Is a Sedan/Europa a Good Option?

Last I heard you bought a travel trailer Don, figured you decided to give up on this high society boat'n

Be well

steelydon said:

Well the offer was accepted on the Sabre 36 FB (no counter) so I am going to be headed up to Annapolis and looking at the boat and for a surveyor.

Many thanks for you comments on this thread. If you have any advice on what to look out for on this model I would appreciate your comments.

Don

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Congrats keep us up to date and pictures

Glad your back , Don.

CPseudonym said:

Last I heard you bought a travel trailer Don, figured you decided to give up on this high society boat'n

Be well

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Yeah, I did pick up a travel trailer. It is mostly to have to get to all my youngest grandson's football games next season. I also plan to get to some areas that are just too hard to reach by boat. The boat is still my primary interests.

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone We look forward to meeting up with some in Biscayne Bay

We had four friends over to see what progress there has been on our boat. Unlike our 36' sailboat, everyone fit comfortably! We all sat at the table and didn't bump elbows while we had lunch. The ladies even sat at the table while I pulled up the floorboards and the guys got into the engine room to see where the headaches begin. We love the interior room, the large forward cabin with queen bed (partial walk around) and the dance floor upper deck. We also bought headsets for docking from either helm. That said, the boat is 35 years old and materials that degrade with time need to be replaced. If we were richer, we would have bought a new Nordhaven, but we are not rich so opted to buy a boat we could afford and replace a lot of stuff. It's mostly labor that I provide to fix or replace formica, vinyl, toilets, stoves, electronics and lights. Forget the bias against old boats and taiwan built boats. This boat has been on her own hull for 35 years, no reason to think next year is her last. It all has to do with maintenance after about 10 years.

A, I get it. The CHB is a beautiful base on which to build a dream. Unfortunately I started with a Chris Craft Catalina 280. When it was finally stripped all I had left was the hull, deck, and liner. I poured too much time and $ into a boat that would never do what I hoped it would do. Completely rebuilt Crusader, bow thruster, all new tanks, pumps, ports, hatches, windless, inverter, and the list just keeps going. I found Trawler Forum too late but now I'm glad I'm here. If I could go back 8 years and change my initial purchase I would be cruising, not looking for a turn key boat to buy.

You bought the right boat to start with and I'm envious. The upgrades are part of the journey and there is a lot of satisfaction that comes with knowing where every wire was run and how it was crimped and sealed. Every hour you spend in the bilge gives you the confidence to go miles further on your journey knowing you have the skills to get back home. With the proper love and care she will take you where you want to go and bring you safely home. And I love that Europa dance floor.

I am headed to Annapolis tomorrow morning to look at the 36 Sabre FB Sedan I have under contract. This will be a pre-purchase inspection and I sincerely hope the boat warrants a survey. I'll post back after the visit.

Thanks for all the comments, input, and just looking. I look forward to spending more time here and on the water.

Don

Don said "You bought the right boat to start with and I'm envious".

The term for it is "buying your second boat first."

I think I bought my third boat first.

Jim


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

I made the trip to Annapolis on Thursday to see the 2002 Sabre 36 FB. I was aware that Sabre had gelcoat issues for several years including this model and the first thing you notice are the hairline cracks on the inner and outer radius of the deck. I'm thinking maybe I can fix and paint the cockpit and work around the rest of the boat over the next couple of years.

The engine room was tight but workable. Major work on the generator would have been a problem but the Onan looked new with the cover off. It was 37 degrees and the engines fired right off w/o as much smoke as I was anticipating. It is well equipped w/electronics which worked great. The boat was clean, absolutely no odor and every button you pressed activated a component which worked. The boat is as near perfect mechanically as any 12 year old boat can be. Hit 3400+ with the throttle on the pins and turned 28 knots, shifted well, etc. Of course I am looking for trawler speed w/hp in reserve and was disappointed with the tracking at 6-8 knots. Probably the absence of a keel? I will leave others more knowledgeable to comment on that. In the end I can't get past the gelcoat and a reputable NC craftsman said I was looking at $20-$40K with no guarantee that the crazing won't continue.

I am taking a pass on this one so I am back on the market. The problem is going to be finding another boat as mechanically perfect at this price point. Anybody got a Europa/Sedan they are ready to sell?

Don

Planing boats are meant to plane and as such the hull is designed to minimize drag. With a planing boat speed is a component of tracking. So no speed, poor tracking.

There are compromises like lobsterboats that have in essence a planing-type hull but also incorporate a keel. So you still get decent sped for running out and back from the fishing grounds but also get decent tracking and stability while running slow working the pots.

Makes sense Marin. I like the size when it comes to docking, washing, and waxing. 40 miles out on the wrong day a 50 footer may be too small. I've never been on an Albin 36 ET. Comments?

steelydon said:

I've never been on an Albin 36 ET. Comments?

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The only make of production cruising boat I feel qualified to comment on with any authority is Grand Banks. While I'm familiar with some of the other makes and have been a few of them we've never owned or operated any of them. So while I know that Albin exists I can't tell you if they're good, bad, or indifferent.