Looking for budget bluewater cruiser suggestions

[capecodphyllis]

Take a look at the Bayfield 36.

The Voyage of Wind-Borne III

It looks like a pretty nice boat.

[capecodphyllis]

Originally Posted by belliegirl2

A cal 40

fast cheap and can go anywhere

I have a Cal 40. I love it. But be advised that it has an extremely small cabin and a very large cockpit: Great for coastal cruising; a horror show for ocean passages.

It's a beautiful boat with graceful lines and low freeboard - an excellent choice for no more than two people, with not alot of gear, who like to laze around the islands.

[Boasun]

Originally Posted by Moniker

Howdy all, I really enjoy reading these forums and there are quiet a few nuggets of info to glean from them. I'm trying to build a list of some budget bluewater cruisers to consider and could use a little help...

"Go small, go now" is my mindset; purchase budget is around 60k and I've got a reserve for refitting/outfitting (the less of that I spend the more I leave in the cruising kitty). Current plan is to spend about three years out.

The luxury of space and possibilities for higher latitude sailing make me like higher displacement boats like an Alajuela or a Tayana. In all likelihood though I'll probably be spending most of my time closer to the tropics and that coupled with the probability of some light airs and a fair amount of singlehanding have me shying away from them.

Sensible choices to me seem to the likes of a Morgan 382 or a Tartan 37... Any suggestions to expand my list of potential boats?

My budget is modest and I'd like to get all the sailing performance, liveability and beauty I can with it. Not looking to win any races, but passage speed is important. At 6ft2 some boats and berths get a little headroom limited, and I have to be able to take on one or two crewfor at least a couple months at a time. Preferences are sailing over motoring, anchoring over marina's

Happy to fill in any other information about my plans...

Just to let you know that you are not the only one whose buget is a tad on the slim side also.
Lost out on one boat because I agonisted over buying it two days to long and it was sold just as I made up my mind. Was bummed out for a couple of days. So the search is on again.
Happy hunting for your dream boat.

[AdelanteSailing]

If you want to buy cleverly, buy steel. The boat will be heavier, but costs less. It can be repaired by any welder in case of accidents and the steel hull will be a safe place to be when coditions are less pretty. Some steel boats look horrid and old fashioned, but others are quice nice to look at. Plus the motion at sea is more relaxed than in a (small) light yacht. Check the hull thoroughly and you will be able to sail a larger boat more comfortably for less investment.

[sailingdog]

Steel boats can be a maintenance horror show... you're constantly fighting corrosion...

[toddrtownsend]

My 'go small go now' budget was $10,000. It's almost gone. When I leave in the fall it'll probably end up $15,000.

Good Luck!

TrT

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Steel boats can be a maintenance horror show... you're constantly fighting corrosion...

Not with proper prep and proper maintenance. I am not finding the anti-corrosion regimine onerous, just routine. And I don't even like painting, but I like a boat you can drop and just do a touch-up.

[XTR]

There are tayana 37s are out there that may meet your budget.