Best Pocket Cruiser 23ft or under?

[John]

no matter what

Well, I have taken the boat out twice now.

I really wish that I had larger gunnel walkways. I saw a old C&C, in my local yard, that has huge walkways that are nice.

Also, I really hate the very long tiller. It really gets in the way of the small cockpit.
It is so long that it actually hits the lower part of the companionway opening (the fiberglass). It also has a lot of play. I guess that is what you get with this wierd two part (enclosed) drop rudder.

I think my next boat will have large walkways, big cockpit, and wheel steering.
Can you guys give me some brands to research that has the previous features, 26-30ft, old enough to cost $12k or less, and have a shole draft fixed keel.

Thanks MUCH!!!

No matter what, unless you have the money to buy some $350,000 boat, you will find things you don't like about your boat. Even then, you probably would. That's in the nature of sailboats. If the deck provided more room to walk around, and the cockpit were larger, then either your price would be a lot higher (because the boat would be bigger) or the boat would have some major, major flaws in it. So, fix it up as best you can, and enjoy it for what it is.

 

[fox islander]

small sailboats

My first boat was a 83 catalina 22...easy to launch and put the mast up, but it always seemed a bit sluggish and the swing keel bothered me. Every time I yanked up the main i always asked myself..."you did drop the keel...right?"
My second boat was a 87 hunter 23 (sold it for $5000 two yrs ago)...it was much easier to sail and was definately faster. No worries with the wing keel. Someone already mentioned that the mast on the H23 is a pain to yank up...very true. I'm in a catalina 30 now and I love the room but I sometimes miss the responsiveness of a small, light boat with a tiller.

Good luck with your purchase

 

[Ron20324]

I was waiting on a tax return before ordering a new C22, but meanwhile saw a Beneteau 235 wing keel used. I bought the 235 in a day. Big cleates, metal toerial, marine head w/ holding tank. I often had 4 for overnight. And she was fast- especially when sailed with 150 jib alone. They have a nice web site, too.

 

[bffatcat]

A simple and economical way to fix the rotted core around the chain plate is good old
reliable Marine Tex. I would remove any and all soft wood first.

 

[Bad Obsession]

You mentioned looking for a good, older boat with some room. Check out the older Catalina 30s. You can't find a bigger 30 foot boat. They sail okay and make great cruisers. You can find them, sometimes, around 12k.

Other good boats are the older Hunter 30 (Cherinubini design), Pearson 30, Lippencott 30, and similar boats. One of my Uncles picked up a 32 foot C & C for 15k.

 

[JoeWhite]

I have a 1984 Hunter 25.5, shoal keel with trailer and 9' beam. Very stable and lots of room. Check this one out I apid $ 10, 000.00 5 yearts ago. Nice boat. I am now selling it for the same price. Let me know if you would like to see some more photos

 

[Warren 22]

If your boat is going to be on a mooring or dock look for a good clean used O'Day 22....(under $4-5000). I've had mine since new in 1972. Good family boat. You don't have to fool around with a "swing keel."

 

[jibes138]

Most boat for the money

You should look for a wooden boat in really good condition. Wooden boats have some wonderful attributes that make them much better than fiber reinforced plastic boats. Check with the guys at the boatyard on Martha's Vineyard and read the book "Wooden Boats" that is about these guys. They still build wooden boats and go to Guyana to hand select the trees and logs for each project. Each wooden boat is a work of art and you will be proud to sail a beautiful vessel. You may even consider building a wooden boat.

 

[TimCup]

Well, Henry you may have the new record!

Two-foot-itis in less than 90 days.. that's quick!

I noticed you also raised your target price. I'm assuming that's because you found out it's hard to find a 3 grand boat that doesn't have issues. The bad news is, you may not find a 12 grand boat that doesn't have issues, either (at least not in the 30 ft range).

Well, you bought the first boat, and got a good deal, but if you had spent a couple of hundred bucks to has it inspected by a surveyor, would you have still bought it? It looks like the fixes would be less than a grand, way less if you can do it yourself, so maybe 4k is still a good deal...

Obviously, "tightening up" the rigging without shoring up the chainplates and sleeving the mast wasn't a good idea, but it's that exact type of mistake that has led me to learn, and be able to fix, most things boat related. It's got to be depressing, but the experience will be a good thing in the long run.

More directly to your question, someone mentioned a 30ft Catalina. While I'm not a rabid fan of Catalina (in spite of them being built in my neighborhood!), their older 30 footers may be the best bang for the buck- they're plentiful, huge inside, and IMHO just a well designed boat.

Good luck with your shopping.


cup

 

[jibes138]

Cape Dory

Go get yourself a cape dory 25. This is a solid boat with outboard propulsion that will probably run you 5 grand or so.

 

[druid]

I noticed you also raised your target price. I'm assuming that's because you found out it's hard to find a 3 grand boat that doesn't have issues. The bad news is, you may not find a 12 grand boat that doesn't have issues, either (at least not in the 30 ft range).

The Trick is: finding a boat with "issues" you can live with. ALL boats (even new ones!) have issues.

It's got to be depressing, but the experience will be a good thing in the long run.

Yup, experience is knowledge gained right AFTER you need it!

More directly to your question, someone mentioned a 30ft Catalina. While I'm not a rabid fan of Catalina (in spite of them being built in my neighborhood!), their older 30 footers may be the best bang for the buck- they're plentiful, huge inside, and IMHO just a well designed boat.

While I had a Catalina 36 for 17 years and loved her, I can't recommend a C30. Although they have GOBS of room, they don't sail well at all, and are not that well-built, so they don't "age" well - which is why you can get them so cheap.

I've found the best bang-for-the-buck are Cals: they VERY well-built, and sail like "smoked okum"

druid - what is "smoked okum", anyway?

 

[jibes138]

Older Cals

I know a guy thats done the Bermuda race three times or so in his cal 34. I have seen newer cals however that look exactly like an O'Day from the period when O'day and cal were both owned by the same company. I assume Druid is referring to the older Cal's?

 

[wjssr]

Jerry A: We sailed a '91 Hunter 23 for 5 years and sold it for $5,000 with trailor and outboard, about 5 years ago. Great boat. Fast and in great shape. You don't need $10,000 for that size boat unless you are getting a fairly new year model. You won't get a separate head, but will get a sink and an alcohol stove and berthing for 3-4 except with overnight for anything over 2 persons, you will not have room for any gear or clothes.or anything but sleeping but sleeping, and almost no storage space.