Looking for my first liveaboard

[Casey2500]

Hey everyone my names Casey, I'm 21, I'm currently working my butt off trying to save for my first liveaboard sailboat. I have minimal sailing experience and am in need of some advice. I can't seem to decide on a boat there are just so many. I intend of sailing from Florida around the Caribbean at first and from there who knows. I really like the beneteau first 32 and 305 but I haven't found much on people living on the I also like the islander Mkii. I guess what I'm asking is what is a good cruiser that's seaworthy easy to sail and unde $30,000. Thanks for all the help guys

[BigNickMontana]

Hey Casey I am going to recommend you read Glenn Damato's book "Breaking Seas" its a bit of a cautionary tale, it will give you some insight into what to look for and think about in buying a boat, and it will definitely make you think twice about buying a boat with a cored hull.

[maxingout]

I had a Pearson 27 Renegade when I lived in Puerto Rico, and a friend had a Pearson Triton. Both of them were good sea boats if you are the only person on board. Very affordable. Strong.

You might want to consider some of the older seaworthy designs and fix them up to suit your taste.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Casey.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by BigNickMontana

Hey Casey I am going to recommend you read Glenn Damato's book "Breaking Seas" its a bit of a cautionary tale, it will give you some insight into what to look for and think about in buying a boat, and it will definitely make you think twice about buying a boat with a cored hull.

Any construction technique cored hull, uncored hull, hand laid glass, vacuum bagged, whatever; if done poorly or poorly maintained can fail.

I've owned boats with and without cored hulls. Done correctly a cored hull can offer some advantages but like [U]any[U] older boat, needs to be carefully inspected to make sure there are no problems.

Right now I have a 1984 Pearson with a cored hull that is in perfect condition. I was able to inspect every inch of the cored area when I pealed the old bottom paint and gel coat to apply an epoxy barrier coat. No water or damp areas, no delamination, no problems.

[Sea Dreaming]

When we were shopping for boats we saw a number of Cape Dory 30's on the market for around 22,000. Good strong boats.

Read "Orca" to get the perspective of a 22 year old and his girlfriend on their circumnavigation in a Cape Dory 30.
http://www.amazon.com/Orca-John-Penn...s=books&sr=1-3

Of course you should do a lot of research on boats before deciding on any boat. Lots and lots of research. I can't emphasize this enough. Our ideas abourt boats changed a lot as we researched. Write a list of your most important criteria, that is, what you expect a boat should do for you. Everyone has their own ideas about what a boat should do. Some boats, while fine, may not meet your your expectations. Don't assume that because a certain model of boat has been to xyz place, that it is a good boat for you personally. You will read so many opposing opinions on every boat that opinions are pretty useless. In the end, the boat you buy should be based on what you personally need.

[Classicsailboat]

If you want to pm me I know where there is a Pearson 28.5 with a new diesel for $5k, it needs work, but is supposedly cosmetic.

[TrentePieds]

There isn't a lot of "science" to it for a noobie. Small cruisers are basically commodities, and one will serve as well as another. Blinding yourself by immersing yourself in detail considerations of appointments and equipment will only confuse you.

At you age, and for what you want to do, the size range is a significant consideration. 27 feet is really the minimum for any kind of half-civilized life aboard by a SINGLE person. 30 Feet is MUCH better, but still rather minimal. For two people, which - given your age - will soon suggest itself :-) 32 feet is minimal IMO and 35 about optimal.

You can, once you find your sea-legs, singlehand a 35 footer quite easily PROVIDED you don't muck 'er up with all sorts of uncalled-for complications of instrumentation, rigging and equipment. "Hy-tech" is no substitute for seamanship, and you will become a better seaman, quicker, more safely, by starting out with a minimally equipped boat so that there is nothing to distract you from the fundamentals.

Someone else used the phrase "cautionary tale" in this thread. Indeed! Caution is the sine qua non for noobs, but this really translates to "know thyself", particularly in regard to your mental and physical limits. Be honest with yourself. The worst thing about not knowing something (e.g. seamanship) is that you don't even know that you don't know it, and therefore you are vulnerable!

As for the boat(s)- no sweat. Any boat issuing from a reputable designer's board and a reputable builder's yard will serve your purposes as well as any other As someone said here some time ago: Wooden boats are on life support from the moment they are launched. Fibreglass boats ("frozen snot" boats to the cognoscenti) have to be assassinated cos they simply won't die! That means that age is not an important consideration except financially. Old boats are cheap in terms of market price. But don't confuse that with utility!

