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Sold my boat...

5K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  RTB 
#1 ·
Yes, you read it right. We sold our C400. We are no longer Catalina owners. Still have the Tayana up here in the sound.

Was it because of the concussion? Well, yes and no. We started boat shopping before the concussion happened as some may know. We really reached the point where we wanted three cabins and more space. However, we were about to take it off the market and were making plans to scoot up the East Coast when I was contacted by someone who knew me from here. We went back and forth on it, and I think the final straw was my concussion. If not for my concussion, I suspect we would have backed away. I think it was a blessing though, knowing how long this recovery is taking. It would have been very difficult to do on a boat.

So, am I getting out of boating? Not a chance. We have settled into our old townhome in Washington State close to the PNW (hope to head up there in the next week or so and do a bit of cruising) and have not even unpacked all the boxes. We have a hard decision to make between boats. The next boat has to be VERY head-friendly and big enough for our family until the kids are gone. I hate to say this, as I said it about the C400, but we want it to be our last boat. We have no interest in doing the whole house thing (although it is nice to flush the toilet without worrying about filling up the holding tank!!!!!).

So we have a lot of soul searching to do and a lot of boats to look at. Problem is that i really would like an ICW friendly boat and that rules out a slew of boats that we like... unless we go trawler. We will base the boat out of the keys again I think (Marathon). I loved that island and really got to know the community and people and they are fantastic (in our opinion). The only other close second is Saint Petersburg which is also fantastic.

So, types of boats? Hylas 54, HR X, we really liked the Leopard 44 (though I have some concerns now about cats), and of course my beloved Nordhavn. Don't worry, even if I go with a Nord, I will stick a sailing dinghy on there!

Anyways, they say that the happiest two days of your life are when you buy your boat and when you sell it. Not for us. The C400 was the best boat we have owned and I think the best in her class at that price. Fantastic boat and I would recommend it to anyone. It just shrank too much for us. So as soon as I can get my concussion in order and take a deep breath, we get to start having fun again and shopping for a new girl.

I will keep everyone in tune on how the search goes.

Take care.

Brian
 
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#2 ·
Brian,
Glad to hear you're doing better and congratulations on the sale of your C400 (not an easy thing in this market).

Enjoy the search for the new boat. Boat shopping should be fun after all !

I'm curious about your reservations about catamarans. We're going to be based out of Marathon in two years or so and I'm trying to decide if we stay with our C30 or move to a different boat and I've been looking at cats.

The difference for us is we'll have a shore side house on the island rather than living aboard.

Hope you continue to feel better,
Jim
 
#8 ·
Brian,
Glad to hear you're doing better and congratulations on the sale of your C400 (not an easy thing in this market).

Enjoy the search for the new boat. Boat shopping should be fun after all !

I'm curious about your reservations about catamarans. We're going to be based out of Marathon in two years or so and I'm trying to decide if we stay with our C30 or move to a different boat and I've been looking at cats.

The difference for us is we'll have a shore side house on the island rather than living aboard.

Hope you continue to feel better,
Jim
Hi Jim,

I think you will love Marathon. You have young kids, right? THe kids there are very receptive to boaters. Duck Key is the place to live unless you are going to get something on the water.

Are you going to live aboard or a house? If a house, you will need to find a marina. Your drafts will make the 30 pretty easy to find. However, if you go with a Cat, you may have issues. City marina could take it, but they have very few spots available. Frankly, I think it is a better place to keep your boat if you enjoy being in the middle of the boot key harbor action though... and less a place to park it. Marathon Marina could but $$$$$. They charge cats for the full length of the slip PLUS an extra dollar/foot. That should put you pretty close to $24.5/ft/month. May be $25 now. I heard they were going to go up this summer. You cannot put that cat on a ball in Boot Key. Boats must b live aboards. Sombrero, well, it really needs a lot of work and I would discuss that with you over the phone, and then there is dockside (that is where Eric Stone's bar is), but the facilities are terrible (non-existent). About all that is left is Burdines, and I am not sure that is where I would want to keep my boat with all due respect.

THere are places on the gulf side, but I do not know them as well and there are draft limitations. Banana Bay might be worth looking into. Outside of that... not much. I couldn't get into Banana Bay and didn't want to go all the way around Vaca Key anyways.

Point in all this is unless you are going to put it behind your house, you will be in for a sticker shock. Boot Key Harbor is great for cats, but finding a slip for them is expensive and limited. In addition, you may have a lot of trouble finding a yard that can pull your boat.

I don't want to start another anchor war here, but i am not convinced cats are as safe as has been reported. Plus, the cats that fit our size requirements are not ICW friendly. THat forces us on the outside and restricts the harbors where we can seek refuge. We have not ruled the out, but I am not as excited about them as I was.

Brian

PS When you get close to going to Marathon, give me a ring. I can help with questions.
 
#5 ·
We really reached the point where we wanted three cabins and more space.
:confused:

Hey Brian - it's good to hear that you are on the mend, but the comment above has me confused. At the charter / school where I worked there was a 2001 C400, that had 2 aft cabins, 2 heads (one with a separate shower), and a V berth. Overall, I thought that thing was HUGE!


