Yet another post seeking boat purchase suggestions

[Popeye21]

Greetings,

Been lurking for months and recently registered. Great forum.

First, allow me to compliment you all on your patience with the endless threads from those (like me) seeking advice. The aggregate knowledge here is astounding and your willingness to share it is very kind.

I am in the market for a boat and am seeking suggestions. Details would be great but if you just want to post a list for consideration that would be most helpful, too. I don't mind doing the research (been doing a lot for the last couple months).

About me: 45 years old. Been sailing since I was a kid. Taught sailing and raced on Flying Scots for years. Have about a dozen charters as skipper behind me on the Chesapeake and in the Caribbean on boats ranging from 30 to 44 feet. I owned a J-24 for a few years about 15 years ago. The J was almost new and required little serious maintenance or upgrades while I owned it. As a boat owner (especially in the 30'+ range) I am inexperienced.

The sailing I'll be doing: Exclusively on the Chesapeake. Daysailing, 2-3 nighters and the occasional weeklong cruise. 2-4 people for the overnights. No kids. May sail solo at times.

What I am seeking: Monohull. 30'-34'. Likely a sloop but will consider alternatives. I don't want to sail a pig but high performance will take a back seat to comfort. To the degree possible I'd like to not get a complete "fixer-upper", but I know I'll be looking at older boats.

Budget: $50K (total including anything I need to address after purchase).

I also have two specific questions:

1) To what degree can a deal be had by buying a boat at the end of the sailing season (factoring in that I might only get a few sails in before incurring the cost of yanking her out and putting her on sticks for the winter)?
2) What's the market like right now? Is the economy making it more of a buyer's market?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Fair winds...

[scallywag]

Popeye21,
Deduct from your $50k, State Sales Tax, Documentation Fee, insurance, Survey Fee, Hauling for the survey, and anticipated yard costs for repairs or partial costs for repairs. People that have their boat for sale, fall into two groups. First the boat is in the water, paying slip charges, and they are using it or not using it? The other group is the boat that is in the yard and they are paying a storage fee. The market is determined by the individual owner. Do they need to sell? Do they own two boats? How long has the boat been for sale? How much work needs to be done on the boat? John

[Sailormann]

Find the boat that you want, or at least narrow it down to a few potentials, then look for one in good shape. In general; - yes - boats cost less in the fall, and in general - yes - it is a buyers' market. If you are selling an average boat in average condition you could be waiting a long time to complete the transaction. But if you are selling an exciting boat in great condition, the market for those boats is always there, so it won't take long to sell. Conversely, those boats do not last long on the market.

I would suggest you look seriously at a CS30. http://www.bottrell.ca/Docs/8411CS30Review.doc

[Popeye21]

scallywag: Good point on the taxes and related fees. Realistically I'm therefore looking at budget cap of around $45K.

Sailormann: Thanks for the tips and the suggestion of the CS30. I googled it and have put it on my list of boats to research.

Any other boats to put on my research list? My basic criteria (detailed a bit more in my 1st post in this thread) are:

• Cost: up to $45K (edited from $50K factoring in taxes, fees, etc.)
• Length: 30-34'
• Type of sailing: Chesapeake cruising, 1-3 nighters mostly
• Performance vs. Comfort: decent performance but comfort is slightly more important

Thanks a ton.

[Little Otter]

I'm a multi but most of my freinds are monos so what you could do is look on New and Used Yachts for Sale - YachtWorld.com and find out what kinds of boats fit in that price range.

[Ex-Calif]

Popeye - So far we are doing exactly what you are planning. Daysails, weekenders and long weekenders. Single handed 10-20% of the time.

The single most important factor that we have discovered is that the boat must be easy to get underway and stow. This really increases our odds of going out as there is really no work involved to "see if it's good enough out there."

Roller furling is God's gift to sailing. Lazy jacks are helpful but a boombag would be even more awesome. Our mainsail reefing system is dead simple as well. Drop the halyard (from the cockpit), hook the rams horn, haul the reef line (from the cockpit) and haul the halyard. 1 minute tops.

Our sheets all come back to the tiller and we have an Autohelm. Single handing is very simple. We usually will use the autopilot but even without it it's not a problem.

I would caution going above 30 feet for ease of single handing. Sailing a 34-36 footer is not a problem but at that length you start to get into docking issues.

[Popeye21]

Originally Posted by Little Otter

I'm a multi but most of my freinds are monos so what you could do is look on New and Used Yachts for Sale - YachtWorld.com and find out what kinds of boats fit in that price range.

Thank you (and Ex-Calif) for your tips.

I have been searching extensively and have started a list of boats that appear to meet my criteria. What I really need is suggestions of specific boats to look at (in other words, recommendations).

Sailormann wrote: "I would suggest you look seriously at a CS30."

That's exactly what I need. There are many boats in my price, size and age range, but the vast majority of them I am personally unfamiliar with.

Thanks again!

[elf]

Look at Catalina 30s. Very comfortable and easy to sail, and in your price range, you could get one in excellent condition/newer. Yes, I am biased.

elf

[SeaKing]

Hey Popeye , where in the Chesapeake do you sail and where will you keep the boat. Do you have a slip in mind yet. I see potential "good" deals on craigslist for boats and slips in the area.

[Popeye21]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

Hey Popeye , where in the Chesapeake do you sail and where will you keep the boat. Do you have a slip in mind yet. I see potential "good" deals on craigslist for boats and slips in the area.

I live in DC and am looking at Herrington Harbour (North or South) and Flag Harbor as possible marinas. So most of the 1-2 day sails will be mid-Bay, of course.

I'm open to suggestions on other spots for slips, too, if you have any in mind.

Thanks, SeaKing, and everyone else.

:-)

[SeaKing]

Popeye, keep an eye on the West River (Galesville) and the Rhodes River( Edgewater/Mayo) for slips. We love coming out of Parish Creek( West River) , then you are 1 mile south of Thomas Point light. No matter which way the wind blows there are great short trips to be made. Till you find a boat if you want to sail send me a PM and we can organize something, we go out most weekends and not always overnight.