TrentePieds is a 40 year old frozen snot lady, and better now than when she was launched, except that a previous owner, who was, by all the evidence when she came to us, exceptionally weak on the fundamentals, had fitted her with a mast-furling main. Doing that to a 30 footer is both sacrilegious and, for a noob, dangerous! Another hobby horse of mine: If the choice is between a tiller-steered boat and a wheel-steered boat in this size range then, ceteris paribus, choose the tiller-steered boat. Far easier to handle!

TrentePieds

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Casey2500

Hey everyone my names Casey, I'm 21, I'm currently working my butt off trying to save for my first liveaboard sailboat. I have minimal sailing experience and am in need of some advice. I can't seem to decide on a boat there are just so many. I intend of sailing from Florida around the Caribbean at first and from there who knows. I really like the beneteau first 32 and 305 but I haven't found much on people living on the I also like the islander Mkii. I guess what I'm asking is what is a good cruiser that's seaworthy easy to sail and unde $30,000. Thanks for all the help guys

Lofty ambitions at your age. Just out of curiosity, have you inherited a fortune?

I wish you well but unless you have the question would better be directed at costs not boat types.

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but I was that age once. I think?

[NYCLB1970]

Originally Posted by Casey2500

Hey everyone my names Casey, I'm 21, I'm currently working my butt off trying to save for my first liveaboard sailboat. I have minimal sailing experience and am in need of some advice. I can't seem to decide on a boat there are just so many. I intend of sailing from Florida around the Caribbean at first and from there who knows. I really like the beneteau first 32 and 305 but I haven't found much on people living on the I also like the islander Mkii. I guess what I'm asking is what is a good cruiser that's seaworthy easy to sail and unde $30,000. Thanks for all the help guys

An Alberg 30 Ft. built before 1970 would meet your needs fully outfitted for around $20,000 - purchase a Alberg 30 in great shape plus your upgrades. It is hand laid fiberglass, 4 FT 3 inch draft and 45 FT vertical clearance - clears all fixed bridges on ICWW. Look for 20 HP inboard diesel. What is your home port? Good luck.

[cwyckham]

You can certainly find a suitable boat in your price range. There will be many that will work for you, it's just a matter of what is available at the time you're looking and in the place you're looking.

I'd work on learning to sail (or getting more experience doing it, it's not clear from your post what your skills are, other than "minimal") while you're saving. The more you sail, the more you'll find out what you personally like about various sailboats.

Oh, and a minor point: What you want is a cruising sailboat. A liveaboard is usually assumed to be a static situation where you live in a city on a boat and go to work like everyone else, you just happen to live on a boat. Cruising is moving from place to place on the boat. The requirements will be different.

[TrentePieds]

Around the corner from me is a 35 year old US30. Way, WAY overpriced at fifteenhunnertbux. Yes - $1,500.-, and Canadian at that, so call it US$1,200.-. Buy 'er, spend thirty grand and two years of your life fixing 'er up, learning as you go. Then, what you will have is a 37 year old US30 worth about $7K in the market.

TrentePIeds

[tankersteve]

For the OP: The Bene First line are competitive boats first. I'd look for a true cruiser - lots to pick from (many by the same manufacturer, although some not as well liked as the First line) and lots of good books with great advice.

Cadence, lots of folks nowadays have jobs that make good money and are easily exportable. Your question about money is rather condescending. He's looking at realisticly sized boats for a beginner, likely has plans to ease himself into learning the basics, and rather reasonable plans. Why the negative vibes?

Tankersteve

[pickpaul]

Originally Posted by NYCLB1970

An Alberg 30 Ft. built before 1970 would meet your needs fully outfitted for around $20,000 - purchase a Alberg 30 in great shape plus your upgrades. It is hand laid fiberglass, 4 FT 3 inch draft and 45 FT vertical clearance - clears all fixed bridges on ICWW. Look for 20 HP inboard diesel. What is your home port? Good luck.

I second the Alberg30 suggestion. Love mine. Paid only $8k inc new yanmar diesel and sails. Put about another $5k on various fixes including new profurl furler.

Search youtube for "Jean du Sud"

Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G925T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Casey2500]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys I appreciate. As far as sailing expeiance goes I've been on 1 sailboat but I knew it was for me from the start. I grew up on an island in Florida so I know how to handle a boat so I'm hoping to transition that onto a sailboat. I will definitely give the Alberg and us boats a look I've kinda just glanced over them so far haha. I can tell you haven't come into a large sum of money, although, I'm still waiting on that long lost uncle to leave me his millions. But i do pretty well for my self and have been blessed. Once I get a boat thou I'm going to stay local and learn it for awhile then pack up and head to the Caribbean to island hop and we'll see where that takes me there's no set destination as it should be!