Extended coastal cruise on a budget

Zaren

New Member
My girlfriend and I are planning a coastal cruising trip from Seattle to Santiago, Chile. We both have considerable sailing experience, and feel comfortable on open water, but we have no experience as yacht owners. We are currently in the market for the vessel for this venture, but our budget is admittedly low for this kind of undertaking. We are hoping to spend less than $10,000 for the boat and the necessary renovations.

What are the kinds of things we should take into consideration when shopping for boats? A lot of the boats we've seen have mostly been used on freshwater; should we be cautious about boats with no blue water miles? Are there certain brands that are better for our type of trip? How do we ensure that we have the proper type of anchor?

Thanks for your input!
 
My girlfriend and I are planning a coastal cruising trip from Seattle to Santiago, Chile. We both have considerable sailing experience, and feel comfortable on open water, but we have no experience as yacht owners. We are currently in the market for the vessel for this venture, but our budget is admittedly low for this kind of undertaking. We are hoping to spend less than $10,000 for the boat and the necessary renovations.

What are the kinds of things we should take into consideration when shopping for boats? A lot of the boats we've seen have mostly been used on freshwater; should we be cautious about boats with no blue water miles? Are there certain brands that are better for our type of trip? How do we ensure that we have the proper type of anchor?

Thanks for your input!

I don't know the answer to most of your questions, but I think I can advise you on the anchor. Take two of different kinds. To start, West Marine has a primer in their catalog, maybe online too.

If I were looking for a boat for such a trip, I'd be looking for comfort, by which I mean a boat with good motion on the water.
 
$10,000......Boy, that doesn't leave much wiggle room. I think you may have to buy the smallest boat that you can that still provides sufficient storage and living space. You can find boats in the mid twenty foot range that are in your price range and would capable of an ocean passage. (The Moore 24 has been raced in trans Pacific races, and that's a small 24). Obviously you want to find a boat that is structurally sound or the repairs will eat your budget alive. Then there is safety gear, PFD's, M.O.B. gear, charts, tools, flares, VHF radio, etc. etc. This won't be a luxury cruise but if you don't mind basic cuisine and minimalist living you can do this. Go for it, there have been far too many people who have had the dream but were held back by fear of the unknown, you know the ones, they always have "just one more thing to do before they leave" Of course that one more thing is forever followed by one more thing. You don't have to have all the latest electronic navigation gear just a GPS and the appropriate charts, after all many people did ocean crossings long before chartplotters came into existence. There are many books on this subject, among them are books by Lyn and Larry Pardey, these will convince you that it can be done in a very minimalistic way ( their first boat had no engine)
 
Just an after thought. A couple of boats that come to mind would be 70's vintage Cal's or C&C's, these boats are well built and their price should be in your range. Check out www.Yachtworld.com or google 48 north magazine. When are you hoping to leave?
 
We plan to leave around May 2010, but would like to find a suitable boat well before the departure date. Ideally we would have the boat refurbished and in hand for the coming 09 winter swell. This will allow for ample cruising scrimmages to the San Juan Island before our big trip.

So far, we have mainly been looking at late 70's early 80's Catalina 27s. Also a mid 70's Ericson 27 with a brand new rebuild atomic 4 has caught our fancy. Are these boats unreasonable?
 
I would choose the Ericson but would give the Catalina 27 a pass. Certain years of Catalina 27's had a problem with the hull to deck joint, they would part company in the area of the bow, hence the term Catalina smile. I believe the offending models were built by Coopers in Vancouver BC. Why did this occur? There was pressure to up production and keep costs down, the solution, screw the deck and hull together rather than use bolts. I don't recall the production years you should avoid but they would be in the 70's somewhere. In any case Catalina's are a bit lightly constructed. You might want to avoid any vessel with excessive numbers of ports and hatches. If you have a boat in which you can close all the hatches and cockpit lockers to the point where they are nearly water tight you will have accomplished a lot towards surviving a broach, you'll be like a submarine with a mast. If you are planning a trip up to the San Juans and you are looking for a chance to test your boat in rough weather just go a bit further and head into Georgia Strait, maybe sail over to Point Roberts. Good Luck.
 

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