dhmeissner
Guru
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2012
- Messages
- 1,569
- Location
- North America
- Vessel Name
- The Promise
- Vessel Make
- Roughwater 35
You might find a good buy on a motor sailor. Good luck, and welcome to the 10%
syd
What type of initial boat-purchase budget are you planning to spend?
You might find a good buy on a motor sailor. Good luck, and welcome to the 10%
A 70's vintage motorsailer would be an economical purchase if it surveys well. If you're on a budget, the survey is critical. You won't be the guy throwing money at every unknown that pops up, just at the few that do. There's a rule of thumb about adding 10% above the purchase price for the unknowns but that can be a quite low figure in the real world.
I'm your age and still self employed and will be for the foreseeable future. I have to stay in a marina most of the time to be able to get out there and work.
My costs are $440/mo. for dock fee plus kw for electric but I do have free cable, water and wifi. I also have two pools, a hot tub, mailing address, tiki bar and restaurant (which you probably wouldn't need) but for waterfront property it's reasonable to me. (and I don't have to mow grass) They also let me store my equipment here at no charge which is a real advantage.
Anyway, in a hot summer month, my total cost here is $625/month. We cook a lot on the Magna grill. Those little propane bottles add up. You could go with a larger tank and save a few but we haven't yet. Then again you need ground transport to get your 20 pound tank refilled. We keep a vehicle at the marina so we have transportation because sometimes we are far away on a job and have to fly back to get home and not spend all our time off driving.
In conclusion, find the best boat you can for the dollars your spending
AND GET A GOOD SURVEY.
It's very easy to end up with an older boat that becomes a money pit. Be careful, and worst case sell it and then swap for a different one before you spend too much and can't. Don't get attached. In my experience a used boat that's been sitting will have more hidden issues than one which is routinely used. But in any event when you're closer to that purchase point there's much advice many people here can give about it.
It's a little off topic but No Mast, that's a beautiful boat you have.
One caution, don't get the survey from the owner or broker. Get your own and do your own research as to who you wan't to use. This forum is a good source for that. Anyway, to answer your original question, I'm in Marina Cove in St. Pete.
We spent the last year land yatching the gulf of Mexico, which most area the water is quite shallow so a deep draft sail boat would be limiting, or a deep draft power boat.
I'd like to be around $20k to $30k. I have a little wiggle room for an exceptional find.
You've received a lot of good information so far. One thing I didn't see mentioned and feel is relevant.
There are a lot of former sailboat owners here. It's quite common for sailors to switch to power as they age. The reason is simply easier for them to handle, combined with more livable space in the same size. Health is a leading cause and I'm not suggesting slowly you're going to be falling apart, but often it's just one small think that leads to a different mind set or capability.
Sailboats are often considered less expensive to operate, but there's nothing cheap about replacing sails or other hardware and if you're motoring all the time then only a modest savings over power. If one has a true love for sailing then it's still probably the way to go but I think it takes that love for it.
Shat man! You've got it made. Keep looking, with that much cash, you'll find one in good condition that fits your needs. Especially if you wait till this economic boom bursts... which should happen sooner rather than later... by mid 2017 is what I figure as the latest date; for the next swoop downward.
... but living in a cave (as with most of the monohulls) and tripping all over the rigging (shrouds, stays, winches, etc.) would drive me crazy. (Crazier?) All that pesky "heeling" on a monohull is also problematic for us...
-Chris
syd
Here's a link to many South East U.S. marine sales I pulled out o' da hat fer ya. YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale
855 boats (85 pages, 10 boats each) on YachtWorld...
30'to 45' / $20K to $50K / power and sail. Largest boats first, then size trickles down to the smaller ones. Scroll baby - Scroll!!
Good Luck!
Happy Boat-Search Daze!! - Art
Is it really that bad?
After looking at many of the boats in the YW link provided by Art I'll be amazed if many of them sell at all. Why is it that the majority of them have the worst possible photos of their boats? Don't they want to sell them?
First impressions are everything when it comes to selling something, especially via an ad on the internet, so why people don't take the time to stage their photo shoots is baffling to me. Hell, many of them didn't even take the time to clean the mirrors in the heads or tidy up the galley or even straighten up the berth at all. Simply amazing!
Sailboats are great, but on most unless it's a big one the seating is just not comfortable .We bought our trawler and purchased some nice chairs to sit in rather than sitting on something . Big difference .
It is to a trawler owner. It isn't to someone who has always been on sailboats. It's just a big difference. Narrow, whether monohull or one side of a cat, just isn't conducive to a spacious feeling.
Also design for speed in a sailboat doesn't make the most comfortable boat at anchor. Sailboats do vary. However, a narrow monohull is going to be a bit roly at anchor.
every boat I've seen that has an option for single or twin, the twin burns more per hour but does get to the destination a bit faster. many like twins for the redundancy of the engine. Many don't because its twice the maintenance, more fuel, and generally the running gear on a twin is more exposed than that of a single.