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maybe you could help me

3K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  Teirst 
#1 ·
hello everyone another first time poster,

I am Active duty with the united states navy and have been looking to start a live aboard life. i have looked at a few boat ranging from pearson 10m, bristol 32, irwin 37 and have a couple of questions.

first off the boat i have liked the most so far (layout wise) was the irwin however as i walked around on the deck i notice some soft spots, how much does repair of a small soft spot cost (about an inch in diameter) and how long would it take.

also i am going to try and talk my wife into going and looking at a 1969 Columbia 36 sloop, the price seems good and it has plenty of upgrades and a recent survey. i was wondering if i could get some opinions about the columbia 36 and maybe some buying tips. like

1. should i use the survey that they have as a good survey or try and get my own?
2. as far as a liveaboard what would you say the most important features to make sure that the boat has is?
3. financing any recomended lenders?
 
#2 ·
First, get your own survey. The survey they provide may have been less than brutally honest about the faults in the boat, since they are paying for the survey and picking the surveyor.

Second, for a liveaboard boat, you probably want to have a more modern coastal cruiser type boat, since that will generally give you more amenities and living space than an older design would.


As for financing, it would really help to know what type of numbers you're talking about here. What are you thinking of as your "budget" for the boat. Generally, I recommend that 15-20% of the "budget" be set aside for upgrades, refitting and repairing whatever boat you do buy.

If you do have to finance the boat, you will probably want to get the boat USCG documented, since many financing companies will require that as a condition of loaning you the money. That kind of loan is a secured loan and the boat is the collateral. It is sometimes called a Marine Mortgage, and if the boat has a fixed galley and head, the interest is deductible on your taxes much like the mortgage interest on a home would be.

If the bank/financial institution does not require USCG documentation, it is probably an unsecured personal loan and will likely have a much higher interest rate.

Is your wife actively involved in the search and willing to move aboard a boat. If not, you really need to get her in agreement or you're going to have some problems down the road.

Another option for boats would be a small catamaran, which will often have far more space than a monohull of equal LOA. The Iroquois, Catalac 9m, Gemini 105, and several others would make decent liveaboard boats as well as perform decently as coastal cruisers. However, these will generally be more expensive than monohulls of the same LOA.
 
#3 ·
thank you

thank you very much sailing dog for your input which has been helpful. i guess i am a bit of a spot i really want to start this lifestyle, it is something that i have always wanted to do. the real problem that i am presented with is budget. i am trying to find a liveaboard boat for around 15k with 15 being the max. can it really even be done? and if so where should i be looking. i have been looking at craigslist/yachtworld/ebay/sailingtexas are there any others that i am missing??

thank you in advance
 
#4 ·
I would avoid ebay... since most of the sales there are not subject to survey, same with craigslist. I would also highly recommend walking the docks and visiting local marinas... since there are often boats that might be for sale that aren't really advertised as such.

$15,000 is a bit low as budgets go, and you'll be looking at older boats... but if you're able to deal with the smaller cabins and fewer amenities, like no on-board separate shower, then you should be able to find something that will work.
 
#5 ·
so far its been good

what we have decided we can settle on (and yes everything has been discussed with my wife and she is actually just as happy about the idea as i am and is currently an active user of this site) is we can sleep in a V berth combined shower head is okay as long as it has hot water. my biggest things are head room (im about 6' 3") and i would really like a decent galley.
 
#6 · (Edited)
The Catalina 30 might be a very good choice, since it has a very broad user base, fairly decent amenities, and a long production run. Jack Horner, a marine surveyor has a review of the Catalina 30 here. Headroom is 6' 2", so pretty good, don't know about the berths though. :)

It has a v-berth and a decent double aft quarter berth.

CD will probably pee himself if he sees me recommending a Catalina though. :)
 
#8 ·
Actually, you might be able to get a catalina 30 in okay shape for that... they're as common as fleas...and the older ones are in about that price range.
 
#10 ·
I believe he wants a liveaboard life with his wife, not 100 guys... :)
 
#11 ·
you guys are right

the prices for a real good looking boat seem to be a bit high. recently i started working a little with a broker not really to buy from him but so he could get me in a lot of different boats in a short amount of time and really gave me some good ideas and things to look for. (like the drop down table making a double bed that can actually hold 2 people in the Catalina) we are going to look at a 36' columbia (1969) and now a cal 34' (1970). both of which fit my budget very well neither is over 15k, and i am sure that with a little bit of talking i can get both down to the 12k range so i can use a couple thousand of the loan for smaller repairs and buying items to make liveaboard a bit more comfortable (was thinking of buying one of those memory foam mattress' and cutting it up to make cushions for sleeping on :) )i was raised to be a cabinet worker by my father so retro fitting and re working wood are no big deal for me. i am very hands on but i have never had any experience with fiberglass so i just hope that i can get a boat that is sound in that aspect. i am located in the northeast and i have found a few that seem like they would be alright liveaboards. i am just a bit nervous about buying a boat then finding it sunk in the slip. :eek:
 
#13 ·
i have been doing a little bit of research, the marina that i am going to be at has no liveaboard fee and power and water is included, and for insurance i checked for the 37' irwin and was qouted 904 a year with them knowing that i was going to be a liveaboard. the insurance i believe was for 20k for boat and 100k for damages. upkeep i have been a little unsure of but i have heard to plan on 10% of the boats value for a rough estimate. loan+slip+insurance=900 a month (roughly) which is about 1/4 of what i make and a little less than 1/2 of my wifes salary. im sure we could afford a more expensive boat but at the same time i think that i will learn more fixing up something old and living with it and deciding once and for all if that is how i want to live and if it is then moving to a newer better boat. what do you think, does that all sound about right????:confused:
 
#14 ·
Most marinas require a bit more liability coverage than $100,000. Mine requires $300,000 in liability coverage..and from what I've seen, that's about standard.

Whatever you do... make sure the hull and deck are in good shape, even if the interior is a bit rough...because you're going to be living aboard, you don't want either the hull or deck to leak at all. A boat with leaks is a really lousy home.

I agree that working and living on the boat is going to teach you a lot about boats, and what you want/like and don't want/dislike on the boat.

Don Casey says in his book, Good Old Boat, that most people will buy their first boat, and then, after a few years sell it, to buy the boat they keep for a long, long time, based on what they liked and didn't like about the first boat.
 
#15 ·
thank you

thank you sailingdog you have been very helpful with this entire process. when i first thought of moving onto a boat i would have never thought that there would be this much work to it (shows i am still young) it is like buying a car, a house, a motor home all at once. but i am not backing out so i guess either i am crazy or determined :cool: . thanks again. i will keep up with this forum please if anyone has anymore information they think that i could use please let me know

thanks guys
 
#19 ·
from what i have seen it does make things a little more difficult. i would ask what you thought a good boat for headroom is but there is at least 10 other threads about the same thing. i am not looking for something i can do jumping jacks in i would really like more of a boat you can live in than a house you can sail if that makes any sense. anyone know of any design flaws of the CAL34 or the Columbia 36??
 
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