On Nov 29, 5:35 pm, Dave wrote:
On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:55:53 -0800, Peter Bennett
said:

an autopilot would be a
very good investment.

Or even a very good expense.

(Just pointing out peoples' tendency to call things of which they approve
"investments" and things they think unnecessary "expenses.")

If the standing rigging has never been replaced, REPLACE IT even if it
looks OK. I thought mine was ok when it was20 yrs old until someone
convinced me to really look at it with a magnifying glass and I was
shocked to find ALL the lower fittings had miniscule cracks.
Replacement will only cost about $2000, maybe $2500. Running rigging
is cheap.
If the furling system is still good then keep it, otherwise go with a
CDI system because you can install it yourself. Roller furlers really
will make you sail more than you otherwise would, I wish I'd got one
years before I finally did.
Replace the lifelines too
Electronic autopilot. Forget all the stupid NMEA BS and interfacing
to charts. Get the simplest one with the most force.
Why self tailing? I have a 28' and have never really needed it and I
sail single handed.
Get Lazy Jacks or similar because it will really make life easier and
your spouse less crabby when she/he is at the tiller and the sail is
dropped.
A new high capacity bilge pump.
Some good used sails
A dinghy (I prefer the non-inflatables but you choose)
A new VHF AND a handheld VHF
AUTO-inflate lifejackets.
EPIRB
This should be well under $10,000.
I bet the old engine is ok but needs some work. It is probably an old
Atomic 4, a great gas engine that will run forever and is very
simple. You may need to replace your fuel tank though. Get a CO
detector if it is a gas engine.

Here is my reasoning on going less expensive. This is an older boat
and you seem to want to cruise cheap. This means that you will not
want to be spending time in $80/night slips or be paying $400/month
for a slip. You need to keep her in a place that is a little less
safe but much cheaper, maybe even on anchor in a slough somewhere.for
free. If something happens to her, you do not want it to be a
financial disaster for you. You want to be able to shrug your
shoulders and say "Oh well, it was interesting but wont be a real
hardship of a loss".
Lots of new SOLAS flares.