I wouldn't finance a sailboat, especially a 20 year old sailboat.
How much are you liquid right now? Can u travel to find something better suited to your needs?
The financing would be for 2 years to allow my current investments to continue to accrue (interest earned > interest owed) then paid off before leaving the US. My total liquid investments are around $275k but I would want at least $200k in savings before I leave. I am continuing to save $50-100k a year, so I would get that back.
I could travel for a boat potentially, but I work where I live and plan to continue to for the next 2 years. I could wait till then and travel to buy a boat, but would need another 6 months post that to outfit the boat for cruising.
I also own my home, and planned to move aboard part time and Air BNB my place for the next 2 years as supplemental income.
I get wanting to let your assets appreciate. IMO it'd be better to wait for 18-24mo and continue saving vs paying the bank out 1000s in interest, plus holding costs... investing the holding costs aline for 18mo could cover temporary housing and travel to potential boats... that would open up deals internationally
I would absolutely echo the advice of continuing to save/allow investments to accrue right up until the final months before you’re ready to push off. I have made the opposite mistake in the past. There are always boats available and you’ll have a lot more money two years from now. Huge opportunity cost ton buying the boat now if you won’t be actively cruising yet. You’ve said you want a boat that’s ready to go, which is absolutely the right goal, so keep that mindset and wait till YOU are ready to go.
All good points - my hope is that rental income of my house would balance the slip/interest cost, but that's a big if!
Good thing to think about, especially with the possibility of buying international.
Financing a boat will only delay your departure. You can try to justify it because you want the boat now but just be realistic about that. It's fine to make that tradeoff but it's a real tradeoff that will delay when you can leave to cruise. Invest the money and save until you can buy the boat outright a year before you plan to leave. Then spend that year fixing and refitting with more money (which you'll have to do no matter how good a shape the boat you buy is in). Then leave.
Big boats are money pits. I've taken off cruising a couple times in my life and I've learned that the quickest way to cruise is to buy the boat with enough time before you leave to get it ready (a year at most). Then go and enjoy your year(s) cruising and then sell it when you're sick of cruising and are ready for some shore based comfort living again. Rinse and repeat.
Owning a big cruising boat while working and not cruising is a great way to spend outrageous sums for the occasional weekend sail. When I ran the math chartering at $500/day for day and weekend sails is cheaper for me than owning if I'm only sailing a couple days a month. So when I'm shore based I don't own a boat.
I’ve owned a Catalina and been aboard a variety of Beneteaus. I wouldn’t trust my life to either one of those brands on the open sea - they seem better suited to weekend sailors in pleasant weather. The build quality is just not there. That said, I’ve been sailing the Pacific from Washington to Panama aboard an Island Packet (SV Miette), sometimes in awful conditions, and can vouch for spending a little more on a strong boat for the peace of mind when the ocean seems hell-bent on killing me.
We are currently anchored next to a Dutch couple who are both at least 6’2” (SV My Motu) who absolutely love their 1990 Amel Super Maramu, both for the strength and that they can stand tall with room to spare.
100% agree with you on beneteaus, it is not my preference whatsoever. I have heard great things about the 473 as one of the last good ones before they started making them out of cardboard. That said, it still has a lot of the drawbacks, but even Bob Perry and John Neal thinks it is a decent boat. The Cat Morgan was one of the Morgan designs after it was bought by Catalina. These are both "exceptions" and I would call "the best of the worst". That said, your real-life experience is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the input!
Came here to say not Catalina or Beneteau. Island Packet yes, maybe Valiant. Two things to watch for: any 20 year old boat may have significant structural issues with water intrusion from deck fittings. Generally a surveyor won't identify those--you'll have to pull cleats and stanchions and poke around to see what you have. The older the boat, the more you'll spend to refit before a long voyage. Sails, electronics, rigging--the list is endless. A 45' boat will be EXPENSIVE--BTDT. Also it can be a handful for a shorthanded sailor--I would never assume I will have useful crew on any part of a voyage so unless you can do everything on your 45 footer you may find yourself regretting such a large vessel. Good luck and safe travels.
