I recently let a sailboat, that I've been searching 2 years for, slip away because of the 4 hour one-way drive to check it out. How far would you be willing to travel to checkout a trailerable sailboat that you've been looking for?
Long way to check out trailer sailor
- Thread starter yappasailing
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Great answer! I drove at least 3000 miles over two years and flew to Maryland and the Carolinas looking at boats. Settled on a boat in Charleston. You shouldn’t think twice about a four hour trip. Just do it!
That really depends on free time, level of desperation, anxiety and all the other emotions associated with buying a dream!
I had looked for several years and threatened even longer. I drive frequently in my work and had the habit of searching residential yards for boats that never moved. Some got away and some were junk. I finally turned to the listings. Here I found junk or old listings. I frequently heard, "I sold that boat last year and the calls keep coming. How do I get off the listings?" My luck finally changed with a new listing that fit all my requirements. Once the seller and I were convinced that neither of us were scammers, it was done. I drove 90 miles.
If you want it, go for it! Just be ready to go before someone else buys your dream.
I had looked for several years and threatened even longer. I drive frequently in my work and had the habit of searching residential yards for boats that never moved. Some got away and some were junk. I finally turned to the listings. Here I found junk or old listings. I frequently heard, "I sold that boat last year and the calls keep coming. How do I get off the listings?" My luck finally changed with a new listing that fit all my requirements. Once the seller and I were convinced that neither of us were scammers, it was done. I drove 90 miles.
If you want it, go for it! Just be ready to go before someone else buys your dream.
I drove 3 hours for an AMF Force 5. I wouldn’t say it was my “dream” boat, but it was the right boat at the right time at the right price. And it’s my solemn obligation as an American to drive great distances for almost no reason whatsoever.
I drove from Minneapolis to Bradenton FL and back for my 235. Know what you are getting in to before you leave home. Research the boat and have the PO send as many pictures as possible. If it's worth it, survey or might be able to find someone at the boats location to look it over for you before you commit to travel. It's not that big of a deal to make yourself prepared and make an informed decision.
I drove from Madison to St Louis when I bought our Oday . I was fully prepared to walk away if it wasn't exactly what
I wanted . I didn't care if I spent .several hundred dollars in gas . Side note ,big Dodge Rams get lousy mileage .
Hurricane Katrina made landfall about an hour before we got there . Wasn't much of an inspection do to enormous amounts of rain .
In the end it was worth it . Always be prepared to walk away . The fun is in the shopping and the possibilities .
I wanted . I didn't care if I spent .several hundred dollars in gas . Side note ,big Dodge Rams get lousy mileage .
Hurricane Katrina made landfall about an hour before we got there . Wasn't much of an inspection do to enormous amounts of rain .
In the end it was worth it . Always be prepared to walk away . The fun is in the shopping and the possibilities .
I'm currently negotiating with the seller of a trailerable boat 4,200 km by road from my house. It's the closest one I've been able to find that meets my criteria in nearly a year of shopping.
Maybe I'm too fussy. I would love to find something closer but I realized months ago that the odds don't favour that.
Incidentally, I recently discovered that Facebook Marketplace has become a popular place to sell boats. Not having a Facebook account I didn't even think to look there. I discovered a few weeks ago that a boat I probably would have been quite happy with, and that is so close I can actually see it if I stand on my roof and use binoculars, sold on Facebook Marketplace. So that's now in my search strategy.
Maybe I'm too fussy. I would love to find something closer but I realized months ago that the odds don't favour that.
Incidentally, I recently discovered that Facebook Marketplace has become a popular place to sell boats. Not having a Facebook account I didn't even think to look there. I discovered a few weeks ago that a boat I probably would have been quite happy with, and that is so close I can actually see it if I stand on my roof and use binoculars, sold on Facebook Marketplace. So that's now in my search strategy.
There is also a FB site called "Sailing Vessels for Sale by Owner"
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The RL 24 that I bought was a 3 driving days round trip. I had actually contacted the owner more than a year before that, and after advertising the boat, he pulled the add and had decided not to sell it. I verified the boat existed by checking Google earth. Made sure the guy's name matched his location on an internet search. Drove to the boat and found it to be in expected condition. Doing this puts you at a disadvantage when negotiating price, but as the seller said, ' Make both of us happy." I did and was very pleased with the boat as well as satified with the effort. I consider the distance all part of the investment. If you have to walk away, it is still an investment in the process of finding the right boat.
I like those Rob Legg boats, especially the RL 28. It seems like a lot of work to get one all the way from Australia to Canada, though.
It intrigues me that there are so many good trailer yachts in Australia and New Zealand (and now Europe), and so few in the U.S. or Canada. By "trailer yacht" I mean a sailboat with standing headroom, full head, and galley, but that's also small enough and sits low enough on a trailer to be easily launchable--and, preferably, with a built-in mast raising system. There have been very few production boats that match that description built in the U.S., and none that I know of in Canada, but quite a few in Australia and New Zealand.
