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LeaRig · 12-01-2010, 20:13

I saw this thread and just had to reply. In 2000 while young and stupid (or should that be just younger and stupider?) I cruised on a 26' Folkboat with a 8HP outboard up the Aussie east coast. Yes it was cramped with only 5'8" headroom (i'm 5'10"), but I still look back and remember that time fondly as the one of the best times of my life. I do remember reading a quote at the time where someone who worked into their weary old age and when they finally got their dream yacht said - asked themselves "why didnt i get a smaller (ie cheaper) boat sooner and be enjoying this life earlier".
i am now knee deep in house renovations and mortgages and dream of the day i can do something similar again ....
btw i own a Duncanson 29 - they are essentially a Compass 28 with a faster hull and you get good examples for < 30k. Heres a list of good seaworthy grp budget cruisers; Adams Tasman 26, Cavalier 26, Folkboat (get the Stella types with the double rise in the coachhouse or an M26 for more headroom instead of the International), Compass (Westerly 26, Northerner 28, 28, 29 Easterly 30), Clansman 30, Daydream 29 (most are ply).
For super budget you could be on the water for < 10k with a Hood 23,25, Bluebird 22, Thunderbird 25, Endeavour 24,26, Triton 26. Although you would be port hopping and keeping an eye on the weather.

jpemb7 · 12-01-2010, 22:15

Learig
There's a bit of nostalgia in that list of boats for me as well. My first serious boat was a Compass 28. I always wanted a Duncanson 29 but thay were rare and more expensive. Apart from being a foot longer the Duncanson has a friendlier keel skeg rudder design.
Many 26 ft Folkboats sailed around the world. They were (are ?) a great little sail boat.
Yep, I trawled through the same list, looking for my first keel boat.
But when I think back on my days sailing the Compass offshore, the thing I recall most were the salt sores on my bum. Those little boats were very, very wet.
Great memories just the same.

Jim

jakeinator · 19-12-2013, 22:21

I know this is very random but I live in California and my dream is to purchase a soild offshore/cruising sailboat in Australia and sail to indonesia-fiji-hawaii then home to california. but im having trouble finding sailboats in OZ, can you tell me the best websites for sailboats in OZ or whats the best way to find one?

Thank you!!

Gerrycooper56 · 19-12-2013, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by SurferShane

I am an Australian new to the offshore sailing thing and probably laughably trying to find something that is going to get me safely outside the harbour and at least up the coast if not around the Pacific for under $35,000 Australian (approx $32,500 US) without having to start selling too many posessions. The problem is that there seems to be all sorts of really nice blue water capable boats for sale in the US & Americas, but in comparison the choices over here are really skimp and corporately very expensive.

One of the more classic boats getting around over here at almost the right price seem to be the H28 Kan Walker Herreshoff model. In particular there are a couple of fibreglass/GPR ketches up north and there is also a very well priced single mast model in New Zealand that might be worth considering.

The one thing I did find on this site was an obituary to Kan Walker that stated,

“Best know for his Walker 28 of which many where built and are still highly prized. A little boat that has circumnavigated and kept many safe when bigger boats may have suffered”.

So I am assuming they are a worthy investment? The only other similar boats common over here seem to be the Compass’s and Clansman of a similar length and design and a couple of very highly priced S & S.

Slightly off the point, why do boat prices in Australia seem to be so much higher than the US? For the same price as the well appointed Herreshoff’s it seems I could get myself a half decent Westsail 32 amongst the myriad of other blue water capable boats that seem to be going cheap.

The biggest problem for me is that once I factor in the cost of getting overseas (and maybe home) plus having enough money to be self-sufficient (and running repairs!) the overseas purchase my just be too far over the horizon.

Thanks, Shane

Mate, the point about boats being more expensive in Oz is similar to why are cars more expensive in Oz. Once you add on duty, GST and the cost of AQIS clearing the boat the price keeps going North. The market in the US was to some extent driven by the GFC as in the US you can claim your boat as a residence and depending upon time spent can claim loan interest payments as a tax deduction.
Plenty of people were then trying to sell the boat just for the payout hence the large range of relatively cheap boats.

builder dan · 20-12-2013, 01:20

There is quite a few h28s here in new zealand for sale they are mostly the sloop rigged ones though,good old boats I used to race on one 30 years ago.they go for between 15 and 25 thousand nzd thats for a real good one.I know of one which has started to show signs of osmosis though so make sure you haul it if you are interested.They are called the volkswagon of the sea over here they sail a lot better upright as when heeled they dig there nose in and try to climb over their bow wave.very tough and seaworthy but if you decide to sail one back to aussie you should put shutters on there big windows hope this helps

Normanby · 20-12-2013, 03:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakeinator

I know this is very random but I live in California and my dream is to purchase a soild offshore/cruising sailboat in Australia and sail to indonesia-fiji-hawaii then home to california. but im having trouble finding sailboats in OZ, can you tell me the best websites for sailboats in OZ or whats the best way to find one?
Thank you!!

It would be my pleasure...

Here in Oz we've got many, some of the best are:
Used Boats - New Boats - Search New & Used Boats For Sale - BoatPoint Australia
www.boatsonline.com.au
www.boatsales.com.au
www.gumtree.com.au

Bought mine (Compass 28) on boatsales.com.au

To Shane, the OP, four years on, what did you end up doing?
Buy a boat here or go to the USA to buy?

I went through the exact same mental conundrum:
Plan A: Buy a fixer-upper here in Oz and work on her while my daughter was doing high school.
Plan B: Save save save and buy a ready-to-sail-away boat when daughter was finished school.
Plan C: Save save save and buy a cheaper boat in the US or UK and start full-time cruising from there, not returning to Oz at all, maybe never...

Wanting to make a start, i started on Plan A a few years ago, but by the time the daughter finished school the renovations on the fixer-upper boat were very behind schedule, and i had to face the fact that i'm not a welder's bootlace...

So i reverted to Plan B; sold the fixer-upper, bought a Compass 28 for $21k (ironically, that's the list price for her when she was brand new in 1974) and moved aboard.

The economics worked out better; even though s/h boats are a bit more expensive in Australia (a simple supply and demand thing) relocating to another country, renting a car and inspecting boats to buy just didn't work out. I'm an accountant and i crunched the numbers thoroughly.

Paying a bit more here in Oz yet being closer to known networks and employment prospects just worked out cheaper.

And although i'd love to start my cruising career in the EU, the job opportunities for a teacher (i'll need to work along the way - oh, and i'm a teacher as well as an accountant) in SE Asia are way better, and cost of living is cheaper.

Methinks i can spend years pottering around SE Asia, working a month or two here and there...

So tell us Shane, if you're listening, what did you end up doing?

Normanby · 20-12-2013, 03:51

Oh, and a Compass 28 is a full-keeled heavy boat, more than one has circumnavigated. Thick lay-up, 49% ballast ratio, 6'1" headroom in much of the cabin.
One of the reasons i chose a Compass was economics: though there were plenty other worthy boats scattered around, there were at least 20 Compass 28s for sale in Sydney alone - i looked at almost all of them in a week-long spree.
Lots of similar boats for sale in close proximity to each other = price competition. I haggled mine down from about about $26k. There were cheaper ones, but i went for one with some new-ish big-ticket items; a new engine and rigging (both standing and running).
And after Survey ($600) found that the owner's claim of "no osmosis" was in fact the truth. Nice.
There are plenty of things that i'd like to replace, but nothing with a heart-breaking price tag, and nothing truly essential.