Crossroads - Trailer, Keep, and Relocate or Sell

Feb 5, 2018
4
Hunter 25 Canyon Lake, TX
Hey friends. I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I'd like to do some coastal cruising, make a trip to the Bahamas, and spend some time living aboard and adding a +1 at some point. I have a Hunter Cherubini 25 with 8hp outboard in a TX lake slip. Most of what I hear is that an inboard diesel is ideal for coastal cruising, so I feel like this freshwater maiden may be best to keep where I believe she's been her whole life and pass along to a new owner here. Agree or disagree?

I love the boat and enjoy spending time on her, sailing, and doing various projects. Local prices: Slip $350/mo, Haul-out $500, dry storage $100/mo. She needs a bottom job, and though the PO said bottom was done 2 years ago, that's as much of a lie as "no leaks" was. :) Plus, the marina shop must paint the bottom in gold leaf at the rate they quoted me, so it's a DIY for sure. I have a vehicle that can tow this 4400lb beauty, but I can't find a deep keel trailer under $3000. I'd love to find one for $1000, is that so unreasonable? I'm considering a dual-axle frame + mounting a sailboat cradle at this point, but ideally would find something that could ramp-launch (feasible?).

So what would you do? 1) Try and sell locally at a way-under-market price given the demand and fact that bottom job is needed? 2) Find a trailer to bring her out of the water, keep her, and do the bottom work before passing along or finding a new home after my coastal cruising bug is satisfied? or 3) Do something else that I haven't thought of? Thanks for your advice!
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
ObliquePlanet,
I like the tag name.
I think part of the answer to your question is in how much you've become attached to your boat. It doesn't sound like there will be much savings in cost one way or another.
An outboard is a fine option for coastal cruising a 25' boat. I don't know if inboards are more fuel efficient, but I believe diesels are. The question, for me, would be about draft. Limits thinwater sailing and beach landings. It depends on the sailing you want to do. Your boat is a keeled boat, so no issues there, really.
I couldn't say about the trailer, but a $1000 for a deep draft boat sounds very low. They are hard to find without the boat and if making a trailer is an option, I'd consider that route. Renting a flatbed just to get her to the coast is also a financially reasonable option.
So, put together a summary of costs to move the boat, lift/crane service (ramp launching for a keeled boat is limited, but possible), trailer, launching fees, and expected resale price minus $500 (that's the likelihood you wont get what you expect for her) and compare to the cost of buying a boat on the coast. You will likely buy used, so the bottom job or something equal probably needs to be done anyhow. No need to add that cost in for comparison.
Sounds like you have exciting plans. Hope to hear more about your adventures in the future. Welcome to the crew.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Oct 6, 2018
113
Watkins 25 Seawolf Dunnellon / Crystal River
If you are really happy with your Hunter, why sell. You know what its capable of and what it needs. It's a risk buying another used boat.

If you plan to tow from Texas to Florida, you want a good trailer. Don't go cheap on your trailer, or you will never stop paying for it.

To help make up your mind, make a list of expenses if you keep your boat and put money in a trailer and maybe a new outboard... Then look at what a new boat, the way you want it, will cost and what you will get out of your boat when you sell.

I just bought a boat and trailer. I started looking for a boat / trailer combo here in Florida. What I found was that there are not many to choose from, and the ones I looked at were not in very good shape. It seemed that the PO parked the boat and let it and the trailer rot before trying to sell.

I decided to look for a boat in the water that was being sailed and found a real nice Watkins. My plan was then to find a used aluminum powerboat trailer and modify it. That didn't work out.

As soon as I NEEDED a trailer, I couldn't find one in good enough shape that was still inexpensive enough to modify. So I had one custom made. What I'm getting though, is a trailer that I can tow anywhere, will help step and store the mast, and given a good ramp my boat can float off.

I had a 10k budget and I'm now at 12 and climbing. If I wanted to sell, I could probably get 8. I'm still happy... I think.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Sounds like this is as much a life question as a boat question.

You like your boat. You have invested in the boat and in the beautiful lake country of Texas. But your wondering is there more and would I like it. You’ll never know unless you try.

Two ways of trying.
  1. All in. Sell the boat and everything. Cut the cord. Jump in to the deep end and go coastal. You’ll find more stuff along the way of adventure.
  2. Keep the boat and other things you have as an anchor to home. Take a trip of adventure. You don’t find the rainbow on the trip you head home to what you know.
Both are good neither is bad. It depends on which path you choose. The money is the least of the issue. You can always find moneyif you want. Each path will bring fun, excitement, pain, frustration, and joy. They may be similar and yet different.

