Hello everyone. I'm new here, and new to sailing. I've got 20 years of boating experience, but haven't been sailing since I was 6 years old.
My wife and I are entertaining the idea of living aboard a sailboat and cruising the Caribbean when I retire in about 12 years. So, we thought that maybe we aught to get a little sailing experience first.
I live in Florida and there are a lot of boats around to choose from and we've looked at a few. We have our eye on a Commodore T26, because most everything else we have looked at had at least one major issue not disclosed by the seller until after the 2 hour drive to see it. The Comodor is nice, but has a fixed shoal keel which I'm not real excited about.
We are looking for a large, easy to trailer boat with Centerboard keel that is safe and relatively inexpensive. Centerboard because we plan to sail the coastline of Florida and (after gaining a few years of experience) maybe even visit the Bahamas and other nearby islands.
I found a fewo O'Day 25s that I'm going to look at and after reading about them online, we have decided to limit our search to this model boat only.
https://www.pieroneyachtsales.com/boats-for-sale/1978-o-day-25-oday-englewood-florida-6832667/
https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/boa/6728276132.html
https://daytona.craigslist.org/boa/6725923265.html?lang=en&cc=us
I'm also finally in a financial position to make an offer when I find the right boat. So here are my questions...
1. What are some of the common problem areas the 25s have and how do I inspect them? I've read that the transom has a plywood core which can rot and that the chain plate attachments are also a problem. How common? Deal breaker or fixable?
2. None of the three have trailers. Any advice here? I can get a good dual axel powerboat trailer for $1800 to $2500. I could do the modifications myself if I had the specs. What are my alternatives. I don't want to spend more on the trailer than I do on the boat.
3. The last boat has an inboard diesel. Should I give that one a priority, or is there a reason the small outboards are better?
Thanks in advance for your input and advice. My wife and I are real excited about out our future and I'm itching to become a boat owner again.
My wife and I are entertaining the idea of living aboard a sailboat and cruising the Caribbean when I retire in about 12 years. So, we thought that maybe we aught to get a little sailing experience first.
I live in Florida and there are a lot of boats around to choose from and we've looked at a few. We have our eye on a Commodore T26, because most everything else we have looked at had at least one major issue not disclosed by the seller until after the 2 hour drive to see it. The Comodor is nice, but has a fixed shoal keel which I'm not real excited about.
We are looking for a large, easy to trailer boat with Centerboard keel that is safe and relatively inexpensive. Centerboard because we plan to sail the coastline of Florida and (after gaining a few years of experience) maybe even visit the Bahamas and other nearby islands.
I found a fewo O'Day 25s that I'm going to look at and after reading about them online, we have decided to limit our search to this model boat only.
https://www.pieroneyachtsales.com/boats-for-sale/1978-o-day-25-oday-englewood-florida-6832667/
https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/boa/6728276132.html
https://daytona.craigslist.org/boa/6725923265.html?lang=en&cc=us
I'm also finally in a financial position to make an offer when I find the right boat. So here are my questions...
1. What are some of the common problem areas the 25s have and how do I inspect them? I've read that the transom has a plywood core which can rot and that the chain plate attachments are also a problem. How common? Deal breaker or fixable?
2. None of the three have trailers. Any advice here? I can get a good dual axel powerboat trailer for $1800 to $2500. I could do the modifications myself if I had the specs. What are my alternatives. I don't want to spend more on the trailer than I do on the boat.
3. The last boat has an inboard diesel. Should I give that one a priority, or is there a reason the small outboards are better?
Thanks in advance for your input and advice. My wife and I are real excited about out our future and I'm itching to become a boat owner again.