We are going to buy a liveaboard

[Sam Plan B]

When you say you have $100k I am assuming you mean that you have it in cash. Buying any boat over 10 years of age will be a cash only proposition because financing for a boat that old (regardless of condition) will be nearly impossible to find. So it is that older larger boats tend to be carry a lower asking price because not many people have $erious money laying around. You may well find a Morgan OI-41 in good condition for $50k or less. Put the rest of your budget in to upgrades like new cruising weight sails or new standing rigging.

[Sumner]

Just a thought, but I'll bet you could find a boat to boatsit in Florida for a while just to get the feel for living on a boat even if it was only in a marina. Or possibly pay the slip fees worst case.

We went to our boat last spring with the intensions of getting her in the water, but ended up working on her and living on her for 3+ months in the yard on stands. It was a good experience and now we feel very comfortable on her in a day to day situation.

While you are living on a boat it would give you time to go out possibly on that boat or with others, look for a boat, and see the area.

Also a boat with less than 5 feet of draft preferrably less than 4 1/2 would open up a lot more possibilites as to where you went in the Keys, Florida coasts and the Bahamas. That is going to be hard to find in a boat over 40 feet. The same with finding a boat with a total mast height under 55 feet or 50 feet,

Sum

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[Feeg]

Be careful on your live aboard berthing fees. I am buying a 32.8ft Bavaria-if I buy a 32.9ft I am in for an increase in berthing fees of almost 40%(in rip-off Spain).

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by CCBullseye

I would suggest making a "must have" list. This will help you narrow your search down...............


............I have bought several boats using a must have list, and then there is "it would be nice list" too. i find having a check list really speeds up the search and then I can narrow down and pin point the search.

IMO that's a good way for OP (and anyone!) to approach a search - the wider the target the more likely to hit. Getting too hung up on a specific model(s) means having to find one in the right condition, at the right place, in the right location - at the right time. Perfectly doable - but likely a lot of time involved.

[Agape39]

Originally Posted by Sam Plan B

When you say you have $100k I am assuming you mean that you have it in cash. Buying any boat over 10 years of age will be a cash only proposition because financing for a boat that old (regardless of condition) will be nearly impossible to find. So it is that older larger boats tend to be carry a lower asking price because not many people have $erious money laying around. You may well find a Morgan OI-41 in good condition for $50k or less. Put the rest of your budget in to upgrades like new cruising weight sails or new standing rigging.

Not a hard fact at all, I got a 30 year old financed......maybe a credit issue?

[Snore]

+1 on the financing.

The bank had a higher loan/value threshold, but they financed it.

[zeehag]

i used to hold a must have list in my paws when boat hunting--was thrown out when i fond this boat-- was equipped with electronix, altho old, and w as afloat. 2 sturdy spruce masts in decent shape and 3 sails. found upgrades used and cheap and left --repaired deck, repaired windlass, have done other necessary repairs inclusive of mizzen step, so i dont die in sea....sailed south, and still going. poco a poco. btw--i found her for 10k.

[Rocketman]

Most banks are going hard time lending anyone money for a 30 year old boat.

First off lets assume, you don't have the money you want to borrow in the bank already.

Now walk into a bank and tell them that you want to borrow 50% of the value of a old boat that you are looking at, so you can live your dream of sailing around the world.

Now lets tell them, you are quitting your job so you can fullfill your dream, and the boat needs a little work.

If you don't get laughed out of the bank and the bank gives you a loan, you will have to get it insured with full coverage to protect the banks investment.

The insurance company will not want you traveling outside of a given area, say coastal crusing and not to any forien ports. So you still have a problem.

Your best bet, is to buy the best boat that you can with cash, then if you have to, fix it up using credit, at least then you can do what you want to with the boat.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by sailor_andy

We just purchased our boat and started our earch about a year ago so I know exactly what you are going through. My advice... go to some marinas or boat shows and look at different models. Find out what features are important to you and focus on them. For us it was a 38 footer. My wife had her list of must haves and want to haves as did I. There were compromises but we got a boat we are both happy with. There are deals to be had out there but beware, sometimes if a price looks too good to be true...it is! Put aside $700 or so for a survey to protect yourself before you buy.

Thanks for that. My brother-in-law in Canada (an experienced boat owner) had pretty much the same advice for me re going to a couple of marinas and getting a feel for what type of boat we like. Probably also good advice to set aside some survey money too.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by CCBullseye

I would suggest making a "must have" list. This will help you narrow your search down. My list is as follows:
Blue water comfortable
Standing head room (I am 6'4)
Bridge Clearance 55' or less
Shoal draft of less than 5'
ketch
Very solid build
Total cost including refitting less than 100K
Classy lines, wow factor.