But you’ll never know what until you choose one.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
For those of us who are Texas challenged, how far is Canyon Lake from the Gulf of Mexico or suitable estuary? Normally I would say sell the boat and buy what you need, where you need it. I am a firm believer that you buy a boat for the way you are going to use it and when your use changes you buy another boat. The exception here is that it seems to me your market to sell the boat in your area is probably limited. I would think on the coast you would see more potential buyers. I think I'd look at moving the boat to the closest open water and try a bit of the cruising you want to do.
 
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
Brilliant questions, and great advice so far. Do you think that a 25-foot well-built boat and a reliable outboard are unsuitable for coastal ocean sailing? As you doubtless have read here, much more depends on the skipper and reliability of previous maintenance than the length of the boat. I suggest at least trying coastal cruising, as you'll always wonder "what if ...." and that's a terrible thing to live with.

You'll need to make your "take or leave the boat" decision first as it will determine what type of bottom paint. In addition to the obvious problem of matching the paint to the water / biology conditions, you should look at how the bottom paint treats being trailered. Many ablative types do not do well with drying and rubbing, so do some research. I used Pettit's Vivid on my trailered boat as it was tolerant of some physical rubbing and drying, but you should be aware of the challenge and do your research.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Do you think that a 25-foot well-built boat and a reliable outboard are unsuitable for coastal ocean sailing?
No reason that should be unsuitable for coastal cruising. Maybe a diesel onboard offers better efficiency, maybe more reliability, but there are advantages to a small outboard too. Take it with you to the shop. Easy to upgrade or trade in. Transfer to an inflatable tender. Independent steering means little or no headway is necessary to maneuver.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
In thinking a bit more about this I would look at the anchoring system more than the boat platform. Coastal cruising means a lot of time on the hook. Staying in marina's is expensive. So I'd look at the ground tackle and means to deploy or retrieve it to see what upgrade may be necessary. For instance a windless. Upgraded batteries. Charging system. Maybe a boat already set up for this would be better.
 
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
I suggest that the difference between a trailerable 25-foot like your Cherubini Hunter and a larger boat with inboard diesel is more about comfort and speed, rather than safety. How comfortable are you living aboard for a week on your boat - obviously a personal decision? I don't like cooking on an alcohol stove or feeling like I'm camping for weeks on-end. Your maximum hull speed is just under 6 knots, and a 36-footer is just over 7 knots *, so you make passages 16% faster. This is a few minutes for going 10 miles across the lake, but adds up when you go 50 miles up the coast. Similarly, with a trailer you can go 60 knots right into the wind; something I can't do on my boat.

* for those of you checking my hull speed math, remember that the waterline of a boat is not LOA. For example, my 36 footer only has a 31 foot waterline, and correspondingly lower hull speed.
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
If you decide to get a trailer, I highly recommend insuring the boat and trailer through BoatUS. At least until you’re finished moving it.
(I hope I haven’t just opened up a can of worms. This is my opinion and not intended to start an insurance debate.)
 
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JRT

.
Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Great question and one I've had as a thought experiment also since I have an O'Day 25 with no trailer. After consider what makes my boat good on our lake and what I would need to add / buy for coastal work I figured it would be far better to plan an upgrade to a large boat on the coast and enjoy my 25 on the lake for a few years and build my experience. I've determined I'm not really interested in 'saving or restoring an old boat' because as soon as I get to the lake I want to get out and sail, not fix and repair. So with that in mind I have adjusted my budget to be a newish boat already setup and used on the coast in the area I want to be so I avoid the cost to get it ready to sail. Obviously I'm still in the dream plan stage, but it is important because it controls what I 'need' on the old O'Day 25 and keeps the goal in mind for the future (5-10 years).
 
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May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
Yep, sell her; that is not the right boat for what you want to do. A sailboat that is landlocked in a lake has limited marketability. Take the proceeds of the sale plus the money you would have spent to move her and get yourself an inboard powered boat in the 30' range.
 
Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
Sell it.

There are lot's of boats available right in the middle of where you want to go. many will be better suited and better equipped for what you want to do.

I know it is not quite the adventure your thinking of but it is a more pragmatic approach.
Having said all of that when you get around these parts with the boat on a trailer give a shout and if you bring me a 12 pack of Big Red I'll spring for lunch. The one place here that carried it dropped it from the shelves and I need a fix.
 

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,372
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
I've always felt that under 30 feet is a bit tough to live on. But others find that to be fine. I want more room with I'm living on a boat. Actually, my ideal size is between 32 and 38 feet with a strong leaning to 34 to 36 feet. Can that Hunter work for costal cruising? Sure. Outboard vs inboard - others have covered that sufficiently. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Can you afford to sell your current boat and go buy another boat where you want to start sailing? Do you want to take the time to figure out the quirks of another boat? Can you afford to buy another boat that won't need much work? Do you like working on boats? You say you are thinking to add a +1, that would be tougher in a 25 footer... Lots to think about. But for sure - follow your dream....

dj