Im Moving to Sea and Torn

[sailorchic34]

For the budget cruiser / liveaboard, as others have said use the plain jane wet cell batteries. Costs less and maintenance is not that big a deal. Plus lots more forgiving then agm's when on the hook all the time.

Also solar is good, somewhere about 250-300 watts in panels will do it, 80 watts without fridge. LED and florescent lighting is good.

For the low budget cruiser, a water maker most times is out of the budget. A few jerry jugs for water and a tarp to collect rain water works in Florida.

[SunDevil]

In terms of percentages, how much do you guys recommend spending on the boat vs having in savings for cruising expenses and other costs?

If you are travelling around the world, go with the diesel. But I think the electric is the better choice if you are just cruising the coast in no hurry and will sail most places. I wouldn't know how to repair a diesel for starters, and I do check the weather often.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

For the budget cruiser / liveaboard, as others have said use the plain jane wet cell batteries. Costs less and maintenance is not that big a deal. Plus lots more forgiving then agm's when on the hook all the time.

Also solar is good, somewhere about 250-300 watts in panels will do it, 80 watts without fridge. LED and florescent lighting is good.

For the low budget cruiser, a water maker most times is out of the budget. A few jerry jugs for water and a tarp to collect rain water works in Florida.

The water maker is already factored into my budget, been comparison shopping. LED light's were on my list also. The solar system I was planning on is 260W. A rain water catch was also in my mind.

For the batteries, I was mainly going on their charge acceptance (easiest to charge ) hadn't fully gone into the pros and cons of each type, was saving that study work for closer to time. Thanks, good info.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

In terms of percentages, how much do you guys recommend spending on the boat vs having in savings for cruising expenses and other costs?

If you are travelling around the world, go with the diesel. But I think the electric is the better choice if you are just cruising the coast in no hurry and will sail most places. I wouldn't know how to repair a diesel for starters, and I do check the weather often.

In truth, I'm getting ready to get 20,000-30,000 in a settlement. Looking to get a boat and a slip in Florida, then find a job and work the busy season there to help fund my kitty then sail away the off season. I'm looking in the 10,000-15,000 range for a boat, found a few that could suit my needs. The better boat outweighs the electric motor want, granted it would save money, it might just have to be a distant upgrade when technology gets better.

For repairs, I'm pretty handy to have around so that is not a concern for me. Proper tools and a manual (schematic) and I'm good to go.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Also looking at a 38C Standard Rig Bowspirt Ketch, already has the solar panels and ready to sail but needs engine work. Anyone got an idea of average cost to rebuild? Higher estimates please to allow room for error. Much rather alot too much than not enough.

[GrowleyMonster]

Electric isn't a bed of roses. You will be looking at battery replacements every few years. If you seldom motor but you sail a lot, regen will keep them topped up, maybe. It takes a LOT of solar and wind to make much difference with a big bank of batts, and if it isn't pretty big then your range is pretty limited. Before you buy the electric, see if you can take it out for a day. Do some motoring. Monitor your gages. Check the speed reduction when you draw regen power from the motor. See how much of a charge you get after a few hours. You might be satisfied with the performance, or you might be disappointed.

OTOH if you only need electric to leave and return on day sails or weekend cruises, you can rely on shore power for charging. KW/h's are cheaper than gallons of diesel for the same amound of energy. Maneuvering in and out of your slip places very small demands on the batteries, since it is low speed and usually fairly short duration.

A big plus for electric is since you do have so much storage capacity, when you aren't going to need it for propulsion you can run cool stuff like an air conditioner, etc, at least for a few hours, and don't need to run an engine or a genset.

How big is the battery bank? Amp/hours and volts? What motor? kw rating?

FWIW I think 742 watts or something near that figure equals one horsepower.

All in all, while electric is really kewl and has some distinct advantages, overall due to the state of the art in battery technology I would have to say that yo are probably better off with diesel for now.

Also for serious ocean cruising I believe you will like the Morgan better. For inshore cruising and casual racing go with the Catalina or similar. For dockside liveaboard the bigger the better so the Morgan has a slight advantage there.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Also for serious ocean cruising I believe you will like the Morgan better. For inshore cruising and casual racing go with the Catalina or similar. For dockside liveaboard the bigger the better so the Morgan has a slight advantage there.

thanks, I have decided to stick with diesel in favor of having better propulsion in event that it is needed. So the Morgan or bigger it is.

[barnakiel]

I think, if your decision is to start with harbour jumping prior to venturing offshore, then oh just go ahead with it and if something does not work, you will be able to sort things out before any major voyage.

If going far in an inexpensive boat is your target, then go for quality and simplicity. Things built well break less often, things you do not have never break.

Good luck, fair winds, bon voyage!

Let us know how it all goes.

b.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I think, if your decision is to start with harbour jumping prior to venturing offshore, then oh just go ahead with it and if something does not work, you will be able to sort things out before any major voyage.

If going far in an inexpensive boat is your target, then go for quality and simplicity. Things built well break less often, things you do not have never break.

