Here's a boat I've always liked.
As it happens there's one for sale in Hawaii if anyone's interested.
Every once in a while I'll see a Bristol 26 (aka Sailstar 26) for sale for a good price and it gets me thinking. Back when I was in Paris looking for a boat to buy. The sailboat in my head that I was looking for was a European facsimile of the Halsey Herreshoff Bristol 26.
It's a good design and packs a lot of living space into a small envelope.
As it happens there's a Bristol 26 which appears to be in reasonable shape in Annapolis going for $2.5K which is the current street price for a Bristol 26 in reasonable shape. that I find more than a little interesting. Certainly worth checking out.
An important point, the sort of project we need more of, and P-22 is no longer with us...
Tad Roberts (one of my favorite designers) currently has a catamaran review in the new Wooden Boat Magazine which you might want to check out. It certainly got my attention.
.webp)
Listening to Xenio Rubinos
So it goes...
You know this stove...
Since Origo has quit marketing the Origo marine stoves the prices for old stock and used stoves have become extremely pricey. Which, considering how simple the stoves actually are, is something of a conundrum.
Here's a pretty nifty DIY alternative that's affordable...
Of course, the stove in question is not gimballed but sorting out a gimbal is fairly simple and easily dealt with.
For about a year or so I've been rowing by this Maria vintage hurricane catamaran and wondering how I'd go about sorting out it's issues. Of course, that was before it sank...
Again.
Bringing such a boat back from the dead is a lot easier than most folks think but a lot harder and more expensive if you don't have a plan, needful skills, and the time/money to complete the boat in a timely manner. Success on such a project is all about money and time.
The thing is your plan tends to shape the cost of the project while your skill-set defines the time and together they all add up to whether a project is viable or not.
The guy who owns the boat told me he'd paid $15K for the boat which in my mind was way too much for a hurricane boat that had been holed in a few places, sunk, and without a rig. While repairing the beast was pretty straightforward the time and costs involved made it just too expensive to be flippable for a profit which pretty must killed any interest in the boat for me. However, the owner had plans to rebuild it as a houseboat/hangout zone so it sorta/kinda made sense.
Of course, time being a factor, the fact that damaged boats will continue to degrade until they're fixed, and boat left alone afloat is an evil cocktail that tends sneak up quickly and ruin your whole day/week/month/year before you have a chance to say WTF!
That said, I'm sure a lot of folks would look at such a project and think it's a VolksCruiser just waiting to happen with a little sweat, a few gallons of epoxy, and some paint.
I'll delve into the why it ain't VolksCruiser material in a couple of days.
One of my favorite CAL Lapworth designs is the CAL T2-27 one of the CAL 27 variations.
I've written about the design before.
Anyway, I mention this because there's a T2 for sale that I've been keeping my eye on and the price just went from 1.5K to $1000.
Well worth a look if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
Back in the dark ages, when I was living on a CAL 20, I went to a lecture by Herman Daly who really blew my mind with his thoughts on economic growth. Sadly. he passed away recently.
I mention this here because his take on economics has a whole lot to do with my thoughts on living within a finite resource envelope, growth for growth's sake, and the process of swimming against the prevailing current.
I'm pretty sure that if I had not found myself in a economics lecture all those years ago I'd be going along with the great unwashed hordes thinking that one can buy one's own slice of happiness by spending more for a bigger boat. Which makes Daly one of my major influences in terms of boat mindset.
I'd seriously check out some of his books and lectures if you have the chance.
There's an interesting forum thread on the current asking price of a Pearson 367 on the Junk Rig association forum you might want to check out.
Sure fixing up an older cheap boat might seem like a lot of work but, done with some care and a prudent budget, will greatly increase the value of the boat in question.
Better yet, it recycles materials that would not be recycled and just windup as landfill.
A little sensible sweat equity makes a whole lot of sense/cents.
The issue with most 27-foot sailboats is they don’t have a lot of dedicated water stowage. The Catalina 27 has a 20 gallon water tank. Considering that the average family in the USA uses 300 gallons of water a day, we find ourselves in a problematic territory.
The “average family” only uses 70% of that 300 gallons for indoor use, which still leaves us with 210 gallons of water. Since we’re only talking about a couple, rather than the average family (3.13 people), that’s a kiss over 67 gallons a day per person.
There are ways to get by with less water. Use water sparingly, using seawater when possible, and being careful, one can get by with a couple of gallons per person a day. That gives us ten days of cruising until you need to replenish your water supply.
