New sailer

[Scott T-Bird]

Do you actually think it is feasible to make money on the transaction? I'm curious, not knowing the California market. I've heard that boats sell for higher prices there, but .... You will be spending money to make it ready and to add safety features. Generally speaking, I think that you will be paying retail for everything you put into the boat and selling everything that is new at wholesale or depreciated price. I can't see where your sweat equity will actually improve the basic value of the boat.

That said, if your goal is to use the money from the sale of a 27' boat to purchase a larger project boat, it probably makes better economic sense to simply save for the larger project boat. I think that most of the money that you put into an old, worn boat is done mainly for love of the boat, and not even close to being economically sensible. I've done it, as have hundreds of people in this forum. We didn't do it for the money, that's for sure!

The sail down the coast sounds like fun, and it sounds like you want a good excuse to do it. I wouldn't do it in a 27' boat. In my opinion, it would be more worthwhile in a larger boat, once you have the money to put into it, also with improvements that YOU will enjoy (not the new purchaser -they'll buy it from you at a discount price).

 

[Glsawyer]

Do you actually think it is feasible to make money on the transaction? I'm curious, not knowing the California market. I've heard that boats sell for higher prices there, but .... You will be spending money to make it ready and to add safety features. Generally speaking, I think that you will be paying retail for everything you put into the boat and selling everything that is new at wholesale or depreciated price. I can't see where your sweat equity will actually improve the basic value of the boat.

That said, if your goal is to use the money from the sale of a 27' boat to purchase a larger project boat, it probably makes better economic sense to simply save for the larger project boat. I think that most of the money that you put into an old, worn boat is done mainly for love of the boat, and not even close to being economically sensible. I've done it, as have hundreds of people in this forum. We didn't do it for the money, that's for sure!

The sail down the coast sounds like fun, and it sounds like you want a good excuse to do it. I wouldn't do it in a 27' boat. In my opinion, it would be more worthwhile in a larger boat, once you have the money to put into it, also with improvements that YOU will enjoy (not the new purchaser -they'll buy it from you at a discount price).

I do agree. But. The boat is a gift from a friend that also he takes care of it he simply dosent use it. If I can sell it for anything above 2500 it's a profit.

 

[Glsawyer]

But I will be buying a replacement boat in the 3-6k range. So selling the 27 is just to make up part of the cost

 

[Project_Mayhem]

For a chartplotter and gps I intend to use a raspberry pi build custom done for the purpose

Your life may rely on your chartplotter to get you out of a storm. I'm in no way saying you're not capable of building such a device, but these devices take time to develop and test, especially in such a harsh environment. The last thing you want when shit hits the fan is to be diagnosing a connection issue or debugging code. Mother nature doesn't care if you're only two lines away from getting it up and running

 

[Glsawyer]

Your life may rely on your chartplotter to get you out of a storm. I'm in no way saying you're not capable of building such a device, but these devices take time to develop and test, especially in such a harsh environment. The last thing you want when shit hits the fan is to be diagnosing a connection issue or debugging code

Very true. I intend 2 have at least 1 back up just to be safe

 

[Glsawyer]

I need a budget fish/depth finder /gps combo unit. And ideas. Lowrance looks like good for low cost options.

 

[dmax]

Check out Simrad's line of Cruise chartplotters, West Marine typically puts them on sale in the Fall.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

But I will be buying a replacement boat in the 3-6k range. So selling the 27 is just to make up part of the cost

It sounds like you want to sail a "free" boat down the Pacific Coast from Washington to California to sell it. Then, with the proceeds, search for a project boat (30' to 35') in Florida, that you expect to obtain for $3,000 to $5,000. I don't get it.

The choice between a Cal 28 and a Newport 27 is noteworthy. Both are fine boats and if in good condition, they should be worth $8 to $10 K. But why go to California to sell it? You say the Newport 27 may not even have a working engine! Unless you are extremely lucky and skillful (you would need to be both), you can't expect to sail down the Pacific Coast with any reasonable safety in a boat that is basically worth zilch. A sane person would need to spend at least $10 K (probably much more) to make a worthless boat capable of sailing and/or motoring on the ocean. So why would you even spend that money if your ultimate goal is to buy a $6 K "project"? The answer is undoubtedly that you wouldn't actually make the boat capable. That raspberry pi idea sounds like you plan to do everything on a shoe string budget. I doubt that will go over very well with any prospective purchaser of the "free" boat. You may just be making it un-saleable.