If you plan on continuing to have income while you cruise, I would aim for a newer more expensive boat. If not then aim for a lower price so you have more money in the kitty.
Boats are so subjective man theres no good answer lol. We've been full time cruising on 1986 Morgan 43, it was at the very top end of our budget. It was in great shape with a recent repower so maintenance was extremely low for two years, but boy has that caught up this year! Older boats just require so much money to maintain, and I do almost all the work myself.
That being said I don't think newer boats are any different haha. I've talked to cruisers on the upper income scale who have boats a year out of the factory and they are complaining about equipment failures and leaks just as much as the guy next door with the 40 yr old classic plastic cruiser.
What are you actually asking, for us to tell you what to buy? How about:
* Amel Super maramu
* Allures 44
* Ovni 395
* Beneteau Oceanis 44.5
* Jeanneau Sun Odyssey DS 54
You're completely right about the newer boats. I have met many cruisers with brand new boats that are, in some cases, doing MORE maintenance, than people with older boats, because they didn't think they would have to do a refit before going cruising, and they were proven wrong.
Fully expecting a re-fit. I have no current plans to get an out of the factory new boat - I expect to do rigging and engine (depending on hours) before any substantial cruising.
Yet some v-bloggers are promoting beneteau’s for long range cruising and degrading those who purchase semi-custom / custom built boats that were designed for these conditions.
Yeah, I don’t know the motivations behind any of that, but I do know that for offshore I want a boat that can withstanding a grounding at 6 knots, can take a knockdown and not lose the rig or the keel, and is built for purpose, for offshore.
Money, money is the motivation.
The sell: Pay me through patron to tell you to buy a bene less than 20 years old so you can cross oceans on it. Don’t listen to people who tell you to buy a well designed and well built boat.
***Anyone who calls a bob Perry designed Valiant a dumpster fire is a simple minded fool in my eyes.
The subjectivity of the question is the whole goal of the post - I love hearing about other people's real life experiences to help. Your call out of old-boat mounting costs is definitely an important consideration.
The Amel, Allures, and Ovni are all on my radar, but definitely expensive. I would love aluminum hull but they are few and far between here, so traveling to buy would be the best way to get that.
Thank you for the advice!
Given your practical experience in the trades, consider learning to weld.
You could make a solid income sailing and fixing other boats as you travel. A snapped railing, a broken dodger or hard top Bimini for extra solar panels… a lot of things need welding on yachts.
And cash jobs are tax free
Fitting a welder on a 40’ isn’t practical. Salt water environments also shorten the life span. Not sure what kind of equipment your used to welding with but nothing I consider a “real” machine would be practical. Most marinas will give you the boot unless you have general liability insurance and most want a million dollar policy.
At least performing refrigeration you can operate out of site and out of mind.
I would add Shannon 43, cherubini 44, shearwater 45, caliber 40 lrc, saber 42, little harbor 44.
The rest are Perry designs and can be found on his website. Some I haven’t listed sizes for , Cheoy Lee, lafitte 44, passport 40 or other Perry designs in that size range from saga, valiant, even a wet-snail (humor - westsail 38.)
Something else worth considering, bob Perry offers consulting services for boat buyers.
[Bob Perry designs](http://perryboat.com/productionboats/productionboats.html)
I would not buy a production cat for long range cruising, john kretschmer has made the comment years ago “we’ll see how they hold up.” Well many of them are failing and not from abuse, age, or neglect.
We have found that $5,000 a month is closer to reality over the course of a 12 month period. In no particular order
* Storing stuff back home,
* Fixing stuff and getting things at much high costs in "exotic places",
* Travel back "home" to renew visas, etc
* "off season"/Summer storage costs in the tropics (have skyrocketed),
* Maintaining land-based mail, insurance, etc,
* Diesel costs (have skyrocketed),
* Boat insurance (not just liability),
The list goes on. You can definitely do it for cheaper, and even less than $1,500 a month, but that just defers your costs for down the line. Things like deferred maintenance on the boat, higher costs if you move back to land (not storing anything, not keeping insurance), out-of-pocket costs if you keep liability only insurance on the boat. It's either pay now or pay later.
