westsail similar

[passage_paul]

Hello Everyone.... finally got the forum to work after months of trying and reading I have mounds of questions.... Up here in Wa. State and am looking to find a boat this summer and set sail in about a year.

I want something that I can essentially go anywhere... I have zero desire to bob about the coastal US or any other region for that matter and have my mind set on a leisurely circumnavigation (2 yearsish).

Ive done a bit of research and for my style I am drawn to the Westsail32. I love everything about it, in particular the community.
I have made a list of comparables. Was hoping for any suggestions that I may be cluless to that you could offer.

My priorities do not include speed or flash. I want primarily something that rides well in bad weather, solid build, capable of heavy provisioning, simple systems.

Others on my potential list include Dreadnaught 32, Tradewind 33, Baba 35....

Anything in particular that I should be warned of with a Westsail32?

I know there is alot of good natured ribbing on the Westsail... its ok... but I just want to plod along..

This is about my dream https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197...il-32-3577375/

I am torn between putting an offer on it.. or finding something for a bit less and learn to do the repairs/refit myself.

Long winded post... any suggestions for comparables would be great!

Thanks

[Jim Cate]

G'day PP and welcome to CF!

This W32 is well presented and reasonably well equipped. It is also awfully high priced compared to the general class prices, and a lot of the improvements considered new or newish are now 15 years of age. The sail inventory isn't so hot age wise either, and unless I missed it, no mention of a windvane, something I'd absolutely want for passage making.

At a more realistic price she'd be worth considering, but IMO, that would be more int he 35-40 K$ range. I'm not a big fan of this type of boat, but understand that it has its appeal for some sailors.

Enjoy the search and keep us posted as to progress.

Jim

[passage_paul]

Thanks for the guidance. I thought the asking was quite a bit off as well. I have seen time and again in various forums/vlogs that offering half as asking is a good start to price negotiation.... I am not much of a wheeler dealer... certainly wouldnt want to piss someone off out the gate... well..not most people anyhow... I saw a link somewhere that was tracking asking price with the actual sale price and it seemed most boats were getting about 30% less than asking...saw a few that were over 50% less...

Unfortunately I have very little experience/knowledge of what exactly makes a good boat. Of course as they say it is all what you want to do with it..lol to me that mainly means not sink. In my howdy to yall post. I mentioned that I want a humble craft that will allow me to leisurely circum as many times as possible before i croak.. would love to go around the capes and even try a nonstop... My interest is even growing on the folks who are going au natural with out an engine...)..lol...

[lifeofreilly57]

Westsail 32s came in a wide variety of finish, full factory finish or in different states of completion, depending on who the buyer was.
Overall heavily built boats that we're forgiving to their owners.
Seeing the age of those boats now it depends on how well they were originally outfitted and how well they were cared for during their lifetime.
Look critically at the systems and gear.
How old is the standing rigging?
How many hours on the motor? What model motor?
Hull condition?
Through hulls?
Tanks?
Sails?
Electronics? Unless recently installed assume you'll be replacing them.
Any solar power? If not you'll be depending on the motor or s generator for power needs.
What's it have for ground tackle? Extremely important for a circumnavigation plan.
I could go on, but remember, this will become your full time home, you'd better like it. Little things can become aggravating over time.
Wind and steering can be a godsend. Want to hand steer 24/7? Not me.
I bought and sold one 15 years ago, fully equipped, new ssb, windvane, 100 hours on the motor, extra heavy rig, full stove and oven, drogue, sea anchor, full suite of sails.
It had been through two divorces and one owner who slipped the country due to IRS fraud. It had a total of six years in the water.
That boat was in pristine condition (bought at auction), it went for $35,000.
All it needed was some varnish and new batteries.
Ready to sail away.
Liesurely circumnavigation two years?
Are you going to stop anywhere and visit?
We figure we'll be rushing it at 3-5 years.
Good luck, they're good boats if you can find one in good condition, it's getting harder to find one that doesn't need s refit.
Depends on your skill set, better to find one that someone else refurbished.

[passage_paul]

Thanks for sharing your insight. I thought most "round worlders took a year .... I thought I was being generous at 2 years. I really much prefer your estimate of 3-5. I am even more excited now.

