Moving to Gulf Coast - Keep 25ft or go for 30ft?

[rdthoms]

There is a chance I could be relocating to the Florida Panhandle area. I currently have a Catalina 25 fixed fin keel that I am quite happy with but I would not mind moving up to something in the 28-30ft range to take advantage of he bigger bay and venturing outside.

So the question is, should I move the C25 down or sell it now and look for a larger boat down there?

In either case I think I would start looking for a larger boat but if I have the C25 I can take my time and keep sailing until I find something. The only negatives to bringing the C25 are the transport fee and how long it might take to sell it (would it sell faster/easier on the coast or on the current lake?)

[Stumble]

It depends on where. In Pensacola a bigger boat is easy, further east the entire area becomes progressively shallower. In some areas the channel depth is only a couple of feet so most sailors are on either very small boats or very shallow catamarans.

[svHyLyte]

Cat 25's of the vintage of yours are offered for sale at prices ranging from $4,800 to a high of $9,000. Given that, unless you can borrow or rent a trailer to move the boat yourself, it probably makes more sense to sell her where-is, as-is then to move her unless you're particularly attached to the boat. Note, however, that, for the new locale, your boat is not a bad choice for in-shore cruising so your options will take some consideration as to your near and, later, longer term goals. Just don't kid yourself. You need to (try to) be very objective as to the pro's and con's of your alternatives. If you can't do that alone, have one of your friends pay "devil's advocate" in your deliberations.

FWIW... (although I'm not convinced the foregoing will have been very helpful.)

[Frankly]

Can't help much on the pros/cons of moving the Catalina, but I have been cruising the coast from the Alabama Border to Pt St Joe, FL for over 50 years. Plenty of places to run aground but 4 to 5 ft draft will work just fine. Lots of good anchorages and boat traffic light compared to the West Coast of Fl. When the winds kicks up from the East something a little bigger would make life mo better, but keep the stick under 50 ft. 3 ea 50ft fixed bridges along the Northern GICWW.

[rdthoms]

Thanks for the helpful responses so far. It's good to hear that a 25ft could work well in the bays. The job is at Eglin so we are looking at Choctawhatchee Bay as the home grounds (waters?)

[Stumble]

The bay is pretty flat and avaerages about 15' you will be fine. To go to a shallow enough draft to matter you would need less than 3' in that area.

[jag39]

I have a 30' Dufour Arpege at St Marks, in the panhandle. Had a 25' Columbia before. Both are fine. Catalina would be fine. Biggest thing here is lots of skinny water around. I'm actually looking for something a bit bigger, but not out of necessity due to location.

[AiniA]

Why not put the boat up for sale. If it sells for a satisfactory price fine. If not, move it, and decide what to do once you are there and know the area a bit.

[Captain Bucknut]

The only pro I can see to selling the Catalina now would be if it has always been a fresh water boat then that could/would effect the resale value. Otherwise I vote keep her until you are ready to move on.

[Jhowell5558]

We live outside the gates of Eglin in Valparaiso Fl. Keep our Pearson 365 at a friends house around the corner on Tom's Bayou. 5 minutes to the dock. 5 minutes to shove off. We sail every chance we get even if just a few hours. We draw 4.5' - previous boat (Cal 27 Mk III) drew 5' Never an issue - Bay is big and plenty of deep water.
Lots of weekend or week long destinations on the Gulf Coast.

Main item is the 50' mast limitation to get out the pass at Destin into the Gulf. LOTS of '75 - '85 boats for sale in the 30-34' on the Gulf Coast. Come on down! Y'all will love it here!

Since your boat is Fresh Water, I would sell her if possible - add in the $$ you would save in not having to move her and looking for 30' here. If you don't mind some upgrade work yourself this would be a good way to move up.

Feel free to PM me if you would like to chat about the area

[Cheechako]

Cat 25 likely not worth the shipping cost to many people. Sell and buy up unless you have a trailer for it.

[hamburking]

Sell. Makes your move easier. Enjoy looking for you new boat once you arrive.

[Ndavies]

I live 20 miles west of Pensacola and its a near-perfect sailing area for our Hunter 42 Passage. Going east of Pensacola, bridge height becomes an issue for us, so we are on the outside until Port St. Joe - but that's not a bad thing. We can still get into Destin (if we must) as the harbor is on the outside of the bridge. West is no problem, but to be honest we typically go east as the water is clearer that way. There are some wonderful bays and anchorages and some great yacht clubs such as PYC and Pt.YC. Drop me a PM if I can help in any way.

Neil

[doc_cj]

A couple observations and comments. First item is the cost difference. You don't say what year your C25 is, but assuming average age and average condition you're likely looking at $5200 to $7200 in top market price. Am I close?

Let's play with $7200 as your top sale price, now reduce that price because you have to sell it under less than ideal conditions. What's the difference in that price? For arguments sake, let's say you lose 10%, so you'll get just under $6500.

Now, what is the cost to send your $7200 boat to FLA? If it is more than $720 then you are clearly going to come out ahead by selling it, even if you take a little loss. If is a lot more, then you have to figure what price gives you the better (or less) price difference.

For me, the sell or ship question is a pure profit/loss condition. You want to lessen the amount you lose, on a straight business deal, and go with what gets you to the best position afterward.

Now, let's go to the harder problem, sell because you want a new boat. This brings in an emotional issue that screws up all logic and makes good business decisions into bad ones. Sometimes, though, when it comes to our toys, bad decisions are really the only ones we can expect.

With that said, Dr. Franklin's Formula for Continued Happiness (hmm, I wonder if I can market that somehow) is a three step process.

Step 1) Identify, regardless of price, that thing that you want most.

Step 2) Identify your reasonable expense and cost to attain such an item.

Step 3) Throw out step 2 and just buy what you want.

But seriously, one of my sons was stationed at Eglin for a number of years and I often visited him with opportunities to sail his Hunter 36 in the area. It was a wonderful place to live, mostly because of the opportunities for various ports/areas. One thing I remember commenting to him was that if I lived there I'd be tempted to get a boat I could haul behind my truck, that way I could venture along the coast dropping in at various spots according to my particular interest or itinerary.

Either way, I hope even a modicum of what I've said will help you, and if nothing else it was a pleasure to be part of your discussion.

[rdthoms]

Thanks again for all the advice and good to hear good things about the area. My main concern as that I wanted to make sure that I did not go "boatless" for a long period of time (it can take me several months to find the "right one").

Then I started thinking of the adventure of maybe motoring down the Tenn-Tom to Mobile and the GICW (700 miles). That would be a fun trip I think.

Now I'm thinking it will be best to sell here. I'll start looking for the next one as soon as the move gets confirmed (actually already started looking ) and will probably have a few months before the actual move.

If I find the next one locally or anywhere on gulf coast then I may still get a fun trip!