Suddenly that 20 gallon water tank is looking kind of meager.
Add a couple of small (2 1/2 gallon) Jerry cans plus bottled water as a fudge factor, and you’re doing great for coastal cruising.
What if you need to cross an ocean?
A small watermaker, though pricey on a VolksCruiser budget, is a possibility. Watermakers require power, which is problematic as well. Since a watermaker can fail, you still need to sort out a means of carrying enough water for your intended voyage.
I speak from experience. Being caught in a no wind situation for a couple of weeks will play havoc with your water supply as you drift towards the Caribbean.
If I were fitting out a 27-foot sailboat for an Atlantic or Pacific crossing, I’d add another twenty gallons of installed tankage. Then carry as much extra water in bottles as prudent. Providing I could deploy enough solar panels to run a small 12-volt watermaker, I’d consider a used one like the Power Survivor. I could then run it on solar for an hour to make a gallon of water a day.
As a side note, I keep thinking about the design of a small, AC-powered, DIY watermaker that could produce five gallons of water per hour. Powered using a 1000/800 watt generator that would be small enough to stow on a 27-foot sailboat would fall right into the Goldilocks zone.
Sadly, it's a simple answer...
Not enough.
Which, for me at least, is the big downside of every 27-foot boat you're likely to come across in that they just don't have a lot of space or weight carrying ability.
Which is not to say you can't live and cruise on a 27-foot sailboat but with a finite space you'll have to make some serious life changes to make it work.
Now while I use guitars as an example, the needful stuff is more about things like water, provisions, and the various tools one needs to live your life in a way that does not equate with a prison sentence.
Where most people get it wrong with small boats is assuming they can just keep adding stuff with no regard to the fact that boats have a waterline for a very good reason. Adding a couple of inches to the waterline every couple of years is just stupid as well as being plain bad seamanship.
If your boat is designed to draw five feet then that's what it should draw.
When I think about it, you could really do a lot worse in choosing that as a mantra.
Anyway, living and cruising on a small boat successfully requires one to adapt to living within the constraints of your chosen vessel and embracing its finite nature. Which, considering we live in a hardcore consumerist society, is never going to be an easy task. Since the answer to all problems is to "buy more stuff" you're not likely to get much help in the "How do I do what's needed using less" zone.
That being the case, you'll have to get creative and realize that most of the time you'll be swimming upstream without a whole lot of atta-boys from fellow cruisers. Which I'll add is actually a bonus as it gets rid of the whole "Keeping up with the Jones's" element in the equation and makes a lot of decisions easier.
Next up is we'll take a look on how to sort out that finite space in a way that makes some sense...
The thing to keep in mind when thinking about boats in this particular size niche is that, for the most part, they all fulfill the same needs. Which is hardly surprising when confronted with a 27ish by 9ish foot envelope.
Take the Catalina 27 for instance. It pretty much sets the norm for what you can do with a boat this small and it does it pretty well. More importantly for us it was a very popular design and they built lots of them which means that today (fifty years on) there are lots of Catalina 27s for sale.
Lots of boats for sale in a given market brings the price of a boat down and makes it that much more affordable. Which, I'll think you agree is no bad thing.
Of course, the problem with a 27ish foot boat revolves mostly about the fact that it is a 27ish foot boat. While Frank Butler shoehorned an amazing amount of livability into such a small boat it is still a finite amount of space and most everyone is going to have to make concessions to the fact and adjust their live to that fact.
I often hear the advice that going up a foot or two will make for a better, more comfortable, and easier to live in situation.
The Catalina 28, the boat that replaced the Catalina 27, is a good example of how a slightly bigger newer design can improve things. I'll go on record and say that I'd much rather have a Catalina 28 than a Catalina 27.
That said, there's a catch.
The Catalina 28 is a lot bigger than the lowly 27. The Catalina 27 has a length 26.83 feet with a beam of 8.83 feet and a displacement of 6,850 pounds.The Catalina 28, on the other hand is 28.5 feet with a beam of 10.17 feet and a displacement of 8300 pounds.
That 1450 pounds of added displacement is a huge difference. As I've mentioned often that the real size of a boat is more about displacement than length. Well except when boats of a certain length becomes a design niche.
While the Catalina 28 is a good choice for a VolksCruier it is also going to be a lot more expensive then the Catalina 27 as only 620 of the C28s were built compared to the 6662 of the C27 it's safe to say that the cost of a C27 is going to be cheaper.
