Buying a used sailboat question

[flybynight]

Another couple of questions from the wannabe sailor. Would welcome any advice or criticism, please!

First question. When buying a used sailboat, are there any non-obvious clues only old sea dogs would know – clues, which will tell you right away that this is a bad option, and save you time checking the details? To illustrate: there is an old joke about buying a used car – “push the buttons on the radio, and if all of it is rock-n-roll, the transmission is shot”. Is there anything like that subtle when buying a used sailboat? So far, I think that girl-owner or family-owner might mean the boat has been taken care of better. Sure, I might be wrong.
Second question. For me, who lives on the east-coast US, but interested in Pacific sailing, buying a boat on this side is pointless, unless you want to pay an arm and a leg for Panama canal passage, or go round Cape Horn or Northwest Passage. Logically, I have to find the boat on the west coast. So, if I throw my stuff into a van and drive across the US to the west coast with the express intention to find, buy a boat, fix it and sail off, what place would give me more chances? I was thinking – maybe Port Everett in Washington, the biggest marina on west coast. Would that mean – more sailboats for sail? Would welcome any other ideas, too.
Thanks everybody! Just trying to learn as much as possible, so that not to drown eventually like a mangy rat somewhere off Fiji, (which still is a better option than dying in some seedy retirement home from some politically correct disorder).
Thanks again!

Flybynight.

[Don C L]

Hmmm... I'll take a shot at it.. first if you know what kinds you are interested in, then you can seek out certain models that have good reputations then you can focus your search, which you will need to do. Once you have a make and model that has a good rep for build quality, then you can look to maintenance and upgrades, then age of rigging and sails. But the one I'd really zero in on first is the condition of the engine because replacing or rebuilding one is the big ticket item. Well, new sails may be also, but generally you don't have to replace them all at once. By the way how are your DIY skills? Now if you find one that looks good from a distance, then you have to decide how you will go on the tour to go see boats. Count on seeing many and being a bit disappointed at first. Craigslist is good to browse, but if you don't know what kind of boat you like, they all will blur together. There are a lot of boats between Santa Barbara and San Diego so you could spend some time in SoCal looking around. Then the SF bay area/Santa Cruz/Monterey has a lot of boats too so you could localize yourself there too. Then of course the PNW, as you mentioned. Maybe drive out in a tiny car that uses little gas so you can just drive up and down the west coast. But first do you have any sailing experience yet? Do you have any idea what types of boats you prefer? If not you could be searching for years comparing apples to oranges and never feeling confident in your choices. First start sailing, anything. Join a club, get a boat like a Laser to learn on, ask people if they need crew for an afternoon sail... whatever, so you can rack up time on boats so you can judge if you really like it and what kinds of boats may appeal to you. Chances are your tastes will change as you gain experience too. Good luck, keep us posted. Feel free to fire away with the questions.

Ok, on edit, I see you're looking for something more. OK, when you spot a potential boat, get the owner on the phone. If he or she is happy and eager to tell you about every nook and cranny of the boat, that's a good sign. If they are happy to tell you about any deficiencies in the boat, good sign. If they know the details immediately of all upgrades and maintenance, and have dates and receipts too, very good sign. I'd be very reticent to consider a boat that did not have those good signs UNLESS I knew the boat very well already and knew exactly what I was getting into regardless of what owner or broker say.

[Hudson Force]

The most immediate "turn off" for me is to see engine spray paint on the cables and hose clamps. A second caution is a bad smell.

[boatman61]

A dirty engine compartment..
A dirty bilge..

[Sand crab]

The Puget Sound is huge. I haven't been to any of the marinas in Everett. There are marinas all over but real working marinas are rare. Port Townsend might be the best and Anacortes is up there also. Both are real boaty towns with everything you need. You can work on your own boat in PT. Port Townsend has 2 State Parks with hot showers nearby plus some camping at the fairgrounds. You can also park/camp for free right near the marina. You won't get hassled unless you are there for a long time. The main problem with the Sound is it's a long way down the coast to look at any other boats. There's not much on the coast until SF. On the other hand going north is really interesting. Lotsa boats in BC and some in Alaska. Cross border boat transactions happen all the time.
My friend purchased a Laguna 33 in Gig harbor for $7000 last year. It had new sails and a rebuilt engine. Deals are out there.
Good Luck

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by boatman61

A dirty engine compartment..
A dirty bilge..

+1

Absolutely. Means the owner didn't give a d#*m about taking care of his boat...

