Hello again... A few months back I started posting to find out if it would be feasible to do the "live aboard" thing in Southern California (San Diego to be exact), and I was excited to hear that no only is it a possibility, many of you believe it is a very good way to live. I am a new officer in the Navy and I was very pleased with all the good help I got on this board. When I realized that living on a boat is a possibility I began asking about types of boats to live on, and I started talking about where I could find slips, and all the other details that would go into getting a boat. Again the sailors of this board were very helpful to me... and this of course means that I have even more questions. A week ago I completed OIS (Officer Indoctrination School... or "boot camp for officers") and now I'm in the process of making final preparations for my move out to San Diego. After much discussion I decided that the perfect size boat would be a 34 foot boat, and so I called a marina and secured a slip for a 34 foot boat with live aboard status (I'm beginning to realize that I got really lucky with this call, but I think it was just one of those "right place, right time" sort of things). Now all that I need to do is find a boat... this is where my question comes in. Any advice on how I can find a 34 foot boat quickly? I want to be careful about my selection of course, I want to make sure I know what I'm doing, but at the same time I don't want to lose the slip I now have (or have to pay for too many months of keeping an empty slip). Ideally I would like to get either a 34 Hunter or a 34 Catalina but does anyone have any advice on where I would start looking for these boats. I’m guessing I should start with the newspaper, but are there other publications that would list boats for sale in the San Diego area?). Also are there any good websites that would list boats for sale? Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. The final question is a simple one: Broker or No Broker? And if you suggest I use a broker do you have any suggestions of which broker I should use? Again any help would be greatly appreciated, and thanks so much for reading the post. -Levin
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You're lucky!
And not just about the slip... you've got one of the biggest sailboat dealers in the US in your town. H and S Marine should have a fair number of trade-ins at their docks, both Hunters and Catalinas. Good luck; I know you'll enjoy your new lifestyle.
And not just about the slip... you've got one of the biggest sailboat dealers in the US in your town. H and S Marine should have a fair number of trade-ins at their docks, both Hunters and Catalinas. Good luck; I know you'll enjoy your new lifestyle.
Levin: First of all, thank you for your military service to our country. If I were a bit younger, I'd join you in the military - always wanted to be a naval or marine officer. A publication you should look for is THE LOG, which you can find at West Marine, BoatUS and even at brokers office. They have a good listing of used boats both for sale by owner and broker. There is another sailing rag (the name escapes me) you should check out also. It will be in the same rack as The Log. At West marine and BoatsUS, you should check their bulletin board for boats that are for sale. I'm not that familiar with the Hunters but I am with Catalinas. The C34 is a very beamy boat and would be an excellant choice for live aboard. As far as buying from a broker or private party - I've bought most of my boats from private parties. The broker is going to tack on another 10% to cover his commission. If you know what you are looking at you can get some good deals through private parties. Some brokers are not very savy from a sail boat standpoint but others are. After 10 minutes of discussion with a broker you should be able to tell if he know what he is talking about. You have to be watchful buying from a private party or broker. At any given time, there are probably between 15 to 20 Catalinas (C30, C34, C36) for sale between Ventura and San Diego. Some are dogs but there are some gems also. Good luck mate and keep yourself safe.
Glad to Hear it
Congratulations on your commision and your slip. Finding the boat will be easy now. The Hunter 34 is a great boat I had a freind actually two who owned one and would have bought it from the first one but the mast is too tall for our bridges so I turned another freind onto it he bought it the same day. Is your slipmate the girl whose father owns the liquor store? Now go and find a First Command representative and go to one of the seminars. It does not matter if you sign up with them or go to someone else. That is going to be the best and most concise program on what your benefits are do not be one of the ones like me who wihishes we had started fifteen years before. It is usually a Prime Rib dinner so if nothing else they feed you good.
Congratulations on your commision and your slip. Finding the boat will be easy now. The Hunter 34 is a great boat I had a freind actually two who owned one and would have bought it from the first one but the mast is too tall for our bridges so I turned another freind onto it he bought it the same day. Is your slipmate the girl whose father owns the liquor store? Now go and find a First Command representative and go to one of the seminars. It does not matter if you sign up with them or go to someone else. That is going to be the best and most concise program on what your benefits are do not be one of the ones like me who wihishes we had started fifteen years before. It is usually a Prime Rib dinner so if nothing else they feed you good.
112 degrees in Phoenix
I live in Phoenix but have a H376 in San Diego. I used H&S on Harbor Island. I was very pleased. My sales person (Gary B) did a great job looking for what I wanted and found it. Price was very fair and service after the sale was very good too. My biggest advantage was that i wasnt in a hurry. I was moving up from a catalina 30. After 6 months he found my "new" boat. And he sold my C30 in 10 days! Good luck & welcome to SD. BTW, its 112 degrees on my patio here in Phoenix and I'm about to leave to drive over to SD where its 72! Needless to say I love SD!
