Buying a used boat

[sailingchiro]

My learning boat was the Catalina 25. One of the best sailing boats I have ever owned. Had rail in the water many times. Bought for $1000, Trailer for $600, Roller furling $600, and used outboard $300, repaired keel $100. Spent many weekends on that boat.
+1 for a Catalina 25

[contrail]

Originally Posted by Cpt Mark

Or, you could join a sailing club. You'd have no maintenance to do, no slip fees, no insurance and they often have races where you'd get onto a boat as crew and really learn how to sail. Depending on the club, you'd have access to multiple boats. A close friend has gone this route and when I looked at the numbers it really makes sense for him at this point in time. Much later, they will buy a boat.

Learning to sail, smaller is better. That's where you learn best how to read the wind, the water as you feel every little puff etc. Dinghy's are great for that. Laser's are as well. Fast, fun and when you make a mistake you know it right away as you're usually in the water having to right the boat LOL.

The problem with a sailing club is that it can be TOO easy! Part of ownership will be maintenance, preventative care, purchasing insurance, etc. You may want to start small with that stuff to, rather than putting it off until you have a much bigger boat.

[hamburking]

If you are looking for something in the 25 foot range, I strongly recommend the C&C25 (1973-80). An extremely well built boat that seems much larger, and has a big boat feel. Shallow draft, but excellent sailing characteristics in all sea and wind conditions. I owned and sailed one with my small kids for 5 years, and we really tested that boat to its fullest. And they are available in my area under $5k cdn, often under $2k for boats in very good condition.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/cc-25

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-sailboat/ham...ationFlag=true

1) Solid (thick) glass hull from a reputable manufacturer.
2) Big cockpit (that's where you live on the boat).
3) Simple systems, including tiller steering.
4) Lots of bunks and storage.
5) Strong rig with good sails.

[jen1722terry]

I used to own a Bristol 26 back in the 80s. Not bad looking, simple rig with a keel/centerboard. The keel was nice and heavy so I rarely used the centerboard. The shallow draft (2'10" I think) allowed me great access to many of the prettiest and quietest anchorages in the Cheasapeake. It actually had standing headroom (I'm 5'10).

We now own a Cape Dory 31, but know a few owners of Cape Dory 25s. A nice, sturdy boat and also quite pretty. Available in inboard diesel or outboard power.

I also like the recommendation to join a sailing club. I belonged to one in Philadelphia for several years in the 70s and 80s and loved it. Made me a better sailor and skipper. A racing club may have been useful also but I'm more of a gunk-holer than a racer and the sailing club catered to folks like me.

Anyhow, buying a used boat is a bit of an adventure. Well-maintained boats with newer power/upgrades are fairly rare. Most boats need some-to-lots of work, gear replacement and upgrades, so be sure you're mindful of this with the budget. I've always liked private sales though our present boat was through a broker (rare model). The advice above to focus on the big stuff is quite sound.

Enjoy the journey.

Jenn and Terry

[mayberrybfd]

Rotting Balsa core has a certain smell also.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

Cape Dory 25s

I believe the 25D is the one with headroom?

[john61ct]

Before we get too much into the weeds on specific reco's, not the OP has yet to post message #2

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Before we get too much into the weeds on specific reco's, not the OP has yet to post message #2

Good point. Our immense and deep wisdom is still available for the benefit of all future human generations via the forum search function though.

Might count against us...

[Capn Jimbo]

Agreed. I believe it should be a forum requirement that anyone who posts a question and wishes to be educated appropriately has the duty to respond and react, and in the end to share what he/she decided to do.


Ergo, I'll wait until there's a reasonable response from the OP. Not to mention there are only about 10,000 posts on this subject, and hardly a need to post a new and very general question.

[KiwiKen]

As far as learning to sail, as an adult, it is possibly best to do a course with practical sailing experience included to learn the basics, and then depending on your age, start with crewing for club racing.


Owners who regularly race look for commitment and availability from crew members, so long as they have reasonable competence and ability and are not a liability on board.


The late Bruce Banks, who was a well known sailmaker (original designer of the Starcut spinnaker) as well as a top offshore racing skipper/owner preferred to take relatively inexperienced sailors and train them himself, and his first requirements were commitment and availability. In one intensive season he turned out highly skilled racing crew members.


