If you had to do it all over again...

[klee wyck]

Folks ask and answer the type of question that the OP asked fairly often it seems. I set out to do it this way. Rationally, well researched. I looked at lots of boats and tried to make the decision make sense, add up in dollars and cents terms and be suited to the mission (as if anyone can really anticipate what the mission will actually be once you get started).
In the end (and more than once), I went with smitten, and I think it works for me. I was smitten by both of these boats having not set out to buy them. And, neither of them are rational or particularly mission critical, but because I am smitten by both of them I can easily get over the imperfections, the little hassles when they pop up, and how truly expensive boating really is. C'est la vie...and it is good.
Buy the boat that knocks your socks off.

 

[Peter B]

I am (unintentionally) NOT in the "buy your last boat first" camp.

I have an ugly 30-year history of far too many boats, fixing them, upgrading them, one built up from a deconstructed bare hull (before and after photos of that boat below).

In that time, I have learned more about boats, electrical, engines, and water systems than I ever could have imagined - most of it through mistakes and do-overs.

What I got from all of that, though, is a skill set that allows me to do just about anything on my current, 'forever', boat. I assign all of the previous labor and cost with all of the other boats as "training", boat yard cost savings, and "done right"-ness. None of which I could have gotten anywhere else.

Also, through this process i learned what I wanted in a boat, and more importantly what I DIDN'T want in a boat - everything from hull shapes to thru-hull locations to rudder stock configurations to electrical systems and much more..

Just one man's opinion......

Wow, Ray. You did a great job on that boat, and as you say, the experience was valuable. Great Harbour would gladly take that endorsement on board, one of theirs being the ultimate vessel you chose, for sure.
The boat pictured is no doubt much loved by someone out there. For mine, it was a keeper..!

 

[boathealer]

You are much too kind, Peter! Thank you.

 

[Wayfarer]

Folks ask and answer the type of question that the OP asked fairly often it seems. I set out to do it this way. Rationally, well researched. I looked at lots of boats and tried to make the decision make sense, add up in dollars and cents terms and be suited to the mission (as if anyone can really anticipate what the mission will actually be once you get started).
In the end (and more than once), I went with smitten, and I think it works for me. I was smitten by both of these boats having not set out to buy them. And, neither of them are rational or particularly mission critical, but because I am smitten by both of them I can easily get over the imperfections, the little hassles when they pop up, and how truly expensive boating really is. C'est la vie...and it is good.
Buy the boat that knocks your socks off.

I'm not sure if you were the devil on my left shoulder or the angel on my right, but you were there regardless, and I'm glad I followed your advice!

 

[markpierce]

So Codger, what's your next boat? I'm on my second and last.

 

[slowgoesit]

If you buy a boat that needs projects done, only initially complete those projects which are absolutely necessarily or safety issues. Let a season pass with using the boat to be absolutely sure this is your dream boat. If you do a refit, you will seldom get back to money that you have sunk into the boat.

Don't be in a rush to buy a boat, buy the right boat at the right price at the right time.
Good luck with your search!
Jim

We in the boating community would prefer that you not use certain phrases as highlighted above. . . . . it's a Karma thing . . .

 

[MYTraveler]

I am on my 13th boat. The first 12 I bought used. Each was a "good deal", but required additional investment to get it well suited for fishing. The list of projects on my last boat was unending, and I realized it would take years. Moreover, it could never have the fuel capacity I wanted for truly long range. So, I started looking at newer boats hoping to find one that some other guy had already set up, and had suffered the depreciation. There are lots of good fishing boats around, but in each case I could see that it would be a project. So, I decided to buy a new semi-custom boat and get everything I wanted right off that bat. And that is exactly what I have. Very little I would change and nothing of significance. So, my advice to my prior self would have been to have avoided all of those project boats.

 

[MurrayM]

If I had chosen another Life path where being able to buy a new boat was possible, I would have done the same as MYTraveler.

Some people would never buy new, because you can buy a lightly used boat for 1/2 the price. This is where my wife's rationalization on purchasing larger items comes in...if you buy new, you can sell later and get 1/2 your money back.

You get to use "the top 1/2" and it will cost about the same as the person buying "the bottom half" because you get about 1/2 your money back when you sell.

 

[Mako]

Three lessons learned the hard way:

1. When buying a used boat, never change the name. Of course if I do buy a used boat again, the first thing I will do is change the name;
2. Don't survey it yourself. Hire an actual professional who does it for a living;
3. Don't buy based on your heart, or emotion - make objective knowledgeable decisions.

 

[Codger2]

So Codger, what's your next boat? I'm on my second and last.

