Found a dream boat, just to realize I'm financially not yet there.

[CassidyNZ]

Everyone has a different perspective.

I went the “traditional” route and started with a little boat, then a bigger one, then another bigger one . . . .

In hindsight I would have decided what the end goal was and bought the appropriate boat first time round. The obvious purpose of that process is to prevent the inevitable loss of money from the purchase/sale of all the forerunners which can be substantial.

I made a list of all the key non-negotiable elements of the boat I saw as appropriate then set about finding one that had all of those and also satisfactorily answered the most of another set of questions. The fact that I still have that boat today and am totally happy with it more than a decade later is evidence enough that I got it right.

Your key elements will almost certainly be different to mine so I’m not going to bother listing them. But in my quest, a number of boats ticked most of the boxes. The one I have ticked nearly all of them. So don’t hold out for a dream boat, there are probably several that will fit your requirements. Also, place more emphasis on the dream itself, your selection of boat will fit the dream, not the other way round.

A dream boat (for me) is one that is very clearly in the Lotto-win sphere. YMMV.

[Cadence]

It sounds like gibberish.

[SJFK]

I hope this helps as I write it without knowing how much experience you have of a live aboard yachtie lifestyle. We went through the same exercise and found a yacht that pretty much matched our requirements. The one thing we were not really prepared for was the huge change in lifestyle and giving up the convenience of living in a house. It is important that you and your partner are totally committed to it. Apart from the obvious issues such as being without WiFi/internet for periods of time; having to keep the batteries charged sufficient for your domestic and cruising requirements; becoming a master of or at least proficient in dealing with all the systems on board. Accepting that your storage is limited and that the item you want will inevitably be at the bottom of the locker, and that you will need to work in very confined spaces sometimes by touch alone, in high humidity levels and that the list of jobs will remain just as long as it was when you started although the jobs themselves will change. To counter all of that will be a life that few folk are privileged to experience and to live adventures that most only read about. We did make the adjustment and for five years lived the yachties dream. But you must be committed to making it work, preferably as a couple or with someone you can share the trials, tribulations and achievements as that is where and how the experience is best enjoyed. Lastly we expected to budget about 10% of the purchase price every year as a rule of thumb. In fact it was closer to 15% as we upgraded and maintained the yacht to a high standard; we could have spent more!! The best of luck to you

[Bill Youmans]

I bought a boat after retirement and here are some things I learned. 32 to 36 foot sailboat is: affordable, get one in good shape/ condition so can enjoy sooner than later; No bigger than generally about 36 feet so as to easily handle sails, forces, weights etc as you will sail it solo most often unless partner is really enthusiastic; crew of 1 to 3 is often hard to get very often for longer sails so solo is often default number aboard; getting friends to come out for a day sail doesn't happen as often as you would maybe like or think would happen; routine maintenance and yearly in out costs add up so don't sweat the purchase price if reasonable (don't pass up a good boat that fits needs over a few thousand $ price as yearly costs soon make that seem insignificant),; keep it simple as a lot of systems and complexities are unnecessary and add maintenance hassles; boat ownership is a process so don't sweat the small stuff; it is also like owning a second home or cabin as it takes up some $ and a lot of emotional energy and brain time; do it sooner than later so you don't look back and regret never having done it; you can always quit and say I did it and sell it. Have fun as after looking and thinking about it for 10 years I did do it. No regrets.

[Bundyon]

Mate, only you know your financial situation and whether you can afford to buy this particular boat. Sometimes you can juggle finances enough to achieve your dream.
My partner & I live aboard our Steely, fortunately I can do 99.9% of the maintenance work and what I can't do, I have friends who can help out. However, having said that, it didn't save me from blowing another 100K on upgrades and bits & Pieces. Do I regret it....hell no!
Just make sure before you pull the trigger, that you have a thorough survey done on it, then on the basis of that report, re-assess your decision to buy or not to buy! Best of luck in achieving your dream.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

just to clear the air....

I built a steel boat....why ??...# 1. it is bloody strong. #2. It was relatively inexpensive to build. # 3. Despite all the things people say about steel boats, it was (and still is) a terrific sailing boat. It carried me safely for 1000's of miles.

