Selling it all for a bluewater boat - Advice requested :)

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I think writing off boats from the 70's and 80's is doing yourself a gross disservice. There are boats from that era, then there are boats. It is all a function of how well it has been maintained and what kind of refit the previous owner(s) have performed. You could easily find a boat from that vintage that is ready to cross an ocean compared to a more recent Hunter that you need to invest tens of thousands of dollars into to make it capable of that voyage. You need to look at a lot of boats, since no two are the same, and start to develop an internal database in your head about what you get for what money and which features/equipment are important to you.

There are plenty of Hunters and Beneteaus that have crossed oceans and gone on world voyages, but you're going to want to update/modify a range of hardware and systems, at the very least, to make them reliable for that kind of trip.

The pilot house requirement is going to narrow your options dramatically. It's a huge plus when cruising the Pacific NW, but it sort of cuts you off at the knees in terms of boats that will fit all your other requirements.

Your main stumbling block is that you don't have any prior experience with this. What you think you need now will very likely turn out to be very different from what you decide you need after living on and sailing on a boat for six months. You can't really make these decisions theoretically, in the abstract, based on other people's opinions and experiences.

What seems like a lot of boat for the money, and in good shape could well turn out to be an abatross around the neck of your dreams in a short period of time. If you have the wherewithall, I would suggest volunteering to crew on a few blue water voyages before you pull the trigger on a boat. Otherwise I can pretty much guarantee that within a year of purchase you'll be wishing you had.

As an aside, I always find it funny hearing of ex-Navy folks who are just learning to sail. I know an ex-Admiral who only learned to sail after she retired. I know, I know, sailing has nothing to do with our modern navy, at all, but it's just sorta ironic.

I agree that the production boats from the 80's were better built than the ones of today. It all comes down to money saving short cuts. Do those for a few years and the effect starts to show. Take Beneteau as an example. The First series from the 80's were pretty decent boats. Here's an example of one that looks like a good buy.

http://au.yachtworld.com/boats/1986/...s#.Uwv1k6_NvIU

If you want more of a cruising fitout there's the old Oceanis series such as this one.

http://au.yachtworld.com/boats/1994/...s#.Uwv2ja_NvIU

[bcholette]

To all -

I am so glad to have as many replies as received. It has really helped me devise a plan for training as well as exploring various boat types/models/brands/lengths.
I am signed up for my first (beginner) and second (intermediate) courses, each 2-day and 85% on water for early April. My guy has sternly stated that I am stressing him out with talk of boat purchasing so I will curb my enthusiasm until August (his return from deployment). In the meantime, I will accumulate my hours through the courses and do some "day work" on the various marinas in San Diego.
Next: the balance of work, hyper husky care, and learning to sail!

Cheers and thanks again!

Bonnie (& Doug & Baron the husky & PigPen the cat)

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Bonnie,
San Diego Naval Sailing Club out of Coronado used to offer courses in the olden days. I don't know if they still do but it was a wonderful bunch of folks.
Here's what they are calling themselves now: Welcome to Navy Yacht Club San Diego!
Hope you can find your deam boat.

[bcholette]

SkiprJohn- I did check them out and they are quite welcoming! I am getting hooked up by way of MCRD Camp Pendleton's MWR sailing program. The dude in charge is ready to teach EVERYONE with the willingness to learn(his enthusiasm is akin to mine so I am stoked!). Plus, can't beat it for 300 bucks for both courses with all the la-la and books.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by bcholette

Occupants: Early 30's couple with one husky and fat cat. He is medium build and strong (rescue swimmer); she is short, petite but crossfits (can handle a bit but not TONS )

I'm confused - is the cat a he or a she?

Mark

[bcholette]

Just for clarification -

The cat is a 12.5lb fat female tortoise tabby colored domestic.

(I will re-read my more descriptive posts next time. You crazy guys caught me this time!)

[boating2go]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

That one reminds me that you are certainly encouraged to try much lower than the current asking price. Especially if its been on the market for many months. This one will be for awhile.



kind regards,

Remember it is a buyer's market. A friend of mine offered 50% of the asking price on a boat listed for awhile and they quickly accepted his offer. After months of paying dock fees and insurance costs a lot of owners just want it sold. Pat attention to boats that have had price reductions, they want a deal. Remember you can always raise your offer but you can never lower it.

