For Sale: Hitch Hiker catamaran 40', $125,000

[Thumbs Up]

Located in Puerto Aventuras Mexico. Built in South Africa, 1996. Constructed with timber and bruynzeel plywood. After an extensive haul out in Rio Dulce Guatemala, I motored to Utila, Honduras and then sailed from Utila to Cozumel in 39 hours! Thumbs Up is once again seaworthy. I am finishing up the last of the paint and nonskid in the cockpit area. This boat has been a labor of love over the past five years but we are entertaining the idea of selling and moving on to something else (like a beach cat, or folding trimaran). We are not currently living aboard (we live nearby). This will be a minimal listing that I will add to as I collect more photos and list more specs but feel free to ask questions if you are in the market for a boat and might be willing to travel here to see it (feel free to PM me or post publicly).

Engines: 2 Volvo 2030/saildrives with fixed three bladed props

Sails: Jib is functional but in poor condition, profurl furling. Full batten main in cradle. The main is in fair condition, I recently added batten boxes and raised the clew to solve an issue with the boom bumping the cabintop. There are three reef points.

Water: no watermaker but can store a few hundred gallons in three tanks.

Electric: No invertor/charger combo but I use a smart charger when needed, also includes a Honda eu 2000. 370 watts of solar in two cabin mounted panels, Outback mppt, 2 Newer Trojan L16 (420 amp/hrs). Morningstar invertor, led lighting (mostly).

Electrical: Standard Horizon VHF/AIS receiver w remote handset. Garmin 640 chartplotter. New Evolution (raymarine) wheeldrive autopilot . Depthsounder and speed. Led anchor light, new led bow port and starboard lights. Handheld vhf, bearing compass, gps, and personal locator beacon. Good stereo/cd player with speakers inside and outside.

Ground tackle: Rocna 25kg, 150' new 3/8" chain, Lofrans windlass, Fortress anchor, Spade anchor

Dinghy: older Avon with 8hp Tohatsu 2 stroke works fine, Davits

I am not sure what I am leaving out. We have on demand hot water, three burner stove with oven, outdoor shower, indoor shower with small tub, two roomy forward staterooms with double mattresses, two single aft berths over the engines. Settee that will also be able to convert to double bed, plans for two additional berths in the staterooms and two forward compartments that can be used for sleeping. The interior is comfortable but needs some refinishing. New settee cushions. sliding screen doors. Screens for all of the port openings (but none for the hatches right now). There are 14 Gebo ports and 8 Gebo hatches. Awlgrip deck and cabintop paint and nonskid (Matterhorn white). Isotherm 12 volt refrigerator, 110v chest freezer.

[Thumbs Up]

This is a cute video clip showing my boat back in S. Africa when it was named Zakat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3S1ovvo_8

[FSMike]

Thumbs Up -


Nice looking boat.
I'm not in the market, but other people might want to know -
What's the beam?
Draft?
Air draft?
Hours on the engines?
Weight?
I assume the beam/plywood construction is covered with fiberglass?
If so, epoxy or polyester resin?

Good luck,
Mike

[Thumbs Up]

Thanks for the bump, Mike, I have a 25' beam, draft is 4 ' and I need 55' of bridge clearance. The Volvo 2030 series engines have unknown hours, I maintain them and I assume that the previous owner did as well because they both run great. I am not sure of the weight. The hulls, deck and cabintops are all sheathed in glass fabric with epoxy. The deck, cabintop, and soon to be cockpit is all painted with awlgrip and has awlgrip nonskid. I will post some more photos tomorrow.

[ausnp84]

Great cat! These ply/epoxy SA cats are tough, safe and fast.

Just a thought - are you able to get your boat to the US relatively easily and list her for sale there? I say that as (in my experience) the majority of buyers won't bother taking a chance on a boat located o/s as it's a chore to fly out, find accommodation, etc etc. If you can move the boat to somewhere easily accessible, you'll have a much better chance of getting a price you're happy with.

