Hello everyone and thanks for taking the time to read this post. It has little to do with boat performance and more to do with livability and space. My wife and I have a rental property and are avid sailors. Though we don't own our "retirement boat" yet... we are working toward that in the near future. In the meantime, like a lot of sailors who choose to cruise in their retirement, we need to create more "passive" income. That being said, we have been watching the Air B and B boat rentals - and we are intrigued, to the point of considering purchasing a dock or two locally (Louisville, KY) and "floating" a couple of cleaned up cruisers in and offering short term / overnight rentals. This, of course, isn't an original idea, it's happening in cities everywhere though the average price per night is only about $75 - $150 a night. That being said, we feel if we can keep our expenses down and the model simple we can make a little extra cash. If we buy a slip for say $4000 or less and average five rentals a month the return on investment is relatively short.
So here is the question for the group. I have obsessed about sailboats for thirty plus years, I several sailing dinghies, a Hobie 16 and a McGregor V222 (Don't judge it was free see "And so it begins" where I document Sea Gypsies two-year restoration - lol we spent way too much on her but, I digress). The question is - what boat to use for our project? We will remove the engine (if it's shot) and re-paint and freshen up the interiors making it more "rental friendly." We will keep a Sun Fish or Cat at the marina for renters to use and market two millennials or old adventure dogs like Molly and me. The idea grew out of a number of visits to marinas where I've seen dozens or hundreds of abandoned sailboats. I've had marina owners practically beg me to take these fiberglass anchors away... So far I've looked at a Grampion, Newport 30, Pearsons, etch and a homebuilt wooden boat that this forum generally agreed was a bad idea for obvious reasons. The criteria are space, livability and low maintenance cost (though no engine or sails would greatly reduce the need for maintenance). In my strange way, I feel like we could be doing a little good in our own way, saving a few classics from the scrap yard and maybe fueling our own dreams down the road.
So here is the question for the group. I have obsessed about sailboats for thirty plus years, I several sailing dinghies, a Hobie 16 and a McGregor V222 (Don't judge it was free see "And so it begins" where I document Sea Gypsies two-year restoration - lol we spent way too much on her but, I digress). The question is - what boat to use for our project? We will remove the engine (if it's shot) and re-paint and freshen up the interiors making it more "rental friendly." We will keep a Sun Fish or Cat at the marina for renters to use and market two millennials or old adventure dogs like Molly and me. The idea grew out of a number of visits to marinas where I've seen dozens or hundreds of abandoned sailboats. I've had marina owners practically beg me to take these fiberglass anchors away... So far I've looked at a Grampion, Newport 30, Pearsons, etch and a homebuilt wooden boat that this forum generally agreed was a bad idea for obvious reasons. The criteria are space, livability and low maintenance cost (though no engine or sails would greatly reduce the need for maintenance). In my strange way, I feel like we could be doing a little good in our own way, saving a few classics from the scrap yard and maybe fueling our own dreams down the road.