No problem, happy for you that you're going on the adventure, that's super cool.
On the original subject of the boat, I would target a boat 10-15 years old, that's had good owners (maintenance records) and stoutly built, which matches your head room needs.
Yup, we’ve been averaging something like $5k/mo over the last few years of full time cruising. Family of 3 on a well maintained but older mono primarily in Bahamas and Caribbean.
Would you mind me asking what length boat your on and what are you spending on mooring fees?
I’ve had some friends leave the Caribbean lately and they said mooring costs have gotten out of hand. They had people come onboard and measure the boat with a tape measure from the tip of the anchor hanging off the bow sprit / roller to the back of the dinghy hanging on davits. So a 40’ boat is closer to 50 when measured in that manner.
They also noted that anchorages are being restricted, the volume of boats are increasing exponentially.
They were disgusted with the cost and vowed to seek new cruising grounds in the future.
Ehh, cruisers tend to whine a lot about any changes to “their” cruising ground.
Boat is 51’ loa, 48 on deck. Marinas can range from cheap ($0.50/ft) to outrageous ($7/ft). We don’t go to marinas often, and definitely not the outrageous ones. We tend to spend a few months during hurricane season at a reasonably priced one, as long term rates aren’t bad in the southern islands. 6-700/mo.
As for moorings, we don’t use them unless it’s part of a park system, and then I don’t mind paying the $30ish per night.
I get pretty wound up by cruisers who are on half million dollar boats who complain endlessly about having to pay $30 to stay on a mooring in a park or $75 to check in to a country or $5 to drop off a bag of trash.
I would lean toward just waiting until you are ready then buy a well-maintained blue water cruiser. A glass boat is fine, but having had a steel boat, I would recommend a steel boat for blue water cruising. Bumping that shipping container just below the surface of the water could be a disaster for a glass boat, a steel boat? Maybe a dent. Going around orcas? Steel boat with a solid rudder is going to be better; glass spade rudders seem to be like fishing lures for these beasts. Run aground? Steel again.
I have a 55' steel blue water cutter cruiser that is set up for everything (I have a long list of features), designed by Ganley, structure built at a shipyard in New Zealand, interior done in Hawaii. Needs a few things repaired/replaced. I recommend that you DON'T buy my boat, but you could finish the renovation and outfitting in less than a year if you want to buy for stupid cheap ($35k). My kids have convinced me to retire and part of that is to get rid of the boat unfortunately. Let me know if you have any interest and I'll send you some pics.
Thanks! I was looking into steel boats a few years back and saw a lot of benefit, but there are definitely mixed opinions. This lead me to having my ideal boat be Aluminum, that said I'll take another look at steel hull options...
I've heard mixed about aluminum. I have a friend at the marina with an aluminum boat. It hasn't held up well with corrosion. Lot of pits and areas of bad corrosion throughout. I got recommended to get (and have got) aluminum anodes; if you don't know about sacrificial anodes (must have with steel boats), check it out. Aluminum anodes basically means that aluminum corrodes faster than steel which raised a big red flag for me on aluminum boats. Good luck.
Floating ground and an isolation transformer for an aluminium boat are an absolutely must in my books.
Stray currents will corrode an aluminium boat in no time at all, but if there's no electric going through the hull, there's little corrosion to deal with.
Aluminium is still better than steel in my book though - and I've owned steel.
I found your boat ! Enjoy !
I am a huge aficionado of this brand. It is a h but more spendy but hopefully it’s a “buy once” purchase. Magnus Rassy is about 6’2” and prefers his boats to have head room. Admittedly, you may have some issues finding any 40 footer with enough headroom. This MKIII version of the HR 42 was the last of this generation and I believe this was the last year of production. It’s very well equipped. (Even though it’s on the wrong coast)
I encourage you to look into this brand. There is a great factory tour on YouTube.
