Best location to buy an old sailboat

[Elzaar]

Looks like you and I are in the same boat, Blowfish. I live in PNW (Seattle), but I tend to do my boat searches both here and in the Great Lakes region. I've heard from several folks that boats in the Lakes tend to be in better shape and I was able to confirm with a co-worker who has family in the business back there that many folks pull their boats out in the winter which may be better than just leaving them in the cold freshwater. I say "may" because I have to wonder what kind of damage freezing temps may do to the fibers in a fiberglass hull that has absorbed fresh water - any thought? She has also given me a good bit of insight into just how bad the economy is getting there and at least compared to the relatively unhit PNW I'm guessing the chance of picking up a deal there is much better. I'd also guess that any repairs the boat needs will be cheaper there than someplace like Seattle.

One thing I'm learning is just because a boat sails primarily in salt doesn't mean it is necessarily stored there. A fair number of people here sail Puget Sound (salt), but then lock into Lake Washington (fresh) to store or live on their boat. I'd guess that is true many places in the NE as well.

What kind of boat are you looking for? I'll try to keep an eye out while I walk the docks here.

Modul8 - I hadn't thought about the foreclosure upswing. Anyone know how to find out about foreclosure boats?

[WouldaShoulda]

I found that boats North of Baltimore and well South of Annapolis are more reasonably priced than those within that limit.

Same goes for dockage and yardwork.

With exceptions, of course!!

[Sailormann]

Looks like you and I are in the same boat, Blowfish. I live in PNW (Seattle), but I tend to do my boat searches both here and in the Great Lakes region. I've heard from several folks that boats in the Lakes tend to be in better shape and I was able to confirm with a co-worker who has family in the business back there that many folks pull their boats out in the winter which may be better than just leaving them in the cold freshwater. I say "may" because I have to wonder what kind of damage freezing temps may do to the fibers in a fiberglass hull that has absorbed fresh water - any thought?

Very important consideration. The winters in the Great Lakes area are a series of freeze-thaw cycles that can be very hard on a boat. Blisters appear and disappear depending on the temperature. Hulls that are saturated tend to delaminate quite quickly. There are fewer of these however as the vast majority of the boats are hauled out for the winter so they are only wet from about May to the end of October.

I personally avoid any boats that have not been conscientiously covered for the winters as the water works its way into any and all fissures, crevices, holes etc. and then expands as it freezes. Over the course of five or six years, this can cause appreciable damage to a hull, and more particularly, a deck wherever fittings have been attached. Fittings need to be rebedded periodically - find out when this was last done.

That said, there are many boats here that have been well-maintained and cared for. The freshwater is kinder to a fibreglass boat than the salt water is and they age gracefully here.

[xort]

I am in Michigan and I bought my boat in Florida.
The worst condition boat I looked at, by far (among about 50+) was on Lake Michigan. The premiums asked for good boats on the lakes was over my budget. there are a lot of derelict boats around here. True, one hurricane can totally destroy a boat. But years of sitting out uncovered in the winter can also make a real mess of decks. As soon as you have some water leaks, the freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw cycle will make a real mess. And all the unemployed cut back first on maintenance. I go to my boat all winter long and see plenty of boats totally uncovered and caked in ice. Ice that gets into the scuppers and expands and cracks the scupper, etc. Masts leak water into the bilge and the water freezes and makes a mess of bilge pumps, stringers, wiring, hoses, etc.
So you need to decide what kind of boat you want, what amount of work you are willing to put into it and then search everywhere until you find the RIGHT boat. Since you are prepared to transport, then don't limit yourself to one area.

[Blowfish]

The freeze/thaw was definately a concern. It's tough when you have to spend $1,000 just to go see a boat. A couple of failed trips and you've already blown the budget! Elzaar, my search is still pretty broad at this point, though I like the Pearson 35s and Endeavor 37s. Headroom is key for me.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by xort

I am in Michigan and I bought my boat in Florida.
The worst condition boat I looked at, by far (among about 50+) was on Lake Michigan. The premiums asked for good boats on the lakes was over my budget. there are a lot of derelict boats around here. True, one hurricane can totally destroy a boat. But years of sitting out uncovered in the winter can also make a real mess of decks. As soon as you have some water leaks, the freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw cycle will make a real mess. And all the unemployed cut back first on maintenance. I go to my boat all winter long and see plenty of boats totally uncovered and caked in ice. Ice that gets into the scuppers and expands and cracks the scupper, etc. Masts leak water into the bilge and the water freezes and makes a mess of bilge pumps, stringers, wiring, hoses, etc.
So you need to decide what kind of boat you want, what amount of work you are willing to put into it and then search everywhere until you find the RIGHT boat. Since you are prepared to transport, then don't limit yourself to one area.

What Xort failed to mention was the number of Sailnetters that looked at boats for him. There is a Sailnet thread dedicated to to people helping buyer look at a boat prior. You yourself may want to consider that approach yourself...

[xort]

Jody
I was about to mention that...
There is a sticky at the top of this forum. There are about 5 pages of volunteers who will do a preliminary looksee for you.

The 50 is the ones I did go see! made vacations out of them. tripping around Florida in the winter ain't too bad a deal for a yankee!

[Elzaar]

Good information on the freeze/thaw cycles. Buying here in Seattle is sounding better and better if I can find the right boat at the right price. I'd rather not pay to transport, but I like to travel to Chicago area and might just leave a boat there until ready to head out if I found a good one. I hear repairs are much cheaper there.

Blowfish, I'm 6'3" so believe me I understand your limitations. I spend as much time trying to figure out headroom as I do keel-types. There seem to be a fair number of Endeavors out here, but I think they would be too slow even for me. I am on the sticky for checking boats out here, though so are about five other folks likely with more actual expertise. All the same, if you see a decent lead I'm happy to go walk a dock to look at it and snap some digitals.

[Elzaar]

Xort -

Are you saying that you would not buy a Great Lake's boat or that you just wouldn't credit it with likely to be in any better shape than a Florida boat? What was the general condition of the boats in Florida? One of my options is to just buy a boat already south and save myself the trip sailing down the West coast. I hope to sail whatever I buy for about four months before putting it into a yard to have more work done for several months before actually leaving my job. If this is bordering on a thread hijack let me know.

[xort]

All I was saying is that you can't expect yards full of gleaming boats at discount prices.
The shipping option makes it easy for anybody anywhere to buy a boat. When I sold my small power boat a few years back, the broker said he was getting sales from Sweden, sight unseen for certain types of boats.

Also, some types of boats are more popular in certain areas. Cruising boats are not real common in the great lakes vs day boats. Doesn't mean you can't find one, in fact, it does mean that the cruising boat doesn't have much of a local buyers pool and might get discounted.

There are good boats and crappy boats everyhere. There are sellers who are very unreasonable and buyers looking for a quick sale, everywhere.