A yawl which fits the above except for being a yawl and not a ketch is the Hinkley Bermuda 40. There are several other boats on the radar too.

If I was shorter, I would have many more choices.

I have bought several boats using a must have list, and then there is "it would be nice list" too. i find having a check list really speeds up the search and then I can narrow down and pin point the search.

Hopes this helps

That does help and yes I have started a must have/like to have list.

I need to know a bit more about bridge clearance though, as this is not on my list yet. Any more detail on that for me as to the importance (or not) of bridge clearance? I do think our must have list would be a sloop, however I know there are a lot of ketch owners who love their boats. I have not as yet ruled out a ketch. My concern is extra costs of owning a ketch? I do not need speed in my must have list.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by sailr69

as it may, I am listing a Corbin 39, ready for world cruising. up to you but check out 'JOINT EFFORT' on the corbin 39 website. I have lowered the price after this summer. a very special boat and a great deal for someone looking to explore the world's oceans.

Have you got a link for me. I haven't decided on length yet but have in mind something of at least 44foot, however, beam is as important.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by impi

Getting our boat 'set up' for cruising took a lot longer than we had initially thought !! In the end I was on it full time and it still took a while. Looking back on it ... the best thing I did was to ignore the 'Nay sayers' and those many 'bar stool sailors' at the club house who said I would never leave the dock ... I pressed on and completed 99% of the tasks in my home town where I could source local suppliers and had local knowledge of costs and what to expect. That saved me a whole lot of money according to friends who couldn't take the pressure and just left in order to complete the tasks along the way. This not only disrupted their cruise but also frustrated them having to deal with different cultures and cost structures.

I agree that the shorter the time period one allows the more the pressure will build. I still have to figure out how to switch on/off the weather patterns too

Of course, if we buy a boat in Florida we will only have 90 days to leave or be subjected to the 6% sales tax. I guess that will guide us on making sure that the boat we buy is well equipped for sea and that not too much needs to be done to her. If in the end we have to increase our budget beyond the $100k mark then we will have to consider that too. Maybe set £20-$25k aside for getting her ready for sea instead of $15k.

Where there is a will there is a way, so I won't be deterred by naysayers and negative thoughts. Of course I will not ignore sound advice though.

[Rocketman]

A lot of bridges, at least in Florida, that are over nav waterways are 55 ft tall. If you have a boat with a taller rig, you will have to go around, or not go at all. By having a rig that is less than 55 ft tall, you have more options. You need to look at where you want to travel, and routes more closely with a taller rig. With that said, there is usally a way around a 55ft bridge but it might take a day or two, if your draft isn't something like 6+ ft this also opens more opertunitys for navigation but your boat may not sail as well into the wind. There are always give and takes, you just have to decide what is important to you.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

A lot of bridges, at least in Florida, that are over nav waterways are 55 ft tall. If you have a boat with a taller rig, you will have to go around, or not go at all. By having a rig that is less than 55 ft tall, you have more options. You need to look at where you want to travel, and routes more closely with a taller rig. With that said, there is usally a way around a 55ft bridge but it might take a day or two, if your draft isn't something like 6+ ft this also opens more opertunitys for navigation but your boat may not sail as well into the wind. There are always give and takes, you just have to decide what is important to you.

Ah ok, I understand. Not sure that I would be too perturbed by that but will certainly bear it in mind now. Would a deeper keel not be slightly more sea kindly?

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Sam Plan B

When you say you have $100k I am assuming you mean that you have it in cash. Buying any boat over 10 years of age will be a cash only proposition because financing for a boat that old (regardless of condition) will be nearly impossible to find. So it is that older larger boats tend to be carry a lower asking price because not many people have $erious money laying around. You may well find a Morgan OI-41 in good condition for $50k or less. Put the rest of your budget in to upgrades like new cruising weight sails or new standing rigging.

Yes we will have cash in hand so to speak ... not interested in any bank loans (yes, we are fortunate enough).

The one thing we have no clue on is what the annual cost of cruising/living aboard will be. I know this is a difficult one to answer because it depends on lifestyle and what you are prepared to do and so forth.

Perhaps someone can provide a guesstimate of a minimum we should budget for? We would be happy to live frugally.