Yet another "What kind of sailboat should I get" thread...

[MTLandlocked]

Hey all! I know theres like a bazillion threads like this on here, but I've also been a member of the forums long enough to know most of ya LOVE to give your opinions on boats, so I'll ask for them anyways

About us, I'm Justin- a 29 year old Male, was in the Marine Corps for 5 years. Did a Med cruise on LHD-5 USS Bataan and thats what got me hooked on travel and the ocean. I'm a PADI Advance Open Water Diver and would like to be a Marine Archaeologist. I'll be doing school through Oregon State University online campus to obtain a BA in Anthropology.
Jamie, my significant other, is 31 and will be doing a different course, haven't decided yet. We lived in a 18' pull behind trailer for 3 years and now rent a room in a house, so are used to living in very close quarters and making do with the little bit of room we have.

What I want to do with it:
*Sail. Duh....

*Livaboard, cruise the US coast and Carribean, maybe do South America, the canal and up the other coast eventually( MUST have ability).

*Don't really plan on doing a transit to Hawaii, but it'd be awesome if the boat had the long range cruise ability (so thats a "nice to have")

Would like to do the whole work cruise work cruise work cruise cycle... 6 months in port working 6 months not working, however, my wife and I will both be doing college online so we will pretty much be tied up at a marina during the school year, so figure September thru early June (8 months), and hopefully cruising the east coast and/or carribean for 4 months.

About us, I'm Justin- a 29 year old Male, was in the Marine Corps for 5 years. Did a Med cruise on LHD-5 USS Bataan and thats what got me hooked on travel and the ocean. I'm a PADI Advance Open Water Diver and would like to be a Marine Archaeologist. I'll be doing school through Oregon State University online campus to obtain a BA in Anthropology.
Jamie, my significant other, is 31 and will be doing a different course, haven't decided yet. We lived in a 18' pull behind trailer for 3 years and now rent a room in a house, so are used to living in very close quarters and making do with the little bit of room we have.

Boat Specs:

*Budget: Around $10,000

*Willing to get a boat that needs some fixing (as they all do!) but should be able to make short one or two day trips from the get go. Don't want to repair fiberglass holes or restep masts.

*My preference as far as performace vs. comfort goes, I'm all about comfort. I'm not going to be doing any racing, except maybe just to improve my sailing skills. I'll be cruising and living aboard, not competing.

*Set up for single handed sailing. Jamie has some physical issues so won't be able to help alot, but will be able to do things some. Will still be able to stand watches at least(thankfully).

*26-32' Will go larger if its easy to sail singlehanded. Will go smaller if it has a lot of room for the size.

*Head- portapotty type, composing, etc. Perferably in a dedicated head.

*Stove, LPG or propane (perfer propane as thats what I'm used to cooking with in my trailer)

* Icebox or fridge with lots of room - if fridge it should be propane.

*Plan on staying in warmer areas, but plans DO change, so a heater would be nice, though maybe just a waste of space untill I do end up in colder climates?

*Lots of storage space

*dedicated navigation desk. I will be using digital charts but I will also be using paper charts to back those up. Plus, theres something about navigation charts I just love using. I'm a pilot and I love ploting courses, waypoints and predicting performance on a chart. I know...wierd huh?

*Basic set of sails

*Some sort of engine, either inboard or outboard, though I THINK I'd prefer an inboard...opinions? And what kind of engine, Yanmar diesel?



NICE TO HAVES (some of which I'll be adding if they aren't already included)

* I love the look of boats with a center cockpit that can be enclosed.

*fiberglass

*Solar and/or wind generator. Will be adding some solar/wind as I go along anyways.

*watermaker

*radar/chartplotter

*marine radio

*Full set of sails/extra sails (and the space to put them in!)

*wet locker

*Dinette where the table isn't a fold down in the middle of the cabin

*Comes with a digny

*Inboard Engine


SOME QUESTIONS:

Keel type: As I'll be doing mostly coastal cruising, with the occasional hop to the islands and maybe down to South America and through the canal, what type of keel would most suit me? I'd like to be able to get in to somewhat shallower waters, but I don't want to sacrifice blue water sail ability too much. How blue water capable does a sailboat have to be to make this kind of transit? I dont really want a drop keel, I've heard too many stories of people forgetting to raise it, then they have to have it repaired (though using a checklist could help eliminate this possiability- I do love checklists)

Hull Material: Thinking fiberglass would be best for me. Wood requires quite a bit of maintenance, and I think any wooden boat in my budget might have too many problems when dealing with wood. Thoughts?

Rigging: Up in the air about this. Thoughts?


Well thats all I can think of at the moment. Feel free to add your thought or ask questions I didn't think of yet.
I look forward to your opinions

[Sailmonkey]

Your best bet with that budget is to cruise CL and yacht world and get an idea of what's available. Then ask questions with specifics in mind.