I live in Phoenix but have a H376 in San Diego. I used H&S on Harbor Island. I was very pleased. My sales person (Gary B) did a great job looking for what I wanted and found it. Price was very fair and service after the sale was very good too. My biggest advantage was that i wasnt in a hurry. I was moving up from a catalina 30. After 6 months he found my "new" boat. And he sold my C30 in 10 days! Good luck & welcome to SD. BTW, its 112 degrees on my patio here in Phoenix and I'm about to leave to drive over to SD where its 72! Needless to say I love SD!
Here are a few links
http://www.sdboats.com/ http://www.latitude38.com/ San Diego Yacht Club: http://www.sdyc.org/ Navy Yacht Club San Diego: http://www.nycsd.org/ There may be another free magazine like Latitude 38 for southern California but I don't know. Latitude 38 is the big one I know about. It is available in West Marine stores around Washington state. Good luck and thanks for your service!
http://www.sdboats.com/ http://www.latitude38.com/ San Diego Yacht Club: http://www.sdyc.org/ Navy Yacht Club San Diego: http://www.nycsd.org/ There may be another free magazine like Latitude 38 for southern California but I don't know. Latitude 38 is the big one I know about. It is available in West Marine stores around Washington state. Good luck and thanks for your service!
Yacht World
You can go to yachtworld.com and search 34-36 ft boats located in San Diego/Oceanside and maybe Dana Point/Newport/Long Beach to see what is available and the cost. That will give you a very good idea of the inventory in So Cal. All major brokers have their boats on this site. You can also search by boat - Hunter, Catalina etc and then see what is available within striking distance. Go Navy!
You can go to yachtworld.com and search 34-36 ft boats located in San Diego/Oceanside and maybe Dana Point/Newport/Long Beach to see what is available and the cost. That will give you a very good idea of the inventory in So Cal. All major brokers have their boats on this site. You can also search by boat - Hunter, Catalina etc and then see what is available within striking distance. Go Navy!
Welcome to SD
Levin I have just started looking for a live aboard also in San Diego. There is like a two year wait at most marina's. Also, some marinas, if not all, have a minimum boat lenth that must be met. The marina in Chula Vista minimum is 35' or 36'. So keep this in mind when looking at potential boats. If you have any questions you can email me at sifutlb@aol.com.
Levin I have just started looking for a live aboard also in San Diego. There is like a two year wait at most marina's. Also, some marinas, if not all, have a minimum boat lenth that must be met. The marina in Chula Vista minimum is 35' or 36'. So keep this in mind when looking at potential boats. If you have any questions you can email me at sifutlb@aol.com.
Levin,,,
I predict that you will become President of the United States. Of course, that's just from reading your posts.
I predict that you will become President of the United States. Of course, that's just from reading your posts.
President eh?
Hello everyone... Not so sure about the president thing, but I would settle for a good deal on a used Catalina 34. I also like some of the Catalina 35's I've seen especially the newer 2001 - 2003 models. Anyone have any experiance with these, or does anyone out there have a suggestion for other good 34 foot boats I should look into? Need something with a good amount of storage as I will being doing the live aboard thing. Again thanks for the help, and for reading the post. -Levin
Hello everyone... Not so sure about the president thing, but I would settle for a good deal on a used Catalina 34. I also like some of the Catalina 35's I've seen especially the newer 2001 - 2003 models. Anyone have any experiance with these, or does anyone out there have a suggestion for other good 34 foot boats I should look into? Need something with a good amount of storage as I will being doing the live aboard thing. Again thanks for the help, and for reading the post. -Levin
C34 Source
Levin Try www.c34ia.org, go to Forums, then For Sale. The So. Cal. rag is "Santana" You're probably better off using ALL the references you can find. Also check the C36 website for For Sale C36s. C350s will be MUCH more expensive, they're relatively newer boats. Depends on your height: some say C350s are C34s for people who exceed 6'-0". Of course, C350s don't have an aft head... Stu
Levin Try www.c34ia.org, go to Forums, then For Sale. The So. Cal. rag is "Santana" You're probably better off using ALL the references you can find. Also check the C36 website for For Sale C36s. C350s will be MUCH more expensive, they're relatively newer boats. Depends on your height: some say C350s are C34s for people who exceed 6'-0". Of course, C350s don't have an aft head... Stu
Boats For Sale
Check out these sites, lot of boats for sale here: www.sailnet.com/boatsearch www.yachtworld.com www.catalinaowners.com www.boatus.com www.ablboats.com www.boats.com www.sailboatlistings.com/
Check out these sites, lot of boats for sale here: www.sailnet.com/boatsearch www.yachtworld.com www.catalinaowners.com www.boatus.com www.ablboats.com www.boats.com www.sailboatlistings.com/
Levin,
I hate to be a wet blanket, but I don't think acquiring a boat is hard at all. Most larger boats languish on the market for a year or two. So you have your pick of perhaps a hundred suitable boats in your area, and if you can get a loan, they are yours in a day or two. The problem, especially for a guy in the service, is: how do you sell it when you are transferred out in a year or 2 or 3? If you've got to go, the boat will need to be either sold, or put up on jacks, and selling can take quite a while. Like maybe 1.5 years, as I mentioned above. Anyway, you've probably already thought of this, so please excuse my pessimism. And "none of your business", or no reply at all, are both perfectly reasonable responses. Good luck in any case!
