Buying a Sailboat Check List

[Velma]

So I'm doing my homework and still don't feel any better about my knowledge when it comes to purchasing a sailboat. We want to purchase a sale boat in the spring and its coming soon! So if someone out there would give me a heads up on what sort of things I should be considering when purchasing a Bluewater Sailboat it would be appreciated.

considerations are:

1. 37-40 ft
2. Bluewater sailboat worthy
3. Living on this for a long time
4. Just me and the old man
5. Would prefer a newer model with the additions already

I'm sure there are lots of considerations but this is my beginning....HELP!

[NotQuiteLost]

In general, 'newer' boats don't buy you all that much in terms of wear-and-tear, unless you get an absolute sweetheart deal for something less than ten years old that's basically been tied to the dock for its entire life. But there's nothing wrong with wanting newer.

My experience is that a 20-30 year old boat in good condition with all the additions (electronics, generator, extra sails/rigging, idiosynchratic modifications unique to each boat's past uses, etc..) is easier to acquire and spruce up to perfection than trying to find a newer <10 year old boat for the same outlay of cash.

A few other things we'd need to know are your budget, location and willingness to travel for pickup, your experience with the water in general, and sailing specifically and what you intend to do with the boat. You'll find that 'bluewater' can be a misleading and downright aggravating term to use around some salty ol' bums, and with some good reasons that I'm sure you'll become familiar with if you hang around here for awhile. So let us know your plans for the boat's intended use, and we can probably help out a bit more.

For example, if you want to do a lot of island/cove hopping, you'll probably want a shoal draft (meaning a shallower keel, rather than a deeper one). But if you're really going to be doing longer distance passages then it's not as big of an issue, and you may actually prefer a fin/deeper keel. Also if you're interested in longer distance cruising (say, two or three weeks between ports, for example) then tankage (water and fuel) will be an important consideration.

Also, any pertinent experience either of you have had with electrical wiring, carpentry or other woodworking, welding/metal fabrication, diesel mechanics, etc.. would be informative. Your respective ages and general physical capabilities also factor in to your decision a bit, but not a whole lot. I'm a tall 29 year old, single, generally well-conditioned guy, so solo-sailing a 40 ton, 65' boat is well within reason for me but it might not be wise to expect of someone a couple decades older with a little more normal physical capacity to deal with things the way I do, at least not without mechanical assistance, which is easily found and installed but costs $$$.

[ozskipper]

<P>If your dad is older, you need to consider the size of the rig. Generally the bigger the boat the bigger the rig. Heavy halyards and sheets may be a problem. A ketch may be an option.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>As far as privacy is concerned you may want to consider a Center cockpit boat. The aft cabin is far enough away from the rest of the boat to allow people to sleep, snore, fart and enjoy night time athletics without disturbing the others in the boat.&nbsp; It would be a bit awkward if one of you "got lucky" and the other could hear the associated noises!</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Older race boats come cheap. But generally dont make good cruisers without a lot of conversion. This could leave you in a time and cash negative position. So try to make sure the boat is already designed for what you want to do and with as many systems in place as possible.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Paying a little extra for a boat that already has Solar and wind generation, wind vane, HF, Plotters etc will work out to be a better deal in most cases than buying the same boat bare and adding the gear. The best option is to buy a boat that has just finished a similar cruise. The gear will most likely be working and everything you need will already be on board. A boat that&nbsp;has&nbsp;Weekend Cruised or been locked up for a year or two may have a pile of niggly problems waiting to jump out and bite you.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>The best boat may not be near you. You may have to fly one or two thousand miles to get it. But thats ok if its in the right location.&nbsp; Lets say its in BVI and the Caribbean is your ultimate destination. Perfect! Buy it there and you save all that time and expense in moving the boat.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Cheers</P>
<P>Oz</P>

[ozskipper]

<P>hmm.. no idea why that previous post when all HTML on my ass. Sorry.</P>
<P>Oz</P>

[Velma]

1. budget - We've been reading up on different threads and have noticed that most are stating about $1500.00/month which would work for us.

2. location and willingness to travel for pickup - we live in Alberta but are willing to travel as far as the east coast and south to pickup depending on the registration requirements ie. purchasing in the US - US Coast Guards willingness to de-register and then re-registering in Canada.

3. your experience with the water in general and sailing specifically - I have no experience sailing at all but am currently learning coastal navagation as well as signed up for the cya basic crusing course in the spring. My husband is a skipper but has been out of the water for a while, although from what I've seen he is very knowledgeable. We chartered a sailboat in the BVI's with some friends (who do this all the time) and he was the only person who knew how to navagate....lol

4. what you intend to do with the boat - We intend to live aboard and to sail the Caribbean for starters (1st year) sailing to the various islands and discovering new worlds, then depending on our experiences and knowledge that we gain, the following year we would like to sail to Europe.

5. pertinent experience either of you have had with electrical wiring, carpentry or other woodworking, welding/metal fabrication, diesel mechanics - Husband is a custom home builder, he has also experience with elecrical and diesel maintenance, as far as the rest I have no idea....just married the man

6. Ages - How shall I put this - both in our late 40's and loving it! He is physically fit and well lets say 40 hasn't been kind to me...lol. I'm certainly not lazy but I don't have the get up and go that I did prior to 40, had to slow down the old girl a bit but she still has it....