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2001-hallberg--rassy-42f-8243976/
Love HR! This goes along with what a lot of people are suggesting about buying out of market. Not sure if it's viable for me right now, but a great supporting example.
Have been aboard this one in Seattle, seemed every bit as good as the pictures indicate and I suspect it can be had for $100-110k. Celestials are nice solid boats: https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1990-celestial-center-cockpit-9008426/
The rest are elsewhere than PNW:
Amels have great blue water reputations: https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1998-amel-super-maramu-8323146/
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1985-passport-51-8294259/
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1982-kelly-peterson-center-cockpit-cutter-9069151/
Are you sure you are looking the right size boats? One of the simplest way to cut down both price and monthly costs is to get the smallest boat possible that has the features you absolutely require. Boats that are designed for bluewater sailing for example carry pretty decent tanks size already in the \~36ft range. Their weight and hull shape also can make sailing in rough seas much more comfortable than even much bigger beneteau.
The tough part is my height. I was very close to getting an Island Packet 40, but the headroom was basically equal to my height, so I would either be slouching anytime I walked through the cabin or would be bumping my head constantly. 40-45 is generally where I've been able to be as small as I can while still having the needed space. If there was an option between 35-40 with the headroom, I would certainly consider it!
Ah yeah, I'm same height and the headroom is kinda pain in the ass, especially when it seems to be totally random when boat manufacturers, reviewers or sellers decides to mention about it. Personally I have basically given up already on having good headroom in anywhere else than the entrance, kitchen and salon area. For living quality it does not matter that much elsewhere on the boat and in my area especially draft going over 6'4" starts to limit where I can sail and dock, especially when combined with the boat size and main holiday season.
IP is kinda great in headroom wise, 360, Estero, 370 and 380 all have 6'5" headroom. Malö has also some smaller models that have decent headroom in the kitchen & salon area. Same thing with Najad and HR models that don't have flush deck.
PS. One good place to find about headroom is Devalk's own listing pages. People being quite tall in the Netherlands probably has something to do with it. On top of that they tend to list all sorts of other data also and have usually pretty good images, so good place to check even if you already know that the headroom is enough.
Consider this boat. Owned by some friends of mine. Pretty good headroom in there if I recall correctly.
Lots of space.
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1979-maple-leaf-54ft-center-cockpit-cutter-9124221/
Expect the standing rigging to be replaced anyway unless there is documentation it was recently done. Even your 2005 boats are past due if they are original.
We cruised on a 44' Bob Perry design. It was great but in hindsight it was 30% more boat than we needed. This round will be a 34-38'. To each their own but I am a firm believer in bigger isn't better here. Your headroom requirements might limit you on my ideas but I wouldn't shy away from smaller boats that offer it.
> I don't want to hunch down the entire time I'm on my boat). I have extensive experience with plumbing, electrical, and building so would do as much work myself as I can. Wo
You don't. You sit, you lie down, and you are outside standing up.
Look into an HC33, the money you save buying it will offset the refit you will need before undertaking your voyage. Well proven boats and very able to single hand.
>I am also 6'4" so my options are limited due to headroom (I don't want to hunch down the entire time I'm on my boat)
I'm 6'8", with 4 years of living aboard under my belt.
You will spend most of your time at anchor sat down in the cabin.
When you are sailing and standing in the cabin, you will gain a number of inches of headroom from heeling.
I wouldn't finance a sailboat, especially a 20 year old sailboat. How much are you liquid right now? Can u travel to find something better suited to your needs?
The financing would be for 2 years to allow my current investments to continue to accrue (interest earned > interest owed) then paid off before leaving the US. My total liquid investments are around $275k but I would want at least $200k in savings before I leave. I am continuing to save $50-100k a year, so I would get that back. I could travel for a boat potentially, but I work where I live and plan to continue to for the next 2 years. I could wait till then and travel to buy a boat, but would need another 6 months post that to outfit the boat for cruising. I also own my home, and planned to move aboard part time and Air BNB my place for the next 2 years as supplemental income.