Sandpiper is my last boat. In Fact, when I bought her I was going to name her "Last One II." No, she is my final boat but if someone dropped an OA 64 in my lap I would have to seriously consider retracting my "last one" statement. The OA 64 is one of the nicest boat's I've ever been on. That includes fishing, Bay cruising, partying, etc. Not to mention 4 staterooms that are really nice. She'll top 20 knots too if you so desire.

A very close second (maybe even first?) is the Hampton 658.
Truly a remarkable boat!

Note; My boat, Sandpiper, has better electronics, fuel management system, cameras, etc, than the OA 64!

Below is my "new best friend's" boat that my wife & I have spent time on.

 

[Miz Trom]

As I start to look at boats to purchase and daydream during these troubling pandemic times: If you had to buy a boat all over again, what would you tell your younger, boat buying self? Any regrets? Any tips? I know this has been addressed before and I have read through the threads. Just climbing the walls while my family is entering the 7th week of being stuck at home and need more to read. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Thanks all!

Lots of great insight here; this has turned out to be a fun thread. I’ll throw in my two cents.


When I was young I bought boats whenever I came across a good deal on a boat. My biggest regret is that I went too long a spell without a boat in my thirties.


I regretted buying an inboard boat after owning three outboard boats. I found out that outboards are much easier to maintain, repair and replace than inboards.


I regretted when once I left my boat in the water too long and had to spend a week scraping barnacles. Now I am a bit of a fanatic about bottom paint and monthly cleanings.


I regretted not owning a trailerable boat when a hurricane was approaching. I sold that boat, bought a trailerable boat, and learned how to maintain a trailer.


Cheers,
Mrs. Trombley

 

[Beaverlake]

I’d have more and longer discussions with my wife, take a hard nosed attitude re “must haves” vs “nice to haves”, and take more time once we had a “spec list”. We’ve built several houses that turned out way above average (my wife is a degreed designer) by following a simple rule - if either one of us says “no” twice then move on to another choice. Funny how “losing” and moving on eventually led to better choices. Re boats: I had to move away from an aft cabin (now I miss the ease of access); my wife had to have two full heads (now she/we realize a shared shower makes more sense). Our 4788 is a great boat and we’re just about done with needed or desired upgrades and mechanical work but looking back we should have taken more time. So I guess my first do over would be “talk more/share more” and my second do over would be “take your time/don’t rush”.

 

[bogranjac1]

As I start to look at boats to purchase and daydream during these troubling pandemic times: If you had to buy a boat all over again, what would you tell your younger, boat buying self? Any regrets? Any tips? I know this has been addressed before and I have read through the threads. Just climbing the walls while my family is entering the 7th week of being stuck at home and need more to read. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Thanks all!

Just would have liked buying her 30 years earlier

 

[syjos]

Just would have liked buying her 30 years earlier

I agree with that.

But we didn't have $80k in 1976. Which is what PO said Sandpiper cost in 1976.

We bought a house in Seattle in 1976 for $21k which we could barely afford.

 

[AlanT]

If I had chosen another Life path where being able to buy a new boat was possible, I would have done the same as MYTraveler.

Some people would never buy new, because you can buy a lightly used boat for 1/2 the price. This is where my wife's rationalization on purchasing larger items comes in...if you buy new, you can sell later and get 1/2 your money back.

You get to use "the top 1/2" and it will cost about the same as the person buying "the bottom half" because you get about 1/2 your money back when you sell.

i like your wife's logic! Of course it assumes the buyer of your boat has it immediately depreciate to zero on delivery

 

[OldDan1943]

Boat for sale - Custom Steel Northsea trawler - 65'

I still like the boat, no denying that. I agree, more boat than I could ever use. It looks like a real toughie. Still cant make up its mind, PVC or steel hull.
Need a paid crew of 2.
Ballast, I suspect the water tanks reside in the keel as per the N46 were. Over sized water maker. I suspect it is a 120vt water maker.
Fuel, with full tanks, it can go anywhere.

Looking at the bow wake and the side water level, I'd say it was very well ballasted with the water and fuel tanks. The size of the scuppers suggest it is most definitely a "wet boat" in heavy weather. Needs hyd stabilizers.
The 20kw generator eats up a lot of ER space, this I know from my N46. Perhaps, 2X12KW generators would be better.
I do hope the Boston Whaler rolls inboard and fits into a crale when necessary.
Electronics, live with them or upgrade them, your choice.
Max draft: 6ft 6"inches maybe a limiting factor inside the AICW.
Now the asking price of $765K, unreal. If you offer $560K, you might wish to leave your checkbook in the car or at home.
2 independent surveys and a factory trained engine survey.
Obviously needs more information in the descriptions.