Good luck, fair winds, bon voyage!

Let us know how it all goes.

b.

It will definitely be some time before I go too far off shore. And in my opinion, quality and simplicity is often best. I always K.I.S.S each situation but add a lil extra flare. Thanks.

[Hudson Force]

Rico L.., We've lived aboard Morgan Out Islands since 1973. Thirteen of those years on a 33' and with children until they were 7 & 9. If you're alone, you'll have great space. The vessel you're looking at has a significant improvment over the early '70's when the hull-deck joint was vulnerable at the rubrail, but there are a few things to look for: The keel-steped aluminum mast was on a steel mount and some suffered much corrosion here. Many fixed this by rebuilding or surfacing the step. Also, take a close look at the rudder. The port and starboard halves are susceptable to separation and water intrusion starting with a hairline crack on the seam and this will lead to a potential rudder loss if not refit. This has often been done already on boats this age,- usually by a fiberglass tabbing around the seam after draining or splitting the rudder and reforming half if the damage was caught too late. In addition, check the aluminum back-up plate at the stem in the chain locker. In this spot some of these plates have corroded and can be flaking away. If the boat has steel fuel tanks, this can be an issue too. We enjoyed our 33' and bought the 41' that we have now in 1985 only because our children kept growing and we felt they deserved their own cabins. .....and one last bit of trivia, the boat is a Morgan Out Island. "Islanders" are a different manufacturer.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Rico L.., We've lived aboard Morgan Out Islands since 1973. Thirteen of those years on a 33' and with children until they were 7 & 9. If you're alone, you'll have great space. The vessel you're looking at has a significant improvment over the early '70's when the hull-deck joint was vulnerable at the rubrail, but there are a few things to look for: The keel-steped aluminum mast was on a steel mount and some suffered much corrosion here. Many fixed this by rebuilding or surfacing the step. Also, take a close look at the rudder. The port and starboard halves are susceptable to separation and water intrusion starting with a hairline crack on the seam and this will lead to a potential rudder loss if not refit. This has often been done already on boats this age,- usually by a fiberglass tabbing around the seam after draining or splitting the rudder and reforming half if the damage was caught too late. In addition, check the aluminum back-up plate at the stem in the chain locker. In this spot some of these plates have corroded and can be flaking away. If the boat has steel fuel tanks, this can be an issue too. We enjoyed our 33' and bought the 41' that we have now in 1985 only because our children kept growing and we felt they deserved their own cabins. .....and one last bit of trivia, the boat is a Morgan Out Island. "Islanders" are a different manufacturer.

Ah, slip of the finger one the ers. That or a memory problem whilst typing, thanks for the correction. And thanks for the points of inspection. As it stands, I will be alone besides friends from time to time. I'm feeling better about the Morgan but really won't be able to fully decide until I check some out in person, thankfully most my choices are in a small'ish area.

[Hudson Force]

I thought you were only looking at the '79 Morgan OI. If there are any on your list from the early '70's with the hull-deck joint at the rubrail instead of the toe rail, be very careful to look for damage here and at the stemhead. Any rebuild of a damaged hull-deck joint here might be cosmetically repaired. but lacking in structure. Leaking from rain can be a great problem. I've done very well with my '73 Morgans and they had no damage here, but I've seen some that were sad cases.

[Rico_Leprichan]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I thought you were only looking at the '79 Morgan OI. If there are any on your list from the early '70's with the hull-deck joint at the rubrail instead of the toe rail, be very careful to look for damage here and at the stemhead. Any rebuild of a damaged hull-deck joint here might be cosmetically repaired. but lacking in structure. Leaking from rain can be a great problem. I've done very well with my '73 Morgans and they had no damage here, but I've seen some that were sad cases.

Thanks again but I will probably just avoid anything much older than 79, unless it's a deal I can't refuse.

[LauderBoy]

Originally Posted by Rico_Leprichan

I'm looking in the 10,000-15,000 range for a boat, found a few that could suit my needs.

When I was looking at Morgan OI 33's a couple years back they tended to range in the low to mid 20's price-wise. I'd be very leery of a OI 33 priced in the 10-15k range.

Try to avoid boats that need a lot of major work(engine especially). Truth be told any boat you buy is going to need some major elbow grease to fix things the previous owner may have put off and to customize the boat for your own use. You really don't want to add in major refits on top of that. Even easy jobs on boats have a tendency to escalate and become harder than your first take on things.

As a new boat buyer you'll get some people selling you "dreams" or what a boat "could be", when what you really need to be looking at is good solid simple in working order boats that give you a base to build experience off of.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by LauderBoy

.....................Try to avoid boats that need a lot of major work(engine especially).................................

I agree with avoiding major work, but I'd rather buy a sound boat with a engine that needs replacing for 15K, than a sound boat for 25K with an old marginal diesel. I would do well with taking out the old engine and having the time to prep and refit all the engine room area, then have the new diesel installed. 'end up with the same 25K, but new engine.