finding equipment

[Teirst]

hey guys, just bought my first sailboat a 1969 columbia 26 mkII. just wondering if you can give me a few pointers on where to find gear at reasonable costs. i got her fairly stripped i.e. no motor, radio, and sails in poor condition. i INTEND to not spend to much on her but to just get her into safe sailing condition. i already pulled her out of the water so that i can do fresh bottom paint (really needed it) and replace seacocks etc. just wondering if you can point me in a direction better than boater's world for buying supplies, sails, radio.

thanks in advance!

[xort]

Try the store here at Sailnet!!!
Pretty good prices. Not the best in every instance as some places will offer sales or doorbuster deals.

[sailingfool]

By far the cheapest way to get the equipment you need would be to buy something like this:
View Boat Photos - YachtWorld.com

If you can give your boat away or get someone to take for a few hundred out of your pocket, you can go sailing right away and probably save several thousand dollars and a lot of time.

There is no cheap way to renovate and refit a boat...you'll spend far more trying to do it yourself, on the cheap, than you would by just buying one from some other poor soul who may have made that same mistake.

[swadiver]

You can try Defender at Discount Marine and Boat Supplies - Inflatable Sales - Defender, good prices, no sales tax.

[jbondy]

This is not an inexpensive hobby, but if you're committed to going down this road, look for a local marine consignment shop. They are around. I don't know where you're located, but I know of one in Mystic, CT. Also, join a club. Most members have a shed/basement/garage full of extra gear. Use the 'Net. I hope you enjoy maintenance and DIY.

[timebandit]

Might try here for sails---
http://minneysyachtsurplus.com/

[sailingdog]

Generally, refurbishing a boat is far more expensive than getting the same boat in sailable condition in the first place. If you didn't get this boat for free or very close to it, you probably paid way too much IMHO.

Defender, sailnet, hamilton marine, and mauri pro sailing are all good vendors, with each having better prices than the others on certain products, so it pays to shop around.

As for sails, you can either go used, or go new. Going new isn't going to be all that expensive for a 26' boat, and you could try FXsails, here on sailnet, or cruising direct, among others.

Originally Posted by Teirst

hey guys, just bought my first sailboat a 1969 columbia 26 mkII. just wondering if you can give me a few pointers on where to find gear at reasonable costs. i got her fairly stripped i.e. no motor, radio, and sails in poor condition. i INTEND to not spend to much on her but to just get her into safe sailing condition. i already pulled her out of the water so that i can do fresh bottom paint (really needed it) and replace seacocks etc. just wondering if you can point me in a direction better than boater's world for buying supplies, sails, radio.

thanks in advance!

[Teirst]

i actually got the boat for $450.00 so it was really cheap. it actually cost me more to move it to where it is currently located then the boat did. my wife and i are trying to break into the sport and hoping that doing upgrades on the boat will help with our knowledge considerably. it does currently have a main in decent shape however the original genoa was lost so it currently has a job off a 24', which needless to say is pretty small for her. as far as an ourboard i have been watching craigslist and keeping up with the guy incharge of my marina. second question. for bottom paint do i need to sand the keel down to metal or just scrap until nothing else will come off. over the weekend i went after the keel and cleaned off all the big stuff however i can tell that it is nowhere near ready to paint.