Vessels for family cruising

[starfishblaabla]

Hello all

The wife and I have two kids aged three and six. We wish to purchase a sailboat in the up to 44' range budget $ 35k
We live on the East coast of Fl. Our plan will be weekend coastal cruises at this time working up to a month or so at a time in the Bahamas within the next two to three years

We have looked at Irwin 37 CC and loved the layout. However I would like to look at several other vessels

Any ideas?

[Lizzy Belle]

Err ... anything you like within your budget that fits with your wants and needs (which aren't mentioned in your post).

Sorry, not trying to be impolite - but for your plans, there aren't really any special requirements for the boat you buy.

Whatever you have on your MUST HAVE (dealbreakers) and NICE TO HAVE list, we don't know

[a64pilot]

To be blunt, you have 25K to buy a 40's size boat with, do you have a grand a month to keep it?
I say that as I can't imagine a boat that size, for that price, that didn't need a whole lot of work, it's going to cost $500 a month just to keep it in the shape it's in, in my opinion.

I'd say keep looking of course, but be saving all the while, then in two years you'll have 50K to buy that boat, and a 40's size boat at 50K is a whole different boat than a 40's size 25K boat.

But keep looking.

Sorry I turned 35 into 25 in my mind as You'll be amazed how fast 10K will disappear, taxes and everything else.

[SteveSails]

Look at an early 1980's Hunter 37 cutter, designed by Cherubini, nothing like the new Hunters, should be able to find one <30K. A better built boat would be a Pearson 365 ketch, might be over budget though.
Any boat over 30 years old is going to need a lot of $$$ maintenance. Unless you are a skilled DIY then it might be better to save or finance an almost new boat, say 5yo or so.

Good Luck

[JPA Cate]

If you are new to boating, it would be wise to consider the whole budget: purchase cost, plus 1/2 that again for bringing the boat up to snuff, and then, costs of berthing it, and taxation, and licensing, if any.

After that, you start "kissing frogs", till you find the one that makes your heart go pitty-pat. Just understand that it's all learning experience, and if the bug bites you bad, there will probably be an upgrade in your future. You will be trading length overall for quality, and if you prefer higher quality, the boat will be smaller.

Ann