The whole idea of this 27-foot boat series is more about how to make a boat better within a certain size envelope than to suggest that a 27-foot boat is the best boat to go voyaging with. I chose this particular size niche simply because it is the most bang for the buck due to the greater number of boats for sale within it and the simple fact that most everyone wants something bigger. Which makes it your best bet for getting a good boat cheap.
More on the subject soon come.
Apparently, some folks don't agree that a bog standard 27-foot production boat can be a capable cruising conveyance.
I get the fact that a boat in this size range is not everyone's cup of tea but they are capable and well within most peoples means. Sure a 44-foot Swan might be better but it also costs $90K or so more than that CAL 27.
In my defense I'll also add that I never said cruising in a CAL 27, Catalina 27, or a Cape Dory 27 would be a cakewalk. A small boat comes with some issues that you'll have to adapt to as well as a certain amount of roll with the flow Zen moves to make it all work.
Still, it's been done by many and just knowing it's possible means that you're not setting out on some impossible task and that's a goodly thing.
So, the next dozen or so posts are going to be about making a 27-footer into a sailboat able to cross oceans in a modicum of comfort, safety, and style.
No consumerist BS, no rocket science, and nary a boat buck in sight.
Of course, if you find the idea of creative frugality doing things, a bit old-school, and swimming against the current trend of out-of-control consumerism a bit off-putting you might want to go elsewhere more within your comfort zone. I highly recommend the Sail Life channel as it's both entertaining and an excellent way to pass the time.
We'll get into the first installment come Thursday...
As someone who's managed to survive three category 5 storms at anchor with minimal damage, I'll be the first person to say that the only safe/sane way to deal with a major storm is to be somewhere else when it's happening. Which has a lot to do with always having at least a sketchy plan to make tracks and, if the odds catch up and I wind up losing the boat, to buy a cheap boat elsewhere..
So what sort of boat and where would I look?
During "H" season I keep my eye on a variety of areas. The PNW, Hawaii, Maryland, and France are the places where I know the boat markets and am reasonably certain that I can sort out a boat with minimal bother. They are also places I happen to like and face it, after losing your boat and most of one's earthly possessions, why would I want to go to some red state armpit?
OK, maybe Louisiana because the food and a lot of good people can really make a big difference.
Anyway, about those boats...
I know for a fact that I can live quite comfortably on a 27-foot boat and there are always a lot of them for sale and it's no longer a popular size (too small for most and too big to trailer easily). It's the sweet spot in the affordable cruising boat size range.
These days, everyone considers a 27-foot boat too small but back in the 70/80/90's there were a lot more people doing serious cruising in them than there were in fifty-footers which people keep telling me is the bare minimum for voyaging.
The other day when I was looking at possible boats in France, I counted 39 Sangrias and 19 Fantasias for sale. They were mostly in the less than $5K price bracket which I could board after a flight to Paris and a train ride to get me there.
In Hawaii, there were a couple of Catalina 27s, and a CAL 27 under $5k that would do the trick. Admittedly, while Hawaii is even more expensive than the USVI, it's still a very good place to start out from. I might add that it's been years since I've had a proper spam musubi.
The PNW has a lot of boats for sale in the under $5K zone. As someone who no longer drives, the physical hassle of getting around to sort stuff out except by bike, becomes somewhat problematic.
I'm pretty sure that you could fly just about anywhere and find an affordably priced, 27-foot boat in good condition. They seem to be everywhere and most folk don't want them as they're too expensive to keep in a marina berth. Since marinas continue to gouge and be restrictive, there will be more and more on the market at low prices.
Cruising a 27-foot boat, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense as you can anchor just about anywhere you'd care to go. In the rare exception when you might have to spend a night in a marina, you can afford to since it's a helluva lot cheaper than the fifty footer that the cruising press keeps saying you need.
Lastly, for me at least, the 27 footer would be a temporary solution as I'd either build or buy something a kiss bigger once I'd got back on my feet after losing my boat and most all of my stuff. More than likely the boat I'd build would be a 30ish foot scow or a sharpie. But that's another story entirely...
Whenever a hurricane looks like it might ruin my day/week/month/year I do a quick CraigList search of possible boats to buy because, you know, shit happens.
Call it my plan B but in the event of losing the boat in a serious storm my plan is to get out of Dodge on the first available flight in a hurry. I'll be honest as the very last thing I want to do is be boatless /homeless in the aftermath of a storm.