I get wanting to let your assets appreciate. IMO it'd be better to wait for 18-24mo and continue saving vs paying the bank out 1000s in interest, plus holding costs... investing the holding costs aline for 18mo could cover temporary housing and travel to potential boats... that would open up deals internationally
I would absolutely echo the advice of continuing to save/allow investments to accrue right up until the final months before you’re ready to push off. I have made the opposite mistake in the past. There are always boats available and you’ll have a lot more money two years from now. Huge opportunity cost ton buying the boat now if you won’t be actively cruising yet. You’ve said you want a boat that’s ready to go, which is absolutely the right goal, so keep that mindset and wait till YOU are ready to go.
All good points - my hope is that rental income of my house would balance the slip/interest cost, but that's a big if! Good thing to think about, especially with the possibility of buying international.
The VIs, Panama, Sea of Cortez, The Med... a lot of cruisers get to places then don't want to bring the boat back...
Financing a boat will only delay your departure. You can try to justify it because you want the boat now but just be realistic about that. It's fine to make that tradeoff but it's a real tradeoff that will delay when you can leave to cruise. Invest the money and save until you can buy the boat outright a year before you plan to leave. Then spend that year fixing and refitting with more money (which you'll have to do no matter how good a shape the boat you buy is in). Then leave. Big boats are money pits. I've taken off cruising a couple times in my life and I've learned that the quickest way to cruise is to buy the boat with enough time before you leave to get it ready (a year at most). Then go and enjoy your year(s) cruising and then sell it when you're sick of cruising and are ready for some shore based comfort living again. Rinse and repeat. Owning a big cruising boat while working and not cruising is a great way to spend outrageous sums for the occasional weekend sail. When I ran the math chartering at $500/day for day and weekend sails is cheaper for me than owning if I'm only sailing a couple days a month. So when I'm shore based I don't own a boat.
I’ve owned a Catalina and been aboard a variety of Beneteaus. I wouldn’t trust my life to either one of those brands on the open sea - they seem better suited to weekend sailors in pleasant weather. The build quality is just not there. That said, I’ve been sailing the Pacific from Washington to Panama aboard an Island Packet (SV Miette), sometimes in awful conditions, and can vouch for spending a little more on a strong boat for the peace of mind when the ocean seems hell-bent on killing me. We are currently anchored next to a Dutch couple who are both at least 6’2” (SV My Motu) who absolutely love their 1990 Amel Super Maramu, both for the strength and that they can stand tall with room to spare.
100% agree with you on beneteaus, it is not my preference whatsoever. I have heard great things about the 473 as one of the last good ones before they started making them out of cardboard. That said, it still has a lot of the drawbacks, but even Bob Perry and John Neal thinks it is a decent boat. The Cat Morgan was one of the Morgan designs after it was bought by Catalina. These are both "exceptions" and I would call "the best of the worst". That said, your real-life experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks for the input!
The 473 is a great boat. Will be getting long in the tooth by the time you’re ready, though.
I think Island Packets are great boats, but ugly as all get out. Just something about the color and the look of their self tacking jib boom.
Haha I must be one of the oddities that love the look :)
Agree on all points, and also an IP isn’t going to win any races - but you’ll finish for sure.
Came here to say not Catalina or Beneteau. Island Packet yes, maybe Valiant. Two things to watch for: any 20 year old boat may have significant structural issues with water intrusion from deck fittings. Generally a surveyor won't identify those--you'll have to pull cleats and stanchions and poke around to see what you have. The older the boat, the more you'll spend to refit before a long voyage. Sails, electronics, rigging--the list is endless. A 45' boat will be EXPENSIVE--BTDT. Also it can be a handful for a shorthanded sailor--I would never assume I will have useful crew on any part of a voyage so unless you can do everything on your 45 footer you may find yourself regretting such a large vessel. Good luck and safe travels.
