Quick! Talk me out of Purchasing a Sabre 30!

[chef2sail]

You dont want to be the last boat to the party everytime I wouldnt think..hahahaa. The Sabre will never be that for sure. It will also sail better into the wind as the jib tracks are close to the cabin while the bristols are more outboard. Think about what sloopjonB said 1/2 minute a mile. So you are cruising and want to make at least 50 miles a day on coastal hops. You get there 25 minutes earlier. Maybe the difference between getting to the anchorage or getting caught in the T storm.

Which ever opne made you gyys feel like it was home ois the one you should choose,but the new Yanmar is a 10,000 upgrade should you go to sell this someday...just saying

[Sabreman]

No way will I talk you out of a Sabre.

I owed a 28 for 15 years and now a 38 since 2005. We also crewed on a 34 for about 4 years before buying our first boat. Sabres are great boats and you won't be sorry. PM me for more info that you want to know about the brand. I can also point you toward some common things to look for in a used Sabre.

The rule of thumb for most displacement boats is 2 HP for every 1000 lbs. For a 9600lb boat (Sabre 30 circa 1988), that would be 20 Hp. If you found a Sabre 30 with a 30Hp that's newish..buy it.

[seaparrot]

Thanks for the feedback! And for the perspective on engine power--a topic I know next to nothing about.

I agree that the speed/performance the Sabre offers over some of the other boats we've considered (Island Packet, Bristol, etc) would be nice. I do like the fact that Sabre has the advantage of doing the kind of cruising we want to do while being lively enough to be some fun in light air -- and get us into to port in a timely manner, as someone noted.

For this and other reasons, we have just placed an offer on the Sabre! Even better, it looks as though the seller will accept. So if there's no change of heart we're a fax away from a contract.

Of course, we can't get too excited yet. We still have to see what the survey uncovers. The Sabre is good old boat age--1981. She's been sitting on the hard for a while too (2 or 3 yrs), except for a sea trial last year, and there is one known repair needed to the starboard chainplate. There was a tiny bit of water in the bilge. So... anything is possible.

Well, here's hoping!

[chef2sail]

Good luck. Let us know how it works out

dave

[seaparrot]

Update: Our offer was accepted, and thanks to conversations with the broker and surveyor (who it turns out has surveyed the boat for someone else this past summer), we know now a little more about her condition. Keeping our fingers crossed and waiting for the full survey next week.

As with any 'good old boat' we will have to do some quick research on any issues and decide if we are up to the task as first-timers.

I'll post the results!

[waterwks4me]

Good luck on the major survey, fingers crossed for you. The Sabre would have been my choice.