I hate to be a wet blanket, but I don't think acquiring a boat is hard at all. Most larger boats languish on the market for a year or two. So you have your pick of perhaps a hundred suitable boats in your area, and if you can get a loan, they are yours in a day or two. The problem, especially for a guy in the service, is: how do you sell it when you are transferred out in a year or 2 or 3? If you've got to go, the boat will need to be either sold, or put up on jacks, and selling can take quite a while. Like maybe 1.5 years, as I mentioned above. Anyway, you've probably already thought of this, so please excuse my pessimism. And "none of your business", or no reply at all, are both perfectly reasonable responses. Good luck in any case!
From a local Sailor
I am in Fiddlers Cove, which is where you will want to go - it is the Navy Marina. I have a Hunter 33 (new) and I can look around the marina for you if you want. Two slips down is a buddy (LDO Subs) on a H34 with family, 2 slips the other way is a liveaboard on a Cal. The best local reading resource is "The Log," mentioned by Don. Here are a couple interesting links and my email at the end if I can help. My personal email can be linked from here as well. Look forward to you coming out and let me know if I can help you at all. www.thelog.com http://www.nycsd.org/ andrew.crowe@navy.mil
I am in Fiddlers Cove, which is where you will want to go - it is the Navy Marina. I have a Hunter 33 (new) and I can look around the marina for you if you want. Two slips down is a buddy (LDO Subs) on a H34 with family, 2 slips the other way is a liveaboard on a Cal. The best local reading resource is "The Log," mentioned by Don. Here are a couple interesting links and my email at the end if I can help. My personal email can be linked from here as well. Look forward to you coming out and let me know if I can help you at all. www.thelog.com http://www.nycsd.org/ andrew.crowe@navy.mil
Latitude 38
Latitude 38 is another good spot do do some looking around in. Good classifieds, some pretty good deals on boats out there. If you are not afraid of a little bit of elbow grease, an older boat can be a real deal, just make sure that you spend a little on a survey. Don't limit yourself to a few select manufacturers either as there are many others. I was looking for a Catalina 30 when I came across an Islander 30 at an exceptional price. No regrets what so ever. My suggestion is that the best value lies in boats aged early to mid 70's. Solid hulls, few blister problems, etc.
Latitude 38 is another good spot do do some looking around in. Good classifieds, some pretty good deals on boats out there. If you are not afraid of a little bit of elbow grease, an older boat can be a real deal, just make sure that you spend a little on a survey. Don't limit yourself to a few select manufacturers either as there are many others. I was looking for a Catalina 30 when I came across an Islander 30 at an exceptional price. No regrets what so ever. My suggestion is that the best value lies in boats aged early to mid 70's. Solid hulls, few blister problems, etc.
look here
this is a great spot to look just find the person who needs to sell not wants to sell.
this is a great spot to look just find the person who needs to sell not wants to sell.
A few thoughts
Hello all... Just a few thoughts for everyone. First for Sanders, I appreciate the link to Frank Buch's site, but I've tried to work with him a few times and he has a bad habit of not writing back (perhaps he doesn't think I'm serious). I'll look him up in person when I get out to San Diego next week. For Jay, thanks for the wake up call, but I have thought that through and I'll be taking the boat with me wherever I'm stationed next. With the Navy there is a good chance that it will be near water, and there are ways to get them to pay for the move (I've talked to people who have done it). But again thanks for the imput, a dose of reality is always appreciated... sometimes people in my situation can forget it's there. Lastly for everyone else, thanks for all the great advice and helpful links. Again I can't say enough how helpful everyone has been here on this board. One more question if I might: Does anyone know how much storage room a Catalina 34 or a Hunter 34 has on board? (These are the two boats I'm looking at most seriously). I've been told that as a live-aboard this is the one thing I will always want more of. Also if anyone just has general comparisons between those two boats it would be helpful. Thanks Again, -Levin
Hello all... Just a few thoughts for everyone. First for Sanders, I appreciate the link to Frank Buch's site, but I've tried to work with him a few times and he has a bad habit of not writing back (perhaps he doesn't think I'm serious). I'll look him up in person when I get out to San Diego next week. For Jay, thanks for the wake up call, but I have thought that through and I'll be taking the boat with me wherever I'm stationed next. With the Navy there is a good chance that it will be near water, and there are ways to get them to pay for the move (I've talked to people who have done it). But again thanks for the imput, a dose of reality is always appreciated... sometimes people in my situation can forget it's there. Lastly for everyone else, thanks for all the great advice and helpful links. Again I can't say enough how helpful everyone has been here on this board. One more question if I might: Does anyone know how much storage room a Catalina 34 or a Hunter 34 has on board? (These are the two boats I'm looking at most seriously). I've been told that as a live-aboard this is the one thing I will always want more of. Also if anyone just has general comparisons between those two boats it would be helpful. Thanks Again, -Levin
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