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Which is best market place for hunting an offshore sailboat ?

4K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  SVAuspicious 
#1 ·
Hello Sailors,

I have this question in my mind. I apologize if it has been discussed many times, but, for a low budget sailor hunting with only one bullet (a.k.a. one flight ticket).

What is the place to visit and walk hunting for a passage maker boat ?

So the best boat will be the best one I can find at the place I arrive. Unfortunately where I live is not an option, because due to import restrictions and market size the offer is very small and extremely expensive.

So, should I go to some port in Spain, France, Greece, Florida, California, or some island in Caribe, or… ? Where is the biggest and best market place to arrive flying and depart sailing ! (avoid spot situation because I will not do at least next 2 years. Where is the Outlet of the sailboats

Kind of boat; Al, steel or plastic in that order.
36-40 foot
Monohull, cutter, sloop, ketche
Draft, as few as possible, no hurry. Priorities; Safety, comfort, simplicity, speed
Budget around 20-30k and considering to put 10k extra for refiting.

Best regards from the Rio de la Plata river, down here in South Atlantic !

Cabron !
26´ PRF, sloop.
 
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#4 ·
I agree with Barquito. Research online beginning with the type of boat at the top of your list. With your boat budget you're probably looking at an older boat so your refit budget should be bumped up considerably.

yachtworld.com is a good place to start.
 
#7 ·
All those thoughts are right, but this is an interesting question for its own sake. Most used sailboats? Probably Florida. He describes a "northern ocean type" boat however and I wonder if he would have more luck in The NE USA/Canada or even in the PNW. (Washington)
Or since the Euro is in the ditch maybe the Med or even in the UK (since the pound took a dive)
 
#8 ·
One plane ticket but can you get a car for a few weeks?

Start in Annapolis and head north through ny, ct, ri, an ME.

Probably thousands of boats in your price range.

Also since they are northern boats they get a few months to rest every winter.
 
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#9 ·
As a foreigner i found the USA very difficult to negotiate with. They looked at me like i was a cash cow to be milked, no negotiating on price, 10% up front to make an offer, and the prices rediculously high.

So i went to the Caribbean and bought a 39 footer cheaper than i could get a 36 footer of tge same brand, year and condition.

So i would look at Grenada, St Martin and the BVIs.
 
#11 ·
Florida - avoid the brokers - not that they are bad - just the boats they will have are pricey - best deals - walk the docks, craigslist, offer half of what people are asking and work your way up if you like the boat. There are a lot of desperate owners in Florida that don't want anymore slip payments - the boats are a crap shoot though - hopefully you know what you are doing when inspecting one.

Look at places like the storage in Indiantown, or Green Cove Springs Marina in North Florida - lots of older cruising boats from all over the world.

For example I know of a 1969 Cruising Cal 36 in Green Cove , stored on the hard, great sailing boat - you could probably get it for $15K,
 
#13 ·
With the current exchange rate as a US citizen I would look at Canada first. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland or British Columbia.
.... but the OP is in Argentina...

With the online access nowadays you can probably globally search sites like Craigslist etc.

I think Yachtworld is a great place to window shop, esp if you're uncertain about what boat might appeal to you, but you're always going to be dealing with broker influenced pricing (ie commissions front loaded)

If you're two years from pulling the trigger you've lots of time to research, and to find boats that have been on the market that whole time - and might be ripe for a lowball offer.

Agree with Donna earlier about upping your refit budget, or at least changing the ratio .
 
#14 ·
Head up to the old caribe, look for a boat that was recently sailed down from the East coast, heaps of money will have been spent on these boats, before the reality of cruising set in. Cash in hand. No brokers. Make lot's of ridiculous offers....should be a goldmine for you...money talks and BS walks.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Perhaps you could enlighten us on 1. What exactly type of boat you want and 2. What currency will you be using and 3. What nationality you are so we can find states that are friendly. You can see from the discussion that all of this plays into where best to go shopping.
Which lead me to the next question:
Are there people that would guide you through the process in a foreign country and alleviate most of the pain? I would do this for the PNW, as well as others I am sure, for a minimal fee. Maybe that is what brokers should do- and not be so adversarial.
 
