New to boating, Looking, learning.

[Catimann]

Hello all, I have lived near Vancouver Canada all my 60 years and have seen most of the west of N.A. I have always heard of the great places to see on the water and now want to get my first boat.
A power boat is what I think would be best and one around 30-40' is what my very limited experience says is right.
I know to stay away from wood boats (even though they are the most beatiful things ever)
I have been told Aluminum is the way to go but price says I can't.

That basically leaves fibreglass.
The motor I know has to be a diesel.
It will primarily be for two people.
I am capable to do almost any repair but know when to just pay for it.
My budget is up to $40k US ~~$54 Cdn. Naturally I want a great boat for cheap.
I am willing to pay for moorage.

Boats I have read about so far are Tollycraft, Uniflite, Canoecove, Mainship, Grand Mariner, Chris Craft

 

[rsn48]

Cheap boats usually aren't cheap as you will discover. Aging whatevers have to be fixed or replaced. I'm curious, where is "near Vancouver?" I used to live in Deep Cove, North Van, but now I'm in Qualicum Beach.

As you very well know our BC coastal waters, Puget Sound and San Juan Islands and the southern Alaska panhandle offer some of the best boating on the planet, not an idle brag but reality.

Here is a 1977 CHB that is for sale in West Vancouver. I notice it has teak decks but you can take them out and replace them with newer synthetic deck covering. I just had my boat re-decked with a synthetic material:

https://ca.boats.com/power-boats/1977-chb-europa-7004306/?refSource=standard listing

You might want to negotiate moorage along with the purchase of a boat. In our waters, getting the boat is the easy part, getting moorage is the tough bit.

I have a friend close by who had his CHB up for sale and he either sold it or took it off listing. I will see if he has sold it. I recall it was in your price range. His boat was/is moored in Ladysmith.

 

[RonR]

Welcome, Why are you stuck on a diesel?

And rsn48 is correct, for the PNW waters the boat is the easy thing to find! The moorage is the hard part! I'm a big fan of Tollycraft but a diesel will be hard to find, and the cost for Tollys are high in the PNW, they have a cult following.

The uniflite's are solid but I feel a very dated boat, you will see a few around that have been for sale for a year or more.

Canoecove is a very nice boat, but once again like the tolly, diesels will be hard to find.

I love the CHB lineup, but if you go that route hire the best surveyor you can find that knows that style of boat, some are well taken care of, some are floating mulch.

Chris Craft will mostly be gas powered, very well built boats, hold their price well. When we were looking, the CC's that were for sale were junk, and all the nice ones were not for sale!

Not on your list was a Bayliner, the 3888 is one of my favorites, most are diesel power, but the bayliners come with their own set of problems. For me it was re-sale, you will see a lot of them for sale, its hard to stand out when your in a sea of 50 for sale, so you need to be the best or the cheapest to move it in my opinion.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. If you like DIY, there are a lot of lower priced boats that you can fix up. Don’t be discouraged, just keep looking. Nothing wrong with a fiberglass boat, I prefer them since I can do the repairs myself. Fiberglassing is easy just a bit messy. Diesel is preferable but a gas powered boat is ok too. Many people will slam Bayliners but the 3888 referred to above is a very nice boat and a lot of boat for the money.

 

[koliver]

The last thing a buyer of a "first boat" should contemplate is wholesale repairs, such as suggested above. You need at least several years of boating under your belt before you will be qualified to make the decision to do a major repair. Your first boat or two or three will teach you lots about what features matter to you.

Whether gas or diesel is more a function of size than of brand name.
Some say Tolly=gas, Above, one poster says Canoe Coves are mostly gas. Neither is true. I know quite a few diesel Tollys, quite a few diesel Canoe Coves, 0 gas Canoe Coves.
Blanket statements are wrong as often as not.

 

[Comodave]

Well I have owned 23 boats so far. I started working on the first boat that we owned. I did some research first to learn how to do the work.

 

[Bacchus]

Welcome aboard TF
A great place to start is reading through Boat Search 101
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14905
Best advice is to figure out and write down how you intend to use the boat, then features that are must have, want to have, and don't wants.
Have spouse do the same, if applicable, then compare and combine lists.
I would not focus on brand or fuel as budget and availability will sort this out eventually.
Focus on features and fit for your intended cruising style.
Make the search fun vs work. Short trips to shows, marinas and prospects can be mini vacations.
Once you narrow it down a charter of similar boat can be a wise investment.

 

[rsn48]

Here is a Tollycraft Tri Cabin 40 footer, dual gasser above your price range. It appears to be in great shape but I can only say that through picture gazing. Although it is above your price point, you might actually save money getting a boat in this price range if it is in great shape, trust me, I've spent a load on my 1969 boat so I know first hand. A cheap boat isn't.

https://nanaimo.craigslist.org/bod/d/north-vancouver-40-tollycraft-tri-cabin/6978616504.html

In Delta is this 32 Bayliner 1989:

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Youtube of a 1994 32 Bayliner: [gives you a rough idea of layout]

A 1977 Willard Vega - Voyager 30. If I were pursuing this boat, I'd try to get it for about $5-6000 off and just automatically get the engine rebuilt so there was no worries out in the middle of the pond (Strait of Georgia):

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Mainship 34, claims 10 hours on the engine?

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[Catimann]

Thanks for all the advice!
I live in Surrey near Annieville. Almost Delta but not.
The search 101 I will have to look up and read.
The idea of writing down what I want is good and I have most of that in my head.
The no one thing is to be able to sit inside in a nice chair and look out through larger windows. See the world without getting rained on.
I am going at this slowly as I have time but no moorage.
I am on a couple of wait lists.
The worst thing I can do is see a classic Monck yacht ad. There’s one on CL now and it’s a terrible draw.
The old stuff has such a gorgeous look.
I know, LIABILITY!!!!

 

[boatpoker]

I know, LIABILITY!!!!

Marine Survey 101, pre-survey inspection

 

[Catimann]

Ah I remember Survey 101 now. I found that about two years ago and started reading it. Scared me away from boats for a while. LOL

 

[AlisonS]

I notice it has teak decks but you can take them out and replace them with newer synthetic deck covering. I just had my boat re-decked with a synthetic material:

What is the approximate cost of replacing teak decking? I know it would vary a lot, but would it be closer to $5k or $20k?

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I did the fly bridge on my 36 for about $3,000. Did all the work myself.

pete

 

[rsn48]

I have bought the synthetic decking for inside and outside my boat, including V birth area, saloon and cockpit, and external including bow and gunwales. I think the bill without labour was $5,000 (Canadian, so reduce that by 30 % and that is what it probably cost American). It is more work to make the templates and have them sent down to the manufacture than the actual install.

But, you will probably have some deck repair which is a good thing, because if you have to do it now, it will only be worse if you put it off and more expensive latter. Getting the teak off, checking for rot depending what is between your decking fiberglass, filling in the hundreds of holes and epoxying over so there is no incursion of water will also be part of the process.

The best way to purchase an older boat is with a decent budget to fix and upgrade. If you go in with eyes wide open knowing you are going to have to spend some money, you'll have a much better boat down the line.

 

[Bacchus]

I have posted photos and How To DIY on Bacchus website.
As I recall the PlasDeck used was roughly $30/ sq ft fully fabricated to my templates and included adhesive for application.
It is not a difficult DIY job with a little help.
Any fiberglass / core repair ahead of time would be in addition.