seek advice on offshore cruiser

[maiden]

HI there
I''m a new member, after browsing the site for a few weeks. I''m planning on the purchase of my first boat. I have a budget of $65,000. I will live aboard for most of the year in the Virgins. I will be making occasional trips south to St. Lucia, and also occasional voyages to the U.S. east coast. I''ll have other crew for offshore passages, but will spend most of my time single handling. I''ve spent a lot of time checking the Yachtworld site for boats. Of the following boats which would suit my needs best? Cal 39, Downeaster, Alberg (Whitby built) 37, Allied Princess? I notice the fuel capacity on the Alberg and the Allied is quite small. I used to work on charter boats and wonder if the Gulfstar 37 or Irwin 37 would be acceptable boats for my use. ( I''d like to have 2 cabins) Thanks for your input.

[kimberlite]

Are you now in the virgin islands?
eric

[maiden]

Hi Eric,
No,not at this time. I am spending this winter up in Minnesota. It''s blowing 35 today and windchill is 40 below.... any wonder I am thinking of returning back there? I was there for a week in early December, just to sail awhile. I hope to have a boat by this time next year.

[pmills42255]

I am comtemplating the same thing, and hope to embark this fall. 36 38 feet seems to be the common length, but folks write about a mystical line where one would be foolish to cross with anything but the best of offshore equipment. The boats I read about in books tend to be well equiped as far as sails go, shoal draft keels and lots of storage. If we compromise on equipment, we have to decide at what point that compromises safety. In the last movie I saw, the guy set sail on a raft he built...
I have been looking at sailboats on the Great Lakes and hope to make my way south via the barge canal in NY.

[JohnDrake]

Maiden,

From your post above it looks like you are looking at older (70''s vintage) boats for cruising. Your budget is probably adequate for this. Keep in mind a couple things to begin with: 1) older boats needs more $ to get them ready for sea, electrical systems may need upgrading etc, 2) older boats have more austere accomodations that similar sized new boats and 3) Equipping the boat for cruising/livaboard/ offshore will take a significant amount of cash after the sale.

The boats you list above are all very different. The Cal 39 is a sturdy and FAST boat, it carries a lot more canvas than the others mentioned. I think it would be harder to single hand than the others mentioned. The Downeast, Alberg and Allied Princess are all well thought of, but very very slow and cramped by today''s standards. The Alberg especially - though it has beautiful lines and many couples have cruised on them... but they are very cramped.

And you mention after cabin, for $65k on a 36-37ft boat. I do not know of any boat that fits that criteria (except for perhaps a Catalina 36 or Hunter 37.. but not sure if these are appropriate if you are really going offshore). I do agree that an aft cabin (even a quarter cabin is very very nice to have. Boats of any size are not a lot of space to live on. In my opinion, dividing up the cabin with more private cabin''s helps to make a boat more comfortable and private for everyone aboard.

There are many people here much more qualified than I who, hopefully, will give you some good recommendations. I will suggest you look at a couple different boats, one 70''s vintage, one 80''s vintage and then make a list of your absolutely required criteria and which of those criteria you are willing to compromise on (like private aft cabin, price etc).

For a livable boat that can be single handed, my choice was 38ft. One boat you might consider would be an Allied Mistress 39. They are ketch rigged, center cockpit with a large private aft cabin. They are not fast but not slow and can be had at a very attractive price. Allied''s have a reputation for being well built offshore boats.

Hope this helps

[maiden]

To all,
Thank you for your input. I have another thing to try and figure out. I have family that would like to buy the boat along with me. This would enable me to get a better boat. The catch is that they would want me to run it as a charter boat. So now lets say I have a budget of $130,000. With the same agenda..... occasional offshore, most of the time in the Virgins, and I''m living aboard for 9 months, and now doing some term charters. What kind of boat now?

[maiden]

PS... and I rented my townhouse to a John Drake.... by any chance are you the guy? That was in Illinois.

[maiden]

Hi pmills
It is possible I''ll also do the Great Lakes to the canal system. I was invited to make the trip once, but had to cancel. Are there mast height limitations on the canals? Are you on the Great Lakes now?

[Jeff_H]

"So now lets say I have a budget of $130,000. With the same agenda..... occasional offshore, most of the time in the Virgins, and I''m living aboard for 9 months, and now doing some term charters. What kind of boat now?"

There are a lot of ways to go there. -Something moderately tough and not too expensive like a Columbia 50, Landfall 48, Perry 48, Cheoy Lee Offshore 48 (if you don''t mind the maintenance), Pearson Countess 44, Columbia 43, CSY 44 or Gulfstar 50.
-Something fast and not too expensive like a Hunter 54,or C&C 44.
-Something more modern and set up for charter like a Beneteau First 45f5, or 42s7.
-Something classic like a Hughes 48, Palmer Johnson/Nautor43, Nicholson 44 or 1970''s era Baltic 46.
-Something like a venerable offshore boat like a Hinterholer 42,(Ft. Myers Yacht & Ship) Brewer 12.8 cutter or Kelly Peterson 44 or 46.

[JohnDrake]

Sorry, no, not that guy.

That kind of budget really opens up your possibilities. Jeff has given you a wide swath to think about. That kind of money puts you in the range of some nice high end bluewater boats like a Passport 40, to larger venerable 70''s vintage cruisers mentioned to standard coastal cruising production boats like a Catalina or Hunter that have condo like cabins. The Niagara 42 and Brewer 12.8 are certainly great boats if you can find one at that price.

The field is too wide to give you any real suggestion. I would suggest again, making a list of your real needs. How strong a build and what quality reputation do you want to go with... age (my personal search criteria was no older than 1980)...size... accomodations (this will be critically important for successful chartering)... hull and deck (cored, uncored, teak decks etc)... easily single or short handed...etc. And go from there. If you are single or short handing, check the displacement and sail area of the boat... you may find a boat like the Bene 45f5 way too much to handle... its light and carries a lot of canvas.

My personal criteria were:
A boat I could single hand
around 38ft
Solid glass hull
18,000-22,000 lbs displacement (heavy)
private aft quarter cabin
shoal draft
1982 or newer
bluewater capable
decent livaboard
finely finished below
Excellent quality builder
A boat I would be proud to own
A certain price range.

The boat I choose was a Wauquiez Hood 38

You can get an idea of the different types of boats you can have for your budget by going to a site like Yachtworld and doing a search. Look up to $150k in the hope of negotiating down from there.

Have fun

Best of luck