Want To Buy: 40' range up to 20k (can spend more with financing)

[Valithy]

Hey there,

We are a couple on the west coast of BC Canada, and are looking for a 40' and up sailboat that is under the 20k mark. (We are open to more expensive boats that meet or surpass what we are looking for as long as financing/payment plans can be discussed.) We do want a boat that needs some repairs since we want to learn how things work, and really know our boat from the inside out. We want to use the boat to live on while doing any needed repairs, and will use her to cruise once ready. We are also considering building a houseboat as well, so we are keen on hitting the water.

Minimum requirements;
2+ full cabins
1+ head with standing shower in 1
Sturdy Keel
Open to all Rig and Sail setups
Aft Cabin and Center Cockpit preferred

Preference to transportable or boats that can be sailed to the west coast.

Thank you for reading! We know this may just be a shot in the dark, but who knows what is out there for us to start our new adventure!

*We are open to hearing to hearing feedback and advice*

[atoll]

there should be plenty of ferro cement 40 ft yachts in your price range,avoid ones with rust bleeding out of the hull,take a small hammer to tap the hull when inspecting.

[DeValency]

Could probably find boats (older than 1980 or damaged) at this range and purchasing cost (don't think any financing can be feasible for such a boat) and most probably spend at least $50K for (self) repairs and refit. Just be realistic about the total cost you are facing and the time it would take - at least a year, if you are good at DIY, have a good boatyard to work at and easy access to trades, services and supplies.

[Cheechako]

I hope you can find something that will work for you. Your budget is very low for a 40 ft boat though. Just keep in mind that most often, the most expensive boat you can buy is a free one. You should probably compromise on size, maybe a 34-36 footer and try to find a sound hull with a good engine and go from there.
Also, any boat on the market real low price has something amiss... you just need to find what it is.
Good luck!

[tworail]

Theres a decent ferro yacht in my neighbourhood (Belleville, Ontario) that I inspected last year and looked pretty sturdy. 40' Samson Ketch, with a newer Vetus diesel installed. Built by a reputable yard in the St Lawrence. Sitka spruce masts in very good shape. It did need some work but mostly interior refinishing due to some leaky ports/hatches.

I spent 2 hours on the boat poking into every nook and cranny and was fairly impressed with the construction from what I could see. I also liked the fact that the diesel tank was fairly accessible/removable and you could even see most of it to catch any rust/leak issues. Can forward detailed pictures as well.

Oh, the compression post for the forward mast is badly rusted below the cabin sole and needs replacing. The boat was in the water mast on ground as it was early spring.

They wanted $9k but would probably let it go if you gave them $5k without asking too many questions. They are a older couple and have been trying to sell the boat for a few years I think. It's back for sale this year as well.

Ferro yachts can be a good bargain just get educated on them and be realistic about insurance and surveys.

It's an aft cabin, center cockpit arrangement.

[Valithy]

Thank you all for your kind and helpful advice, we have taken notes and will bring the hammer when going to view a boat.

As far as it goes budget or boat repairs wise, we understand the 20k is low, but this is what we want to spend on the vessel itself and do plan to invest more into repairs and upgrades. We should have clarified that more in the ad. In reality our budget for the boat and repairs would be around the 60k mark. Having said all of this though, we would not be opposed to a, let's say, 40k boat that would need maybe 20k in repairs. We are hoping to pay more for a boat that won't require immediate repairs before being able to live aboard or sail.

TWORAIL-(thanks for the suggestions!) We have been looking here locally and around the area of Vancouver BC and are finding some smaller boats for around the 6k mark. These boats require immediate work most of the time to sail or live on, and we rather start living on the boat while doing repairs.

We are hoping to find more of an investment opportunity, so we are hoping to keep the initial cost low while we learn and repair and grow with our new home.

Thanks again everyone

[Calif.Ted]

We are hoping to find more of an investment opportunity, so we are hoping to keep the initial cost low while we learn and repair and grow with our new home.

Plenty of "investment opportunities" on the water but precious little return on investment.
Don't tell a seller you are looking for an investment opportunity.

[malbert73]

A few things. You’re almost always better off carefully spending more of your budget upfront for a boat someone else has spent money on. Sum of parts and upgrades is always far far greater than selling price of nearly every boat. A time and money mistake made over and over and over again is buying a cheap refit boat instead of a well maintained version.
And a boat is never an investment except in satisfaction.

That said, also depends on what your plans are- hardcore offshore or coastal cruising? The latter is easier and safer to do on a budget

[Valithy]

Thanks for your replies, they are both good points!

We want to invest our time and money into this boat so we learn and grow with her. We are not looking to make a profit down the line, though that would be nice of course. Our investment is our time and money and the return would be the finished project and all the experience and education gained.

[carlosproa]

Originally Posted by Valithy

Hey there,



We are a couple on the west coast of BC Canada, and are looking for a 40' and up sailboat that is under the 20k mark. (We are open to more expensive boats that meet or surpass what we are looking for as long as financing/payment plans can be discussed.) We do want a boat that needs some repairs since we want to learn how things work, and really know our boat from the inside out. We want to use the boat to live on while doing any needed repairs, and will use her to cruise once ready. We are also considering building a houseboat as well, so we are keen on hitting the water.