Racing is good grounding for cruising, because it hones the skills of sail trim, and working on deck in an efficient seaman like manner, helmsmanship and boat handling skills are built up over time from the initial crewing experience.


My own experience started at age 8, with a 8ft P Class dinghy, then 12 ft two man racing dinghies, into 12 ft & 18 ft skiffs, before getting into crewing in offshore racing on keelboats at round the age of 20. Cruising apart from transitting to and from offshore racing, only started for me in my late 30s. Yachting is somewhat like golf, one can be involved in sailing all ones life, so long as one's physical health holds out.
Cruising is a very relaxing lifestyle, I find at sea, there are no problems other than immediate challenges concerning managing the yacht, because all land based everyday problems need not be worried about because while at sea you can't do anything about them anyway.

[jen1722terry]

Hello again,

Re: Cape Dory 25.

I've never seen one with standing headroom, either in outboard or diesel. IMHO, headroom is not all that necessary for a daysailer/weekender.

A nice thing about the 25 is that there were over 800 made, and probably 90% of them are still out there. Many to choose from. The Cape Dory owners group is very active and helpful (and often lists 25s for sale by owner). See capedory.org to converse with many other 25 owners.

An established owners group for your boat can be very helpful for sale/resale, advice, spare parts and companionship.

A few things about the diesel model.

1. It will cost a lot more if it is in good shape, often over $15,000 vs. $10,000 or less for a good outboard model.

2. Cape Dory's are well known for having tiny diesel engine compartments, so you'll want to be sure you're nimble enough to access the key service points (oil/trans dipsticks, oil/fuel filters, stuffing box nuts, alternator belt, water pump impeller housing, all hose clamps, etc.)

3. You'll have a much more fuel efficient engine, with no need to have more-flammable gasoline on-board (unless you get a dinghy with outboard).

4. Small diesels are noisier and vibrate more than modern 4-stroke outboards. Parts can be expensive, though some models use small tractor engine blocks and parts can be had very cheaply at a tractor supply store.

If you google "Cape Dory 25," you'll find specs and reviews of this popular and rugged little cruiser.

Another option is to look for a smaller Catalina. There were 5800 25s sold in a variety of interiors and sail plans. This company has sold over 30,000 yachts and their owners group is large and very helpful.

Best of luck with the search.

Jenn and Terry

[Dieselfool]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

Good point. Our immense and deep wisdom is still available for the benefit of all future human generations via the forum search function though.

Might count against us...

Yup....new guys like me are here reading this and learning.

Al.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by KiwiKen

As far as learning to sail, as an adult, it is possibly best to do a course with practical sailing experience included to learn the basics, and then depending on your age, start with crewing for club racing.

You can learn crewing for others, but it gets boring quite fast

It's more fun and faster to simply start racing as Skipper on your own boat as soon as you can make the boat sail where you want it to.

This is what I did and you will learn very fast especially on a small boat because you are making all the decisions even calling the tacks which can be critical. Just as important is start line position. Favored side of the starting line. Batten tension if your sail has battens. Mast rake, mast prebend, and so on.

I did it on a Hobie 16, but if they had been sailing/racing lasers near me I may have gone that route

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

Cape Dory 25

Yes fantastic boat, whole line in fact.

> I've never seen one with standing headroom

For weekend-only, I agree headroom is NBD, in fact the 24 would be fine.

I was just pointing out that the 25D variant has much more than the 25, 5'11" I believe.

When living aboard for weeks at a time, especially avoiding marinas, it is an important factor, and this is a cruiser's forum. . .

I'd personally go for the 27' and get even a bit more, but the 28' is too beamy for me.

[liquidice]

I bought a catalina capri 25 like 5 years ago. 3 seasons in the water. I have definitely learned a lot. This was apparent to me as new marina buoy neighbors have come and gone and have had triumphs and struggles (and collisions and dismastings and been towed) in the time that I have been there. The live aboards like me because I sail a lot and I listen. If I would have waited for a “better “ boat I may not have learned as much. Annual storage/mooring costs more than the boat. So now that I’ve been in awhile, I can see where a more seaworthy vessel like a CD would be cool, as the upfront costs would have evened out. Still, even a “small” boat like mine looks enormous behind a tow vehicle even a ford excursion. A serious commitment if ever there was one.