Regardless of the boat I find, I am enrolling in the Marine Systems program at nwswb.edu

I don't want to be unprepared. I better budget in time to learn.. cause I wont have the budget to be paying folks.. either for a refit before launch or after. I figured I would meet some fellow students who would maybe help me refit over the weekends?? LOL.. great networking opportunities while I learn.

Maybe I can get credit/extra for fixin up my own...??..lol

The best thing in my thinking is that doing a fair amount of work myself, is that I would KNOW the quality of work.. that there wouldn't be an issue that I couldn't manage myself. That is some real security. I really love the style and the story of these boats..I would love to be able to "restore" one of these pudgy gals. I would NOT be able to do so myself without a formal education.

But there is definite appeal in hoping onboard and heading out with minimal effort.
I didn't want to be one of the drifting clueless that have a nice boat and don't know a damn thing. I imagine there are many of those..moron on board stickers?

AS with all things it comes down to the bank tho. Price+refit has to be within range... which is not very much.. I really prefer to stay below 40... and honestly that is top of the top.

Kind of eyeballed this one here for a moment.. I see it is pending sale now( hermmmm asking 20... id probably offer not much more than 15 and then maybe another 15? to spruce up. I see obvious issues/potential issues.. It foesnt look well taken care of.. I am sure the decks leak sails look wore the rigging looks wore.. lawd only knows what the hull condi is... but I would love to spend time working on it.. BUT only with the proper skill set and dollar and not more than a year working on it.
Whatever boat I finally find MUST be purchased in the next 4 months and ready to go by this time next year...well.... after the school term ends. The clock is ticking soo fast...know what i mean Vern?.... I have seen some of those horror stories where the refit takes 3-5 years... yikes...

yachtworld.com/boats/1974/westsail-32-3554612/

Thanks Reilly!

[lifeofreilly57]

Greetings.
Your thoughts pertaining to educational opportunities are practical.
Refitting/upgrading a boat are also a good idea.
I did an extensive refit on our boat prior to stepping off but I still have maintenance on a regular basis. Full time cruising takes a toll on a boat, just like a house, day to day use and wear and tear adds up to regular repairs and upgrades.
But, if you've gone through the boat yourself prior to stepping off the maintenance/repairs will be relatively easy for you. Finding parts or good technicians in remote locations can be challenging and expensive.
We were originally going to head out to the Pacific after our first season in the Caribbean but decided to stay an extra season here to explore more and do some modifications to the boat. We're glad we made that decision now.
No matter how much you prep you'll find different things your boat needs to satisfy your needs, living on it and traveling for a year will give you time to figure those things out.
Just don't let constant preparation stop you from stepping off, no matter how well you prepare you'll always find something you'll want to change.
Good luck, hope you find the right boat and get her launched.

[mvweebles]

Willard, famous for ballasted/displacement trawlers, produced a W32-ish boat called the 8-ton (30 feet LOA). Bill Crealock, of Pacific Seacraft fame, did the design. She's supposedly a decent sailor, but who knows. I doubt you're getting more than 125 nms/day in any boat of this style, probably closer to 100 nms/day on average. There were only a couple dozen 8-ton models built (not to be confused with Willard Horizon Motorsailer, which was more trawler than sailor).

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197...8-ton-3250624/

Your statement about a liesurely 2-year circumnavigation reminded of a 1963 video of Eric and Susan Hiscock's circumnavigation posted to this forum a couple weeks ago. They took 3-years and only spent 8-nights ashore. BBC film is dated and a bit of a time capsule, but pretty good boat-porn for someone with a hankering to sail off into the sunset.

https://youtu.be/g_RHHIV4u1k

[AiniA]

When you plan a circumnavigation you often have to think about adding (or subtracting) in one year intervals. When we were in Indonesia we thought about going to Thailand on our way to South Africa, but you can't go to SE Asia for a few months since that gets you to South Africa at the wrong season and it is a tough enough place to go in the best season. Our RTW was four years but we had friends who did a 21 year circumnavigation. A fast circumnavigation with a slow boat is three years and the W32 would qualify as slow. I would not consider such a boat for myself but you are, of course, welcome to make your own choice.

Have you considered using a buyer's broker? Doesn't cost you anything (paid for by the seller, like real estate). They find boats for you and will help with setting the offer amount. Generally the buyer and seller brokers will talk about where a deal can be found.