For the last storm my short list of possible boats consisted of cheap boats that looked OK and floated right side up that were cheap enough to pay cash (under $5K) for and small enough to make any needful repairs quick and affordable. The bottom line is that the boats had to be able to cruise and flippable to sell at a profit when I'd had a chance to sort out the next So It Goes or Loose Moose.
In other words, all the boats on my list were VolksCruisers in the 24-30 foot range.
Lucky for me that there are lots of cheap boats in that size range which are not in bad condition and are inexpensive because the market is saturated and the cost of keeping a boat one is not using is a financial black hole the owners just want to escape.
More on a few of the boats I had on my list next time...
Maybe the best article I've come across on why it makes environment sense to live on a boat over on S/V Violet Hour.
Just sayin'.
My computer keyboard is no longer working so I'll be taking a (hopefully short) hiatus until I can source a new one.
So it goes...
I've always liked the gaff rig because it's a stout spar that does not require a lot of tension to stand. There's a lot to be said for that.
While I don't think that Tom Colvin's junk rigs were fully evolved they did make a whole lot of sense.Take his Gazelle for instance.
Then again, it would make even more sense if it was brought into the current century.
Yep, I'm well aware that most junk rig aficionados tend to be foresail and standing rig phobic but a well designed junk or lug cutter would make all kinds of sense where a bombproof, powerful, and inexpensive rig is what you want.
With the current available tech it would be easy to build a light spar in plywood (see Reuel Parker's) and since textile rigging has become an available affordable alternative it's within the reach of anyone. Take a little extra effort and serve the rigging and you'll have a rig that will last into the next century.
Might be a bit of heretical thinking you should think about.
When considering changing to a rig like the balanced lug or junk, the first issue is that it requires moving the location of the mast. Finding the location is easy, but it can play hell with the interior. Free-standing masts, while not being as tall as the Bermuda rig, are larger in terms of diameter and a 10-inch diameter spar will create bloody havoc with the accommodation.
Which may be an excellent reason to keep your Bermuda rig if it’s still standing with decent rigging and sails.
In the future, I’ll be doing an outline on how to locate the mast, build the mast, and otherwise get you through the new rig process for a more-or-less traditional junk or balanced lug rig.
Here are a couple of things to mull over.
Is the new mast location going to work with the current interior arrangement? If not, peruse accommodations that would work with minimal fuss.
Do you have a place to build a mast?
I really should have found a better place to build, as it would have saved me both money, aggravation, and with a better built mast to boot.
The popularity of the Bermuda rig has caused a general lack of knowledge on most other rigs and how to rig them. Luckily for us a few books are all you need to sort out that problem.
Phil Bolger's "103 Sailing Rigs" talks a lot about various rigs and their variations in a common sense manner and well worth reading. It certainly opened my eyes where rigs are concerned.
For me Derek Van Loan's "The Chinese Sailing Rig" is the best book (Booklet?) going for converting a Bermudan rigged sailboat into a Junk rig. It's simple, clear, and it's brevity make for an easy to follow "cookbook" that makes conversion dead simple. Detractors of the book will argue that it is dated and does not include current thinking in sail design and construction but that is easily found on the JRA website but the basic conversion info is exactly what you need for a successful conversion.
Hasler and McLeod's "Practical Junk Rig" is an excellent tome on the junk rig and there is a lot of needful information. That said, it's a hard read (for me at least) and you really have to dig for that needful content. That said, it is a book you want but for starters the Van Loan book is the way to go to get started.
It's also expensive (the Kindle version is $47.49 which is akin to piracy) so you'll want to keep an eye out for a used copy.
John Leather's "Spritsails & Lugsails" really needs to be on any Lug Nut's bookshelf. Sadly, most folk these days look at Sprits and Lugs as some sort of dinghy sail only and miss the fact entirely that they are powerful rigs that would make a lot of sense for boats in the VolksCruiser size range.
More on the practical side "Hand, Reef, and Steer" by Tom Cunliffe is the one book I'd choose if I was limited to a single gaff rig boat. Cunliffe is always an enjoyable read and has walked the talk more than most.
"The Rigger's Apprentice" by the late Brion Toss is a book that changed my life in the way I look at boat systems. It contains everything you need to know about sailboat rigging and makes all the rigging jobs you might encounter doable.
