Hi, Jeff....while I'm in baby on board mode, I thought I'd ask you a few
questions. My buddy is planning on selling his house in 4 years to spend a year
cruising (coastal) with his two kids (they'd be 5 and 10), and his wife. His
budget is about 150K for a boat. He was originally thinking of a Cat, but I
don't see much in that price range. He wants a boat that won't nickle and dime
him due to age and that will be a reasonably comfortable platform for the
family. He also wants an easy resale.
My suggestion was a Catalina 42, which is huge below and sails well enough.
He's still waxing over the Prouts and PDQs which are out of his range. He's
capable of spending more, but he's drawn a financial line in the sand.
Any suggestions for a Cat in that range? Other thoughts?

RB

not a cat, but rather a tri: Piver

Hi, Jeff....while I'm in baby on board mode, I thought I'd ask you a few
questions. My buddy is planning on selling his house in 4 years to spend a
year
cruising (coastal) with his two kids (they'd be 5 and 10), and his wife. His
budget is about 150K for a boat. He was originally thinking of a Cat, but I
don't see much in that price range. He wants a boat that won't nickle and
dime
him due to age and that will be a reasonably comfortable platform for the
family. He also wants an easy resale.
My suggestion was a Catalina 42, which is huge below and sails well enough.
He's still waxing over the Prouts and PDQs which are out of his range. He's
capable of spending more, but he's drawn a financial line in the sand.
Any suggestions for a Cat in that range? Other thoughts?

RB

First off, you're going to be in "baby on board" mode for a few years. The one
thing you can't understand until it happens is how completely having a kid will
change your life. But this you will understand in about a year.

As to finding a cat in the 150K range, that's real close to what you can get an
older PDQ for - he may find an early one for as low as 120. One nice thing
about outboard powered cats is that all engine problems can be resolved for a
few thousand bucks. Since no PDQ is older than about 12 years, he'd still get a
fairly nice one. However, if he's going to be powering a lot, the diesel
version is probably better than the outboard, but it really is a toss-up.

I'm sure he can get a Prout 37 for 150 or less, but it may be a "fixer-upper."
And he can certainly get a Gemini new for that price, but it won't be as
elegant. This is a tough range for cats, since the "sweet spot" for a charter
cat is about 40 feet, and I don't think he wants a burned out charter cat.

BTW, if they're really planning an ICW type trip, they may get more for their
money with a power boat.




"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
Hi, Jeff....while I'm in baby on board mode, I thought I'd ask you a few
questions. My buddy is planning on selling his house in 4 years to spend a
year
cruising (coastal) with his two kids (they'd be 5 and 10), and his wife. His
budget is about 150K for a boat. He was originally thinking of a Cat, but I
don't see much in that price range. He wants a boat that won't nickle and dime
him due to age and that will be a reasonably comfortable platform for the
family. He also wants an easy resale.
My suggestion was a Catalina 42, which is huge below and sails well enough.
He's still waxing over the Prouts and PDQs which are out of his range. He's
capable of spending more, but he's drawn a financial line in the sand.
Any suggestions for a Cat in that range? Other thoughts?

RB