I know of a Southern Cross 28 for sale at the Charlotte Sailing Center in Charlotte VT on Lake Champlain. You could get to Toronto but i think you would have to step the mast to pass the locks. You could probably get a deal because it wasn't even in the water last summer. I'm not sure of the condition but if it needs work you could probably talk him down. I bought my SC31 for 10k and am putting about 10-15k into it (same budget as you). In the end i will know every nook and cranny and know about anything i didn't fix. These boats are ideal bluewater cruisers and very nice to look at too. If headroom is a consideration, the 31's is 6'3..plenty for me. There is a 31 on yachtworld for 29k...its been for sale since at least last summer and is located in NY.
SD...on your advice (cored hull issues) i had another surveyor check out my boat...no issues were found
. There was one done for a previous potential buyer and my original survey by a well know guy so i think i'm in the clear (as far as that goes). Just my luck we get this storm though...i have all the deck hardware off and i cut a 3 by 4 ft section of the cabintop off to recore it...under shrinkwrap! I was down there yesterday with winds gusting to 60mph and the tidal river moving closer to my boat (on the hard). I was armed with gorilla tape, patching every little hole i could find in the shrinkwrap. It was billowing around wildly and the wind in the rigging of other boats was whistling louder than i've ever heard! I'm headed back tomorrow to make sure everything is okay. Meanwhile my (uncovered) P26 in Vermont is covered with 18 inches of wet heavy snow!!!! I think i will have driven about 1,000 miles by the weeks end. Nobody told me boat ownership was like having kids....all you do is worry,worry,worry!