Voyager ???

[Wavewacker]

I found an '85, 30' Luger Voyager kinda close by for sale. It's really cheap with a good hull, sail and rigging, but the interior is a failed project.

Can anyone tell me anything about this type boat, I have found limited info, 30', 8' beam, 4' draft, 6'4" to 6'2" headroom. It has a squared aft and rather a flat aft bottom with a motor well and a 9.9 hp OB.

intended purpose would be a liveaborad cruiser, a shore hugger and on rivers....might head to the Bahamas later on in fair weather..... thanks!

[onestepcsy37]

these were kit built boats. you bought the parts and put them together yourself - hull, deck, rigging, accomodations, etc. most were built in the 70's, if memory serves me. quality of build depends mostly on the person who built it. for your intended purpose it should be fine. don't need much of a boat for rivers or the ditch. as for the bahamas, people used to, and a few still do, go there with a lot less boat than the luger 30....

[Wavewacker]

Thnaks, so in your opinion it would make a decent looper, for the great loop?

Seems the shape, length and beam would make it efficient for motoring most of the loop.

[onestepcsy37]

some were built with outboards and some were built with inboards. if you have the outboard version you should consider getting a four stroke. they are hugely more fuel efficient than two strokes and if you're doing a lot of motoring it will pay for itself pretty quickly.

look the boat over or have someone you trust look it over for you. most sailboats of that size/era are fairly simple and can be repaired or modified by any reasonable handy person. keep it simple and you'll have little trouble in your cruise around the loop....

[Wavewacker]

The guy that owns it is a boat yard owner who I have known about 15 years. I never bought anything from him and he is a pretty honest guy, I trust him and I let him know when he gets on a slaes pitch (lol). He told me what he had in it and said he was ready to get it gone, that he was going to redo it, but has never had the time. He also offered to let me keep it in the yard to work on it.....anyway, he has a good reputation and I'm sure he wants to keep it that way.

Last time I looked at a boat with him, he practically surveyed with me, showing me what it needed and about what it would cost. He will crawl over it with me again I'm sure tapping a hammer all over the hull and deck. Anyway...

I have not seen it yet, just pics and talked to him on the phone.

Problem is he tells me if he doesn't know too. He is a sales guy too, so he might say it would be great to do the loop, etc...might be great for him, not for me.

He said he did not know what it weighed. Don't know what he would charge to bring it to my place. He said I could have the cradle.

It's a concern that I would not have a trailer. My F-150 would probably pull it, but not far and certainly not up the hills heading to my lake. But it wouldn't be headed to the lake, it would be going to the Mississippi east of me about 120 miles when ready.

It's a basket case, he said lots of parts, new ports. Headliner is gone, furniture is plywood and looks like it was cut with a jig saw, not a good cut and some not straight, I could see that in the pics. So, I would gut much of it.

He also said the forward bulkhead could be moved back giving more room for a locker at the V berth and head, not moving the head.

So, it could be doing cosmetic stuff or a major rehab if wanted I guess.

I'd like to know what kind of reputation these boats have, I have seen them for sale at 20K and wouldn't tkae that much to get it near that other one. Know nothing about them and never heard of them.

Lines are nice for an 80s boat.

I was considering getting another engine, 20/25 hp as I will be motoring much of the time I think.

I'd like to cover part of the cockpit too. And, as I mentioned, the boat looks like it is heavily built and could haul a rack off the stern.

Just hoping for opinions on the voyager and if insulating it and putting the work in would be a good cruiser for two.....

[onestepcsy37]

sounds like it's worth 5k or less. there is almost no market at all for these boats and you would almost certainly be putting a lot of time and money into it which you will never recover when you sell it. my advice is to look elsewhere. unfortunately it sounds like you live in an area where there are not a lot of cruising sailboats, which severely limits your choice. if you really want to go cruising you need to travel to an area where cruising sailboats are in good supply and you can spend time looking around.

in any case, don't rush into this deal. it sounds more and more like it's really not for you.

[Wavewacker]

I'm trying to start off with pocket change, which means it will be a fixer I know. I'm very restricted in my market area, it is larger at about the 60K and up range, which is not pocket change to me.

I'd love to head to Florida, tons of inexpensive boats and great deals on cruising boats...I'm sure...but, likely they will sill need fixing and time to prepare.

Still have responsibilities on shore and can't shake them untill the boat is ready and livable.

If I head down to FL, it will cost me $$$ to stay there, motels, eating out, etc. while trying to put money in a boat.

I have purchased stuff on line before (cars, motorcycles) and learned that when I get there it rarely as advertised. Let's say I find a boat on Yacht World (whatever) and I head to Miami. I get there and find it's not what I thought. I'm now in Miami! Then what? I can walk the docks and start looking and every day I don't find something is another day of expenses staying in the Miami area. I would become highly motivated to buy something, and I'd either have to take what I could find or eventually go home empty handed.

I don't have the pocket change to chase accross the country just to look at boats, I could spend more doing that than what a boat would cost me. So, looks like I'm screwed.

I could wait until I sold my house, on the day of closing with money in hand, I could leave and start looking, with no place to stay. Still, I'd be very motivated to buy and I hate to be a motivated buyer for anything.

Now, if I could find something suitable I could haul it home, work on it and get it ready. Sell the house and move the boat out of the yard and head toward the water, staying on the boat even if it was in a parking lot along the way.

I'm sure I won't find the right boat, I never have before, it's always been a compromise as to what I could get, not what I'd like....

I'm not poor, but the old saying applies to me, poor people have poor ways....

Any suggestions?

[onestepcsy37]

sorry wavewacker, i think i offered up advice without knowing the whole story. in the end it's up to you to decide what's best for you. at the least you'll get a lot of experience in working on various boat systems which will stand you in good stead whan you're out cruising...

[Wavewacker]

Thank you Onestep, didn't mean to sand bag anyone, just saying I'm only getting one opinion, that of the seller and just keeping him honest trying to find out more about the boat.

Having not crawled over it and just seeing pics, I think I can do the work and if the boat is solid, I'd probably have a good one to meet my needs. The problem is moving the thing and the costs involved in loading it and unloading it by some construction crane type here.

I like the idea of having a stripped boat to build in what systems I need as I would know what the heck was in it and where everthing was.

Thanks again!