LittleWing77

[KtownMatt]

I just bought my first sailboat, and think I did well. The surveyor was quite impressed, for whatever that's worth...

Like the others have said, look at the condition of the engine and bilge. I also prioritized the condition of the electrical system. Shoddy wiring is also a warning of a lack of care.
Another thing I did was to look up similar boats for sale online, and compare the photos. Was there anything consistent between them? This would imply a common issue with that model. Also look for online forums/groups dedicated to that brand, to see what other owners' concerns are.

I doubt my $0.02 is worth $0.02 yet, but that's what i can offer.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by flybynight

Another couple of questions from the wannabe sailor. Would welcome any advice or criticism, please...
Thanks everybody! Just trying to learn as much as possible, so that not to drown eventually like a mangy rat somewhere off Fiji, (which still is a better option than dying in some seedy retirement home from some politically correct disorder).
Thanks again!

Flybynight.

Your biggest danger is not drowning somewhere off Fiji, it's buying something that winds up being expensive to fix up AND finding that you don't like it and don't even like sailing. Many (not all) sailing wannabe's don't last long in the sport. If you do get to Fiji you'll probably have sorted it all out by then.

Others here might be helping you pick a boat which is in good shape but nobody has addressed the fact that you are not a sailor, and don't know what you are doing, both in boat selection and on the water skills.

So, you can barrel full speed ahead and learn the heard way. Hopefully it won't be expensive. Certainly it will be educational.

OR, you can make use of the time you have and get on the water. It's winter now, but soon Spring will come and there will be lots of boating. You should be part of that, any way you can, every week for a year.

There are many ways, some expensive, some mostly useless. One I recommend is joining a racing crew. They will train you for free, they go every week regardless of the weather, and they know how to sail. A test of your ingenuity is if you can figure out how to find a crew and get on a boat; it's not hard. (hint, hang out in marina parking lots on race day)

But however you do it you will be better positioned to select a boat and sail off somewhere.

BTW. I am in Mexico. Every year there are boats bought cheaply in California by sailor wannabe's which are neglected or abandoned by people who found out it isn't actually what they want to do.

[JPA Cate]

Here's a link to something written by one of our members who is a surveyor: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1-a-78671.html

When I go aboard, I look for water tracks. Long term leaks always show. If there is carpet, expect the sole underneath to be in need of at least cosmetic repair. Common leak sites are chainplates and stanchion bases, and deck penetrations.

Generally, if it is filthy anywhere, it has not been well looked after. Sails and rigging are easier to replace than engines.

Ann

[valhalla360]

The real secret as a newbie...get a good surveyor (with no relation to the seller or broker).

Obviously if it's corroded, dinged up, moldy, leaky, etc...it's probably not in the greatest shape but don't expect to pick up on the subtle stuff (do your best but don't expect it)

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by wingssail

but nobody has addressed the fact that you are not a sailor, and don't know what you are doing, both in boat selection and on the water skills.

Ahem... hello? I might also say NOBODY reads my posts!

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Ahem... hello? I might also say NOBODY reads my posts!

Oh Don, I'm sorry I missed your comment which was spot on about the need for experience. May I tell you however that I don't do so good with huge blocks of words. Sometimes I don't finish reading them.

But if you break it into shorter paragraphs then someone with a short attention span like myself, is more likely to get through it all.

Sorry, Fred

[nightowle]

Boats tend to sell at a premium in PNW over other areas. It's thought that the weather is kinder to boats here, overall. Yes, they can get green with mold on the outside, but that cleans easily vs. heat and sun damage. Something to keep in mind.

[Jim Cate]

Not sure if this is still true, for we've been gone a long time...

Boats in the SF area tend to be somewhat better equipped for extended cruising than those in SoCal, simply because the typical winds up there are a lot stronger than in the south. This means that there is likely a better range of sails on board, that hardware is likely to be of a better and stronger grade and so on.

Example: quite some years ago one of my fellow single hand racers bought a Cal-40 from LA and started sailing north to bring her home. He had mentioned that there were 15 sails on board. Imagine his surprise when he found that the smallest jib on board was a 135% genoa. Things got interesting somewhere around Pt Sur...

Good luck in the search!

Jim

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by wingssail

BTW. I am in Mexico. Every year there are boats bought cheaply in California by sailor wannabe's which are neglected or abandoned by people who found out it isn't actually what they want to do.

...and then abandoned them in Mexico. Guaymus and San Carlos come to mind.