28ft Bluewater Live aboard recommendations

[MartinR]

Albin Vega!

[skipmac]

You can probably find a bare bones boat for your budget but the autopilot will be a problem, for a few reasons.

First, for your price it's extremely unlikely you will find a boat with a reliable, functioning autopilot.

Like the boat, if you shop around and get lucky you might find an older one in working condition but then you're stuck with the power problem. Autopilots draw a lot of power so you will have to upgrade batteries and charging system. All that could cost as much as your entire boat budget.

Better option, look for a used wind vane self steering system.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by skipmac

You can probably find a bare bones boat for your budget but the autopilot will be a problem, for a few reasons.

First, for your price it's extremely unlikely you will find a boat with a reliable, functioning autopilot.

Like the boat, if you shop around and get lucky you might find an older one in working condition but then you're stuck with the power problem. Autopilots draw a lot of power so you will have to upgrade batteries and charging system. All that could cost as much as your entire boat budget.

Better option, look for a used wind vane self steering system.

The biggest reason for a boat with a tiller.. TP's are a fraction of the cost of wheel pilots and tillers can even be set up to hold course with bungee cords for long enough to brew a coffee or take a dump.
Transom mounted tillers are best.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by skipmac

You can probably find a bare bones boat for your budget but the autopilot will be a problem, for a few reasons.

First, for your price it's extremely unlikely you will find a boat with a reliable, functioning autopilot.

Like the boat, if you shop around and get lucky you might find an older one in working condition but then you're stuck with the power problem. Autopilots draw a lot of power so you will have to upgrade batteries and charging system. All that could cost as much as your entire boat budget.

Better option, look for a used wind vane self steering system.

I think wind vane autopilots are probably the best but my tiller autopilot draws very little power. Usually after sailing for 20-30 miles my batteries are still at float (or near float) with just my 65 Watt panel connected. This with VHF, Depth, GPS, and autopilot on.

I'd have at least one backup electric autopilot though if going far off shore. If they both fail you can rig a self steering system like the used to do back in the day.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The biggest reason for a boat with a tiller.. TP's are a fraction of the cost of wheel pilots and tillers can even be set up to hold course with bungee cords for long enough to brew a coffee or take a dump.
Transom mounted tillers are best.

Excellent point. Tiller steering APs are much cheaper and use a lot less power.
Also, though I haven't tried this for years, a sheet to tiller steering system can work quite well. Takes a bit of fiddling and sail trimming but the cost is right.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Check this thread out. Start with the last boat I just posted yesterday. Compare it to others on the market (same model).

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2664688

Then go to the beginning of the same thread (post #1) and read forward.

Good luck on your boat hunt!

[ZULU40]

first boat I thought of, Vancouver 27



The Vancouver 27 Sailboat : Bluewaterboats.org


plenty of good ideas on the same site

[akprb]

Check out “ultra budget” on my blog ;-)

[Wayfarer1008]

For 10K good luck in that 28 foot range Your looking at a Cascade 29 "If constructed right a solid circumnavigator. Catalina 27 or a cheap 30, or a Columbia 29. There was an Islander 29 also for sale in the bay area "Very similar to a 29 " that would fit your requirements but what ever you buy you need to anticipate spending at least double what you paid for it to make it useable. Sailboats are jealous mistresses and will require a sizable financial input to be safe and usable as even a live aboard never the less going to sea.

[Cheechako]

Your budget is likely low, you may get there though for the initial purchase. After that you can spend a lot or a little depending on the conveniences you want.
Maybe a Cape Dory 28 or Alberg 30 etc would be worth a shot as a great bluewater boat.
I see the CD28 listed at $10k and up. Offer 40% less than asking as a general rule and negotiate from there.

[TrentePieds]

Re #22

You are not going to get a Vancouver 27 in any kinda shape for 10K! 10K limits you to stuff like a Catalina 27 that's adorned a marina for years and years but never been fitted for sea.

The Vega is a sound choice, but again, 10K is a very minimal budget. A Westerly or two also meets the bill, but there aren't many on these shores.

Just to toss in a number or two i9nto the discussion for the OP's benefit. Sails don't last forever and if you buy a dock queen for $10K, which implies 30 or 40 years old, she will likely need new suit of sails before you do anything more than local coastal cruising. Budget $15K for that.

You CAN get away with only an outboard auxilliary if you know what your are doing. If one of those break, and you chose to buy a new one off the peg, budget 5K. Some of the Catalina 27s had Atomic 4 gas pots. At this point in history, if one of those breaks, it would be sensible to replace it with a diesel - say a Beta 20HP. There goes another 12K.

So OP: We are not wanting to rain on your parade. We want you to succeed, but to do that, you really have to have a more realistic appreciation of what boat maintenance costs. There is no trick at all to finding and buying a boat under 10K. It is keeping 'er healthy, happy and seaworthy, once that responsibility has become yours, that costs the money.

On this forum you will find threads discussing both the costs of maintaining a boat and the "housekeeping" costs of living aboard, along with much else that novices often don't even know that they don't know :-)!

Hang around, study diligently and ask all the questions you like. There are one or two of our members who are quite "forthright". Don't let that put you off. We all hope you will succeed - with your eyes wide open :-)!

TP

[captmikem]

Originally Posted by MartinR

Albin Vega!

My thoughts exactly.
I have seen Albvin Vegas in many places in the world.
Simple Strong, and will get you there. Just don't overload her with "safety" gear etc. and forget an autopilot, it will fail you and eat up your battery, get a good vane. A Vega steers well with a vane and you can buy a cheap tiller pilot to steer the vane with when motoring.

Good luck,

M

[janice142]

You may find this page useful.

Janice142 The Boat List

It is the largest repository of under 30' boats capable of supporting life afloat. This is from my working files before I went over to the dark side. Happy hunting.

P.S. - if your boat model fits the criteria PLEASE send me pictures and details for uploading. Thanks!
My email is janice142@gmail.com

[Mike Banks]

Compass 29, Sparkman and Stevens 30 (Savage Defiance for example), Roberts 30, Adams 30, Bayfield whatever, Pearson 30, there are HEAPS of seaworthy vessels in the 30 foot range. Anything too much smaller will drive you nuts on a long ocean passage when the weather turns bad and cabin fever sets in. I think 29-30 feet is about the minimum for carriage of stores and comfort.

[Alan j]

Get the book Spurr’s Guide to Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat by Daniel Spurr. He started with a 28 foot Pearson Triton. Making an inexpensive boat seaworthy without spending a fortune involves a lot of sweat equity, but you need develop skills which you can get by doing. This book will help with your education. It’s available on Kindle. There are also a number of books by Don Casey that can help including his manual Inspecting the Aging Sailboat which is included in his latest book on Sailboat Mainenance.