That boat is still around, now on it's 3rd owner....it just turned 40 years old. The new owner intends to take it to Antartica. Nothing like a steely for peace of mind floating around icebergs.

I hear so much crap about steel boats. True, most, but not all, are home builts, but many are in relatively good shape. True, you get the occasional rust bucket, but you can't let one rust bucket define all steel boats.

Talking about rust....most steel boats have hulls 1/8-3/16" thick. That may sound thin, but I'm here to tell, it is incredible strong. Much, much stronger than plastic or composite. You can get any surveyor to measure the hull thickness, you can do it yourself with the purchase of an ultrasonic sounder. It is simple matter to have the entire hull sounded. You can record the hull thickness on a diagram of the boat you intend to buy. You can have 100's of soundings in a matter of a morning. From there, should you know the hull thickness, which you should, you can see if there is a problem anywhere. Remember this, seeing some rust is not an indication of weak material. Steel can throw of a tremendous amount of rust. Investigate any suspect areas that have low readings. If you find a bad spot, move the ultrasonic sounder all around the area, which will tell you if it is an isolated spot or over a larger area.

You are not likely to be able to pound another person's boat with a hammer and chisel to search out rust, nor will you be able to tear apart the inside to search for rust.
Which is why the ultrasonic sounder is a "must-have" device. There many examples of this gadget. $200 will get you a pretty decent model.

You can measure the hull thickness from the outside. Any suspect areas will then be easily identified for further investigation.

Fixing a problem area is easily done by any experienced metal worker or you can do it yourself. You can buy a small portable welder for next to nothing these days. You can even rent oxy-acetylene bottles of you want to do your own cutting, etc.

On a boat for boat basis, there is an equal amount of junk plastic boats out there. Rotten decks, etc, etc, etc.

Today, there are any number of products available to tackle rust that were not available even a few years ago.

Ok, I'm done for now......

That boat is still around, now on it's 3rd owner....it just turned 40 years old. The new owner intends to take it to Antartica. Nothing like a steely for peace of mind floating around icebergs

Remember the Titanic?

[malbert73]

I guess to OP- why steel? Unless you are going extreme latitudes... the number of FBG boats is maybe 500x that of steel so your choices are vaster

[hpeer]

Steel is cheap to buy.

And if you buy wisely it is unlikely to develop any deal breaker problems.

The problem is finding a surveyor who understands steel and who will take the time necessary to do a good inspection.

You can learn to weld. You will learn about rust elimination and paints.

I can understand why steel is attractive, its the low entry price. And then sweat equity. But it gets you in the game with a a boat you want.

I am personally more concerned about buying too big.

Take a hard look at the boats displacement, then look at similar length FG boats, high end. Steel boats have a high displacement for LOA. But, depending upon their finish, may be roomier inside than a comparable FG boat. You really need to crawl around inside some of each to fully get what I am saying.

We have no tanks or “systems” under our settees, 100% storage. My shallow bilge is about 2’ deep. My tanks are in the keel, making here (to some limited extent) double hulled.

The point is you may find a 40’ steel boat is as livable as a 45’ FG boat.

OR you may not need a 50’ steel boat to accommodate what a 50’ FG boat does, you may be able to buy shorter steelie and be just as well off.

So take a close look at displacement. A 40,000 pound FG boat and a 40,000 pound Steel boat both displace the same amount of water, make the same volume hole in the water. The steel hole is deeper. A steel hull cam make more efficient use of the keel as ballast (tankage) leaving more higher space for living.

In short you may be able to buy a shorter boat.

[MicHughV]

Ayr, the thing about boats is liking finding a girlfriend.

Who someone else likes, may not suit me, and vice versa. There are literally 1,000's of sailboats for sale, of every make, description, size, draft, one or two masts, color and endless more variables.

There are boats I would never consider for any reason, and there are many that I would.

The problem with boats, is that it really is a love story of sorts. Sometimes, you will see a boat that just makes your heart swoon. There's is no rhyme nor reason behind it.