[SVNeko]

Bargains come up on craigslist and ebay from time to time. Get the biggest fiberglass boat you can for your $$. With that budget, you really don't need a list of boats. You need to find one that fits your wallet. Then, plan to put a LOT of time and energy into getting it right.

[AbaftAndBaffled]

I think with your budget the right boat is the one you can afford.

[Paul Elliott]

Don't worry about the keel too much. You probably don't want a 9-foot deep racing keel, but a moderate keel should be fine. My 44-ft boat has only a 5-1/2 ft shoal-draft keel and while I give up a little pointing ability it does fine (multiple mainland / Hawaii trips). You don't need a full-keel design for offshore work -- any rugged keel is OK.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Thanks for your service. As you know you are not alone in asking this question. I'll just answer by saying I've still got the same questions after sailing for 50 years and owning many different boats.
I've narrowed it down to boats between 32 and 36 feet and built of fiberglass unless I was going to liveaboard and do constant maintenance (then wood). Diesel inboard and aft cockpit sloop. From there any boat will do for me.
kind regards,

[Kennyge]

Don't forget Ebay. There are lots of great deals on sailboats now and people practically give them away on Craigslist and Sailboat Listings - sailboats for sale. I just bought a great Catalina 25 for 3 grand with many of the features you mentioned. When you buy it cheap, you can afford the "extras".

Good luck

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by AbaftAndBaffled

I think with your budget the right boat is the one you can afford.

+1

Lots (most) of the things on your list are stuff that can be added later, and likely will need to be for the budget to get a fundamentally sound boat..........albeit they all need work - at $10k likely some and a bit, but no reason why not something day sailing capable from day 1.

The less absolute requirements the wider the choice

26-32 (I would favour the larger at the expense of nice to have stuff onboard, stuff can be added later - feet can't!)
dedicated navigation desk - albeit may well find that used mostly for passage planning in which case the saloon table can get used instead, so a dedicated area is something I would compromise on (note that I too like a chart table. and have one, at 30').
Some sort of engine - always useful above 26/27 then your choices will be amongst boats with inboards (unless engine kaput and an o/b strapped on the back). Likely engine will be as old as the boat, for a $10k boat that won't be anytime this decade, or last . Buy carefully as a popped engine will eat lots of money, let alone replacement (for a ballpark figure double the cost of a new engine for the install and ancillaries, and that without a new gearbox). A mechanic inspection and good sea trial will be very helpful, also good if you know way around engines. Engine make is immaterial - it's all about condition (excepting something weird and wonderful!).

Apart from the fundamentals (keel still attached, no pox, decks not like a sponge and bulkheads still attached etc) then everything else is pot luck for each boat on what mix of good, bad and has some life left in it (but nonetheless replacement repair will be coming down the pipe sooner rather than later). The boat that offers best value will be the one where the numbers (overall) add up to less, that number will be radically affected by what skills (and time) you bring and on what (for "you" new cushions may be an easy DIY wheareas for me they are $1k plus etc etc)....

....just remember that most of the jobs will likely be in reach of your skills (whether present or can be acquired) but easy to get sucked into too much volume of jobs and / or ending up disassembling the boat (whilst doing "this" it makes sense to also do "that", which makes summit else logical and easier to do now rather than later etc etc). I think wise to get something that can be day sailed from day 1. I strongly suggest keeping her that way , even at the price of some inconvenience - especially after a period of ownership (and lots of 5 minute - ROTFLMAO! - jobs that were unexpected) that you will stop seeing or caring about a lot of the stuff you wanted to "fix" as wishlist items.


and stick with fibreglass, the most forgiving of PO's - at the age talking about will have been a few and at least one (probably more!) will have been a numpty and / or broke. or both.

[zeehag]

might want to know how to sail. could help with some problems that arise....

[David_Old_Jersey]

I nearly forgot - buy locally (or at least within a day sail, maybe 2 - but certainly within a days travel by land their and back). Buying away from home port costs a fair bit in cash and time and aggro which on a $10k boat will be disproportionate, especially as condition will require work for an extended voyage home........that will shrink your choices somewhat, but will also make them clearer!

[MTLandlocked]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have sailed a little bit on hobbiecats, but im friends with a Australian coworker whos been sailing all his life. Hes going to come out and take a look at the boat and then teach me how to sail for a few weeks. He gets a free Florida vacation, I get free lessons and tips hes learned through experience. As for buying as large a boat as I can at a sacrafice of some wants, I think thats a great idea. Of course you cant add feet later, with the exception of a bowspirit maybe lol.

[sabray]

Think cost of sails and rigging. If they are shot you could be looking at 10 grand. If the hull is solid the deck joint chainplates are good rigging is updated you have a boat. . Forget the electronics. Those are enhancements. Blown sails and mast dangling over the side will blow your budget. Electronics will just add to your budget. If you can't sail with paper you probably shouldn't be out sailing. If you get lucky and afford a chartplotter then that adds to your package. Navionics on a I product would probably back up your paper charts nicely.