Just getting started...boat recommendation?
 

I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired, and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David

In article ,
H. David wrote:
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired, and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

How much experience do you have with sailing (I'm assuming) and/or
cruising? There are lots of good quality boats out there for well
under $50K. Mono or multi interest? How much time do you want to spend
fixing or updating equipment/sails?

Just a few questions.... :-)

--
Jonathan Ganz (j gan z @ $ail no w.c=o=m)
http://www.sailnow.com
"If there's no wind, row."

If the total budget is $50K, I'd put aside $15K of that and begin by
assuming $35K ... or so ... to pay for the boat itself (assuming you're not
financing).

"H. David" wrote in message
...
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, I have a boat
budget of
about $50,000.

Sorry, I meant power boating and I have no experience either with power or
sailing.

"H. David" wrote in message
...
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired, and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget
of about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David

Sail or motor? Overnite from where to where? Seaworthy as?
Lots of different water in the PNW.
Gordon


"H. David" wrote in message
...
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired,
and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget
of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David

Thanks for the info. The reading I have done so far has made me aware of all
of the additional costs, the $50K is for the initial purchase of the power
boat. So, do you have any suggestions there? And what about new vs. used, do
maintenance costs increase for a used boat?

Thanks.

"Red Cloud®" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 10:26:25 -0700, "H. David"
wrote:

I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired,
and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget
of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David


Just for openers... Is 50k your entire budget? You should figure roughly
8-10%
of a boat's value as the annual maintenence costs if nothing major goes
wrong.
That's if you do almost all of the labor yourself. Also figure in taxes if
any,
insurance, storage, dockage, operating costs and all the other things that
could
sink you. Purchase price is the easy part. The never ending costs of
keeping the
boat is the expensive part. It is not nickles and dimes.

That said... you can't take it with you!

rusty redcloud

Thanks for the reply. To answer your questions, Motor; overnight from Port
Ludlow to destinations reachable within a day of motoring; and relatively
seaworthy for the class of boats she is in.

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
Sail or motor? Overnite from where to where? Seaworthy as?
Lots of different water in the PNW.
Gordon


"H. David" wrote in message
...
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired,
and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget
of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 10:26:25 -0700, "H. David"
wrote:

I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired, and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David


You said in a later post that you are looking for a power boat. I
am thinking you will be boating in Puget Sound and maybe north into
Canada. It is all pretty protected. Most boats are seaworthy enough
for the Sound. Find a boat large enough to be comfortable. The larger
the boat, the greater the cost; for mooring fee, for fuel, for
haul-outs.

Other things to consider:

Gasoline is explosive and I consider it dangerous. Fire is the
greatest danger. As a blue-water cruiser, I would not buy a boat with
a gasoline engine. My 85 hp diesel engine pushes my 16 ton hull at 6.5
knots burning about 1.5 gallons per hour. At 5 knots, it uses about 1
gallon per hour. I know twin-engine skippers that burn 20 gallons per
hour or more. What can you afford? If you want to speed around, get a
ridged-bottom inflatable with a 20 hp outboard for a tender (dingy).
Or carry a small Boston Whaler with an outboard.

Think of your ground tackle (anchor, anchor rode, cleats, mooring
lines) as the most important system. It is second to the hull in
importance. Ground tackle keeps you safe and lets you sleep at night.
Always use oversized anchor with chain. I use an all-chain rode and a
66 pound Bruce anchor. Install a good electric windlass and use a big
anchor. When you install the windlass, replace all your cleats with
bigger cleats. In a storm, you will be happy you did.

Take the Coast Guard Auxillary course on boating safety. You'll learn
about lights, rules of the road, navigation, locking through to Lake
Union, and general safety.

Go to marinas. Ask another boat owner to walk through with you. Look
at the boats and think about what you want. Talk to people that own
boats and ask them what they like and don't like. You might be
surprised that glass boats have less maintenance than steel. learn
about zinc, bottom paint, marine heads, shorepower, knots, et c.
Go to boat shows. Walk onto sailboats as well as power boats. If I
were staying on Puget Sound, I would probably have a power boat. You
will get some ideas from every boat you see. There are lots and lots
of boats in your price range. Take a little time.

If your budget is really $50k, think more like 30k for a good, used
boat and 10k to make it how you want it. In the end, the repairs /
refits will cost twice as much as you plan.

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 22:23:09 -0700, "H. David"
wrote:

Thanks for the info. The reading I have done so far has made me aware of all
of the additional costs, the $50K is for the initial purchase of the power
boat. So, do you have any suggestions there? And what about new vs. used, do
maintenance costs increase for a used boat?


New vs Used. Maintenance cost are higher with a used boat. But a
new boat quickly becomes a used boat. My used boat cost about $120k.
To build a new one like it would cost a little over $400k. To buy one
from a builder would be closer to $500+k.