It can be new, old, steel, fiberglass, wood, it doesn't matter. It will call your name.

You can ask someone else's opinion, but keep in mind, it will be their opinion. They may not like it and will tell you so.

I went to look at a boat once, with a friend. It was a very old wood fishing boat of sorts. Where it came from, I have no idea. It's age, equally unknown. The engine was a beast of a machine, it's origin unknown. The rest of the boat told a story of a hard working life.
I would not have this boat, if it were given to me for free. My friend thought otherwise. He was smitten with this relic....smitten...heads over heels in love with it. He had to have it, he saw something in this relic, I could not. He knew it would be an intense labor of love.
I saw him again some time later. He had transformed this relic into a thing of beauty. I was flabbergasted.

So it is with boats.....

[Hoodsail]

Dreams are great in that they motivate us toward some end/goal...but can it be achieved through another approach, in your case, a different boat. I dreamed and had my heart focused on just 2 specific boats, but with a budget in mind. Looked for 1.5 yrs and then had a broker i was working with suggest a boat i had never considered. You see where this is going, the boat I never considered, researched or dreamt of became my DREAM boat. Have owned her & she me x 5 yrs...Worked on her, paid to have work done on her...we are almost there...all the best in determining your next steps...

[ohdrinkboy]

Why steel?

[Stu Jackson]

Do you own a boat now?

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Steel is cheap to buy.

And if you buy wisely it is unlikely to develop any deal breaker problems.

The problem is finding a surveyor who understands steel and who will take the time necessary to do a good inspection.

You can learn to weld. You will learn about rust elimination and paints.

I can understand why steel is attractive, its the low entry price. And then sweat equity. But it gets you in the game with a a boat you want.

I am personally more concerned about buying too big.

Take a hard look at the boats displacement, then look at similar length FG boats, high end. Steel boats have a high displacement for LOA. But, depending upon their finish, may be roomier inside than a comparable FG boat. You really need to crawl around inside some of each to fully get what I am saying.

We have no tanks or “systems” under our settees, 100% storage. My shallow bilge is about 2’ deep. My tanks are in the keel, making here (to some limited extent) double hulled.

The point is you may find a 40’ steel boat is as livable as a 45’ FG boat.

OR you may not need a 50’ steel boat to accommodate what a 50’ FG boat does, you may be able to buy shorter steelie and be just as well off.

So take a close look at displacement. A 40,000 pound FG boat and a 40,000 pound Steel boat both displace the same amount of water, make the same volume hole in the water. The steel hole is deeper. A steel hull cam make more efficient use of the keel as ballast (tankage) leaving more higher space for living.

In short you may be able to buy a shorter boat.

I hear the voice of someone who knows and loves steel here. I’ll agree to disagree. Much of what you state sounds like slow sailing boats especially in light air. But good for certain purposes like heavy weather high latitude right?

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by malbert73

I hear the voice of someone who knows and loves steel here. I’ll agree to disagree. Much of what you state sounds like slow sailing boats especially in light air. But good for certain purposes like heavy weather high latitude right?

That is going in the right direction.

Who are you buying the boat for and how are they going to use it?

To my ear he sounds like he wants to be a live aboard with family. Likely they dont have tons of experience. He is NOT buying it for casual use.

So you buy a boat that everyone you want to please will find tolerable. If you are living aboard most of the time is on the hook, NOT sailing. The boat is a mobile base. Many folks are upset by the surge in harbors, heavy displacement boats make good mobile homes.

Now for a guy or couple who like the rush of sailing and spend inly some weekends or a vacation aboard it is a very poor choice.

But more to the point, ai read him as wanting a BIG boat to accommodate the family. And guessed he was drawn to steel because of the low entry price.

So above I was making the case that heavy displacement boats have more accommodation per foot of LOD. It might not be obvious because it shows up as storage, but asequate storage is really required for live aboards.

[cdcorl]

Keep window shopping. Read all you can about each boat that is perfect, and keep good notes.

Don’t actually start shopping until you are ready to buy. A few more years of research should be fun. Then buy the perfect boat.