I had a close look at four boats today, all offered through brokers. The
experience was a pleasurable one; the brokers were pleasant enough and quite
helpful. The weather was a bit cool for my taste, though. Anyway, here's
what I looked over in the order in which I saw them, along with my thoughts:

Cheoy Lee Pedrick 36, 1985 Model: This boat is simply a very good looking
boat; it has loads of visual appeal and has been well-kept. The teak deck
is in quite good condition, as are the topside fittings and rigging.
Belowdecks, the engine is easily accessible, the cabin layout is sensible
and not ostentatiously ornate. She has a genset, which is a plus, but no
stove- a definite minus (one could easily be added, however). She's
radar-equipped, no SSB or GPS. She would be a fine live-aboard and coastal
cruiser, and should handle longer range cruising as the tankage is more than
adequate. I'd like to research Cheoy Lee's more; I liked this boat. At an
asking price of less than $60,000 she is well within my budget.

Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, 1990 Model: Nice boat; she has a spartan
interior and a non-nonsense air about her. This boat is clearly designed
for ocean passages. Living aboard would not be difficult, but again the
boat is designed to go anywhere, not sit on a dock. At just under $100,000
she is out of my price range, so I didn't really seriously evaluate all her
features.

Cabo Rico 38, 1981 Model: She was once a nice boat, but neglect has sadly
hurt her. The below $80,000 price reflects the condition she's in; it would
take a lot of work to bring this boat up to snuff. The teak deck is shot.
I would take a pass on this boat; I don't want a project.

Tayana 37, 1982 Model: Wonderful boat, she has lots of room and is built
like a tank. She has a Perkins, which I like as I have lots of experience
with them. She's air-conditioned as well, a must in Texas. Very beamy and
not at all claustrophobic, the boat is clearly designed for comfort and
safety. She is equipped with a wind generator as well as a wind vane
steering system. She has no navigation station; the large quarterberth is
designed as an aft stateroom. I would prefer a nav station, but a fold down
table sort of thing could be easily added by a carpenter. Electronics
consists of an SSB; a radar and GPS system would have to be added (I am a
Garmin GPS junkie, I'll freely admit that Her asking price of $85,000 is
within my budget, though I would have to scrape for any planned add-ons.

It should be apparent that the first and last boats I looked at were the two
which appealed most to me. I have distinct reservations about a teak deck,
and while the Cheoy Lee is not the dedicated ocean passage boat that the
Tayana is, she would no doubt provide years of performance and satisfaction.
The Tayana represents security, comfort, and hominess. She has many of the
features I would like in a boat, and probably represents the better
investment of the two. It's quite clear to me that I am not exactly sure
what I want at this point in time, although I am sure that as I continue to
research and actively start sailing that this will become self-evident
before I buy. I understand now why searching for a boat can take quite some
time.

Wendy