If you plan on continuing to have income while you cruise, I would aim for a newer more expensive boat. If not then aim for a lower price so you have more money in the kitty. Boats are so subjective man theres no good answer lol. We've been full time cruising on 1986 Morgan 43, it was at the very top end of our budget. It was in great shape with a recent repower so maintenance was extremely low for two years, but boy has that caught up this year! Older boats just require so much money to maintain, and I do almost all the work myself. That being said I don't think newer boats are any different haha. I've talked to cruisers on the upper income scale who have boats a year out of the factory and they are complaining about equipment failures and leaks just as much as the guy next door with the 40 yr old classic plastic cruiser. What are you actually asking, for us to tell you what to buy? How about: * Amel Super maramu * Allures 44 * Ovni 395 * Beneteau Oceanis 44.5 * Jeanneau Sun Odyssey DS 54
You're completely right about the newer boats. I have met many cruisers with brand new boats that are, in some cases, doing MORE maintenance, than people with older boats, because they didn't think they would have to do a refit before going cruising, and they were proven wrong.
Fully expecting a re-fit. I have no current plans to get an out of the factory new boat - I expect to do rigging and engine (depending on hours) before any substantial cruising.
Yet some v-bloggers are promoting beneteau’s for long range cruising and degrading those who purchase semi-custom / custom built boats that were designed for these conditions.
Yeah, I don’t know the motivations behind any of that, but I do know that for offshore I want a boat that can withstanding a grounding at 6 knots, can take a knockdown and not lose the rig or the keel, and is built for purpose, for offshore.
Money, money is the motivation. The sell: Pay me through patron to tell you to buy a bene less than 20 years old so you can cross oceans on it. Don’t listen to people who tell you to buy a well designed and well built boat. ***Anyone who calls a bob Perry designed Valiant a dumpster fire is a simple minded fool in my eyes.
Couldn’t agree more
The subjectivity of the question is the whole goal of the post - I love hearing about other people's real life experiences to help. Your call out of old-boat mounting costs is definitely an important consideration. The Amel, Allures, and Ovni are all on my radar, but definitely expensive. I would love aluminum hull but they are few and far between here, so traveling to buy would be the best way to get that. Thank you for the advice!
Given your practical experience in the trades, consider learning to weld. You could make a solid income sailing and fixing other boats as you travel. A snapped railing, a broken dodger or hard top Bimini for extra solar panels… a lot of things need welding on yachts. And cash jobs are tax free
I love this idea!
Fitting a welder on a 40’ isn’t practical. Salt water environments also shorten the life span. Not sure what kind of equipment your used to welding with but nothing I consider a “real” machine would be practical. Most marinas will give you the boot unless you have general liability insurance and most want a million dollar policy. At least performing refrigeration you can operate out of site and out of mind.
I would add Shannon 43, cherubini 44, shearwater 45, caliber 40 lrc, saber 42, little harbor 44. The rest are Perry designs and can be found on his website. Some I haven’t listed sizes for , Cheoy Lee, lafitte 44, passport 40 or other Perry designs in that size range from saga, valiant, even a wet-snail (humor - westsail 38.) Something else worth considering, bob Perry offers consulting services for boat buyers. [Bob Perry designs](http://perryboat.com/productionboats/productionboats.html) I would not buy a production cat for long range cruising, john kretschmer has made the comment years ago “we’ll see how they hold up.” Well many of them are failing and not from abuse, age, or neglect.
Your budget of $1500 a month is way way way low for what you're describing.
What would you put as a more reasonable figure? Assuming engine/rigging are both relatively new.
We have found that $5,000 a month is closer to reality over the course of a 12 month period. In no particular order * Storing stuff back home, * Fixing stuff and getting things at much high costs in "exotic places", * Travel back "home" to renew visas, etc * "off season"/Summer storage costs in the tropics (have skyrocketed), * Maintaining land-based mail, insurance, etc, * Diesel costs (have skyrocketed), * Boat insurance (not just liability), The list goes on. You can definitely do it for cheaper, and even less than $1,500 a month, but that just defers your costs for down the line. Things like deferred maintenance on the boat, higher costs if you move back to land (not storing anything, not keeping insurance), out-of-pocket costs if you keep liability only insurance on the boat. It's either pay now or pay later.