Not to be discouraging, but the whole plan doesn't make any sense. Just about everybody in this forum will testify that a "free boat" is usually nothing more than a trap to waste all of the money that you put into it. There are some notable exceptions among us (I'm certainly not one of them ). But if you want to buy a project boat, you have to expect to put a substantial amount of money into it. There are surely plenty of project boats in Florida for $6 K, but you will need a lot more than that for a 30' boat that you want to make ready to sail. I won't question your knowledge or ability, but I suspect from your tentative plans and by asking these questions, you don't really have a grip on your expectations. And I don't understand at all the trip to California in a boat that you can trust only if you are insane.

 

[Glsawyer]

It sounds like you want to sail a "free" boat down the Pacific Coast from Washington to California to sell it. Then, with the proceeds, search for a project boat (30' to 35') in Florida, that you expect to obtain for $3,000 to $5,000. I don't get it.

The choice between a Cal 28 and a Newport 27 is noteworthy. Both are fine boats and if in good condition, they should be worth $8 to $10 K. But why go to California to sell it? You say the Newport 27 may not even have a working engine! Unless you are extremely lucky and skillful (you would need to be both), you can't expect to sail down the Pacific Coast with any reasonable safety in a boat that is basically worth zilch. A sane person would need to spend at least $10 K (probably much more) to make a worthless boat capable of sailing and/or motoring on the ocean. So why would you even spend that money if your ultimate goal is to buy a $6 K "project"? The answer is undoubtedly that you wouldn't actually make the boat capable. That raspberry pi idea sounds like you plan to do everything on a shoe string budget. I doubt that will go over very well with any prospective purchaser of the "free" boat. You may just be making it un-saleable.

Not to be discouraging, but the whole plan doesn't make any sense. Just about everybody in this forum will testify that a "free boat" is usually nothing more than a trap to waste all of the money that you put into it. There are some notable exceptions among us (I'm certainly not one of them ). But if you want to buy a project boat, you have to expect to put a substantial amount of money into it. There are surely plenty of project boats in Florida for $6 K, but you will need a lot more than that for a 30' boat that you want to make ready to sail. I won't question your knowledge or ability, but I suspect from your tentative plans and by asking these questions, you don't really have a grip on your expectations. And I don't understand at all the trip to California in a boat that you can trust only if you are insane.

And you may be right. But I wont get a boat that has hull problems. I need a good hull and sails. Rigging can be replaced easily. Also standing gear will be very throughly inspected

 

[Kings Gambit]

And you may be right. But I wont get a boat that has hull problems. I need a good hull and sails. Rigging can be replaced easily. Also standing gear will be very throughly inspected

Scott. “New Sailor” is often synonymous with “clueless wish to be sailing.“ That’s why they inquire to folks at the forum. I sometimes think we must be responding in Greek, however. When someone knows nothing about that which he is attempting, anything and everything seems possible, and it all makes sense (to them). What’s that old saying from the military: amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics?

 

[jssailem]

I would encourage you read two books
They hold perspective from an age I’m guessing you might be near and having done what you conjecture you want to do. In both cases the experience was memorable just not as they expected.


Tranquility : A Memoir of an American Sailor...
by Billy Sparrow

And

A Foolish Voyage: Self-discovery at Sea
Book by Neil Hawkesford

 

[Kings Gambit]

I was out shooting trap on Sunday with a 12 gauge. I’m a rank (clueless?) beginner. Seems so logical. Keep the barrel pointed at the clay, not all that far away, and pull the trigger. It’s a shotgun, after all! Kinda like put the bow in the direction you want to go, raise the sails, and then go! But with one or two hits after 50 clays, I asked a gentleman looking on if he knew how to hit those things. We spent maybe 5 minutes talking. I then hit four of the next five. It all went better after that. But most importantly, I now know what I need to work on and why. If only ... !

 

[srimes]

How far south are you going? Don't go too far as prices drop closer to Mexico. Many plan on round-trip but it's much easier to go south than north, and when they get a taste of the "Baha Bash" they give up, sell cheap, and fly home.

 

[Kings Gambit]

How far south are you going? Don't go too far as prices drop closer to Mexico. Many plan on round-trip but it's much easier to go south than north, and when they get a taste of the "Baha Bash" they give up, sell cheap, and fly home.