All of these books went a long way to color my thinking of what sailing rigs should be. Sure, I have a few issues with a few bits of the various author's opinions but in whole they're mostly spot on and needful if you're thinking of adapting a Bermudan rig to junk, lug, or gaff.
A Cape Dory 27 gets the AtomVoyager treatment.
Like all of his refits I'll be taking notes...
First of all If you have a boat with a working Bermuda rig keep in mind that it seldom makes sense to do a new rig (Lug, Junk,Crab Claw, or whatever). Remember the "Don't fix it if it's not broken" rule.
Now, if on the other hand, the CAL 29 you're thinking of getting has no sails, the rigging is shot, and your mast has seen better days a change to a simpler rig just might make a lot of sense.
With me so far?
OK, here's what you need to know about lug rigs...
For starters there are three main types of lug sails which are the Dipping lug, Standing lug, and the Balanced lug. While all three are excellent rigs I'm of the considered opinion that the Balanced lug makes the most sense for a cruising boat.
So, what do I like about this Bolger Balanced lug rig?
What's not to like?
Well for starters, if you want an affordable free standing mast and the associated boom/yard you'll have to build it yourself. That said, the cost of said mast and spars is a lot less than an aluminum stick and associated wire/hardware needed for the Bermuda rig. Better yet the learning curve for mast building is not so difficult and a rather enjoyable pursuit. Still it is a rather daunting project for a lot of folks.
The Balanced lug rig, while being fairly evolved, could certainly use a bit of improvement to bring it into the current century. Most of which is already in use readily available with a bit of thought and research.
Over the years my thinking about sailing across oceans with a cat rigged boat have evolved somewhat as has my thought process in terms of building free standing spars but we'll get into that in some depth next time.
Just about all of the boats I cover on VolksCruiser have the same rig and it's a problematic affair.
For starters, I actually like the Bermuda rig as it's highly developed and if you're going to race it's pretty much the only one you can use. That said, if I were designing a cruising boat it would just about be the last rig I'd choose.
So, what's wrong with the Bermuda rig?
Let me count the ways...
So, if the Bermuda rig has problems what's better? Well according to the wind tunnel testing by C. A. Marchaj just about every rig out there is better than the Bermuda rig. So take your pick.
In my case; I'm still partial to the various lugs and junk rigs. Then again, I'm not a purist "Old Gaffer" sort of fellow and see no issues in taking a lot of that Bermuda rig science and applying it towards making a lug rig perform better, less prone to failure, and easier to use.
But more on that subject next time...
OK, I'll admit that I've never been a fan of Catalina sailboats. Don't really know why but I've always preferred the design work of Lapworth and Tripp and nothing in the Catalina lineup grabbed my attention.
Hell, maybe it's just the "Catalina" smile issue...
That said, Catalina made a shitload of boats, they all floated right side up, and there are lots of them still around.
Take the Catalina 27 for instance...
Catalina built the 27 for twenty years (1971-1991) which is a very long life for any design. Sure, they made changes to the design over the course of those years but it was more about refinement than following fashion or trends. In those two decade they built 6662 boats which is an amazing achievement.
The fact that they built so many boats back then also means that there are a lot of Catalina 27s for sale in 2022. Many of which are quite affordable.
Yesterday I popped Catalina 27 into search tempest and in the PNW there were thirteen listings ranging from $500 to $10,500. Admittedly a couple of repeat ads but that's a lot of Catalina 27s!
It's not just the PNW as Southern Cal has about the same number for sale, and just about everywhere* has some C27s for sale.
Pretty much the same thing can be said for the Catalina 30 as there are lots and lot of them still around with many being as cheap as you can get for a 30 foot cruising boat.
The thing about the C27 and C30 is that they're really both excellent designs and due to the number of them on the market are one of your best chances of getting a good boat in good shape for not a lot of money. Add to that the fact that there is a HUGE user base for the Catalinas so getting parts and affordable sails is non-problematic and there is tons of information regarding any issues the boats might have and how to fix them.
So, I'm still not a Catalina fan but I can do the math and they do make a lot of sense as a VolksCruiserish choice. You could certainly do a lot worse.
*A quick note on price, for some reason or other Florida seems to have higher prices for the C27 than anywhere else. As I've always considered Florida as just about the last place I'd care to buy a boat (Florida, after all, being the place where bad boats go to die slowly) it makes me curious.
Refitting an old boat on a budget, while possible, is no easy task. It's also a lot of work and in our current world real work is not something a lot of people are comfortable with.