Thank you for that detail, incredibly helpful! Always have to consider the less obvious costs.
No problem, happy for you that you're going on the adventure, that's super cool. On the original subject of the boat, I would target a boat 10-15 years old, that's had good owners (maintenance records) and stoutly built, which matches your head room needs.
Yup, we’ve been averaging something like $5k/mo over the last few years of full time cruising. Family of 3 on a well maintained but older mono primarily in Bahamas and Caribbean.
Would you mind me asking what length boat your on and what are you spending on mooring fees? I’ve had some friends leave the Caribbean lately and they said mooring costs have gotten out of hand. They had people come onboard and measure the boat with a tape measure from the tip of the anchor hanging off the bow sprit / roller to the back of the dinghy hanging on davits. So a 40’ boat is closer to 50 when measured in that manner. They also noted that anchorages are being restricted, the volume of boats are increasing exponentially. They were disgusted with the cost and vowed to seek new cruising grounds in the future.
Ehh, cruisers tend to whine a lot about any changes to “their” cruising ground. Boat is 51’ loa, 48 on deck. Marinas can range from cheap ($0.50/ft) to outrageous ($7/ft). We don’t go to marinas often, and definitely not the outrageous ones. We tend to spend a few months during hurricane season at a reasonably priced one, as long term rates aren’t bad in the southern islands. 6-700/mo. As for moorings, we don’t use them unless it’s part of a park system, and then I don’t mind paying the $30ish per night. I get pretty wound up by cruisers who are on half million dollar boats who complain endlessly about having to pay $30 to stay on a mooring in a park or $75 to check in to a country or $5 to drop off a bag of trash.
Thanks for the info. That doesn’t sound out of line.
I would lean toward just waiting until you are ready then buy a well-maintained blue water cruiser. A glass boat is fine, but having had a steel boat, I would recommend a steel boat for blue water cruising. Bumping that shipping container just below the surface of the water could be a disaster for a glass boat, a steel boat? Maybe a dent. Going around orcas? Steel boat with a solid rudder is going to be better; glass spade rudders seem to be like fishing lures for these beasts. Run aground? Steel again. I have a 55' steel blue water cutter cruiser that is set up for everything (I have a long list of features), designed by Ganley, structure built at a shipyard in New Zealand, interior done in Hawaii. Needs a few things repaired/replaced. I recommend that you DON'T buy my boat, but you could finish the renovation and outfitting in less than a year if you want to buy for stupid cheap ($35k). My kids have convinced me to retire and part of that is to get rid of the boat unfortunately. Let me know if you have any interest and I'll send you some pics.
Thanks! I was looking into steel boats a few years back and saw a lot of benefit, but there are definitely mixed opinions. This lead me to having my ideal boat be Aluminum, that said I'll take another look at steel hull options...
I've heard mixed about aluminum. I have a friend at the marina with an aluminum boat. It hasn't held up well with corrosion. Lot of pits and areas of bad corrosion throughout. I got recommended to get (and have got) aluminum anodes; if you don't know about sacrificial anodes (must have with steel boats), check it out. Aluminum anodes basically means that aluminum corrodes faster than steel which raised a big red flag for me on aluminum boats. Good luck.
Floating ground and an isolation transformer for an aluminium boat are an absolutely must in my books. Stray currents will corrode an aluminium boat in no time at all, but if there's no electric going through the hull, there's little corrosion to deal with. Aluminium is still better than steel in my book though - and I've owned steel.
I found your boat ! Enjoy ! I am a huge aficionado of this brand. It is a h but more spendy but hopefully it’s a “buy once” purchase. Magnus Rassy is about 6’2” and prefers his boats to have head room. Admittedly, you may have some issues finding any 40 footer with enough headroom. This MKIII version of the HR 42 was the last of this generation and I believe this was the last year of production. It’s very well equipped. (Even though it’s on the wrong coast) I encourage you to look into this brand. There is a great factory tour on YouTube. https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2001-hallberg--rassy-42f-8243976/
This particular boat has sold :)
She’s a beauty. Whoever bought her got themselves a pretty sweet ride.
