Hello! We are just about to buy our first boat!

Hi everyone,
We are buying our first boat soon and I know all of you must have tons of tips and advice and we would love to hear it all!

Here's what we are looking at:

36-40 ft trawler;
Under $60,000
Probably 1970's or early 80's
Diesel

It's for two of us and a dog mostly with occasional visitors, liveaboard eventually, cruising eventually (Columbia and San Juans). It will be in Portland for the first few years and then Seattle.

Our favorites so far are a 1977 Marine Trader Tradewinds 40' that we love nearly everything about, and also a Bluewater 40' Pilothouse that we just missed, but we loved the rear transom door and rear porch area on that one.

Welcome aboard. Have fun with the search for your boat, enjoy!

Welcome to the Forum!
Sounds like you have already given it a lot of thought and done some serious looking.
My 2 cents worth of advice would be to "take your time" and not rush into anything.
Make lists such as "must haves", "nice to have", and "do not want" on the boat.
For example: for us, some items on our "do not want" were screwed down teak decks (thousands of screws that will leak eventually), exterior varnished wood (looks great but too much work), and twin engines (double the costs and in smaller boats usually very cramped engine rooms).
Write your lists separately, then compare and compromise. Also be prepared that you will not find the "perfect boat" as they all involve some sort of compromise(s).
For boats of that vintage, past maintenance (or lack thereof) is very important. Ideally look for one that has detailed maintenance records (however, sometimes that might be hard to find).
Also, keep a sizeable budget for repairs, upgrades, additions, and just "making it your own".

Good luck, and enjoy the process

Hello, and welcome. Honestly find a good deal on a boat that you can live with. 99% chance you’re first one won’t be your last. Buy something that works for you currently, and would be relatively easy to flip. In about 2 years you will actually know what you want/need far better than now. Btw I personally am not a fan of the blue water’s, but that’s just me

This one looks to be a good fit and priced well.
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/albin-36-sale-47282.html#post819759

Sorry just realized that Albin is on the wrong coast given your PNW location.

Under $60K? Sounds like a boat full of problems to me. Education is always expensive even more so with boats.

Find a diesel 40’ Tolly. There are some amazing specimens out there. Pass up the worn ones, it will cost too much to restore when there are people with cherished ones that are supplying the market with amazing kept boats. Pull the windows and reseal or preferably replace. The gaskets are shot on any boat this age and that’s going to generate some boat dollars if you let them leak.

I just recently purchased a 43’ Tradewinds. It is my second motor vessel, first was a Mainship 34 (about my sixth boat including the sail boats prior).

Truly, I love the boat, but it took time to find one that was not beat up or neglected—most have been. At $65k there were still things I needed to do, and need to do down the road. All of which I’m able to do myself due to past knowledge—short of an engine overhaul.

My Lehmans are solid, and American Diesel is able to get most stuff, and provides a wealth of knowledge. That said, in retrospect, I probably would have kept looking for one with the Cummins 210s had I fully grasped that the Lehman SP275 shouldn’t be run hard. During my shopping there was only one in the southeast with the Cummins.

Do I regret my current boat with the Lehman’s, neah!

As all will say, just know what you’re getting into and be realistic about your abilities, time, and budget—get both a vessel and engines survey.

Welcome to the Columbia. Good luck on your search.

READY said:

Sorry just realized that Albin is on the wrong coast given your PNW location.

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It's a very interesting read though and would definitely be of interest if it was in the PNW. We're assuming that buying a boat that is not close to where you plan to keep it would be expensive and complicated, is that right? We're not experienced sailors. Yet

hytedin said:

I just recently purchased a 43’ Tradewinds. It is my second motor vessel, first was a Mainship 34 (about my sixth boat including the sail boats prior).

Truly, I love the boat, but it took time to find one that was not beat up or neglected—most have been. At $65k there were still things I needed to do, and need to do down the road. All of which I’m able to do myself due to past knowledge—short of an engine overhaul.

My Lehmans are solid, and American Diesel is able to get most stuff, and provides a wealth of knowledge. That said, in retrospect, I probably would have kept looking for one with the Cummins 210s had I fully grasped that the Lehman SP275 shouldn’t be run hard. During my shopping there was only one in the southeast with the Cummins.

Do I regret my current boat with the Lehman’s, neah!

As all will say, just know what you’re getting into and be realistic about your abilities, time, and budget—get both a vessel and engines survey.

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Marine Trader Tradewinds? One of the boats we are looking at is a 40' one of those.

bayview said:

Under $60K? Sounds like a boat full of problems to me. Education is always expensive even more so with boats.

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Do you think under $60K is for sure a boat with problems in the 1972-85 36-42 ft range? That's right around where we are looking so would love to hear your thoughts on that.

AlisonS said:

It's a very interesting read though and would definitely be of interest if it was in the PNW. We're assuming that buying a boat that is not close to where you plan to keep it would be expensive and complicated, is that right? We're not experienced sailors. Yet

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Yes as a general rule it does not make sense. Boats are generally available in most places and there are deals to be had everywhere. With the cost of travel to inspect it followed by moving costs you are better to buy more or less local. It is not too much to consider buying a boat in SoCal and moving it to PNW if you really find the right one but even so I would start with a 50 mile radius from my home port and exhaust all possibilities before I expanded the circle. $60K is on the low side for what you are seeking but not impossible. Many items on a boat can be replaced for $1-2K but the real killers would be extensive work or replacement to: engines, generator, transmission and hull. Older boats that might have wood coring could be particularly troublesome and VERY expensive to repair. Find someone who knows boats and see if they could go visit a few with you. Most of us are happy to have the opportunity to spend someone else's money

AlisonS said:

Hi everyone,
, liveaboard eventually, cruising eventually (Columbia and San Juans). It will be in Portland for the first few years and then Seattle.

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Hi back atcha.

Join the yacht club and buy a boat that comes with a slip.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/why-join-yacht-club-46962.html

advice on mooring

Join a yacht club is really good advice. First you will get free expert help. Second your first mate will be happy about the social atmosphere and third you will save money.

I believe it is important to spend a reasonable amount of time to consider where you are going to put the new boat. I did this before I bought and it allowed me to budget correctly (and more extensively) as to the comfort of pulling the trigger and affordability of my package.

Clubs are like people with different character and behavior. Price is important but not everything. Have a look before you leap.

The previous posters said 50 miles - I would go for a hundred or more but that is the outer edge and stay at 50 if you have a dirt location.