I recently went through this - just bought my first boat in decades, after spending a lot of time sailing (mostly racing) in my younger years - and for whatever it's worth I'll share some of the thinking that I went through:
-- it's good that you already have an idea of size- and price-ranges. That's often the hardest part, and budgets *always* get bigger, never smaller, as you look at more boats. I wanted something in the 32-35' range, because I wanted a boat that was big enough to go places, and still small enough that I could go out by myself for an evening sail in the summertime.
--I initially set my budget at around $30k. There are a *ton* of 80s- and 90s-era production fiberglass sailboats out there in that price range. But as I looked at a bunch of boats in that range and evaluated the state of condition, I got to my next decision-point.
-- it's good to decide how much tolerance you have for not just the ongoing maintenance, but the necessary rehab for an older boat. For me, I wanted to get on the water, not take on a project, so there were a lot of boats that fell off my list as I went out and looked. Boats that had major or significant structural issues, boats that had not been maintained properly, boats that needed significant cosmetic work, boats that had never been kept up-to-date (eg, 30 year old rigging, sails, etc), boats that had been raced hard and had issues (such as soft-spots on the deck). As I looked, I learned a lot about what I *didn't* want, and what I didn't want was a project that would take me years to get in shape before I could enjoy it. Be aware that making that decision affects either the size-range or price-range. In my case, I mentally bumped the budget a bit.
-- For me, I wanted a boat from a builder that had built enough to be "known good". There were some lovely one-offs (ex racing boats) in my size- and price- range, but having no way of knowing that the builder knew what they were doing, and having no "support" in the form of owners-forums or the like, waved me off. And along the way of learning about the relative reputations of different builders, I also learned a lot about the potential challenges of "cored" hull construction. Yes, a cored-hull may be light and stiff. It may also be the leading edge of some major remediation needs if it has been compromised. So I decided I was okay with a cored deck, but wanted a solid-layup hull (sadly, that knocked some lovely C&Cs off my list)
-- Look at a *lot* of boats. Seriously. Don't make a hobby out of it, but there's no substitute for building a catalog in your head about what you like and what you don't like. As you go, you'll start to notice patterns.... "oh, yeah, the galley area on these always seems so functional, but there's no storage area".... "the way the interior is laid out on that one, anytime someone needs to use the head they have to walk through where everyone else is sleeping"... "this one has so much wood below it feels like a cave"... "on that one, there's no place on deck to sit with a snack and a drink"... Etc.
-- and as you look, try to map what you're seeing, to what you intend to use the boat for. It doesn't matter if the boat is all set up for deepwater cruising, if you never intend to go offshore. For me, first and foremost, I wanted a boat that *sails* well - as an ex-racer, I wanted a lively hull, with a usable interior. There are a lot of boats out there designed around the interior, with less emphasis on sailing (a friend calls them "RVs that float"), and understanding the differences really helped me narrow my thinking.
-- Above all, be patient. I looked at well over 30 boats, and ended up finding just the right boat, but 1500 miles away. But it was just the right boat, so it was fairly easy to decide to bump the budget enough to have it shipped up here. Very happy that I spent the time and energy not just to look, but to figure out what "felt right", along the way. I ended up with a mid-80s, 32-foot "racer-cruiser" (racing-inspired hull, cruising-capable interior) from a well-known/reputable builder, that had been thoughtfully maintained and updated, and couldn't be happier.
Bruce
-- it's good that you already have an idea of size- and price-ranges. That's often the hardest part, and budgets *always* get bigger, never smaller, as you look at more boats. I wanted something in the 32-35' range, because I wanted a boat that was big enough to go places, and still small enough that I could go out by myself for an evening sail in the summertime.
--I initially set my budget at around $30k. There are a *ton* of 80s- and 90s-era production fiberglass sailboats out there in that price range. But as I looked at a bunch of boats in that range and evaluated the state of condition, I got to my next decision-point.
-- it's good to decide how much tolerance you have for not just the ongoing maintenance, but the necessary rehab for an older boat. For me, I wanted to get on the water, not take on a project, so there were a lot of boats that fell off my list as I went out and looked. Boats that had major or significant structural issues, boats that had not been maintained properly, boats that needed significant cosmetic work, boats that had never been kept up-to-date (eg, 30 year old rigging, sails, etc), boats that had been raced hard and had issues (such as soft-spots on the deck). As I looked, I learned a lot about what I *didn't* want, and what I didn't want was a project that would take me years to get in shape before I could enjoy it. Be aware that making that decision affects either the size-range or price-range. In my case, I mentally bumped the budget a bit.
-- For me, I wanted a boat from a builder that had built enough to be "known good". There were some lovely one-offs (ex racing boats) in my size- and price- range, but having no way of knowing that the builder knew what they were doing, and having no "support" in the form of owners-forums or the like, waved me off. And along the way of learning about the relative reputations of different builders, I also learned a lot about the potential challenges of "cored" hull construction. Yes, a cored-hull may be light and stiff. It may also be the leading edge of some major remediation needs if it has been compromised. So I decided I was okay with a cored deck, but wanted a solid-layup hull (sadly, that knocked some lovely C&Cs off my list)
-- Look at a *lot* of boats. Seriously. Don't make a hobby out of it, but there's no substitute for building a catalog in your head about what you like and what you don't like. As you go, you'll start to notice patterns.... "oh, yeah, the galley area on these always seems so functional, but there's no storage area".... "the way the interior is laid out on that one, anytime someone needs to use the head they have to walk through where everyone else is sleeping"... "this one has so much wood below it feels like a cave"... "on that one, there's no place on deck to sit with a snack and a drink"... Etc.
-- and as you look, try to map what you're seeing, to what you intend to use the boat for. It doesn't matter if the boat is all set up for deepwater cruising, if you never intend to go offshore. For me, first and foremost, I wanted a boat that *sails* well - as an ex-racer, I wanted a lively hull, with a usable interior. There are a lot of boats out there designed around the interior, with less emphasis on sailing (a friend calls them "RVs that float"), and understanding the differences really helped me narrow my thinking.
-- Above all, be patient. I looked at well over 30 boats, and ended up finding just the right boat, but 1500 miles away. But it was just the right boat, so it was fairly easy to decide to bump the budget enough to have it shipped up here. Very happy that I spent the time and energy not just to look, but to figure out what "felt right", along the way. I ended up with a mid-80s, 32-foot "racer-cruiser" (racing-inspired hull, cruising-capable interior) from a well-known/reputable builder, that had been thoughtfully maintained and updated, and couldn't be happier.
Bruce
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