[Bill O]

Here is another boat, a Fantasia 35 that fits the type of boat in your description. You want a mkII version for the better underbody/rudder configuration. Not knowing your crew size, this boat will give you more room than the W32 for livability, storage and comfort at sea. The price is much less than the W32 you linked.
On the flip side it appears the owner of the W32 has done a lot of the prep work to get the boat ready to go. If you want to go in 1 year, then consider the extra $$ as an ok trade for leaving sooner. Besides the labor and parts to upgrade an aging boat, an extra hidden cost would be marina fees. Don't know what the marina fees are in your area for a 30-35'er, but if it takes you 3-5 yrs to outfit the boat, then add an additional $9-15K ($3k/yr) for a slip to the overall refit cost.
Would at least go look at the W32 and would use it as a relative bench mark as a refited boat compared to others. Besides the weird head pump set up, the W32 looks good. As there are many used boats in the current market, you as the buyer are in the driver seat. Typically for an overpriced boat on yw, would start ~25% lower than the asking price and see how it goes.


Good luck and keep us in the loop of your purchase.
Bill O.

[passage_paul]

Ya... I noticed the weird head pump as well... I am definitely inclined to no matter the system to replace it with a compost. I know there are some marina issues and such with that but I really don't want the hassle of black tanks or odor..
I did check on liveaboard marina fees.. most run around 10 bux a foot around the Puget Sound... I figured if possible while attending class I would live aboard and do the refit and save some cash... Rent in Wa State coastal area is skyhigh....relatively I guess... 1000$ a month for a small place on land..or live on boat and put 600 in bank xtra a month.. BUt I would have some dry docking expenses I am sure..plus living in a hotel or couchsurf (eww)

I do like the Fantasia... and have it on my list of 10 possibles.

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice and taking time to respond so kindly!

[Bill O]

Paul,
Forgot to mention one other major item to consider, aging teak decks (especially screwed down). I will say upfront I'm not a big fan of teak decks in the tropics, but higher lats they're ok.
If you have to remove them because they are worn or to stop/repair leak damage, it will be considerable time/effort to do the job. Its not a hard job, but if someone has already done the work for you when they did their refit, that is a major bonus.


Bill O.

[passage_paul]

Ya.. I have seen all the warnings about teak especially on the older gals. I sho do love the look but I think far too much potential trouble than I would want... I've resigned myself to not counting on good teak, especially in my budget. Hundreds of holes ??...no thanks..lol

Really beautiful boat you have. I am just starting to view your site there Bill.... I cant wait to read your story!

[ttex]

You have good taste. I love the way these boats look and I ended up with a Baba 35.

One thing I will say is that they are not the type of sailboat experienced folks tend to go for. That should tell you something.

I think less experienced people gravitate to them because they seem safe and foolproof. Can't knock the keel off!

In fact I think the Cheeki Rafiki incident is what ultimately scared me into the arms of a full keel. I guess I plan to hit stuff for a while. Hopefully not other boats.

[passage_paul]

"I think less experienced people gravitate to them because they seem safe and foolproof. Can't knock the keel off!"

You nailed it there.. at least for me...LOL I give highest marks for safe and foolproof.

[wingssail]

Passage Paul, I don't think you are going to save much money by moving aboard. There are other expenses beside the berthing fee.

I'm guessing that you don't have much sailing experience.

My recommendation, (of course to be discarded if you wish) is do some sailing, lots of sailing, before you buy your first boat. After some time on the water you will know a lot more about what you want and what you want to do.

It sounds harsh but I think you have fallen in love with a dream but lack the knowledge of the reality. Many people, no matter how resolute they think they are, abandon their world cruise after the first ocean passage. Get on board as many boats as possible, do deliveries, do races (one year of racing will make a sailor out of you, I guarantee it).

As to your choice of boat, I rather like the Westsail 32. It is pure. But it is slow and it will limit where you can go since going upwind is not it's strong suit and believe me, you will be going upwind. If your boat won't sail you will be motoring. Make sure you have a very good motor.

Don't rush into this, take your time and make informed decisions, based on your own experiences, not what you read or hear from other people.

BTW, we have a very fast boat and took 18 years to circumnavigate.