Intro and looking

[gansett]

I don't see a good section to post an intro and since we are looking for our next monohull it seems appropriate to post here.

I have been sailing Narragansett Bay and coastal islands off and on for 30 years. First in trailerable sailboats, and more recently in a 30' S2, with a few power boats mixed in there. Our most recent boat was a twin screw 31' powerboat. I was spending as much time in the engine room than driving it, and when we did take it out I was monitoring the gages more than enjoying the ride, so we sold it and are in the market for a 30 +/- foot sailboat.
The powerboat was the Admiral's idea and she's a bit disappointed it didn't work out, so priority #1 is to find a sailboat that she is comfortable in. As most Admirals, interior space, ease of sail handling and stability under sail is important (although she does realize part of the joy of sailing is heeling over). It would seem the safest bet to meet her criteria would be a Catalina 30 for it's interior space, and its reputation for sailing on its feet.
My ideal would be a keel-centerboarder, although I understand the centerboard and its lift pendant comes with its own complications. Our max budget is $15K. With that we realize we'll have some work to do, but between old houses and old boats, our lives have been non-stop projects so we don't want a project boat. I have found a few quality '80's boats that are absolute gems in our price range so I know they're out there.

I'd love to hear from others who have bought in this price range and size. I have probably read, or am reading most of the books and articles you have, and been through a few surveys, but personal experience is always a good thing.

[tkeithlu]

Welcome to the forum, Gansett.

Given the Admiral's interests, you might look at small catamarans.

If you told us what make and model you are looking at you might find a forum member with experience. There have been some lively discussions of particular boats, and a few brands do get panned.

I'm glad that you are leery of a project at this time. It sounds like your family needs an immediate positive experience. Sometimes I wish I had one boat to play on and another to work on when I felt like it.

[gansett]

Although catamarans are cool, it wouldn't fit into our slip Admiral is ok with a monohull. We've looked at enough boats - older and smaller, etc. and she's getting an idea of what she likes and doesn't.
We are looking at a Catalina 30 MkII tonight. I want to gage her feelings about the space. The boat is at the bottom of our budget so I suspect there are issues that ad doesn't talk about, but we could be surprised. It does have a recent 25 hp diesel, which is a bonus.
We are inquiring about an '85 Pearson 31-2 which would be at the top of our budget, but it looks immaculate and well-equipped according to the specs and pics.
Another higher end boat is an '84 Bristol 31.1 K/CB. It looks as nice, but has been stored for 3 years, so not quite as turn-key.

Like you tkeithlu, it would be great to have a sail-ready boat, and another in the shed to work on, but I'm still working for a living so...

[hscrugby]

Good luck. Sounds like you're doing better than mine... we started with the 20k budget, (no loan) and money to update, then realized we prolly want more space, and didn't want to get that space at the expense of having to spend the next 6-12 months constantly working on the boat. So now we're trying to figure out how much loan, and what type of loan. Good luck.

[AKA-None]

A Catalina 30 is generally a decent boat that tends to tick a lot of boxes and doesn’t have to be a huge investment

[outbound_308]

I Sail a Catalina 320. Don't know if that would suit your purpose or not but I single hand a lot and she is fun to sail, little bit bigger than the 30 but still can be had for not much money. Gain an aft cabin with large berth, however I'm 6' and to tall for the v birth unless the filler is in and lay diagonal. Buddy three slips down has the Catalina 35, amazing how much more boat it is.

[gansett]

We looked at a 28 foot boat last night but came away feeling like 28 foot is too cramped and has a small boat feel. Our point of reference is our old S2 9.2A, which had good space inside and out, and was stable under foot.
I think 30-32 feet is the ideal range for us. Big enough to be comfortable and safe for coastal cruising, and small enough to easily handle.

[outbound_308]

I just looked up 320's on yacht world, I guess what they say is true about everything out there being so over priced. We didn't pay a third of price the lowest one out there. So they can be found pretty cheap. Having said that I doubt I could offer a third on a 500g Amel listed there and get any takers....LOL

[gansett]

There are some nice boats up near us for much less than average prices, but they usually come with some issue or another.
We hope to bid on a nice Bristol 31.1 which is on the market for much less than typical asking. The catch is, the owner died 3 years ago and although he stored it properly, it will still take a bit to recommission it.
Meanwhile, the broker called a few hours in advance of our viewing to let us know another offer came in for $XX, which pretty much sets the min bid for us. My wife is a real estate agent and she suspects the broker might be setting us up for a bidding war. If so, we give our bid and if the other party wants to raise theirs they can have it.

[outbound_308]

Bristol would be a nicer boat in my opinion, but yeah I get that you don't want to be involved in any Broker shenanigans.

[gansett]

To follow up, our offer was accepted. The broker turned out to be quite helpful and shared a recent survey that gave the boat a clean bill of health.
We signed on a Thursday, spent the next 3 days scraping and painting the bottom, prepping the mast, dewinterizing systems, and getting the motor running. We splashed on Monday and well be delivering her to her new home Wednesday.
When we found the right boat there was no hesitation.