It also takes a certain amount of brain power. While I won't throw stones in that direction there are a lot of people these days who are somewhat challenged in that area.
Which, dear reader, tells me that if you're reading this you're not only have the needful work ethic, basic math skills, and intelligence to fit out an old boat and go sailing.
The good news is that inflation and a shortage of boat slips is making a lot of excellent boats available. The downside is that you need to be able to find a place to put your boat while refitting and that might actually be the most expensive part of the project.
Maybe it's good time to point out that doing an unnecessary refit on a boat is the height of silliness. Any refit is going to be expensive and time consuming.
Sure, we all want to make a boat our own and sort out things the way you want them to be. That said, sailboats are mobile and, providing the boat is seaworthy, can be sailed to a place where a refit is both feasible as well as affordable.
Some folks are lucky enough to have a big yard or access to a usable site but the current boatyard rents/charges or extortionate marina practices make sailing off to a more hospitable location a good idea.
Which is a roundabout way of saying finding an affordable mostly turnkey boat with minimal issues should be your current mantra. Bottom line it's a whole lot easier to fix up a boat in good shape than one that's landfill fodder.
Way back when I was living on a peniche just outside of Paris, I seriously considered building George Buehler's Hager design. I still think it would have been a great boat to cruise with.
With a 28-foot LOD it's a small boat of the Pardey mindset but shippy as all hell and more than able to take you just about anywhere you'd care to go..
As it happens, there's a project Hager for sale up in Port Townsend that looks doable and selling for a fraction of the materials invested. What pictures are available on Craigslist makes me think that someone with the right motivation could finish it up in a timely manner without dumping a ton of money.
Full plans are included in George's "Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding" (last century edition) which is all the information anyone would need to build or finish the boat.
Just sayin'
There's a really good post over on Sailing Anarchy dealing with sorting out an Alajuela 38 for voyaging that makes all kinds of sense which you should check out.
That said, it's a forum and like all forum threads there 's some push back as well as Monday morning quarterbacking but I'm sure you can separate the good from the bad...
You're still here?
Apparently, there are so many old boats out there that it's affecting new boat sales. Think about that for a moment.
What does the longevity of classic plastic say about how well these boats were made so that in spite of abuse and neglect they're still floating and right side up?
Just sayin'...
There was a time in my life when the idea of sailing across an ocean and living aboard full time had me looking at a used Philippe Harlé designed Jeanneau Fantasia and thinking it was just about the perfect boat to do it in.
It checked off all our needs as it sailed well, had a comfortable interior, a surprising amount of room for such a small envelope, and it was, more or less, affordable.
Now, forty years later, I still find the Fantasia a great boat and more than able for a couple to cruise and live on.
Better yet, a used one in good shape is even more affordable than it was back in 1982.
A really good article on why a small and simple Catalina makes a lot of sense.
You're still here?
As someone who follows the used boat market fairly closely I'll point out a few things I've learned about buying and selling boats...
"No time wasters!"
Nothing makes me want to avoid looking at a boat for sale than an ad that has the "No Time Wasters" text somewhere within the ad. In my experience people only use that phrase when folks come, look at the boat, and then leave without buying. A process that, when habitual, tells me there is something wrong with the boat on some level. Could be the condition, a too high price, or just the fact that the seller gets up the potential buyers nose.
As someone who's traveled far to look at a boat that is in not as advertised condition more times than I can count and confronted with sulky sellers who act insulted when you ask to turn on the engine or let you look in the bilge and never even bothered to do something about a weeks worth of dirty dishes moldering in the sink it's my time that's being wasted.
Sellers with poor math skills.
There's a certain situation you'll find in a lot of ads where the current owner brags about all the money he's poured into the boat but the math just doesn't make sense. A recent ad for a boat that caught my eye was that the owner had paid $15K for the boat, put in another $25K, and was selling the boat for $12.5K now, anyone with basic math skills can do that math in about a second and it just does not make sense. Either the owner is trying scam you or he/she is an idiot. Either way it's best to be very very careful as there is almost always something extremely nasty laying in wait on such a boat.
Clutter and dirt.
If I want to sell a boat the easiest way to do it is to have a clean, clutter free boat for potential buyers to look at. Even better is to take decent photos that are date stamped showing a clean uncluttered vessel with visible horizontal surfaces to attract potential buyers to the boat.
