Best place for a value for money blue water boat

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by slug

Steel is only desirable for large , custom built yachts

Stick with a high quality fiberglass boat

36' is really the minimum size for a steel boat, the effect is that she is a little heavy and doesn't need much ballast, especially with the thicker keel plates . Though you will still find 45' boats built with that same thickness plates as mine - 4mm and thicker on the keel. Because it is impractical to build ships with plates thinner than 4mm as they tend to buckle. So the ideal minimum size is 45'. But I don't regret my decision on our ship, she feels great in a seaway.

[redhead]

Pacific Northwest is a place to consider (both US and Canada).

Blue water? check

Surveyors and marine yards? check

Not afraid of steel hulls? check.

Also Canadian dollar will go further vs US (when border crossings are allowed)

I've been impressed with everything I've seen out here.

[oleman]

If things haven't really gone sour in the past 20 years,
Taiwan!

[KP44]

Sea of Cortez has a lot of good boats at good prices.

People retire from cruising and their boats are here, waiting for new owners.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Ecos

Rio Dulce, Guatemala will have the least expensive boats, cuz it takes at least 2 days to get there and people are afraid of the third world.

I second the Rio Dulce for cheap boats but would add the PI or any place common for broken dream boats.

[cooper1991]

Sorry, what is PI? Are you saying Rio Dulce is cheap but low quality, so not good value?

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by cooper1991

Sorry, what is PI? Are you saying Rio Dulce is cheap but low quality, so not good value?

PI is the common abbreviation for the Philippines - good number of boat yards with low cost experienced labor and it's a common place for dreamers to quit after they've sailed west across the Pacific. The Rio Dulce is known for having a lot boats on moorings whose owners have given up. Boat yards and labor are available but parts can be a challenge. The quality will vary widely - everything from cruise ready to virtually abandoned. I might add that the Rio Dulce is a very popular hurricane hole and some owners just never manage to come back due to life happening.

[cooper1991]

Ok, got it ! Which places in PI have got boatyards with these available boats? I only know Subic Bay and Puerto Galera marinas.

[kish]

Any location where previous owners dreams of water sailing">blue water sailing have met with the realities of long distance sailing ,which is radically different to coastal sailing.!
For those coming from Northern Europe and UK, consider Gibraltar or Las Palmas in Canary Islands.
For those who have arrived in Caribbean, with the Pacific in view, but who reevaluate their options, then several Caribbean islands of European identity typically Antigua or Martinique are worth perusing.
There are many good boats, whose owners have spent lots on a failed dream and want out, but beware that some will be on sale due to owners realizing that their boats have problems in continuing.

[Jono as 2234]

Maybe North QLD. Dreamers sail North from the southern States, downhill for the sun and the reef. Start to return, don't enjoy sailing uphill and calms, so fly home. Just be careful, piracy is alive and well on the Australian waterfront.

[Eleuthera 2014]

Having travelled extensively, the absolute best place is NZ

Good luck

[NNK]

I am very surprised that anyone is suggesting NZ as a place to get value for money on a yacht.
I am currently looking to buy and believe NZ is around 30% above anywhere else price wise, I cant compare condition though.
Maintenance/repairs are only cheap in NZ if you have overseas funds, NZ labour rates are high (in my opinion, I've lived here 20 years).
If yacht maintenance here is anything like car/bike maint (which from viewing some I suspect it is) then things have been bodged by owners because they cant/wont pay a pro.

[philmarks]

Originally Posted by cooper1991

I live in Bahrain at present and there's no realistic market in Middle East so one way or another I need to find somewhere which I can buying low but still have good facilities and good weather to work on the improvements needed for long passage travel.

Many world cruising dreams end in Gibraltar after Biscay has ended the dream or led to divorce.

[cooper1991]

Thanks, that sounds first hand advice.

Where would you recommend?

[greenghost45]

If Mexico and the Sea of Cortez are still on the table, I would consider the San Carlos/Guaymas area on the mainland coast. We had a very good experience doing a long haulot/refit at the marina in San Carlos and friends had good experiences at a more rustic marina in nearby Guaymas. Parts and supplies were not too badly priced and skilled labour was very reasonable. Guaymas is large enough to have commercial marine services for the fishing fleet, but not a scary, big city. I don't know if things are the same now, but in 2008 there were no drug cartel issues in Guaymas, that we were aware of. And Tucson, AZ is only about 5 hours driving distance. There is a scheduled bus service between the Guaymas area and Tucson.

As I recall, when we there in about 2008 there were lots of reasonably priced boats for sale. I ended up bussing to Tucson and buying an inexpensive car to use while we were hauled out. Drawbacks are summer is pretty hot and the area does get hurricanes. For someone used to Bahrain, the summer heat probably wouldn't bother you. But for a Canadian from BC, the summer heat, humidity and mosquitoes were not pleasant!