Skipper wrote in
:

Go to marinas. Ask another boat owner to walk through with you. Look
at the boats and think about what you want. Talk to people that own
boats and ask them what they like and don't like. You might be
surprised that glass boats have less maintenance than steel. learn
about zinc, bottom paint, marine heads, shorepower, knots, et c.
Go to boat shows. Walk onto sailboats as well as power boats. If I
were staying on Puget Sound, I would probably have a power boat. You
will get some ideas from every boat you see. There are lots and lots
of boats in your price range. Take a little time.


Excellent advise. You need to hang out with the boaters and find out what
it REALLY takes to buy and keep the thing afloat. B-O-A-T means Bring Out
Another Thousand. That $50K is a drop in the bucket as to what it really
costs.

Get acquainted with the guys at the docks. Crew on a few boats until you
learn how to handle them. Get the feel of being "at sea", even if it's
only in the harbor. Help them work on their boats to see what it's going
to be like working on yours. It's NOT the romantic, rosy, peaceful picture
of laying back most people think it is. Even if you hire everything done,
at amazing expense, you'll still be working very hard to keep it running
safely. It simply falls apart, piece by piece, just sitting at its dock.
Constant repairs are necessary, even if you don't use it much. Things grow
on its bottom that must be cleaned off by a diver. Filters constantly clog
from things pumped into it to cool it/heat it. Fuel decays just sitting
there, clogging their filters. Batteries need tending. It also helps if
you're a plumber, carpenter, electrician, engine mechanic.

You'll find all this out hanging with the guys on the docks. Befriend
them. Some are very friendly. Others are like hermits and the reason they
have a boat is to be isolated from other humans. Except for the hermits,
if the guys on the docks find out you are willing to HELP them work on
their boats, a great learning experience for you, even if you only hand
them tools while they are contorted into odd shapes in the bilge, demand
for your friendship goes way up. I have 4 boats belonging to out-of-town
owners to play with. I gave up the idea of owning one long ago. It's lots
more fun buying at 4X retail from West Marine on someone ELSE'S credit
cards...(c;

Well, gotta go to the marina. One of my dock buddies wants me to find out
why his lights don't work on his Jolly rib boat, this morning. During the
"Sea Trial", we'll probably end up at some waterfront bar for lunch. That
will take hours as we move from the restaurant into the bar....(c;

Life is GOOD...enjoy!

--
Larry
3rd Mate, Deck and Engineering
S/V "Lionheart"
(Why do they all call me "captain"? It's not MY fault!)

Dunno if this is relevant ... anecdotal evidence ... every once in a while
launching or returning from a day out, I see my "buddy" from the shop with
his truck (3500 diesel ... mmmmm) and trailer at the ramp. He's waiting for
the mechanic to finish the trouble shooting of yet another new boat with yet
another new problem. His opinion (the anecdotal evidence) ... these new
boats with their frikken electronic gadgetry etc etc are back in the shop
more often than not. I said yep ... gimme my simple old carburated engine
anytime.

To sum up, it could be that a new boat may in fact be less reliable than an
older boat ... which is important if you're a few miles out.

maintenance costs increase for a used boat?

Having said that, I'm 100% in agreement with others on diesel ... can't wait
to make that move to the coast ... trawler, mmmm. And when I need some help
getting through the workday I visit this site ...
http://www.alaskaboatbrokers.com/powerlistings.asp ... to look at the pics
and do some reading and learning and pension calculations :-)

"Bowgus" wrote in news:p8OdnYwc38zuE3_fRVn-
:

gimme my simple old carburated engine
anytime.


I agree....one you can fix yourself when it stalls 20 miles from the ramp
and just drive it home....


--
Larry

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 22:23:09 -0700, "H. David"
wrote:

Thanks for the info. The reading I have done so far has made me aware of all
of the additional costs, the $50K is for the initial purchase of the power
boat. So, do you have any suggestions there? And what about new vs. used, do
maintenance costs increase for a used boat?

Thanks.


I'd give the Willard 30 a look.
http://www.yachtworld.com/ is a great place to look over boats. You
can do a special search and just imput your requirements. It'll give
you lots of boats to look at and compare.
Mark E. Williams

I prefer boats.com to yachtworld.com. Revising your search criteria is very
easy at boats.com while you have to reenter everything at yachtworld. For
the boats I was searching for, I got more hits at boats.com and nearly all
of the hits at yachtworld were included.

"Maynard G. Krebbs" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 22:23:09 -0700, "H. David"
wrote:

Thanks for the info. The reading I have done so far has made me aware of
all
of the additional costs, the $50K is for the initial purchase of the power
boat. So, do you have any suggestions there? And what about new vs. used,
do
maintenance costs increase for a used boat?

Thanks.


