So....here's the dilemma. My wife and I currently sail a Beneteau First
35s5 on the Long Island Sound. We love the boat, though it's our first
season with her. She's great in all kinds of air and quite comfortable
for our daysails and overnighters with our two year old son.
Down the road we planned to buy a more serious cruiser and of course I
recently got a heads up that a Baltic 43 was going to be set for
auction in Florida. The boat, already surveyed two months ago, is in
excellent shape. She's a 1987 and loaded with gear, sails and upgrades
added last year to the tune of 75K. Only..it was never paid for and now
the boat belongs, in part, to the yard run by a friend of mine. Long
story short: I can own the Baltic 43 for 145K, plus another 4K to ship
it here. That's a huge chunk off of what they typically sell for.
The problem....obviously a unique deal and obviously too much boat for
us at present. Do we jump on it for the deal. We WOULD sail her, she
just wouldn't get the kind of use a boat like that should. That's not
to say you can't daysail what you want, but a Baltic 43 is a true
bluewater yacht.
Some of our friends say "you don't buy the right boat at the wrong time
and good deals be damned." Others say, JUMP! I think the latter group
just wants to sail her!

I'd be interested in what YOU would do if presented with this
opportunity. Oh, and we are not really permitted to flip the boat. The
offer is for us to BUY and keep her for a while. My friend could easily
sell her for more without my help!



Thanks

Robert & Suzanne
35s5 Heart of Gold
NY