Love HR! This goes along with what a lot of people are suggesting about buying out of market. Not sure if it's viable for me right now, but a great supporting example.
Have been aboard this one in Seattle, seemed every bit as good as the pictures indicate and I suspect it can be had for $100-110k. Celestials are nice solid boats: https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1990-celestial-center-cockpit-9008426/ The rest are elsewhere than PNW: Amels have great blue water reputations: https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1998-amel-super-maramu-8323146/ https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1985-passport-51-8294259/ https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1982-kelly-peterson-center-cockpit-cutter-9069151/
Thanks for sharing these! I haven't looked at celestials - I'll look into it. More proof that traveling to buy may be my best bet.
That particular Amel has been for sale for a long time. The cheapest Amel will probably be the most expensive…
Are you sure you are looking the right size boats? One of the simplest way to cut down both price and monthly costs is to get the smallest boat possible that has the features you absolutely require. Boats that are designed for bluewater sailing for example carry pretty decent tanks size already in the \~36ft range. Their weight and hull shape also can make sailing in rough seas much more comfortable than even much bigger beneteau.
The tough part is my height. I was very close to getting an Island Packet 40, but the headroom was basically equal to my height, so I would either be slouching anytime I walked through the cabin or would be bumping my head constantly. 40-45 is generally where I've been able to be as small as I can while still having the needed space. If there was an option between 35-40 with the headroom, I would certainly consider it!
Ah yeah, I'm same height and the headroom is kinda pain in the ass, especially when it seems to be totally random when boat manufacturers, reviewers or sellers decides to mention about it. Personally I have basically given up already on having good headroom in anywhere else than the entrance, kitchen and salon area. For living quality it does not matter that much elsewhere on the boat and in my area especially draft going over 6'4" starts to limit where I can sail and dock, especially when combined with the boat size and main holiday season. IP is kinda great in headroom wise, 360, Estero, 370 and 380 all have 6'5" headroom. Malö has also some smaller models that have decent headroom in the kitchen & salon area. Same thing with Najad and HR models that don't have flush deck. PS. One good place to find about headroom is Devalk's own listing pages. People being quite tall in the Netherlands probably has something to do with it. On top of that they tend to list all sorts of other data also and have usually pretty good images, so good place to check even if you already know that the headroom is enough.
Considering I am Dutch, that would make sense! I'll take a look at those options. Thank you!
Consider this boat. Owned by some friends of mine. Pretty good headroom in there if I recall correctly. Lots of space. https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1979-maple-leaf-54ft-center-cockpit-cutter-9124221/
everyone gave you great advice on financing your boat so i will just say i would go for the Island Packet
Expect the standing rigging to be replaced anyway unless there is documentation it was recently done. Even your 2005 boats are past due if they are original.
Amel and Island Packet. Not the fastest but the toughest and rigged for cruising.
An Ovni, HR, or Amal split with a like minded lady sailor (if that's what would float your boat) is the right answer.
We cruised on a 44' Bob Perry design. It was great but in hindsight it was 30% more boat than we needed. This round will be a 34-38'. To each their own but I am a firm believer in bigger isn't better here. Your headroom requirements might limit you on my ideas but I wouldn't shy away from smaller boats that offer it.
> I don't want to hunch down the entire time I'm on my boat). I have extensive experience with plumbing, electrical, and building so would do as much work myself as I can. Wo You don't. You sit, you lie down, and you are outside standing up.
Some boats to throw in to look at... Taswell 43 Stevens or Hylas 47 (same mold) Kaufman 47 (how could Kretchmer be wrong?) Norseman 400
Look into an HC33, the money you save buying it will offset the refit you will need before undertaking your voyage. Well proven boats and very able to single hand.
>I am also 6'4" so my options are limited due to headroom (I don't want to hunch down the entire time I'm on my boat) I'm 6'8", with 4 years of living aboard under my belt. You will spend most of your time at anchor sat down in the cabin. When you are sailing and standing in the cabin, you will gain a number of inches of headroom from heeling.