Ken,
Thank you for the Dinghy Davit tip. I just did the same thing for the same reasons. Seeing you setup I now have more confidence in my decision.
Andrew
What to Look for in (Almost) First Sailboat (Used)
- Thread starter goofeyfoot
- Start date
Thank you for the Dinghy Davit tip. I just did the same thing for the same reasons. Seeing you setup I now have more confidence in my decision.
Andrew
After looking at a few boats in person from CL ads, I concluded that it was't the best avenue. It is a good venue for private sales, but it can also be the epitome of "buyer beware".
here is my pick
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1987/Catalina-36-2372026/Lake-Ozark/MO/United-States#.Vsz4-UBWDHE
Remember to negotiate the price down by 26%. This the range.
I do not believe you would want to buy another a gain. So get the largest you can handle by yourself and one that is sea-friendly. These are in great demand and you can sell it easily when it is time.
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1987/Catalina-36-2372026/Lake-Ozark/MO/United-States#.Vsz4-UBWDHE
Remember to negotiate the price down by 26%. This the range.
I do not believe you would want to buy another a gain. So get the largest you can handle by yourself and one that is sea-friendly. These are in great demand and you can sell it easily when it is time.
hey since your gonna be moveing to that area I suggest checking out the town of Bath N.C. I keep my sailboat at the marina there but am really impressed with the quaint town!
They're ALL worth a look, when you're figuring out what you're looking for <grin>
If you haven't already used it, "yachtworld" is a great tool to be aware of, too. It is listings for boats all over the world, and (usually) includes good specifications on each boat (condition, equipment, upgrades, etc). I used it a *lot* to compare boats - when I knew I wanted to find an Ericson, I looked at all the Ericsons listed in the US and western Canada (in my size- and price-range), so that I could compare them. It was interesting to be able to say "hmmm, this one is listed at ____ but it has been on the market at that price for a long time, I wonder why?".... or "these two have the same asking price, but one of them has never been upgraded, while the other has new sails, new rigging and updated electronics..."
Here's a sample - this is all the Hunters, 30-32 feet long, currently listed with an asking price less than $50k. You can sort by price, you can filter by location, you can look at the specs to see which boats have which goodies, etc.
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...er&slim=quick&No=0&Ns=PBoat_sortByPriceDesc|1
There are, according to that search, 7 Hunter 306s currently listed, ranging from $38,000 to $49,500.
As an aside, another great resource is "sailboatdata.com" - it has the specifications (length, beam, displacement, rig dimensions, dates of manufacture, number built, model-revisions, etc) for a lot of different boats. Here, for example, is the "data" for a Hunter 306
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=6189
Have fun! Go see boats!
;-)
More of a dock side condo. It may be absolutely fine for what some want, but think those who focus on how a boat feels and performs will agree there are much better alternativesi IF your focus in on a boat you'll love to SAIL. An automotive analogy would be a Hunda Sonata: looks nice, lots of bling for the money, drives okay, but not a car an enthusiast would buy. LOTS of much better alternatives for the money. Just an old guy's opinion... but the one beside my friends boat at Southport never left the dock.
Is that one of those large roach mains that are difficult the raise and lower? Assuming you'll be doing all of the sailing. I wouldn't want to deal with one in my 'golden years'.
That's a great point to underscore... you should set a high priority on deciding what you want to USE the boat for, because that will help you focus your time on boats that will work for you.
I wanted a boat that "sails". I wanted it to be big enough to go to the San Juan Islands for a week, or whatever, but still small enough that I feel comfortable taking it out by myself for a summer-evening sail whenever I want. And when I sail, I want to *sail* - so I needed to find a boat that had enough of a racing heritage in its design to be lively and responsive.
Other people bias their priorities differently. Some people on my dock at the marina view their boats as their "vacation RV" - they may pack up the kids and the propane barbecue and head off to some local cove for a "camp-out", and the creature-comforts are more important to them than the sailing characteristics.
My parents took that to the next level - before they moved to Hawaii, they had a Cal-27 that they kept on a mooring in Newport Beach. And to my knowledge they never actually took it out sailing - their thing was to have a place to go "unwind" - so they'd pack up a couple of sandwiches and a few nice bottles of wine, have the shore boat take them out to their mooring, then they'd put something mellow into the cassette deck, pop a cork and enjoy a nice quiet sunset together, sitting on their "waterfront balcony" (they actually called their boat "Lanai", which is the Hawaiian word for "porch" or "veranda"). So when they were looking at boats, their priority was to find one with a super-comfortable cockpit seating area, and enough room below to store some wine glasses.