[boating2go]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Aloha Bonnie,
San Diego Naval Sailing Club out of Coronado used to offer courses in the olden days. I don't know if they still do but it was a wonderful bunch of folks.
Here's what they are calling themselves now: Welcome to Navy Yacht Club San Diego!
Hope you can find your deam boat.

They still do and are still a wonderful bunch of folks.

[Oregon Waterman]

Originally Posted by HBWT

We have been looking for the past 14 months. It's extremely fun but in our case, extremely time consuming. Have fun out there and best of luck on your adventure.

I hate to say it but if after 14 months you haven't found a boat...you probably won't.

And as to "no boat is bluewater ready" (or whatever you said)...how can this be?
I know you are talking about having provisions on board...right?
Because two boats left this week for Hawaii from here in Coos Bay, Oregon.
My own S/V is ready minus provisions for its trip to Mexico coming later this Summer. It is ready. Not for sale at this time but ready.
I don't get this whole "buy it, change everything because" mentality.
My standing rigging is 15 plus years old but in terrific condition. I still use the original mainsail dating to 1971.

I might bet you wouldn't go lake sailing on my boat....yet its a proven cruiser and passage maker. And it gets a work out, no softy pansy ass tradewinds, I live and sail on the coast of Oregon, when the knot meter clocks 20, its just getting good.

[Lord Nelson]

Lord Nelson 35' or 41' beautiful blue water...

[Cap Erict3]

Originally Posted by Lepke

Before you go to far, get some time offshore. Before you buy if possible. A 40', even an 80' sail boat rides a lot worse than a navy ship. Making a ocean passage, even just to Canada, can be very uncomfortable for days on end. I'm 65, and I don't know everything, but I've been around the water for a long time. Most people are not prepared for the ocean. I had friends in the Pacific NW that lived aboard a 40' sailboat and planned on sailing to Australia on retirement. Their vacations were spent around Puget Sound. I suggested they try a trip to Oregon before just taking off to the South Pacific. That ended any talk of long ocean passages. And I could go on and on with other stories. The Washington and Oregon coast probably the most consistent bad weather you might see until you get near Japan. Try that 1st. I was on a destroyer off the Washington coast, going south, weather was so bad we had to slow to 8 knots to avoid damage. A carrier was 100 miles outside of us, taking green water over the bow. That weather would be survivable in a good boat, but not fun.
I not trying to rain on your dream, but try realism before you spend your last dollar on a boat and then the navy man gets transferred to Japan.
Lepke

I can't agree more.

[bcholette]

Awesome Update:
We spoke to the bank (thumbs up), marina (on waiting list with approx. 4 mth wait) and insurance company (5% off each CG safety course taken and passed). My sailing courses (Beg., Int., Adv.) are all next month (stoked!). Coronado Yacht Club really is a great bunch of people with loads of info and available help. Now to find our future home...
My guy and I are each research a lot of boat and boat types while visiting every marina in the area. Our next stop is a marina a ways north that boasts a very wide assortment of boats for sale - perfect for research.
I also just found out that one of my awesome buds has a current captain's license. She is helping a lot!
Thanks for the various bits of advice and well wishing as it has led to a lot of positive information/research.

Cheers!

...And back to boat shopping/research!

[RainDog]

You leave the type of boat pretty wide open, but in your size and price, with a pilot house, I would check out the Pan Oceanic 43. You will have to go a little older than 1990 for one, but fits the rest of your criteria.

[boating2go]

Look for a Mason, they are definitely blue water boats. Ready after the boat is becomes subjective to the owners wants.

[Greenhand]

We are also looking in San Diego, and if we had your budget, we would probably have a big boat by now!

Even with half your budget and no urgency - lease is through August and we weren't planning on living aboard for two more years - we have made one offer and been very disappointed that another sold so quickly that we didn't get a chance to see it.

However, we know that we love sailing: my partner went to sailing camp as a youth and we have owned our own small cabin cruiser for two years. We are looking forward to spending weekends on her again as the nights get shorter.

If you have had this plan for over 14 months and haven't found a suitable boat in Southern California, you are holding yourselves back for some reason. Perhaps taking the actual sailing courses will change that. When a big boat was just a theory, we fell in love with Bavaria's Vision 42 and set our budget and time frame by that. Now that it is more of a reality for us, we are lusting after a number of older 36-38 footers, around $50k.