Good luck with the sale!

n

[Thumbs Up]

Good point, N, and yes I could bring her to Florida but I am hoping not to have to. If I am not able to sell within the next few months I might bring her back down to Guatemala (away from salt water and hurricanes) and complete the interior. If I was convinced that it I could make a quick sale I would go to Florida but the docking expenses might eat me alive and I won't have anyone to look after her when I need to leave.

Puerto Aventuras is actually very accessible. Only an hour and a half south of Cancun, it is an upscale gated marina/golfing community and you can fly here round trip for less than you would spend on dinner and drinks in a fancy restaurant. I can provide you with cheap accommodation if you are seriously considering buying my boat (besides the boat we are leasing a newer four bedroom house in Tulum) and I could take you on a fun "sea trial" (no strings attached).

Here are a few more photos (taken yesterday). I am waiting for a water hookup at my dock and haven't been able to perform a proper cleaning yet. I appreciate more questions, comments, and suggestions (as long as they are positive).

[Thumbs Up]

I am lowering my asking price to $115,000. I am seeing some well equipped (but smaller) production cats for $130,000. If you are looking for a good sized cat but are on a budget, Thumbs Up is ready to go cruising and I am waiting to hear from you!

[Thumbs Up]

Thumbs Up is still for sale. The plan is to sail back to the Rio Dulce in about three weeks. I know that Florida is a better place to sell a catamaran but I can easily store it on the hard in Guatemala away from hurricanes and saltwater. If anyone is interested, contact me soon. I have been finishing up the nonskid work in the cockpit, we have taken several overnight trips to Cozumel as well as a dive trip to explore some reef areas just south of here. I would have liked to explore more of the area but the conditions have been pretty rough, we are on a lee shore and there are no good guidebooks for here. The boat is functioning great though and I am open to offers.

[Sailorman Ed]

Looks nice but please tell me about the "screen door".
I would like to have some thing on mine.
The finish looks very good.

[Thumbs Up]

I was hoping someone would ask. We also made screens for all of the ports with the same finish. These took a lot of effort. They slide on an aluminum track. The screening is sandwiched between two layers of 3/8 ply with an awlgrip finish. I can leave the boat with the screens padlocked but still get plenty of ventilation. Also the hull ports (4 on each side) have custom made louvers that let you keep the ports open (the screen frames hold the port open) and no rain gets in. They are solid and cannot be crushed like the lexan ones that you see.

[Sailorman Ed]

Thumbs - nice job on the screen door (and port screens). A couple questions:

• 2 layers of 3/8" - each layer all from 1 sheet?
• How secure is it? seems you could just kick your way in? I am thinking of the glass doors open and screen doors locked.
• for the screen ports - multiple thicknesses of 3/8 and then ground to get the shape?

Ed

[Thumbs Up]

If I remember correctly, I had to buy two full sheets but there was a lot left over. You temporarily screw the sheets together then cut, router and sand everything as one. Then separate them (be sure to mark all the pieces so they will mate up again). apply the finish then staple screening to one side and a small bead of silicone (but not so much so that it oozes out) then mate the two halves. The silicone helps glue it all together and stabilizes the screening but is not impossible to pry apart should you need to replace the screen. There are also some screws on the back side but not a lot. Sure you could kick your way in but if a thief is willing to do that he will get in anyway. The saying is: Locks keep "honest" people honest. I have stored the boat the past two summers with my glass doors open and screens locked. and with my hull ports open. It gets hot enough in the boat with everything open. Close it up and it becomes an oven!

[Factor]

Originally Posted by ausnp84

Great cat! These ply/epoxy SA cats are tough, safe and fast.

Might have been built in SA but its an Australian Design

[Thumbs Up]

I forgot to mention that Thumbs Up was designed by the noted Australian catamaran designer John Hitch.

[geoleo]

HHHHHHHHHHMMMMMM -an older wood cat with poor sails and an 'unfinished interior' in a very remote location.......................hhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmm many more boat buyers (of the bargain -seeking type) go to the Rio Dulce looking