Looking for a good sailboat pls help!

[Tim]

Being a temporary "landlocked" sailor I have "caught" the fever agin to purchase a sailboat. I used to sail small 10' sailboats and loved it! I now have the oppurtunity to purchase a 23' Ranger & need some advice please.The Ranger 23 I test sailed today seemed to be a nice boat in fair condition. She needs some TLC but seems to be in fair shape. Comes complete with a handheld waterproof vhf radio, nice (extendable) trailer, force 4 four cycle outboard, spare sails, porta-potty, all the riggings. Needs repainted badly, seems to have no blisters anywhere on hull, some rust around keel bolts, handles pretty good! I had her tipped enough for water to come over the sides & she still handled great!Seller tells me there is no finer boat for the money ($3500.00) avail. anywhere. Since I know little about current sailboats I thought I would elicit your opinion here.I would like to use her for my training & then take her to Texas & sail around the coast all the way up to Canada. Am I looking at too small of a baot for this journey? Seller told me of a guy who sailed one to Austrilla(sp). Possible? Would this be the perfect "starter/training boat for me?Any input would be GREATLY appreciated. I have been sufing Ebay & found several other boats much cheaper but really have no idea what I am looking at.Thanks!trmorrow@juno.com405-821-4903

 

[Ken Cobb]

Not bad

An older 23-foot boat with port potty and cabin, plus trailer, for just $3500 is on the face of it a pretty good price. However, it also suggests a boat that needs some TLC, as this one does. I am not familiar with the Ranger, though.Make sure the sails are not blown out. This boat sounds old, and it is likely that it needs new sails. However, it may be priced to allow for that.

 

[Bob]

Check out the book

"Practical Boat Buying Vol.1" published by Practical Sailor magazine. It does not review the Ranger 23, but does review 15 popular boats in the 22 to 24 foot range. SailNet.com has a Boatcheck feature that has a number of owners' reviews of the R23. They seem to like the boat and feel it is a real solid design (Gary Mull, '71), but caution owners to check chainplate area leaks.

 

[Joe Ford]

Ranger 23

Last summer I became acquainted with a new guy on our dock who had just purchased a Ranger 23, moved aboard and was in the process of getting the boat and his sailing skills ready for the Ba Ha Ha. He was there for about 6 months, made a number of warm up trips to catalina and the coronados. I sailed with him once and really enjoyed the boat's solid feel.He added a second and third reef point to the main, got a solar panel and good radar reflector, some more safety equipment, a coleman stove and an ice box. The rigging looked fine. ....anyway, a friend joined him for a month and they took off in the fall for La Paz. Last I heard he was cruising down the mainland coast.... looking for a ride to the south seas. I think the point is to completely KNOW YOUR BOAT!! Spend time on it,,, live on it,.. take short trips... then longer trips...know how to fix thinks... know its limitations. But don't spend forever getting ready. At some point you just have to do it. This guy, Sean, did that. He was adventurous.... but not foolish. The Ranger 23 was in his budget, he implemented an intelligent plan and off he went. I think that's so cool.