Boat shopping with $50,000

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Scoobertdoo

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2020
Messages
9
Location
United States
Hello.

So I want to get a boat again. Previously I had a 48 tayana sailboat, but now that sailing around the world is off the list, I am looking at some trawlers.

It's just me and my young child, and we will use it on weekends and a vacation for 5 weeks each summer.

I have seen some grand banks 44 that are in my price range.

What I need in a boat is something that can do a passage. Bahamas, BVI, loop, and a hop over to Britton. From what I have seen you can put about 500 gallons on the grand banks 44, and the owners are claiming 1500 mile range. I am not sure I trust the PO to state range, but it should at least be 1000. Just not sure how good the boat would be offshore in a blow. My sailboat ate up 12' seas like pac man eats pellets. Thanks for any input.
 
Scoobertdoo said:
Hello.

So I want to get a boat again. Previously I had a 48 tayana sailboat, but now that sailing around the world is off the list, I am looking at some trawlers.

It's just me and my young child, and we will use it on weekends and a vacation for 5 weeks each summer.

I have seen some grand banks 44 that are in my price range.

What I need in a boat is something that can do a passage. Bahamas, BVI, loop, and a hop over to Britton. From what I have seen you can put about 500 gallons on the grand banks 44, and the owners are claiming 1500 mile range. I am not sure I trust the PO to state range, but it should at least be 1000. Just not sure how good the boat would be offshore in a blow. My sailboat ate up 12' seas like pac man eats pellets. Thanks for any input.
Click to expand...

You may be asking for a lot out of 50 grand and 5 weeks. Did you perchance write this while sitting on the veranda of the Tini Martini bar?
 
Are you looking at a wood GB from the 1960's? The one with 100k of rot in the hull and another 50k of systems that need work??
 
Scoobertdoo said:
Hello.

So I want to get a boat again. Previously I had a 48 tayana sailboat, but now that sailing around the world is off the list, I am looking at some trawlers.

It's just me and my young child, and we will use it on weekends and a vacation for 5 weeks each summer.

I have seen some grand banks 44 that are in my price range.

What I need in a boat is something that can do a passage. Bahamas, BVI, loop, and a hop over to Britton. From what I have seen you can put about 500 gallons on the grand banks 44, and the owners are claiming 1500 mile range. I am not sure I trust the PO to state range, but it should at least be 1000. Just not sure how good the boat would be offshore in a blow. My sailboat ate up 12' seas like pac man eats pellets. Thanks for any input.
Click to expand...


Early warning: there are trawlers, and there are trawlers. A Grand Banks is in the first category, coastal cruising. A Nordhavn and most Kadey Krogens and a few others can be in the second category, bluewater crossings.

I think you can't get there (Britton) from here on a <$50K Grand Banks. You CAN do the Great Loop, the AICW, the near islands even including BVIs... latter being more about waiting for appropriate weather windows as necessary.

-Chris
 
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While I like Grand Banks for coastal cruising and a trip across to the Bahamas with a good weather window, getting caught for hours in 5' seas with a $50k 44' GB wouldn't be my idea of a good plan.

Ted
 
I recently looked at a nice fiberglass GB, can't remember the age, but I think 1970's, of 36ft length. And they were adamant at high $50's. If you want a 40 or 44 then it will be a lot more, unless you're willing to pickup a real project boat. In the end they both cost the same - one in good condition or a project that needs lots of $$$.
 
FWIW I recently started shopping with much the same goal and budget. (except I planned to stay in this hemisphere) What I found was that the used boat market right now is extremely tight with good boats selling quickly and bringing their asking price. Anything near the $50k price point was a project boat, which I don't want. I doubled my budget, started talking myself up a few thousand at a time and still haven't found our next boat. I probably should have kept what I had. Good luck!
 
You're not going to find a passage-making trawler for $50K. Most 50K trawlers (even coastal cruisers) will require a lot of work. Grand Banks (Classic) are coastal cruisers.
 
A Grand Banks will snap your head right off your shoulders in any attempt to cross an ocean, that is if the waves don't climb aboard and wreck the superstructure coming right through the big windows. Wrong boat type for your ocean-crossing ideas. Stay coastal and protected waters.
 