#19 ·
There are hundreds of "broken dream" cruising boats on the west coast of Mexico. For example: MAZMARINE.COM

Or, if you know where you want to cruise after buying a boat, and don't care much about which boat, then fly to a place upwind of there. Buy the best boat you can find. All cruiser locales have boats for sale.

Or, in my case, I knew exactly the model yacht I wanted. Found her on the internet. Flew halfway around the world to buy her. Seller, buyer, (useless) agent and yacht were all in different countries. Worked out ok. Only minor hassles. Currency exchange is not a problem. She was downwind of all the nice places...but that is one way to find a good deal as many, many sailors cannot or will-not sail to windward. They get to the end of the track and quit: Wind behind, pirates ahead, give up.

The UK might be a bargain now because of the currency crash, but then boats might be in high demand for people fleeing the xenophobic insanity there.
 
#20 ·
Hello Sailors,

Kind of boat; Al, steel or plastic in that order.
36-40 foot
Monohull, cutter, sloop, ketche
Draft, as few as possible, no hurry. Priorities; Safety, comfort, simplicity, speed
Budget around 20-30k and considering to put 10k extra for refiting.
p.
Based on the above I would say you should look for a boat in one of the French islands in the Eastern Caribbean starting in Martinique.

Marin is a large anchorage in the South of Martinique and there are always boats for sale. Yachtworld will not show them, you will need to try the French versions of Craiglist and walk the docks. I would start at Bichik at Caren Antillies there are dock rats there who know who is selling what..

A want ad should work too.

Finding an aluminium boat at your budget is unlikely and if you are offered one I would be very suspicious. However the French knock out lots of hard chine steel boats, they are not pretty but do the job. You should find one in reasonable condition for your budget.

Sail to Trinidad if your boat needs any major work, things there are MUCH cheaper than Martinique and they can fix almost anything nautical..

If you don't find anything in Martinique Guadeloupe is a cheap ferry ride away.

BTW A 40 ft steel ketch was sold in Grenada recently for 10k$ US. It had some issues but was a good buy at that price.
 
#21 ·
So, should I go to some port in Spain, France, Greece, Florida, California, or some island in Caribe, or… ? Where is the biggest and best market place to arrive flying and depart sailing ! (avoid spot situation because I will not do at least next 2 years. Where is the Outlet of the sailboats

Kind of boat; Al, steel or plastic in that order.
36-40 foot
Monohull, cutter, sloop, ketche
Draft, as few as possible, no hurry. Priorities; Safety, comfort, simplicity, speed
Budget around 20-30k and considering to put 10k extra for refiting.
Hello Cabron,

There are a lot of factors that bear on an answer to your question.

First, there are a lot of places where people give up or otherwise graduate from the cruising plans: Ft Lauderdale, Grenada, Trinidad, Panama, Australia, Pacific Mexico, Canary Islands.

Second, there are a lot of places where boats accumulate because they are close to major air transport: Baltimore, Ft Lauderdale, Southhampton, San Diego.

Third, boats for sale in the tropics degrade in the weather: Florida, Caribbean, Pacific Mexico.

Fourth, the work of a broker is the same for a 25k, 250k, and 2.5M boat. Guess where they (we) put their (our) efforts?

Fifth, a good broker is worth their commission; not all brokers are good.

Sixth, the Internet is the best dock to walk. Yachtworld is the 800# gorilla in the US but there are other systems in Europe.

Seventh, Americans don't generally get attracted to metal boats so there are more choices in Europe and the South Pacific.

Eighth, your budget is really small.

Ninth, there is no definition that can be agreed upon for a passage making boat. You are going to have to be more specific. Besides, passagemaking is more about the sailor and less about the boat.
 
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