Minimum requirements;

2+ full cabins

1+ head with standing shower in 1

Sturdy Keel

Open to all Rig and Sail setups

Aft Cabin and Center Cockpit preferred



Preference to transportable or boats that can be sailed to the west coast.



Thank you for reading! We know this may just be a shot in the dark, but who knows what is out there for us to start our new adventure!



*We are open to hearing to hearing feedback and advice*

For your budget and geographical location, try to find a 1978 - 1982 CAL39MKII or MKIII

I owned one before and is a sweet boat to sail, is a Lapworth design and it has big head room

There is a long group of CAL owners and they are all willing to help with solutions

Here is one close to you


https://www.theyachtmarket.com/en/bo...-boats/cal/39/

[mvweebles]

Since you are also considering a houseboat and you're in PNW, you may want to consider motoryachts for your liveaboard. You will definitely get the second stateroom and head. Price remains a challenge, but not unheard of if you can stretch to closer to $40k USD. 36 footer would easily suffice.

Word of caution. Avoid teak decks and be alert to leaking fuel tanks.

Good luck

Peter

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Valithy

Thanks for your replies, they are both good points!

We want to invest our time and money into this boat so we learn and grow with her. We are not looking to make a profit down the line, though that would be nice of course. Our investment is our time and money and the return would be the finished project and all the experience and education gained.

You can always dig around and do projects at your leisure if you buy a good boat to start with.

Still being in the learning mode, odds are you buy a total cluster that is way beyond what you think you are getting into if you go for ultra cheap.

With an $80k budget, I would look in the $60-70k range with $10-20k left to address minor functional issues and then you can play with cosmetic issues at your leisure.

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

You can always dig around and do projects at your leisure if you buy a good boat to start with.

Still being in the learning mode, odds are you buy a total cluster that is way beyond what you think you are getting into if you go for ultra cheap.

With an $80k budget, I would look in the $60-70k range with $10-20k left to address minor functional issues and then you can play with cosmetic issues at your leisure.

That’s always the core. No matter what your budget is, get a boat well worth to invest time and expenses in the refit. It starts from the very basic: hull and deck, rigging and engine - in this order. You can repower with the best new engine but you cannot replace a hull, deck or practically the entire rigging.

Better purchase a boat produced by a known builder with a design that meet your intended use - after all the refitting.

Having said that, budgeting wise - leaving only $10-20K fir the after purchase expenses is a huge mistake with any boat. Better findIng the core quality, even older at the cost that will leave you at least $30-50K for a refit over two or so years.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by DeValency

Having said that, budgeting wise - leaving only $10-20K fir the after purchase expenses is a huge mistake with any boat. Better findIng the core quality, even older at the cost that will leave you at least $30-50K for a refit over two or so years.

Any boat that needs $30-50k to get out on the water is a project boat that is likely beyond the OP's ability (either to do the work themselves or not get taken if farming it out others).

We've had 3 cruising boats and never even had $10k set aside...went cruising pretty much immediately on all 3, so no, you don't need ten of thousands of dollars set aside for a refit.

[Valithy]

Hey everyone-sorry we are not good with quoting and stuff on this forum but we'll address everyone's points as best we can;

tworail-Could you private message me on this forum with that information? We would like to get more info on the boat from the owners.

malbert73- "That said, also depends on what your plans are- hardcore offshore or coastal cruising? The latter is easier and safer to do on a budget"
We do have dreams to make living and working on a boat our lives. We know we need time and practice now, and many years of us getting into our groove. So as of now, we are looking for something that won't be a limitation (we know BOAT can mean "Bust/Break Out Another Thousand" and are ready for the fact that things won't go as planned and so on). We lean towards cruising but generally just don't want the boat to feel like a limitation.

carlosproa- Thank you for that! We have been seeing a lot of Cal and C&C's around here, we'll reach out if we go that way.

mvweebles- Thanks for the advice! We would like to build own own, and have reached out to suppliers and so on for quotes. We could make a real beauty for around 60k or less. We will revisit this one more seriously in a month depending on if a boat comes our way or not.

valhalla360- Thank you for that! Our base price is not firm and is a fluctuating number depending on if she is ready for use, the equipment comes with, reputation it brings, location to us and so on.

DeValency- Thank you for that and the basics! We don't have just 10-20k in mind for the refit, we just gave an example of how we can disperse our budget; either spend more on the boat itself requiring less repairs sooner, or go with an older boat needing more repairs sooner. We know repairs and maintenance are costly and frequent, so we can't have a fixed amount for repairs set and will have to take it as it comes.

valhalla360- We agree with what you are saying since we have been looking at people in this lifestyle and there is a wide spectrum on how people get to achieve it. We love hearing people's feedback and stories since they are all quite different and their beginnings vary widely, which are the repairs which are inevitable.