(then they sold the boat and moved to Hawaii, where they had a nice "real" lanai overlooking the water, facing the sunset. In the process, someone got a steal of a deal on a barely-used Cal-27, with virtually brand-new sails and engine ;-)
The point is... if you know what you want to use it for, it'll help you figure out what is worth spending the time to look at.
$.02
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That is a big concern for me too. The "floating condo" works just fine and what is most important is what ultimately suits you best.
Really, the marina's should give us the boats and just require that we keep them there.
Hunter makes many different boats. The reason they are still in business is they realized the dock condo the Admiral loves is the way to go. Nothing wrong with that, it's what floats your boat. More knowledgeable sailors than I can comment on the issues with that particular Hunter. Rigging system, balance under sail, extremely light for its size, down wind issues given the way the mast is stayed, etc. Great condo, though, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some great sailing boats also make pretty good condos, too. Best of both worlds! That boat ain't one IMHO. Have fun with the search... that can be the best part!
OK. Well, I guess the Hunter is out. I still have to find something that's a good compromise, though. Something between the condo and the racing machine.
I wonder whether such exists?
Thanks again.
Michael
I wonder whether such exists?
Thanks again.
Michael
Excellent points - again!
The previous owners of my boat live in Arizona, and had the boat in San Diego as their way to beat the summertime heat in the desert. It truly was their "vacation RV", as you put it.
However, I think that there should be some attention given to "lightly used". Just because a boat was not ridden hard doesn't necessarily mean that it's in "near new", or solid condition. I was lucky in that my previous owners had the bottom of the boat serviced on a regular basis, and the engine started once a month and overseen with routine maintenance. Although "lightly sailed", there were a number of items that I needed to replace due to the boat simply living in the (outdoor) elements. Running rigging being one immediate component. Sure, a periodic necessity, like other things that will need replacement, but still an expense. IMHO, "lightly used", in the case of a sailboat, benefits more below decks than above.
EJ
Michael, absolutely they exist! Hunter makes some of them. My Admiral has been with me for 50 years so I know how important the condo thing is. Look through the Yacht World listings with her and run the ones she likes by the folks on this forum like you're doing with the Hunter 306. You'll get good feed back. The folks over on Cruisers Forum seem to have much more depth in their experience, can be highly technical, but are an extremely biased and opinionated in their preference for heavy, full keel, so-called blue water boats vs the coastal cruiser, "production" types most of us find more appealing for our use. Because over there, many of them are living on their boats in far away places and depend on their boats for their lives. Seriously. They often refer to coastal cruisers as BeneHuntalinas. The BeneHuntalinas, in my opinion, are actually much more suited for coastal cruising. Off shore work, especially extended off shore work, is another story. In your price range you will easily find something the Admiral will approve that will also be rewarding to sail. As others have said, the key thing is condition, condition, condition. You know what a money pit a pretty face can be . Also, follow advice from someone you know well and trust when it comes time for survey!
There is a Hunter 306 forum on this site comprising of many owners of this yacht the forum has many reviews and I am sure these owners would be happy to answer your questions.
Ok. I will be traveling tomorrow and can look up more items.
Appreciate the sage advice.
Michael
Appreciate the sage advice.
Michael
Michael,
One more thought I should pass on: in my search over the last year, in addition to the traditional boats, I've seriously considered two kinda oddball boats, Freedoms and Nonsuch, due primarily to their quality build and, especially, their ease in being sailed singlehandledly. There are at least one of each in Morehead City and Wilmington area. Very well thought of by owners, although there is some (mostly unfounded I discovered) concerns on the un-stayed masts of the Freedoms. You should consider both these boats in your search. There are just out of my budget but should be within yours. Happy hunting!
One more thought I should pass on: in my search over the last year, in addition to the traditional boats, I've seriously considered two kinda oddball boats, Freedoms and Nonsuch, due primarily to their quality build and, especially, their ease in being sailed singlehandledly. There are at least one of each in Morehead City and Wilmington area. Very well thought of by owners, although there is some (mostly unfounded I discovered) concerns on the un-stayed masts of the Freedoms. You should consider both these boats in your search. There are just out of my budget but should be within yours. Happy hunting!
I agree with Tom. We considered a Freedom but they are pricey and too much beam for our slips. Gorgeous cabin space.