Buying a sailboat

[grn4nrg]

Hello Everyone!
I've raced smaller boats in the past and now I want to buy liveaboard/cruiser. I would like to get some feedback on Makes, Size and equipt. needed. Since there is 2 of us, we are looking in the 40 foot range with $ 125,000 to spend. Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
~WP

[s/v Beth]

Welcome to the mine field.
There are so many ways to muck this decision up and very few ways to get it right. You need knowledge. Charter first and find out what you like (performance vs seakindliness, new vs classic, etc.) I love my Valiant, but it was a long road getting here. BTW, they can be had in your price range- you just have to look.
I would also say that deciding what type of boat you want is really just the beginning, since each boat will have it's history and some will be pristine while others will be wrecks. I bought mine for less than 100k, but spent over 60 k getting it the way I want it.
So welcome but its a jungle out there!

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by grn4nrg

Hello Everyone!
I've raced smaller boats in the past and now I want to buy liveaboard/cruiser. I would like to get some feedback on Makes, Size and equipt. needed. Since there is 2 of us, we are looking in the 40 foot range with $ 125,000 to spend. Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
~WP

I am in a somewhat similar position but have been at it for about six months. One thing I have noticed is that there is really no one size fits all answer.

At first I was looking more at day sailer type over night camper coastal cruisers like a Stiletto. Then I moved on to some of the Fboats, the C31 CC. I really liked the idea of being able to put the boat on a trailer. It would save docking fees and allow towing the boat places it would take months to sail to.

Somewhere along the line I looked at a C37 because it had more room for cruising, but it is not really a boat you can put on a trailer easily. Once the thought of keeping the boat in the water full time sorta became an option I started looking at some of the cruising cats.

By now you may have noticed everything I have posted is about multihulls. So the first thing you may want to do is determine if you are a monohull guy or a multihull guy, or are just looking for a boat and it does not matter if it has one, two, or three hulls.

I have some specific ideas about what I want to do with a boat in terms of where I will sail it, how long I will be on it, and activities I am interested in. Things like shoal draft, big open deck, and island hopping in the Bahamas favor something like a cat. On the other hand I understand a deep draft blue water cruiser would be a better fit for places like the Pacific Mexican Coast and the South Seas. You are the best person to determine where you think you will be living aboard/cruise.

The location the boat will be used in and who will be using it will also determine what is needed on the boat. Some places require a heater, and a boat designed to protect folks from cold weather. On the other hand a warm climate may mean a more open boat with good ventilation. A water maker may or may not be needed. Will you need AC, or the other part of us need it.

I created a spread sheet with features I was interested in and weighted them. Sometimes you will have competing features, e.g. the ability to trailer something like an Fboat (and associated low cost to maintain) verses the great living space on some of the stay in the water catamarans. But the nice thing about a spread sheet is that you will have to go through the process of thinking and rethinking which things are more important than others.

Also keep in mind that selecting a boat is a process and you can spend as much time as you need to figure things out.

[Vasco]

To answer your question it would help to know what part of the world you live in. Many of us know most of the boats in North America but go across the pond (either one) and you will find different makes. If you're in Canada I can recommend a CS40.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here and asking questions. I don't know what might appeal to you and what designs you like so there isn't much point in me chiming in. I, personally, would never own another boat longer than 36 feet unless it was exceptionally well cared for and very inexpensive to purchase.
I like Tayana, West Sails, Hans Christians, old Cheoy Lees, Garden designs and some of the old Cals and Columbias but there are so many more that I might fall in love with if I see them or sail them. Although I liked the Ingrid I sailed aboard it was a handfull to handle and would not recommend it to a former racer. So far the fastest I've sailed that might be a good cruiser are the Off shore 41 (yawl) and Sigma 38 built by Cheoy Lee. Very old but if well cared for can be very good. They are fast.
kind regards,

[Celestialsailor]

Welcome to the forum. It's funny...I went from a 21ft. boat to a 30ft. boat to a 34ft. boat, to a 38ft.(46 overall),now down to a 35ft. boat. Now I'm a liveaboard and find it a little cramped with 2 (but only because it has an aft cabin). I cope with the tightness and relish it's maneuverability in tight places. If you're on the younger side, 40ft. is fine.
P.S...SkiprJohn...You forgot to mention how great Hallberg Rassy's are!

[GaryMayo]

Maintenance, insurance, diesel fuel, slip fees, etc. could be double on a 40 something size sailboat vs. a 30 something length sailboat.

Your first does not need to be as big as you might think it needs to be.

Our first cabin sailboat was 25' , we jumped up to 32. For two people and a couple small pets it is plenty of room for us getting out on the water.

[barnakiel]

If you are in the US, J-Boats seem to be very nice cruisers/racers. My friends sailed a J35 and they loved their boat. In the EU you can get a First - they are slightly more on the cruiser side than J's but still sail very, very well - well above a typical cruiser boat.

If you are slightly more adventurous, I would give some thought to Alkilaria or a Pogo - they are better geared for off the wind, short-handed sailing. Fun, fast but less liveaboard comforts than a First or a J.

b.