Please advise: Newbie is about to purchase first boat!
- Thread starter Withaporpoise
- Start date
Kermit you are a head first kinda frog. You can jump into the pond, land on a lily pad and all is well.
@Withaporpoise sounds like the boat deal looks too good to pass up.
Like many of us sensing the wind in our hair and a bikini girl on the deck is thinking rush forward with the boat bucks to buy the dream.
Then it starts with the “I can make it better purchases” and the marina fees only to find we are spending gobs of boat bucks, haven’t gone sailing and the girl is riding around in some other guys pickup.
@Withaporpoise sounds like the boat deal looks too good to pass up.
Like many of us sensing the wind in our hair and a bikini girl on the deck is thinking rush forward with the boat bucks to buy the dream.
Then it starts with the “I can make it better purchases” and the marina fees only to find we are spending gobs of boat bucks, haven’t gone sailing and the girl is riding around in some other guys pickup.
Will certainly made a good point. I'm going to look into getting it surveyed and see how things go. I am really hoping to sail to the Bahamas and keys depending on how learning goes. Sailing abroad in a "La Vegabonde" is our dream. I don't want to dig a hole yet, going to wait for a few years before selling it all and making that transition, so just looking to learn by dipping my toes in the water. Unfortunately I am the head first kind of guy. Looking at finances, I may wait a month and see if its still for sale. 
I stand by my advise, but just to point out, I'm the guy who bought his boat over the phone from a picture I snapped with my phone while driving past the boat two states away. I have no regrets, but I'm sure I'll have tripled, maybe quadrupled, the cost before I'm done.
When I came home and announced I'd just bought a boat, my father had one of his sailing friends visiting. He said, "Ah! The second happiest day in a sailor's life. The happiest day is the day he sells his boat."
- Will (Dragonfly)
When I came home and announced I'd just bought a boat, my father had one of his sailing friends visiting. He said, "Ah! The second happiest day in a sailor's life. The happiest day is the day he sells his boat."
- Will (Dragonfly)
That's hilarious! Thabks for the warm welcome guys! Cheers! I will be sure to post back when I figure this whole situation out!
As the owner of a boat acquired sight unseen from an add on a Facebook group, I suggest jumping on it. A survey would be great, but before spending those boat bucks, visit and do your own inspection.
With a sailboat there is always something to work on. Take it slow, enjoy the boat. Its an adventure. Good luck
- Does the engine start?
- Black blue or gray smoke?
- Pumping water out the exhaust?
- Do the thru hull valves function?
- Do the lights, radio, and other electrics work?
- Standing rigging corroded?
- Bilge pumps work?
- Soft spots on the deck?
- Bring a mask and snorkel to dive the hull (How badly fowled? Good prop? Any obvious damage?)
- How are the sails?
With a sailboat there is always something to work on. Take it slow, enjoy the boat. Its an adventure. Good luck
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In addition to seconding Will's post #19, I'll put this out there:
Would you recommend that a 17-year-old-man marries and has children with the first woman that he's known or would you recommend that he take the next ten or 15 years to experience more women and more of life before settling down? Your answer to that question will inform my advice to you on whether or not a person with zero experience with boats should buy a 36-year old Hunter 33.
Next, I recommend that you go to all the marinas at whatever lake on which you plan to sail the boat. Walk all the docks and observe which boats get used a lot and which boats get neglected. Many of those neglected boats are owned by people who found out that their dream (similar to yours) requires much more time, effort, and expense than they anticipated. A small, simple sailboat requires much less of all those commodities and, in my mind, is more fun to sail.
Next, I recommend that you go to all the marinas at whatever lake on which you plan to sail the boat. Walk all the docks and observe which boats get used a lot and which boats get neglected. Many of those neglected boats are owned by people who found out that their dream (similar to yours) requires much more time, effort, and expense than they anticipated. A small, simple sailboat requires much less of all those commodities and, in my mind, is more fun to sail.
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I've heard, that in the old days of sail, a new captain, before accepting a new commission, would open up the hold and take a sniff. If it smelled clean like fresh ocean air, he'd walk away. Stale and musty was the oder of choice. A fresh bilge is a bilge that was constantly taking on water and in need of constant pumping out. A stale musty bilge was the one that never got pumped out so that was the boat with sound planking and good caulking.
- Will (Dragonfly)
- Will (Dragonfly)
Great boat. Great price. Lively and seaworthy. Sensitive yet forgiving. Engine has been upgraded from original.
Have you looked at this boat in person? Sounds like you know a bit more than I based on your comment. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
A 33 foot boat is a pretty large boat for a first time sailboat. Do you have someone that will sail with you on the boat that can teach you how to sail that boat? If you do decide to get that boat, I'd also look at who you could get to sail with you teaching you how to handle that boat at least for a few weekends in a row - longer if possible.
You say you can only get to the boat every other weekend. Are your weekends two days long? That would only give you 52 days a year to sail out of 365 days, or, optimistically, about 15% of your time available to actually sail. And then you have to figure things out, spend time working on the boat, get good weather to sail in, etc . - cutting actual sailing time back from that optimistic time frame. How much are the yearly marina fees? What is the actual overhead of keeping that boat in the water? Do you know those numbers? You mention that you just looked at your finances and are not sure about the price right now and will wait to see if that boat is still available in a month. Sounds to me like you are not completely flush with cash - that the $9500 asking price is within your reach, but might be a bit of a stretch for you. You clearly don't have to answer this question here on this forum, but I do suggest you look carefully at the answer for yourself and look at the total yearly costs this boat is going to give you just to own it: like insurance, marina costs, transport for you back and forth, etc. Those are all fixed costs.