7. We want to sell the house and get the hell out of dodge - LIFE STYLE Change wanted!

Sounds like your living the dream, we want our dream while we can still live it!!!

[Zednotzee]

Recommend you check this link: Used Sailboats in central Canada

Some good info there, & broker's links as well. Also, Great Lakes boats are generally good buys because they've spent half their lives in storage, & the other half in fresh water. It's just a matter of finding one to suit you.

[simonmd]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

<P>If your dad is older, you need to consider the size of the rig.....

erm, I think she ment her husband or partner when she said 'the old man'......

Back on topic, sounds like youve got most things covered ok already. Your budget seems more than enough and both have plenty of experience between you.

As for the boat itself, there are SO MANY different types, i'd get viewing ASAP! What one of us recommends may not be your cup of tea.

Try and find an 'owners spec' boat if you can, this will have a decent sized master cabin for you two, no need to have 3 or 4 cabins for a couple after all.

I'd also either try to spec your boat so you're as self sufficient as possible. ie, Wind and solar power, upgraded batteries, etc. A watermaker is a bonus if making long passages but if you're staying coastal, don't bother. People say 'even if coastal it saves carrying extra water, etc' but what if it broke down? You'd have to carry extra just in case anyway!

It goes without saying that a newer boat should have less maintainance to do, again, down to personal taste. Sounds like your other half is able to cope with most things DIY related. These days, we can call anything in the last 20years a 'newer boat' so there should be plenty to choose from in your budget.

Finaly, when you've found a boat you like, always make the deal "Subject To Survey". Most times you'll pay for the survey yourself but if anything nasty turns up you can just walk away. If it's all good then youve got piece of mind and its better to have an up to date survey for insurance, etc.

[ozskipper]

[QUOTE=simonmd;571310]erm, I think she ment her husband or partner when she said 'the old man'......

Lol yeah.. I realised that when reading the next thread. In my neck of the woods the "old man" is ones dad.

Cheers
Oz

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by Velma

So I'm doing my homework and still don't feel any better about my knowledge when it comes to purchasing a sailboat. We want to purchase a sale boat in the spring and its coming soon! So if someone out there would give me a heads up on what sort of things I should be considering when purchasing a Bluewater Sailboat it would be appreciated.

considerations are:

1. 37-40 ft
2. Bluewater sailboat worthy
3. Living on this for a long time
4. Just me and the old man
5. Would prefer a newer model with the additions already

I'm sure there are lots of considerations but this is my beginning....HELP!

Is there any reason you can't buy a boat now? In my experience the price of boats increases as the weather gets warmer.

Florida and Texas always seem to have the best prices, but you can still get a pretty good deal up on the Great Lakes if you are willing to look.

[tallyhorob]

Originally Posted by Khagan1227

Is there any reason you can't buy a boat now? In my experience the price of boats increases as the weather gets warmer.

Florida and Texas always seem to have the best prices, but you can still get a pretty good deal up on the Great Lakes if you are willing to look.

Just don't rush into a boat you will regret later, take your time spending once is a lot cheaper then spending it twice

[zeehag]

sail on opb before you buy so you havent regrets and so youu know how the boat handles-- woud be a drag to buy one you realllly dont like the performance of. goood luck.

[Velma]

We've been looking at a 493 Benenteau as well as a 387 Catalina both look very nice (on line). We expect to be going East and then south to find our dream boat in the spring so right now we are in the looking mode so we have a better idea of how to shop for one and what to look for. Are there any suggestions as to a brand name we should be looking at? My husband has sailed a Catalina before and quite liked it, he also sailed a tall ship but I don't think that's what we want right now...lol.

Thank you to everyone for all of the great advice and links to sites that offer this information, its all been very helpful!

Velma

[Bluefuss]

I think you will have to suggest your own makes and models. You know better than anyone what you want from the boat. Is speed your thing or would you give some up for more comfort? Where will you sail it? Will you cruise full time? You get the picture.
I decided 3 years ago that I would buy my boat, and fulfill a lifelong dream, in 2011. So I too will buy a boat next year. I started by drooling over Hunter 37's I found in ad's. After 3 years of walking docks, talking to sailors and reading everything sailing related I could put my hands on (ESPECIALLY ON CF!) I now can't stop staring at Southern Cross's and Cabo Rico's.
I educated (ongoing) myself, edited many lists of my priorities and now have a pretty good idea of what I want and what I don't want. So talk to lots of sailors (seems to me they all love talking boats), on docks or online, and read, read, read and soon it will start to come together. Good luck and I hope we can share an achorage someday.

[ThePCSurgeon]

Originally Posted by Velma

We've been looking at a 493 Benenteau as well as a 387 Catalina both look very nice (on line). We expect to be going East and then south to find our dream boat in the spring so right now we are in the looking mode so we have a better idea of how to shop for one and what to look for. Are there any suggestions as to a brand name we should be looking at? My husband has sailed a Catalina before and quite liked it, he also sailed a tall ship but I don't think that's what we want right now...lol.

Thank you to everyone for all of the great advice and links to sites that offer this information, its all been very helpful!

Velma

Jeaneau and hunter are my personal favorites. A close friend of mine just purchased a 45 ft. 2008 Jeaneau in the spring for a steal in conneticut, USA. Hunter is another large vessel brand of quality. These two brands I would highly recommend.