Cabo is pretty far from San Diego; over 700 mi. True. If you’ve abandoned your boat in Cabo you might not get a good price trying to sell it there. But I don’t agree that carries up into the So. Cal. market. Returning from Ensenada (e.g., to San Diego) is not much different than sailing between San Diego and Dana Point (so no “Bash”). The “inner waters“ between Punta Concepcion and Ensenada are in the sheltered lee of La Punta. Past Ensenada heading south, however, you finally lose that shelter and the seas resemble those of the northern and central CA coast.

 

[Glsawyer]

Cabo is pretty far from San Diego; over 700 mi. True. If you’ve abandoned your boat in Cabo you might not get a good price trying to sell it there. But I don’t agree that carries up into the So. Cal. market. Returning from Ensenada (e.g., to San Diego) is not much different than sailing between San Diego and Dana Point (so no “Bash”). The “inner waters“ between Punta Concepcion and Ensenada are in the sheltered lee of La Punta. Past Ensenada heading south, however, you finally lose that shelter and the seas resemble those of the northern and central CA coast.

I was thing sail to somewhere between San Francisco and LA. Haven't looked yet. Gotta check local prices and demand

 

[Glsawyer]

I would encourage you read two books
They hold perspective from an age I’m guessing you might be near and having done what you conjecture you want to do. In both cases the experience was memorable just not as they expected.


Tranquility : A Memoir of an American Sailor...
by Billy Sparrow

And

A Foolish Voyage: Self-discovery at Sea
Book by Neil Hawkesford

Ty. I am reading a foolish voyage as we speak. Free with kindle

 

[Mr. Dave]

So, you want my two cents?

A. You are not an experienced sailor
B. You can get a free boat, but you lack the knowledge to determine if it's at all seaworthy
C. You'll be sailing 200 miles offshore, single handed
D. In the Pacific ocean
E. On a voyage that could easily be 1300 nm
F. With second hand electronics
G. Largely because you hope you can earn $2500 by reselling it

I mean, I've heard of people doing a whole lot stupider things than that, and I've done my share of foolish things, and I wish, at my age, that I had done more foolish things.

But single-handing an older small boat in the Pacific ocean with very little prectical experience and very few resources sounds a bit reckless to me.

And, if you honestly calculate all your expenses and your time and the uncertainty of making any money, you might find it's not particularly sensible economically. Or maybe it is, I don't know.

But it would be one hell of an adventure.

 

[Glsawyer]

So, you want my two cents?

A. You are not an experienced sailor
B. You can get a free boat, but you lack the knowledge to determine if it's at all seaworthy
C. You'll be sailing 200 miles offshore, single handed
D. In the Pacific ocean
E. On a voyage that could easily be 1300 nm
F. With second hand electronics
G. Largely because you hope you can earn $2500 by reselling it

I mean, I've heard of people doing a whole lot stupider things than that, and I've done my share of foolish things, and I wish, at my age, that I had done more foolish things.

But single-handing an older small boat in the Pacific ocean with very little prectical experience and very few resources sounds a bit reckless to me.

And, if you honestly calculate all your expenses and your time and the uncertainty of making any money, you might find it's not particularly sensible economically. Or maybe it is, I don't know.

But it would be one hell of an adventure.

Who know what may happen. I have never run from a challenge. I live for them. I do have years of boating experience. I first sailed in the bay around olympia when I was 9. On a homemade 15ft sailboat. When I was 25 I got back into it with a 25ft bayliner buccaneer. A year later I got a 22ft cal. I just got rid of my 1967 28ft cabing cruiser. I owned a 30 steel fishing boat in Alaska. I sold that. And several other boats over the years. I want an adventure. A challenge. I'm tired of sitting around board as hell. Not saying it will be easy. But it will be a challenge. An adventure.

I am not where I wanted to be in life. I haven't live my childhood dreams. But I have lived a good life. I am happy with everything I have done. I have passed every challenge I have had thrown at me. Not I want the sea. I. Have live near and on it my whole life. East and west coast.

 

[Mr. Dave]

Err, sorry, I missed the experience part...

 

[Glsawyer]

Err, sorry, I missed the experience part...

Lol. Sorry should have maybe led with that. Granted been off sailing for awhile but I intend to do Westport to aberdeen and back a few times to test myself and the boat 1st.