 

[jeffnick]

We lived aboard a 27' sailboat (we bought new and commissioned ourselves) for 3 years back in the 70's. At 75 y/o now, I can say those were the most memorable years of my life. So for me, the 'when' is way more important than the 'what'. We're pretty much bottom feeders here, so the 'how' was also more important to us than the 'what'. I have absolutely no regrets - well maybe except for the trawler I just had to have after reading this forum . https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2019/12/rubber-band-trawler.html

 

[Spinner]

I should have bought my second boat and skipped the first. Only a two foot difference, but what a difference in the cockpit layout (interior was basically the same). Buying two new boats, two years apart...ouch. I am on boat number three, love it, but wouldn’t have had the confidence or skills to buy it first. Unless circumstances change in some huge way, my current boat will last me until I am too old to handle her!

 

[Irish Rambler]

Measure twice, cut once ! Think with the wallet NOT with the heart, are two quotes that spring to mind. Every boat I have owned has been a love affair but we guys all have the '3 feet syndrome'. 'If only' it was about 3 feet longer/wider.
I would NEVER EVER buy another inflatable/rib for the amount of use I ever got out they were a disaster.

 

[Bob M]

I would not buy the same boat

The boat we bought was too old and too large.

We bought a Taiwan built 1987 Golden Star 37 Sundeck, twin Volvo diesels, 12 ft beam, around 1700 hours. A beautiful boat. Our intent was to use her for the Loop.

Starting from the U.P. in Michigan, she broke down when we hit the Mississippi and there she remains, in St. Charles Missouri. She's for sale. The transmissions have been replaced and she's ready to go again, but we'd prefer a much smaller boat.

Just the two of us didn't need even a fraction of the space. A smaller boat would have been easier to handle, more relaxing and could operate in much skinnier water. A newer boat would have had transmission parts available and the failed transmission could have been repaired rather than retrofitted with two new matching gear boxes.

We found that much, maybe 80%, of the stuff we thought we needed for the trip wasn't needed. We didn't need the storage space.

So what should we have bought? A newer 8'6" beam trailer-able mini-trawler: Rosborough, Cutwater, Ranger Tug 27, C-Dory or their kin.

 

[C5F]

I totally agree. I dropped some serious cash on a boat that was just too small and wound up selling it for something bigger and suffering from that "sunk cost" thing...

 

[alormaria]

I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[William983]

The sooner the Better. It will give you another place to hide from Covid.
I wish i had bought mine years ago

 

[Andrew Diligent]

Great question, having owned a few small day use boats, a 1939 Chris draft sedan (never floated) and an Albin 25 since 1982, our 34’ aft cabin trawler was a momentous event. We looked at a few rotten “projects” and thankfully did not buy any.

I rebuilt the Albin 25 launched in the Erie Canal and my wife and I returned for the first time in a half a decade to cruising. I towed it from VT, launched and proofed my work underway, while she made the 6 hr trip. we provisioned and set out, it was spectacular, at the end of day we found an empty dock, came along side and had supper. a ranger stopped by and said that since the park closed at sunset we were welcome to stay. No one would mind and there were restrooms a couple of hundred feet away.

It was wonderful, that evening after supper and wine she asked, “ why did we ever stop doing this?” First thing in the morning we remembered. Can’t make coffee without, breaking down the bed, mmmmm the portapotty, then you can make breakfast. It was a wonderful week or so on the canal at a one or two, towns a day pace.

In 2008 she said you know we could buy a bigger boat given the price drops I’ve noticed. (To my utter amazement and joy (I’m the one that has to have a boat (or 3)).

2009 we found our ideal, we knew the shorter the cheaper to berth, haul, and outfit. We looked at a lot (20 or so) of 32 to 38’ trawlers. the survey was perfect, by a guy who’d surveyed her before. This included a sea trial where the instrumentation was “perfect” just may need calibration. The few concerns I’d had were addressed by the PO, who had 3 years of documentation for the 32,00 dollars he had plowed into replacing fuel tanks, shaft seals, prop, wet exhaust system, hot water heater, and reefer.

The night before we left the dock for 2 days of constant motion to reach Rockland ME, my son discovered with a 120v “sniffer” used to detect stray 120 current, that the owner installed inverter, was backfeeding the electrical system with 120 volts, we knew because the water taps throughout rang “hot” when the boat was plugged in at dock. We disconnected the 120 and headed up coast.

