First sailboat

[nasomi]

So, after hearing people rage at me endlessly when I was first looking in the 37-45' range, I have come across a roomy 1984 31' Hunter with 5'11" keel. I wanted something sea worthy and this seems to be so.

Problem areas:
Can see fiberglass on the bow. Not much, but could use a coat come spring. That bearing on the bottom, name escapes me at the moment, that holds the shaft in place, is 2 years old.

Guy said he replaced it every 3 years, so it'd need done in the next year. Main sail is 2 years old, jib is 2 years old, spinnaker is 3 years old. Has Genoa that is a little older but the guy never used it, didn't like the little plastic window. Rebuilt Yanmar 16hp diesel with about 60hr on it. Other than that, in good shape. Alcohol stove, electric head and shower, 30gal holding tanks. Not teak through-out, but in good shape, and clean. Guy is older, can't single hand it anymore due to problems with his hands.

He offered to sail it down with me to the marina I choose, no charge, as he said it would be nice to get one last trip, sort of like a farewell. Also, he said he'd be more than happy to show me the ropes on the boat, and I figure no one knows his boat better than him. It's rigged for single handed sailing, and sails strong up through about 28*, he said he never felt comfortable taking it further than that. The trip would be coming from RI down to NJ shore.

So, before I jump in, if anyone could give me some background on it, information, ease of use, or approximate value, I would greatly appreciate it. It'd be nice to know I'm not over-paying too.

[deniseO30]

Contact me if you want some help. your in Eastern PA where? Don't know why your looking in R I so many boats closer to home!

Oh your talking about the cutless bearing.. they should last pretty long. Rebuilt yanmar? ask for receipts!

I may have to sell my boat soon if work doesn't pick up again.

[jephotog]

I think you are heading in the right direction with a 30 foot range boat.

Whatever you do, get a survey on any boat in this range, there are things the owner may be omitting or does not even know about that will save you the cost of the survey, or allow you to skip on a boat that will cost you a ton of money.

I suggest doing a search here for specific boats. I have only been on one Hunter and at 45 feet I was just impressed as it was the biggest boat I had ever been on.
My impression on Hunters from here though is it is a light boat built for lots of space below for the buck, with only moderately sailing performance. If the price is right, and the survey checks out it would be a good boat to get into for getting started. How much is the guy asking?

Other boats in this range and of heavier build or faster sailing.
Catalina
C&C
Ericson
I am sure others could suggest others to consider.

I'd have to say Oday would be a good one to look at too. Check out Denise's boat, hopefully she does not have to sell but it is worth a look. It will be heavier and more stable than a Hunter, I think.

[michaelrh]

Im happy to see another person mentioning Jersey and Eastern Pa. in the same sentence , I just purchased my first sailboat fm Virginia , I live in South Jersey and keep my boat in Chesapeake City but work in eastern Pa. Goodluck on your boat search .

[sailingdog]

Just curious, why is he replacing the cutlass bearing every three years??? That shouldn't be the case AFAIK. If the engine/propshaft aren't properly aligned, then I could see the cutlass bearing wearing out fairly quickly like that, but that should be fixed—replacing the bearing prematurely due to excessive wear is not the solution.

As for the alcohol stove, is it a pressurized one or an Origo-type non-pressurized one. The pressurized ones are serious fire hazards and should be avoided.

Electric heads can be problematic. What make/model is it?

I'd point out that the 80s weren't the best time for Hunters IIRC. The build quality during that time period was one of the reasons Hunters got a pretty bad reputation. The Hunters from the 1970s were generally better built overall.

Finally, I'd recommend you read the Boat Inspection Trip Tips thread I started, as it will help you determine whether this boat is even worth going forward on, saving you the price of a survey on boats that aren't worth looking at further.

[nasomi]

I'm by King of Prussia, I know roughly where bristol is. Nice to see some closer folks!

Cutlass bearing, yes, that was it. The guy said he had a survey done in the spring, and would be more than happy to give it to me.

I have searched far and wide, local, ME, DE, NJ, but finding a boat that rubs me right, as with anything I buy, is important to me. He's asking 16k, comes with gps and radar. I can tell a rebuilt engine from one with the hour meter reset, motors are a strong point for me. I plan to go over the deck for soft spots and such, but being hte distance it is, if he provides me with a clean or at least honest survey, with receipts for the diesel which he says was rebuilt by yanmar themselves, I'd be comfortable forgoing the survey, for hte sake of time. You can generally get a good impression from talking to a guy with how honest he's being. I've bought big ticket items sight unseen in the past based on how honest hte guy sounded, and I've passed up items that I've thoroughly inspected because the guy seemed shady.

As far as local marina's, I was looking in LBI, a friend lives there, or wildwood, where a friend has a shore house.

One of the reasons I was looking in the 37-45' range was because of hte interior space, it's important to me. The only reason I considered this was because of how much room it had below deck, I was completely amazed. Nothing like other boats I've seen in this range.

And if anything major was wrong, I wouldn't have expected him to offer to sail home with me. He admitted to not being a 30yr vet, but having had it since 03 and being his first boat other than a 12' he took on a lake when he was a youth. We shared war stories about this and that talking, and he seems like a stand-up guy.

[nasomi]

I didn't get the make/model of the head. I will look into that. I don't know the details of the stove either. He said he replaced the cutlass bearing every 3yr because the previous owner told him to, it wasn't expensive, so he passed the suggestion onto me. I have already browsed the boat inspection thread, but I will definitely have another look at it. Thanks for the great info thus far.

[nasomi]

I guess my background would come in handy as well. By trade I am a computer programmer.

In the military I was an electrical engineer. If electricity flows through it, I can diagnose, repair, and rewire anything that comes along. It has to be simpler than an F-15. Through high school I was a tradesman building houses. After the service I bought up about a dozen cars/motorcycles/etc and rebuilt them, the economy wasn't great. I've pretty much got small engine mechanics, Japanese motors, and american motors down pat. Then I bought my diesel truck, and bam, diesel maintenance. I've also dabbled in woodworking, built my garage, rewired my house from 100a to 400a, and so on.

My ex and I split, and when I'm single, I'm REALLY bored, and can't find enough hobbies to keep me occupied. I bought my motorcycle and rebuilt the engine. I bought 4 RV's and rebuilt them and sold them until I had my current one. That goes from the REALLY pesky leaky roofs of the 70's and 80's models, paneling replacement, upgrades, and so on. I have flown planes and rebuilt them and retrofitted engines.

Overall, if there's something I don't know about, I will work endlessly to learn it. Trust me, boredom at the level I have is no laughing matter.

[mbetter]

I would still get a survey. Any survey from a seller, selling broker or someone associated with either is automatically suspect. Even if the guy is completely honest, there could be problems that he doesn't know about that could seriously cost you.

[sailingdog]

Also, the survey may have been for a different purpose than buying a boat...and have different information than what you would want as a buyer.

I'd also recommend you read the Boat Inspection Trip Tips thread I started, as it will help you determine whether this boat is even worth going forward on, saving you the price of a survey on boats that aren't worth further consideration.

Originally Posted by mbetter

I would still get a survey. Any survey from a seller, selling broker or someone associated with either is automatically suspect. Even if the guy is completely honest, there could be problems that he doesn't know about that could seriously cost you.