Good Boat for LA -> Catalina Island <$20,000

[schwuller]

Greeatings. I've been reading here a long time (lurking? lol). I have finished my sailing classes and want my own boat!

I want to be realistic about my first purchase, what I'd like to spend, and about what I actually will be doing with it. So here goes:

Normally i sail with 1 or 2 friends (we are late 20's, athletic types), from LA to Catalina or Channel Islands, where we gunkhole, SCUBA, sleep on board, swim and fish, and kayak onto lonely beaches. I like to sail twice a week at least, and do alot of overnighters (i'd do more if i had my own!). I don't race, nor do I expect to have any interest in that.

I don't want to specify a size, because at <$20,000...i'm not expecting a lafitte 44 or a mason. i COULD pay more, if there is something special lurking at prices just beyond that (famous last words).

I am very geeky and anal about how things are put together, and materials used. I don't care about glitz (i drive a mercedes diesel and a 911, enough said! quality rather than glitz!).

to get the conversation started, here is the list from johnsboatstuff.com of best cruising sailboats of all time for less than $25,000:

COLOMBIA 34
DOUGLAS 32
CAPE DORY 28
BRISTOL 30
COLOMBIA 30
ERICSON 29

As a side question, I've heard here in So Cal that sailing to catalina (+-26 miles) is often referred to as 'bluewater.' would you consider 26 miles across 'bluewater?'

[jgeissinger]

Catalina 30, by far the most boat for the money and very, very plentiful in SoCal. But really, if you want to make weekend jaunts to Catalina, particularly to fish, scuba dive, and kayak, what you need is a powerboat. Trust me, I've done this in sailboats for decades, and although I do love sailing, it just isn't all that practical for what you have in mind.

The trip to Catalina may or may not be considered blue water by others here, but it is definitely deep water sailing in the big Pacific, and conditions can vary greatly, and can be a whole lot different just depending if you're leaving from Newport or San Pedro, for example.

[schwuller]

i appreciate your response. and when i was writing the question i did wonder how long it would take before someone suggested a powerboat!

a powerboat would fit the bill, except for 3 problems:

1. purchase price for something decent with a shower/head and overnight capability.

2. there will never be any option of voyaging with a powerboat in this price range (unless nordhavn is having one HELL of a sale this weekend?).

3. the noise/smell/vibration...and again purchase price!

[RickLaPaz]

Cal 34, 69 thru mid 70's. They start at 8k and go up to 30k. Bought ours 6 years ago (w/the Atomic 4) for 13k, didn't add anything to it but a stereo, drove it for two years and sold it for 15k. Great fun boats, nice to sail, cheap enough to swim away from if something happens.So Cal always seems to have a dozen for sale at any given time....

Have fun looking.........

[RickLaPaz]

Oh gawd, I see you mentioned a power boat. Please don't do that. Instead, make friends with someone who has one and supply the beer. 'Cuz the fuel prices will kill you--diesel was $4.35 in Avalon recently, premium gas about the same.

Plus it's no fun hitting whales at 32 knots.............

Rick

[DrB]

If you stand on your boat on a clear day and look in any direction and can't see land, you're in bluewater. This roughly 7 nm in any direction.

DrB

[capttb]

Last time I bought the fuel for a fishing trip on a friends SMALL powerboat from King Harbor to the island it was the worst $150 I ever spent. I think the reason many refer to a simple island trip as "bluewater" may be the way things can REALLY kick up in the channel unexpectedly in the afternoon. I saw a boat come into Two Harbors dismasted about a year ago, not sure how it happened but it was a very gusty day.
Speaking of whales, I saw Blue Whales Thursday & Friday between 5 & 6 NM off Dana Point.
BTW, You better see about getting a slip first, that may determine what size boat you get, waiting lists for slips are years long most places, the bigger the slip the longer the wait.

[RickLaPaz]

Originally Posted by capttb

Speaking of whales, I saw Blue Whales Thursday & Friday between 5 & 6 NM off Dana Point.
BTW, You better see about getting a slip first, that may determine what size boat you get, waiting lists for slips are years long most places, the bigger the slip the longer the wait.

1). There's a HUGE blue on the beach in Ventura as we speak. Like huge squared.

2). We're still on two lists at King Harbor (almost four years now) for a 55 foot slip.

Thank gawd I'm only 50............

[capttb]

Good news Rick, Friend just got his 50' after only 8 years (Dana), scuttlebutt has it all the marinas in King are going to bigger slips so your wait may be shorter.

[RickLaPaz]

Originally Posted by capttb

Good news Rick, Friend just got his 50' after only 8 years (Dana), scuttlebutt has it all the marinas in King are going to bigger slips so your wait may be shorter.

Good for your friend--8 is better than the 10 that I've heard for D/Point.

Friend just bought a 48 ketch in Newport Beach. Slip that came with it-(if you can even call it that--think of the sea port in the movie Popeye) is $1500 a month. And he gets nothing with it. Zilch. So he bought a mooring yesterday for 50K or something. Ouch.

The biggest problem with So Cal is that it could be so much more like the Med, more boater friendly, another couple of marinas would be handy, ad nauseum, but instead it's just become an s-hole. Only a couple of places to drop the hook, can't dingy to the beach, the water is filthy dirty, not much fish left, etc. Oh well, I guess that's why gawd invented the passport and watermakers...........