabbatical, and then complete a more extensive refit before going cruising full time.

We are trying to determine the relative merits and costs of each plan. We would welcome any advice you all may have, whether it is specific or more generalized. Thanks in advance.

How much ocean time have the two of you put in?

How many consecutive days have the two of you spent on a boat with each other?

How have the two of you reached the conclusion you want to "go cruising?" I'm sorry if this question strikes you as invasive, but I'm really wondering what your combined knowledge base and expectations for this project are?

Any of your three plans could work, given plenty of ocean, cruising, and financial experience, so it would ultimately be you-all's decision anyhow. One thing you'll discover after you retire is that if you are having fun, 6 months passes in a flash!

[Helbent]

Thanks for all the good feedback folks. We are still contemplating things, and your insight certainly helps in that regard.

Ann, to answer a few of your questions...

While I have sailed my entire life, taught sailing for years, raced dinghies for 15 years or so, cruised my own boat around the Chesapeake and New Jersey, and been on a number of charters, I do not have a ton of offshore experience. My wife is far less experienced, having just came to sailing through me in the past year or so. We have been on a charter together for a week, and I have been teaching her to sail on a dinghy. Both of us plan to take some courses independently to try to gain more experience and pick up additional skills.

Cruising was always a dream of mine, and I was working towards making it a reality before I met my wife. I set the idea of cruising aside when we decided to get married, but I was pleasantly surprised when she started asking me more questions about cruising and eventually decided she also wanted to go. While I am more interested in cruising so that we can sail and be on the water, she is more drawn to the idea of traveling to new places and being able to use our boat as a base to explore these new places. However, she is excited - though a bit trepidatious - about passagemaking, and I am definitely enthused about the travel aspect of cruising.

While I am sure neither of us has a full understanding of how much work refitting a boat for cruising will take, we both have experiences that help put it in perspective; she has gutted, renovated, and flipped houses, and I have been a boat owner nearly my entire life. Of course, we have also read a tremendous amount about boat work and cruising. All told, I think we are as aware of the amount of work and time refitting and maintenance will involve as two people can be without having actually gone through the experience.

As I said in the first post, we are open to any and all advice. Please keep it coming.

[MARC D]

Helbent,

My wife and I have been thru the same questioning. We decided in 2006 to retire and go cruising in 2010. Along this 4 year period, we were tempted to buy early.

We finally decided to buy the boat at the latest we could before retiring. That was in order not to pay for boat ownership without being able to actually use it. We are from Canada and we bought our boat on the US east coast 1 month before being ready to move aboard. It then took 6 months, while living aboard, to test, fit new equipment, re-test, etc... and get comfortable handling the new boat before heading to the Caribbean.

We choose to do it that way to save money. And I think we saved a lot!

Good luck

Marc

[scotty c-m]

The only advice I have is to make sure you take the time to get the right boat. Lots of great boats out there, one of them will be perfect for you. Have Fun!

[LakeSuperior]

With a wife not so experienced it would be better to

1. Purchase the boat ASAP in the Great Lakes (freshwater boat).
2. Work the refit issues as you need to know the boat and subsystems.
3. Most important take her sailing as much as possible before leaving and make sure each and all times off the dock are good weather experiences. It is possible that one bad event early on will mess up the plan. You will want an extra pair of able hands for cruising. Plus she will become more acclimated to motion and how to deal with it as time goes on.

My wife cruises and she is way more into the destinations than the sailing. She has puked her way across Lake Superior for 25 years (not so much now as she has got way better with the motion) but the payoff for her was the destination so she always went for it.

[Mike Vogdes]

After re-reading your original post and your follow up post why are you so he'll bent on refitting? Is it not possible to find a boat to your liking that would require very little adjustment? You have two and a half years to find a suitable boat, it sounds like you are in a position to pull the trigger at a moments notice should such a boat find you. I know there are always some things that will need to be replaced or just not to your liking but it is very possible to find a turn key boat, lots of nice boats on the market right now.

[LakeSuperior]

I have come to the conclusion that every boat has to be worked on independently of age! Yes that means new boats, one year old boats, two year old boats, etc.

With a new boat the first several years are shake down, getting the rigging right, adding a water maker, solar panels, canvas, sail handling equipment, etc.

After the initial first few years, because the rate of deterioration of the subsystems is so phenomenal, your new boat is now aging and you are stripping and varnishing, working on the generator, chasing leaks, greasing the anchor winch, etc.

I guess the point is you can find a boat in good condition but it will still require a whole lot of work to fix the bugs and keep it functional. I would rather learn short cuts and idiosyncrasies at home with a local support net than when I am on my own cruising in a foreign country.