I'd give the Willard 30 a look.
http://www.yachtworld.com/ is a great place to look over boats. You
can do a special search and just imput your requirements. It'll give
you lots of boats to look at and compare.
Mark E. Williams

Thanks for the advice, I have perused the USPS site for my region and they
look to have some helpful information. The class I wanted, the Squadron
Boating Course, isn't offered for a while so I found it on video and have
ordered it, not as good as a live class, but it will do for now.

Have you tried using travelnewsgroups.com to access this newsgroup, its
available directly from the web and will also alert you when your post has
been replied to?

H. David

"Nomen Nescio" ] wrote in message
...
H. David wrote:

I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am
newly retired, and want to cruise on the waterways of the
Pacific Northwest doing regular overnight cruises for two
people and occasionally 4.

Skipper replied:

Take the Coast Guard Auxillary course on boating safety.
You'll learn about lights, rules of the road, navigation,
locking through to Lake Union, and general safety.

Since the Coast Guard Aux gets their materials from the U.S.
Power Squadrons, might I add to this by advising you to take
the course offered by, and tojoin the U.S. Power Squadron as
well?

You say "Pacific Northwest" which would be either District 16
or District 32. Since we don't know exactly where you are, you
can go to the following two websites, and find the local chapter
(squadron) closest to you.

http://www.usps.org/localusps/d16/

http://www.usps.org/localusps/d32/

Now, some people here might discourage you from joining the USPS,
but I have found the people there to be a wealth of knowledge.

Some people might also take you to task for paying attention to
people who "post anonymously", but they refuse to grasp the fact
that I don't have access to newsfeeds from my ISP, having to read
from Google Groups. Since my ISP doesn't offer Usenet, and I have
had so much spam from signing on to Google Groups, this is the best
method for me to post. You can take my advice with a grain of salt,
but I am glad I joined the Power Squadron. Worth investigating, at
the very least, IMHO.

---
-
Those who complain about others not being "team players"
are the same ones who never give up the ball.
-----

"H. David" wrote:

I prefer boats.com to yachtworld.com. Revising your search criteria is very
easy at boats.com while you have to reenter everything at yachtworld. For
the boats I was searching for, I got more hits at boats.com and nearly all
of the hits at yachtworld were included.

I have been using yachtworld for many years, and I have not had to
re-enter everything. I just bookmark the search and it comes right up
without my having to enter anything.

I just now did the same search on both sides, and got 22 on boats.com
and 27 on yachtworld.com

"Maynard G. Krebbs" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 22:23:09 -0700, "H. David"
wrote:

Thanks for the info. The reading I have done so far has made me aware of
all
of the additional costs, the $50K is for the initial purchase of the power
boat. So, do you have any suggestions there? And what about new vs. used,
do
maintenance costs increase for a used boat?

Thanks.


I'd give the Willard 30 a look.
http://www.yachtworld.com/ is a great place to look over boats. You
can do a special search and just imput your requirements. It'll give
you lots of boats to look at and compare.
Mark E. Williams


grandma Rosalie

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 21:40:06 +0200, Nomen Nescio wrote:


Some people might also take you to task for paying attention to people who
"post anonymously", but they refuse to grasp the fact that I don't have
access to newsfeeds from my ISP, having to read from Google Groups. Since
my ISP doesn't offer Usenet, and I have had so much spam from signing on
to Google Groups, this is the best method for me to post. You can take my
advice with a grain of salt, but I am glad I joined the Power Squadron.
Worth investigating, at the very least, IMHO.

If your ISP is just not providing access, not blocking the port, you can
sign up for a news feed.

Around $12 per year:
http://news.individual.net/

Free but slower:
http://news.aioe.org/en/index.php

I advise people in your situation to take a boating course and rent for a
while. See if you and the family like boating. There is more to it than just
driving a boat around.
If you want to get a feel for maintainence, make friends with someone who
owns a boat similar to what strikes your fancy and help him/her work on that
boat. Change the engine oil, paint the bottom, clean the bilge. For some,
the personal satisfaction of a job well done; for others, a living
nightmare.
The second group usually gets sick of $70/hour bills for services and sells.
MMC

"H. David" wrote in message
...
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired,
and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget
of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David

David -

If you haven't received an informative response yet, you should check
out DiscoverBoating.com. The site is set up to help answer questions
for people who are new to the boating world. If the answer is not on
the site they have a "Discover Boating Guy" that you can e-mail who
will answer your questioin directly.

Hope this helps.

Dan

H. David wrote:
I am just beginning to explore getting into cruising, am newly retired, and
want to cruise on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest doing regular
overnight cruises for two people and occasionally 4. I have a boat budget of
about $50,000. Any recommendations as the best boat to buy would be
appreciated. I am open to new or used and will moor the boat at my local
marina. From the reading I have done so far I know I want a craft that is
first seaworthy, then reliable, and reasonably comfortable.

Thanks very much.

H. David