Buying boats is hard

[brak]

Just a week ago I thought selling boats is hard. Last week my boat sold, and now I am looking for a new one. What a whopper.
So far 2 days - 8 boats, every single one is a total disaster - wet decks, blistered hulls, rusted engines, lots and lots of badly installed hardware with leaking holes through the deck. And lots of speakers, speakers everywhere! Why, oh why would anyone in their right mind make those giant holes in cockpit sides or cabin to install speakers? I even seen a subwoofer in a quarterberth of what used to be an ocean-going vessel. Am I the only person that actually rebeds hardware and epoxy-protects holes in the deck? Or do those that actually care never sell their boats?

So, here goes - if anyone knows of a decent sailing vessel (i.e. not in condition described above), *reasonably seaworthy*, 32-34 ft or thereabout, anywhere from 70s to 90s vintage (I probably can't afford boats less than 10 years old) send me a message. No need for expensive electronics, top-end rigging or hardware, etc. Just not willfully destroyed by its owners - that's all. I'll deal with the rest. I've got the cash ready. Seriously.

[USCGRET1990]

What area?

[mstern]

I don't know what your budget or area is, but this looks like a well-cared for, seaworthy pocket cruiser.

YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale=

[brak]

Area is almost unimportant, I will travel wherever and bring the boat where I need to bring her. Atlantic coast of US preferred, but I'll go to Great Lakes etc, if needed. West coast might be a bit far.

Budget is flexible, and depends on condition. 40K (with budget left for outfitting/repairs), more if condition warrants (potentially significantly more)

[PBzeer]

What are you looking to use her for? Day sails? Cruising? Weekending? Is draft a consideration?

[brak]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

What are you looking to use her for? Day sails? Cruising? Weekending? Is draft a consideration?

Medium-term cruising, island hopping. However, if I have to chose between "more living space" and "more seaworthy", I'd rather go for the latter (that said, we need to fit a small family inside, but we aren't space-hungry ).
Draft under 6' is very much appreciated, as much of this well be east coast sailing and it is shallow here. Draft under 5' is ideal, but I can deal with a bit more.

[Sailormann]

My general rule of thumb - the best boats go through private sales, not brokers. You can try to settle on five or six potential deigns/brands and then start checking out the Owners Association websites. A lot of them have Buy/Sell pages. It is often the case that the people who spend time on those sites, are a bit more concerned with maintenance and good seamanship than other boaters.

[sailingdog]

Brak-

There's Pearson 36 for sale at my marina that looks to be in pretty good shape. The current owners are two guys, and one is getting out of sailing, so they need to sell the boat. If you want, I can dig up their contact info for you.

SD

[otaga05]

I had a look at a fairly nice condition 1975 Tartan 34C that is for sale privately here in Maine. The owner seems to be fairly meticulous. The asking price was ~30k. If you are interested let me know and I will try to put you in touch with the owner assuming she is still for sale.

[PBzeer]

I would, of course, suggest the Ontario 32.