Did you have the two cabin version? If so, why not look at the 3 cabin?
 
#6 ·
The c400 is a fantastic 2 cabin boat. Honestly, it is probably a better one cabin boat with a cabin that is ok in the V for a couple. The V is not very large in that boat with a bulkhead that comes out for the forward head.

For a liveaboard boat, I would opt against (an warn against) a Vberth. The positives of the V are that you get good ventilation and less noise. However, it is unusable at sea, someone will always be crawling over the other to get out and waking the other person up, and generally not a great long-term solution. That is our opinion. Others love the Vberth... but I always question how long they have actually been in it and on it. Compare that to a Queen (almost king) size, innerspring matterss where you can sit on either side and get off on either side... no comparisson. Of course, the only thing I dislike more than a V berth is a quarter berth....

I think at this point I will be moving beyond the large volume production boats. I got full asking price for my boat (and it came back with a bristol survey... BRISTOL... I was very proud of that), but still, I lost a lot of money trying to make changes in it that were difficult to recoup.

My ideal boat will have a king-type inner mattress berth (hell, lets call it a bed!) where I can sit up under it and get out on either side, walk in shower separate from rest of head, room for household size head (electric), large tankages (all tankages... even black water which was often our biggest issue), high-end gear, at least two heads, galley with three burner stove and respectable oven (the Princess ROCK), deep bilge, full access to all sides of engine, galley that is aft of salon with centerline sink, large fridge/freezer ideally with separate units, respectable lazarette with spot for large, diesel genset of at least 8kw, very comfortable salon with straight berths for sea berths, lots of storage below waterline and above in positive locking cabinets and floorboards, air draft under 64 and water draft 6.5 or less, sails fast, protected rudder, sugar scoop and large cockpit, twin independent steering, large and well built roller and separated anchor locker for day and storm hook, cutter rig, minimal teak outside, three cabins or two with the second having separate berths.

I am sure I have missed some stuff. I don't think there is a boat that meets those reqs except maybe a trawler or a cat. But the cats will probably be over the air draft req.

Brian
 
#11 ·
So, types of boats? Hylas 54, HR X, we really liked the Leopard 44 (though I have some concerns now about cats), and of course my beloved Nordhavn. Don't worry, even if I go with a Nord, I will stick a sailing dinghy on there!
Have you looked at the Passport 515. Seems to be around the same $$ as the Hylas and hits a lot of your targets.

2006 Passport 515

Also a bit less draft than the Hylas, a good thing in the Keys.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Brian - I'm looking forward to following your search. And I totally agree with you on the sleeping accommodations. One of the big reasons I focused on the Hunter 40 was the centerline queen in the aft cabin. It's absolutely awesome. Lots of other great things about it (fast, roomy, easy to sail, awesome features for the money, etc.) - but that huge aft cabin was the clincher.

Get well dude. And get back out here with us!
 
#14 ·
Where abouts in Wa are ye?!?!?!?? Fatty if still around owes Mr CUTIE Winston a beer!

If you are near Edmonds, Mr Winston can offer you a sail one his daddy's Cough Cough Jeanneau! a wee bit smaller than your choke choke Catalina..........

Beth is still the mgr up at the WM in Everett.

Marty
 
#15 · (Edited)
Brian - I never wanted to pry...but glad that you've shared with everyone. Full recovery ahead...and take the time to make it a full recovery. No shortcuts.

With regards to a boat...I really really think you should consider a catamaran. Are you planning to go brand new boat?

Much as I love the sailing I do on our mono, the benefits of a catamaran are just overwhelming and more and more apparent by the day. Especially with a family. Think about all the space to have the kids do homework/classwork during a passage....sailing flat. Lots of room above decks as a launchpad for an active family life.

Sure they dont sail upwind worth a damn...but my god, how much fun is beating to weather anyway? Given modern life and weather forecasting, I really think cats are the way to go. Yes, the cost and maintenance are higher...but at this point, I think you realize how fleeting health and life can be....do it well.

as for pitchpoling, I really think that risk is more than made up for by being able to outrun a storm!
 
#18 ·
Brian, Now is the time to get the catamaran you secretly covet!! Solves both the sleeping and the boom issues (my little Catalac has it's boom 7 feet above the cockpit floor).

The way the economy is, this is the time to find a for sale by owner boat and go for two hulls, not one.... and never look back

You know I had to do this - Rick :D
 
#20 ·
Brian, I'll be back in Marathon this winter, driving down with my loving spouse and residing in a rental house at Key Colony Beach until mid March, then heading back to the frozen wilds of Maryland. Then, next October, if my health holds up, I'll once again put the sails up on my old Morgan and head back to Marathon and Boot Key Harbor, probably put the boat on the bulkhead again right behind the poop boats. Yeah, I know, the wind sometimes blows in the wrong direction, but most of the time it wasn't a problem. So, with any kind of luck, we'll get together sometime during 2015, tilt a few Green Coconut Margarettas, and play some music at the City Marina Tiki Hut. I'm really looking forward to seeing the old gang there again.

Gary :cool:
 
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