In my opinion, as a first time sailor, you need a boat you can sail a lot. Like go out for a couple hours on a Wednesday night (for example). A boat that you can jump into and go sail at almost any moment. A boat that is much more forgiving when you make mistakes. And you will make mistakes. Taking a smaller, say, 20 foot sailboat and stopping it by hand because you misjudged the speed you were going and you are about to hit a - dock/boat/whatever - is much more difficult on a 33 footer. You should realize, as the length of a boat goes up in feet, the volume of that boat is going up as a cubic function, it is not linear - you are adding depth, width and length... Not sure if this is making sense to you.
Bottom line from my perspective - the boat is big for you as a first time boat, but not impossibly so. Better if you can move it to a location much closer to you so you can sail it more frequently - at least in the near future, if not immediately. You should find someone that will actually go with you and teach you to sail your boat on your boat. Others have talked about the need to know about fundamental systems, like hull, deck, sails, rigging etc. - all excellent advice. Getting a survey, I feel, is always a good idea - most especially for a novice sailor.
All the above said, if that boat is in good shape, the asking price is very decent. Good luck and let us know what you do.
dj
You say you can only get to the boat every other weekend. Are your weekends two days long? That would only give you 52 days a year to sail out of 365 days, or, optimistically, about 15% of your time available to actually sail. And then you have to figure things out, spend time working on the boat, get good weather to sail in, etc . - cutting actual sailing time back from that optimistic time frame. How much are the yearly marina fees? What is the actual overhead of keeping that boat in the water? Do you know those numbers? You mention that you just looked at your finances and are not sure about the price right now and will wait to see if that boat is still available in a month. Sounds to me like you are not completely flush with cash - that the $9500 asking price is within your reach, but might be a bit of a stretch for you. You clearly don't have to answer this question here on this forum, but I do suggest you look carefully at the answer for yourself and look at the total yearly costs this boat is going to give you just to own it: like insurance, marina costs, transport for you back and forth, etc. Those are all fixed costs.
In my opinion, as a first time sailor, you need a boat you can sail a lot. Like go out for a couple hours on a Wednesday night (for example). A boat that you can jump into and go sail at almost any moment. A boat that is much more forgiving when you make mistakes. And you will make mistakes. Taking a smaller, say, 20 foot sailboat and stopping it by hand because you misjudged the speed you were going and you are about to hit a - dock/boat/whatever - is much more difficult on a 33 footer. You should realize, as the length of a boat goes up in feet, the volume of that boat is going up as a cubic function, it is not linear - you are adding depth, width and length... Not sure if this is making sense to you.
Bottom line from my perspective - the boat is big for you as a first time boat, but not impossibly so. Better if you can move it to a location much closer to you so you can sail it more frequently - at least in the near future, if not immediately. You should find someone that will actually go with you and teach you to sail your boat on your boat. Others have talked about the need to know about fundamental systems, like hull, deck, sails, rigging etc. - all excellent advice. Getting a survey, I feel, is always a good idea - most especially for a novice sailor.
All the above said, if that boat is in good shape, the asking price is very decent. Good luck and let us know what you do.
dj
IMHO, it's probably a mistake for you to buy a boat that size b/c you found it on craigslist at an "affordable" price. I tell this in some form to everyone who asks questions similar to yours. First--learn how to sail. Second, go sailing via bareboat chartering to see if it's really for you. Third--get an "inexpensive" starter (cruising) boat the in 25-28 ft range and try it out as an owner. This boat should have an inboard diesel, galley, and enclosed head. Something like a Newport 28. If all is still good after a couple of years, go for the bigger boat. By then you'll know what you're letting yourself in for. Personally, I'd shoot for one that's 10 yr old with a plan to keep it at least 10 yr. That would be a big commitment. A friend of mine frequently said--"Big boat, big problems $$$; small boat, small problems $."
A friend of mine frequently said--"Big boat, big problems $$$; small boat, small problems $."
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I sail a sister to that boat. Great boat, but: Are you mechanically inclined? A boat that age, any boat, will require a significant expenditure of your time and effort maintaining it. There will be significant costs involved just to purchase parts and upgrades that you will soon discover are desirable, if not necessary. You will probably be able to learn to sail on that boat. Good size to coastal sail and anchor out on weekends. If, however you do not want to invest most of your free time working on the boat then take out a big loan and purchase a newer boat. Either way, sailing is worth the investment.
Withaporpoise - I have not seen this particular boat. However, an '81 33 was my first keelboat. I did grow up racing high performance dinghies so did have an advantage in the sailing department but the transition to keelboat was still steep. As a cruiser, the 33 is not as suitable as the 37 cutter, or, I suspect, the 27. The 33 was designed as a coastal cruiser/racer and so is more responsive and lively on the wheel than is the cutter, a blue water design. Upwind performance is outstanding but downwind in waves the 33 is a lot of work. However, she is capable of the cruising proposed at a favourable price point.