JohnM wrote:
Thanks for the input Tim.
I don't mind flying to the States to pickup and repair the boat. I plan to
cruise the Bahamas for a year to give it a good test before crossing the
Pacific anyway. The problem is selecting the right boat. As you say
contracting a surveyer may be the answer, although that may prove expensive.
Or maybe not.
Do people abandon boats in marinas? I havn't heard of that here.

I've been in Salt Creek Marina for 2.5 years now. In that time I've
seen lots of stuff...

There was, about a year ago, a destruction of 5 boats which had been
abandoned and on which title was procured by the owner of the yard.

In the year since, I've also seen him acquire another 5 boats which
were suited to rehabilitate, which he uses his yard help to do in slack
times. Others await either the bulldozer/crane or foreclosure.

So, to your question, for many reasons, yes, boats get abandoned in
yards. One such here, with a lien/mortgage of 130k, has been surveyed
as worth nearly 300 as it sits - which it's done for the last 3+ years
with no payments. Couple bought it with little or no experience, got
in a storm, got off, terrified, and haven't been back, nor
communicated, since.

Unfortunately, finding such deals and pursuing them isn't easily done
long-distance, because in most cases you'd have to get friendly with
the yard owner or manager, get the info on the boats in such a state,
and pursue the viability of both acquisition and current condition to
make it happen. Making things just that much more challenging, unless
you were interested in doing it as a business (acquire, rehab, sell),
unless you know that the boat type is right for you, you're buying not
only a pig in a poke (US colloquialism if you're not familiar with the
term), you're buying something which might not suit you (I went on more
than 200 boats before settling on the Morgan 46 as our appropriate
type).

Had I known our type to start with, and was willing to be patient
(well, I am, but Lydia's the queen of instant gratification), I could
have bought several M46 very inexpensively. There's even a potential
right in this yard, though they have paid their bills, so that's not by
any means certain.

Good luck in your search. If you're near any boatyards/marinas, drop
in on them and pose questions like you see above. You might find many
possibilities. OTOH, if what you want is a cruise in the Bahamas and
*then* a Pacific cruise and crossing, buying an inexpensive coastal
cruiser in good nick somewhere in the Ft. Lauderdale (Miami to North
Palm) area, then selling it after the Bahamas when you bring it back,
would avoid the time and cost of rehab for that part, and you could
find the boat to sail home on the California coast...

L8R

Skip, still refurbishing his non-"project" boat, but floating instead
of on stands