I had budgeted 30k of mad money for new things I wanted: radar, anchor and rode, windlass with remote to replace original, electrical panels, shiny new SS range. I had to spent another 20, rewiring all 12v to ABYC standards, heads and tanks.

Working on and cruising our trawler for a decade on Penobscot Bay was worth every cent and I wouldn’t ever regret that we spent 55 put 50 in (material only) and hope to get 55 out. The market is down on boats again. Annual storage and dock in our summer neighborhood is another 5k.

If you need to do it and think it will never be cheaper, you are correct. Do not do it if you can’t really afford it. You will lose the money and regret it.

Andrew, “Resolve”

 

[William983]

The sooner the Better. It will give you another place to hide from Covid.
I wish i had bought mine years ago

 

[Ken E.]

I would NEVER EVER buy another inflatable/rib for the amount of use I ever got out they were a disaster.

I share your opinion on inflatables, although we are in the distinct minority here. Only hard dinghies for me, which hold up much better to gaff hooks, knives and sharp beach rocks.

 

[seadancer]

I knew little about boating when I bought my first “overnight” boat about 20 years ago. It was a single engine onboard-outboard and taught me a lot about what I didn’t want, in spite of lessons, information you can also glean from this forum, about handling ability, especially. My next boat was a 28’ aluminum sedan cruiser with twin gas engines and V-drives. It was the perfect “learner boat” because it was light weight and easily maneuverable, it could easily be pushed off if I got too close to something, and wasn’t damaged when I did bump into something. When the grandkids started wanting to go along on every trip, I started looking again, this time with a good idea of what I did and didn’t want, and aware of my limited cash and even less ability to tackle repair and maintenance issues myself. My criteria were twin diesels with low hours, but well-maintained; easy to get around as I got older; room for at least 4 people to sleep in actual beds; less than 40’ because that seems the line where Moorage gets expensive; and a positive survey report. I got all of those things in my 37’ 1978 Canoe Cove Sedan Bridge with twin Cats. I had both the surveyor and a Caterpillar Mechanic go on the sea trial, as well as the broker. Turns out the upper helm is a great bonus, although I had to add a removable ladder that isn’t “straight up,” this winter after shoulder surgery. I love this boat. Are there things I wish for? Sure. Wish it didn’t smoke so much when it starts. I wish it had more storage for food and clothes. I wish the gelcoat has been better taken care of, since two boat Detailers haven’t been able to make it shine, but those are very insignificant considering all the fun and good memories we’re making, and those Cats start immediately every time I turn the keys, even if they’ve been sitting for months.

 

[carolynmarie]

Boat manual and a clean engine room.

And a set of records of the repairs by the previous owners. That’s what I look for when I bought my last three boats. My only regret is my last boat might be too big for me.(keeping the inside and the outside clean is a little bit more than I bargained for ) lol
I am a live aboard with my small dog Foxy. I have bought three boats in the last 10 years. I bought a 31 ft Camino, then a 36 ft Heritage and my present and last boat is a 54 ft Viking built in NJ.
Boat the Camano and the Heritage boat builders are out of business and I found it hard to get parts sometimes. I wasn’t making that mistake the third time. The three most important things to me being a woman was that each boat had to come with a set of manuals and all the repairs for the last 10 years. And each and every boat had to have a clean engine room. I’m not sure if men think this way but I think that if a boat has a clean engine room they’ve done the repairs as needed. Of course always get a boat survey so you don’t have any major surprises after you buy the boat. I’m happy to say I didn’t have any major surprises after I bought the boats. I wish you good luck in buying your boat.

 

[Mako]

I totally agree. I dropped some serious cash on a boat that was just too small and wound up selling it for something bigger and suffering from that "sunk cost" thing...

I had a boat built when I was in the Persian Gulf, smaller than I really wanted but was trying to save money. Turns out it was inadequate to accomplish what I wanted and that was a big mistake. However we as a family wound up using it differently, we adapted, and have some of the best memories of our lives together because of it.

My lesson-learned, don't buy too small of a boat!

Oh, and I like Carolyn's comment about clean engine rooms. You go girl

 

[Gulf Comanche]

I wouldn’t trade Old School for any other boat. It’s all aluminum and I never worry about bumping up against docks, no dents so far, owned her for 12 years. At this point I know all of her noises and quirks. Starting out there was this intermittent humming noise that would freak me out, always thought it was a crab trap wrapped around the prop. About a year in I figured it out: it was the small compressor for the air horn. Air + Horn= Compressor, duh. If I could change one thing I would add a foot or two to the width. To me, width makes more sense than more length now. This is my last boat.