Knowing what a boat is worth.
It's just as important for the buyer and seller to know what the general value of a boat is. For instance, since I have a CAL 34 I'm pretty in tune with what the boat is actually worth and know that you can find a good condition CAL 34 for around $15K and for other boats I always do a bit of research to come up with a sort of average boat price. So, when confronted with someone selling a CAL 34 for $37K and told by a seller that old CALS sell for up to $50K I know that's some serious bullshit and best avoided. A little homework is a big help whether you're selling or a buying a boat.
Dominance games
Sadly, there are a lot of real assholes selling boats. Most assholes I come across have serious self-image issues and feel the need to play mind games. I've also noticed that a lot of the assholes who sell boats know very little about the boat they're selling and fill their knowledge void with a heavy helping of BS. A good way of keeping the BS in check is to do your homework about the boat (Sailboatdata.com is easy) So when the seller tells you the CAL 34 was designed by Bill Tripp you know you'll need hip boots.
Anyway, obviously none of us like to waste time and energy in the pursuit of selling or buying boats
I just read a post that really stopped me in my tracks where the whole subject of downsizing is concerned.
Around boats the term downsizing gets a lot of use. Especially when the discussion turns to cruising boats and sailing off into the sunset. The problem I have with downsizing is that it means different things to different people.
For me, the idea of downsizing is about simplifying and getting rid on needless clutter in one’s life. For some, it is simply an opportunity or excuse to buy a lot of stuff to fill their new smaller space.
The question is, is it really downsizing if you’re spending a significant amount of time making lists of things to buy or spend money on? At what point is downsizing just an excuse to feed your consumerist habit?
So many people buy boats and then gut them of perfectly adequate systems. Systems they’ll replace with something new that does the same thing.
I get the fact that we all want to make a new place our own. While buying a new sink, chart plotter, or new stove seems like it’s needful if you’re replacing stuff that works it’s a step backward. Or to put it another way, it’s just an expensive way of pissing on the boundaries of your new boat.
Maybe a small framed print on a bulkhead instead?
So, since I've pointed out that the Newport 28 s a pretty good potential VolksCruiser, I've had no shortage of emails asking me why they should consider one vs some more expensive reasonable facsimile.
Over in Washington state there's a Newport 28 for $3.5K with an engine (though whether it works or not is not stated), what appears to be a reasonable sail wardrobe, and a decent dinghy. Oh yeah, it even has a wood stove!
The thing is, a 28-foot boat, whether it costs $3.5K or $35K, is going to allow you to do the same things, go about the same speed, and allow for a similar level of comfort.
And yes, Dear Reader, the $3.5K Newport 28 is going to require some money and sweat equity as it's a boat. That said a $35K boat will have it's share of issues and required work as well which is something you really need to consider.
As it happens, my morning perusal of craigslist via Search Tempest today seemed to have a plethora of very interesting boats at that $3.5k price point.
Sometimes it's important to know some history where boats are concerned. Take the Kelt 8.50 for instance.
Designed by the team of Gilles Vaton and Patrick Roseo for Kelt it's a pretty good example of what was hip in the early to mid eighties. Combining good performance with a very livable interior for a fairly reasonable price tag.
For me the shoal swing keel version is the one that's more interesting with a draft of just a kiss over two feet lets you get into places most can't.
The interior works just fine for a couple without a lot of baggage. The forepeak berth is doable for kids but mostly should be considered a storage area for real world use..
The Kelt 8.50 is also known as the Kelt 28, Kelt 29, and the FEELING 29.
The various names and the fact that Kelt was never real popular in the US of A makes the design fairly inexpensive on the used market simply because no one really knows what a great boat it happens to be.
Which makes it an excellent VolksCruiser to add to your search list in the 30-foot and under sailboat bracket.
Yesterday, something came into focus on what made a good deal or a great deal on a sailboat.
All the great deals I've seen lately are for sale because the boats had become unsustainable for their owners to continue owning.
You might want to think on that for a bit...
Over the years I've crossed the US of A coast to coast in/on a variety of vehicles...
I'll go on record and say that the very best coast to coast experience was when I rode a bike from Oregon to Virginia. It was simple, I had the time to appreciate the scenery, and met a lot of awesome people in the process.
Most of the other trips were just getting from one place to another and, truth be told, all of the internal combustion powered vehicles were pretty much the same. When all the pros and cons were weighed, the cars, trucks, and van were surprisingly equal. That said, my 63 VW van had the edge on comfort but also had the greatest hassle factor where law enforcement was concerned. So, like I said, it all evens out.