The other thing I've noticed about the Aus/NZ boats is that they seem to be more performance oriented. They tend to have higher SDR, BDR, and S# than similar boats made elsewhere. Perhaps racing is more popular down there?
It intrigues me that there are so many good trailer yachts in Australia and New Zealand (and now Europe), and so few in the U.S. or Canada. By "trailer yacht" I mean a sailboat with standing headroom, full head, and galley, but that's also small enough and sits low enough on a trailer to be easily launchable--and, preferably, with a built-in mast raising system. There have been very few production boats that match that description built in the U.S., and none that I know of in Canada, but quite a few in Australia and New Zealand.
The other thing I've noticed about the Aus/NZ boats is that they seem to be more performance oriented. They tend to have higher SDR, BDR, and S# than similar boats made elsewhere. Perhaps racing is more popular down there?
There were about 500 built in the US under license from Rob Legg. They are rare, even more rare since I'm looking to replace the one I had. It was crushed by a tree. I don't know why more sporting boats are not more popular other than the glut of boats built in the 70s were just built to capitalize on the popularity of sailing. There were a lot of junk boats built back then. We reap the benifits in that you can buy a cheap boat with a lot of frills. Just many of them don't sail all that well.
I found my last boat three hours away. I was having trouble getting a hold of the owner the day of but took a chance and drove down there anyways. In the end it worked out great. I got a great boat at an incredible price. I shouldve kept that one. I'd be prepared to hop on for my next one.
If you plan on traveling to check out a boat, ask to do a virtual inspection over facetime, zoom, etc first
If you plan on traveling to check out a boat, ask to do a virtual inspection over facetime, zoom, etc first
I didn't know that! Yes, they must be fairly rare as I've never seen one for sale in the U.S. It's definitely a boat I would consider, especially if I wanted an older boat to fix up--which I might, in a couple of years.
It took me a long time to find the one I had. I'm afraid its taking me longer to find the replacement. I'm trying to hold out for the nicer version with the bigger cabin. The RL24 was the perfect boat for me, as it was small enough to be easily solo sailed, but big enough to fit a family of 4. You can't stand up in the cabin, but you can still move around comfortably. The construction quality was good, no known issues. Some claimed it was tender, but I've sailed in 30 mph winds and had a blast. 40+ just blows the boat over with any kind of sail up. I'd love to get an RL28, but there are none in the US as far as I know.
When talk about mast raising, I view it as its an old boat - figure it out. I put extra cleats on my cabin roof to make it simple. From rolling down the road to mast up was less than 10 minutes.
When talk about mast raising, I view it as its an old boat - figure it out. I put extra cleats on my cabin roof to make it simple. From rolling down the road to mast up was less than 10 minutes.
I was looking for my first sailboat (in 20 years). I had a range in mind of 5 hours each way which gave my Charleston or Raleigh areas. I found an Oday 20' that was restored and only 2 hours away but I put it off for 2 days too long. When I finally got to call to go see the boat, he had just sold it. I did find a Hunter 25.5 that was actually local to me and we worked out a price but there was a title problem and I backed off. I found my current Catalina 22 that was 3 1/2 hours away. The seller and I got along great and after a lot of pictures, we came to an agreement on the price. Since there was no trailer, he was keeping the one in the ad, he agreed to actually deliver the boat to my marina and launch it. I bought it sight unseen and didn't pay him until the boat got to me. I got very lucky!
I was also looking for a specific model boat. Drove to Corpus Christi, Kentucky Lake, Jacksonville (FL), and Houston. Flew to Annapolis Flew to Jacksonville (SC); from SC , drove to Oriental, then to Myrtle Beach, & Charleston in one weekend. Used FF miles to fly & lots of Hilton points for hotel stays over two year period. Finally bought the boat in Charleston one year later. We did 2-3 day trips over weekends & kind of enjoyed it. But, very disappointed in seeing how owners neglected & abused boats that were only 5 years old at the time. Finally got the boat that I wanted in reasonably good condition at the right price!
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Found an 18ft sportboat I was interested in, got pictures from the seller & talked on the phone the first day, sent a deposit via mail the next day... flew on a 1-way ticket to Florida a week later, rented a Tahoe 1-way back to Michigan...because they come with a factory installed receiver hitch... had the ball in my check-in bag... drove straight through on the way home... probably impulsive, but the boat was a blast to sail!
Between a cheap midweek flight and a decent price on the rental car, think i had less than $400 getting it home... and an experience to boot!
Between a cheap midweek flight and a decent price on the rental car, think i had less than $400 getting it home... and an experience to boot!