Just to put it into perspective for you.

The boat you would want/need to cross the Atlantic would nearly demand $50K in annual maintenance!
 
Not an ocean-crossing boat, but probably as close as you're going to get for $50k for Loop/Bahamas. Around 400 gals diesel.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/1981-43-albin-trawler-sale-52631.html

Looks like she's done the Loop. Would be a great Bahamas boat. Further than that and I personally would want a stabilized boat, but that's a different price point.

Here is an older listing on CruiserForum for a 40-foot Defever where the owners went from California to Florida. Asking price around $50k as of 8-mos ago (probably sold).

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f152/40-defever-passagemaker-210286.html

Peter
 
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If as you stated the vessel is for you and a small child to do long distance offshore cruising, then your ability to single-hand should be a major consideration in addition to other items previously mentioned. Considerations such as easy access to all parts of the vessel such as walk-around decks. Thrusters to allow maximum maneuverability. All other considerations apart, your stated objective of doing long offshore cruising in a $50K vessel with only a small child for crew sounds extremely hazardous, irresponsible, and downright foolhardy. Get a smaller more manageable vessel in better condition and stay closer to home.
 
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If you have been looking for the perfect pocket trawler "Malaya" is ready.

So 36' is now a "pocket trawler".
 
For crossing oceans on that budget I would suggest going back to a well-found sailboat.
 
Spend $40,000 on the boat, then $10,000 on what needs to be fixed or add ons.
 
 
Does your price range have room for addressing deferred by the P.O. maintenance? Required by the insurance company and identified by the surveyor decencies? Items missed by the surveyor? Important to you upgrades? Having done it more times that I should admit an older boat, sub $100K in today's market will require tens of thousands of $ or uncountable hours of personal effort or both to get her to good solid cruising condition.

My latest boat I have poured a year of full time effort and more money than I care to admit for professional help into her and she's still not ready. At this point repairs and upgrades have equaled the cost of the boat and may well hit twice the purchase price before I'm satisfied she's ready for serious cruising.

$50K for a Grand Banks? I'd bet she's wood. Caring for a wood boat, speaking from the experience of two notches in my belt, is a life style. You have to want to put in the work, time and $$$.
 
Posts 14 & 15 are right on as far as ocean crossers for $50K. You are in luck one is for sale right now. Typical planing "trawler" doesn't carry enough fuel to get out of sight.
 
The 36 Willard is a sweet ride.
 
Pack Mule said:
The 36 Willard is a sweet ride.
Click to expand...

I have a good friend who described my W36 as a '56 Buick Roadmaster on an old country road. Good looking boat too - we've owned Weebles for 23 years. Safe to say she's my last boat.

Peter
 
Fisher 30 would be my choice for this application. Well at least the "hop over to Britton" part...
 
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What's this Britton BS??? Do you mean United Kingdom or Great Britain??
As an expat Brit, I take offense at your inability to spell the name of the place you are never likely to sail to anyway!
 
Chrisjs said:
What's this Britton BS??? Do you mean United Kingdom or Great Britain??
As an expat Brit, I take offense at your inability to spell the name of the place you are never likely to sail to anyway!
Click to expand...

Wow, who went in your cornflakes this morning! :D

He could mean The British Isles, which includes all of Ireland, including the EC part! :)
 
He could be going to the Outer Orkneys for all I care, just look on the map first and spell it correctly. BTW, I prefer Weetabix!!
 
OP: Just get another sailboat if you wanna tackle 12 foot seas. $50k will not get you a battle wagon.


What size boat are you looking at?
 
Chrisjs said:
What's this Britton BS??? Do you mean United Kingdom or Great Britain??
As an expat Brit, I take offense at your inability to spell the name of the place you are never likely to sail to anyway!
Click to expand...

We could also assume that there might be a Typo, an unanticipated spellcheck correction, or that the posters first language isn't English and this might be a colloquial or translation issue.

Also, please review the Forum Rules:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/misc.php?do=sknetwork&page=rules

" Please think before you post and keep your comments limited to the topic at hand and above all be nice....
...
We take the "be nice" rule VERY seriously!"
 
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