A Good Starter Boat?

[GoodOldBoater]

I own a Spirit 23 - it's a very nice Coastal Cruiser, and if it has the Pop-Top option could be livable. They are well designed and nicely built boats, but not as popular as the Oday or Hutchins (Compac) boats. More info on the Spirit 23 at: North American/Spirit 23' Sloop (sailboat) resource page

[paul323]

Sailingdog his right (again) - "You don't want to buy a cheap boat—you want to buy a high-quality boat in good shape for as little money as possible." - you really have to own and spend money on a couple of boats to really get this. A guy in my marina bought a boat for about $5K, spent about 7K on it, and ended up with a boat worth - uh - $5K. Darn. Another bought a 27 footer for about $1250 - no survey (at that price, he thought, why bother?) - brought it back to the marina, proud as punch, what can possible be wrong with a price like that? A couple of months later it was being broken up to salvage the lead from the keel...

Don't look at the purchase price - look at what it'll cost you to have her usable. Keep in your head what the big-ticket items will cost - motor, sails, new rigging, etc - and add that to the low price you are considering to get a realistic cost.

The good news is that there are still some really good bargains out there! Good luck!

[steel]

Here's the way I see it: If I buy a $5000 boat I can sell it again for $5000, so I'm not losing any money. Now the maintenance is what eats the money away.

You want to have a boat that is cheap to own. If you buy a low quality boat, even if it does work things will be more likely to break, so your ownership costs are much more.

Then I think if you buy a low quality boat real cheap, then you fix it up, when you try to sell it again I'm guessing you might run in to a problem where you won't be able to get much more than you paid because the buyer knows that it's low quality and may assume that things are broken even if you fixed them, and he doesn't want to take the time to test everything before buying.

If you could just come up with $6000 you could probably get a nice 27' with a diesel engine. The lower fuel costs and longer engine life will save you some more money in the long run! I think you really should avoid such a small boat since you're going to be living on it. You want to have a good head, some kind of shower, and a place to prepare your meals! A little 22' may have a minimal head and that's it! Are you going to go swimming to take a shower? A 27' will have some kind of minimal galley. I would prefer something in the 30' range myself because in boats smaller than that your kitchen counter can be less than a foot deep!

Why do you need insurance?

And I forgot about this. If you're trying to live in a boat that has just been used as a cheap day sailer it may be lacking some equipment. A lot of the boats in the $6000 range often come with a lot of stuff that you'll need, like: A good anchor or two, VHF radio, solar panels, fenders, and working navigation lights etc.

Look at this one, it's a 30' for $5200. The engine probably has a lot of hours but you won't be using it much.
1964 Chris-Craft 30 Sailboat for sale in Dawsonville, Georgia - SailboatTrader.com

Good luck finding one!

[sailingdog]

I would point out that many boats <30' don't have a shower of any sort aboard, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, since most liveaboards will be using the shower and head at their marina most of the time. Using the head on the boat as little as possible is generally a good idea for a liveaboard.

Having a decent galley is a necessity for a liveaboard, at least if you're on a budget... If you can afford to eat out all the time....then, you wouldn't be going low-end on the boat.

[MarkCK]

I dont think living in a 23 boat is a workable option. There just isnt enough space. If it is your only domicile you really need a shower and something more substantial than a porta potti. A one burner stove might be enough it you really like canned food. 27' would be where I would be the minimum. I dont think I could do it, but some people could.

[dmcMaine]

Honestly, if you are willing to put 3k into a 3k boat, why aren't you looking at 6k boats in good shape? You could even find something a little more...roomy?

To me, a good starter boat is a boat you can start sailing when you buy, not start fixing when you buy. (The fixing should come later )

Listen to these guys. They have years of experience behind what they're saying.

Keep in mind, when in the field as a Marine, they're paying you to do it. And you'll get back home to the barracks before long. In a 22'er you are paying them for the priveledge, and the only home is below deck.

[emoney]

First of all, don't let any of the responses frustrate you, these folks are trying
to steer you towards 'logic & reason' as opposed to 'dreams & what ifs'. Neither way of looking at it is bad, and a little of both should be involved.

Having said that, you're a college kid so your version of comfortable versus
mine is quite different in that I'm 45. I have a small boat, 23' and there's
no way I could live on it full time (Mon thru Fri is full time), but that doesn't
mean you can't. Don't enter into the sailboat living idea thinking it is less
expensive because it's not. However, if it's a dream, then I've never seen
or heard of a dream that wasn't worth the effort.

Ok, enough 'preaching'. Now, this is a buyer's market, and while $3000 and
less seems cheap for a sailboat, at this moment in Florida it's average at
best, so you don't have to be in any hurry. By all means, don't make a
purchase without your uncle looking it over. I know a kid that had a boat
given to him, FREE, and he ended up losing money on it, understand?
See if the owner will let you spend the night on the boat at the slip (this
might be asking a lot, but it never hurts to ask & if your uncle is there,
it will help the owner overlook your age). Also, what types of repair/refit
are capable of doing? I've heard countless people "say" they could
learn anything only to realize that they weren't willing to actually do so.
Don't forget, as a college student, there will be a LOT of demand on your
time and school is definitely more important at this junction.

To answer your question, though, from the pics you posted the last one
seems the best value, but pictures are waaaayyyyyy tooooooo deceiving
to go by. Having said that, the Com-Pac 23' is a great boat to start on.
Good luck and definitely keep us posted.

[trisstan87]

Lol, yes yes. Well before capitulating completely I would like to point out that in one of the three boats I posted the current owner list that he lives aboard currently. Also, I live in FL and I had MANY 3K boats to choose from, those 3 were some of the best ones and looked to be in sailing shape.
I have decided however to wait for a 5K catalina or or O'Day type. The reason I do not want to go larger is two-fold. Any larger and my cost increase 2-3 times what they would be on a 25' boat, not that I would not entertain a 27' if the price/conditions were right. Second, I want to get a starter boat to have and build experience with for a few years before I invest in to a 35' which is ultimately what I would get with the plans I have in the works. I have an itch, a sailing itch, and so I want to be able to scratch that before I am out of college and working a few years to save up for "The One."
A nice 5-6K boat around 25' is what I believe the best decision to be for the situation and conditions now. Thank you all for your input, it is appreciated.

[trisstan87]

Thank you emoney, I am a realist and a dreamer which I find to be an entertaining mix sometimes. The reason I was swayed in the end was because I would rather shell out a few extra for a boat that already has good equipment for the most part. Also, I want to be able to take summer trips to the Bahamas as I know many people on a handful of islands in the Abaco's and I can work summers there. If I want to stay there working during the summer moored in the Harbor I think I probably do need certain accommodations that smaller boats really just don;t have. Thank you for supporting the dream though!

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by grmitche

Catalina 27 - knew a guy in SF that lived on 1 for a couple years after a divorce. It worked well. Head, etc. There are a couple on the east coast for <$10k, sail it home.

Not a bad choice for a small live aboard.

Tristan, you might also see what increments the marinas you're looking at list their slips. If you have a 22' boat, but the smallest slip is 30', you'll pay for the extra 8' anyway. In that case, a 27' boat looks much better. Don't forget to ask the marina how they measure boats. Often it's from the tip of the bow pulpit to the end of whatever you have hanging off the back. Rarely is it as simple as LOA as measured by the length of the deck.