Cal 2-29, Hunter 30, Ericson 29, O'Day 28

[Benjitis]

Goin to liveaboard w/ my dog for the next year or so and im new to the whole sailboat thing (sailing on my uncles Cal 2-27 at age 4 doesnt count ) Looking in the 28-30' range up to $15000. No smaller than 28' due to interior height/living space(im 6'1") and no larger than 30' for ease of singlehanding in the future. Want to grow into, not out of. These are the 4 im looking at right now. '75 Cal 2-29 for $14000, '76 Ericson 29' for $12995, '78 Hunter 30' for $14900, '82 O'Day 28' for $12000. All similar in what equipment they come with-interior/electronics/sails/dinghy/etc.From online pics, they look decent, have yet to go see in person (waiting on call from bank.) As soon as i get the go ahead in the next couple days, its boat shopping/tire kickin time!! So...my question is...which one? Not familiar with sailboats, so im lookin for opinions, biased/unbiased/facts/whatever. I live in WA, Southern Puget Sound (Narrows Bridge) and plan on cruising the Sound, San Juans, BC Canada and maybe a run down to Oregon, California. Thanks!!

[capngeo]

Wow! Prices are high up yonder!... Same boats here for 1/2!

[Benjitis]

Yeah, thats the beautiful pacific northwest for ya.

[gr8trn]

Disclosure first, if you didn't look at my signature line, I do list and sell sailboats. I am probably biased.
Since you are new to it and you are going to live on board, you need to look at all of them in person and then some. This boat shopping thing is a process to say the least. Although you are looking at boats that are the same price as a used pick up truck, this is not a land vehicle.
Spend time lounging in the salon, stretch out in the sleeping berth, stand at the galley, climb in and out of the companion way with stuff in your hands, stand and sit at the helm, stretch out in the cockpit, walk forward...We have not even started looking at rigging, systems, and boat condition stuff...
After a few boats you will start to get the idea of what you like and don't. Please remember you are looking at 20 to 30 year old boats, there will be issues, and for goodness sakes, pay the price that makes sense to you, the right price is the price that makes you and the seller feel good about it.
Enjoy the process, and please take your dog so he/she can feel it out too
Greg

[zeehag]

i have a nice ericson 35mII for 15000 firm. is already in san diego. no brokerage fees.

[Benjitis]

Gr8trn- Good advice, thanks!! I agree on the price-it should be win/win for both of us. And spending lots of time on each boat gettin the "feel" is exactly what i need to do.

Zeehag- Umm..thanks, but 35' is 5' over my length limit, and san diego is nowhere near the puget sound. thanks though.

[roverhi]

The PNW is not the best place to buy a boat. Don't know why, but boats in that area seem to have significantly higher asking prices than say San Francisco. If I were you, i'd look at buying a boat in SF and either sail it north or have it trucked. Bet you will end up getting a wider selection and end up paying less than in the PNW counting the delivery costs.

The older Cals are great boats, very strong though plain, and seem to be bargains. The Cal 34's are selling barely into the $teens and the 2-30 around $10,000. I'm not fond of the Hunters at all and the O'days were the low price point boats in the Jensen/Bagor Punta line (Cal, Ranger, O'day manufacturers) Have seen Ranger 29s and 33s at really interesting asking prices, btw. Here is a boat design I nearly bought when I began looking for a new old boat. bodega 30 sailboat - eBay (item 190512184167 end time Mar-21-11 06:39:03 PDT). This one appears to be rough so I'd definitely either want to look at it personally or have a surveyor look it over before making an offer. In any case it may be rough but might go dirt cheap. They are a cruising oriented full keel design that reportedly has good sailing characteristics. The Alberg 30 is another boat that I'd feel safe taking anywhere.

Look for boats from the late 60's to early 70's that have diesel engines. Value will depend on condition and equipment but there are really good buys on boats from that era, Cal 2-30, Pearson Wanderer/Coaster/Vanguard, Islander 30, Columbia 29, 33, Tartan 30, Yankee 30. The engines will be the biggest concern as a repower and/or rebuild can easily cost more than 8 boat units. Sails and rigging aren't as big a concern as you can replace them as needed. Redoing the standing rigging on a boat like you are talking about should run around a boat unit if you do it yourself with Norseman/Staylok terminals. Sails can be picked up used in excellent condition at 10%-20% of new if you are patient. Still, it's really nice to have new sails made for the boat.

Good luck in your seach.

[bangkaboat]

Of your choices, I'd suggest the Ericson or Cal. I've viewed many in the size you're looking for(and larger), from B.C. to Mexico & Hawaii. That Ericson29 "Nighthawk" in Anacortes might suit your needs.
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...url=&imc=pg-fs

My wife, my dog(Border Collie), & I lived on a Cal 3-30 for a few years. Not a ton of room for living aboard, although the Cal is a roomier option than many. Hey, maybe zeehag's boat comes with free delivery!

Best of luck in the search!
Mike

[Benjitis]

Thanks for the replies. After some more searching on here, seems people are huge fans of Hunters. So im trying to make my decisions off of other peoples input/mistakes/etc. At this point im leaning towards the Cal 2-29 and the Ericson 29'. Got approved for loan yesterday so its time to start lookin hard!! I may have to look into shipping cost from CA to WA, could be worth my time if prices are really that much lower down south. That Ericson 29" "Nighthawk" is one of the ones im looking at. Needs a litle TLC, possibly a bargaining point?? Thanks for all the input, keep it coming

Roverhi-Whats a boat unit??

[foggysail]

I believe you can do much better than 15K for the size and vintage you're looking at. Just recently there was a 79 Hunter in the local Craig list asking 11K. THERE ARE MANY, MANY OLD BOATS OUT THERE.

My bet is you could find what you need in the 30', 30 year old range for less than 10K. Money talks...........don't be foolish to hear it say GOODBYE!

OH-- I owned a 1979 30' Hunter that I purchased new. That was a fine boat except for the engine. Hunter at that time installed single cylinder, raw water cooled engines that were just pigs. I replaced the engine about 10 years later with a Universal diesel. I recommend HUNTER!

Foggy


EDIT: Do not overlook EBay!!!!

[Funsail29]

My wife and I lived and cruised full time on a 1975 Ericson 29'. Southern Cal and all over western Mexico, including the bash twice. The boat never even blinked and we put it thru the paces a few times. Atomic four engine. I'd choose the Ericson or Cal, not the O'day or Hunter.
By the way, our Ericson was in excellent condition when we purchased her in 1997 for $12000.00
Good Luck and Happy Sailing

[Maggie-K]

I lived on an Ericson 29 with a dog for 6 years , great boat large quarter berth , easy to convert the head into a shower, A nice thing is there is no fabric on the walls or overhead only the cushions so it can be be easily cleaned. They are excellent sailing boats as well. Check the rudder post bushing.

[roverhi]

Cal Sailboat For Sale This is a Cal 28 in the Bay Area cheap.

[roverhi]

Sailboat 31 Foot
Sailboat Contest 28
Cal 29

A few more boats for you to consider

[Benjitis]

Well, i went and checked out some boats this weekend. The Ericson 29' was a pile. Had been sitting on the hard for a couple years, no one at the marina/broker knew nyhting about it or cared. The interior was horribly small/cramped. Then checked out a nice Cal 2-29, needed new standing rigging, new sails, and another couple inches of headroom Im 6'1" and i had to slouch big time. But the interior layout was way better than the Ericson, and felt way roomier. I might have to start looking at boats a little bigger, 32-35' maybe? Just found a Pearson 33' and a Morgan 32 or 33, cant remember. gonna check them out this weekend.