I mention this here simply because there is so much focus on having the perfect boat and, if you're not going to cruise till you find the perfect boat, you'll never get to doing because there ain't any such thing.
Back when Robin Knox Johnson wanted to become the first person to sail around the world he chose a design based on the the works of Colin Archer. As much as I admire the Colin Archer designs they would be last on my list for any kind of race and, as long as I'm throwing shade, who in their right mind would bring a ketch to a race of any kind? Kind of like entering a cross country race with my beloved 1953 International Travelall. But it was the boat Knox Johnson had so that was what he did it with. Wrong boat/wrong rig but he still won the race.
Back in 1976, when I rode my bike cross country, I had planned to ride a custom built Bob Jackson touring bike which I'd paid, for me at least, a shit ton of money for. The Jackson wound up being held up by customs for some reason or other so I pedaled off on my lowly Peugeot P10. Obviously not the bespoke touring machine of my dreams but it did get the job done and carried me over 5000 miles.
Anyway, something to think about.
Sure, I know that there's a helluva lot of peer pressure to adhere to consumerist dogma but, just for a moment think about what you can afford rather than what you think others will opine on what you need to spend to be accepted.
I see a lot of folks selling the idea that "price is no object" but buying boats that are a fraction of the cost and pretending they're following the party line.
Know something?
They get away with it because most everyone is doing the same thing and no one's going to bust them because most everyone is part of the con.
The sordid truth is that most boat folk, by their very nature, have their asses firmly planted in the cheap seats. The problem only arises when they're not honest about it.
Worse is when they use the cost of stuff as a means of letting you know how much every-damn-fucking-thing-on-their-boat cost in a misguided ruse to impress you. As someone who has sold a lot of marine gear to these wankers I'll let you know that, more often than not, they lie about what they paid for those winches or top-of-the-line electronics.
Maybe it's just me but there's something pretty off when it reaches that point.
Know what impresses me? When someone comes up with a way of doing things that involves common sense and thought to make the whole sailing off into the sunset more comfortable, affordable and sustainable. On the other hand some guy bragging that he spent lots of money to impress me or as a put down just hits the pity note.
The other day when I mentioned that I was building yet another Tortoise someone pointed out that He'd spent $12K on his dinghy but if I can only afford a two sheet dinghy maybe I shouldn't bother until I could afford something better.
Yeah, it sorta/kinda pissed me off. Still, the Tortoise makes more sense for me than a 12-foot RIB with a 25HP outboard and it would be real dumb in a world where gas costs $5.50 to have such a beast.
Over on Boat Bits today I mentioned a Newport 28MK2 that's selling for $2.5K and appears to be in pretty good shape. Researching the design a bit more the Newport appears to be one of those designs that seems to have a pretty good price and is firmly in the "good bang for the buck" price niche. Plus it would make a very good cruising boat. What's not to like?
The important thing to keep in mind is that hardly anyone cares what sort of boat you cruise in. No one who isn't an asshole is going to ask you what it costs and, as long as the boat is shipshape, you'll still be invited to potlucks and suchlike (if that's your thing).
So, how low can you go?
As far as the R2AK was concerned there were only four boats I was rooting for. One of which, Loustic SuperSonic, was my favorite. Seriously, how you could not be engaged to the story of a couple buying an old Santana 20 sight unseen, arriving days before the races start, and having to get the boat race ready seems like an impossible accomplishment. Throw in the whole cobbling together a human powered pedal propulsion system as well and, all of a sudden, we're in heroic territory.
More on Loustic SuperSonic at the R2AK website.
It came to my attention that there's a thread on a cruising forum asking what 50 must haves you should have on a cruising boat.
Apparently some folks just need help in finding ways to overload their boats.
I'll be the first to admit that I've got too much stuff aboard "So It Goes" and we're just about to get into a serious purge of what's not earning it's keep.
For starters, the two Mirage drives that have been taking up room in my port cockpit locker really need to go. The plan was to use them in a dinghy but I've yet to find a dinghy I like that would work with the Mirage drive. That said, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
The there's some tools I simply don't use anymore, clothes, and the dreaded "What the hell is this for?" stuff that I'm sure was part of a cunning plan at one time but whose use has long ago fallen into the memory hole.
Hell, I even have a couple of ten year old Harken winches that have never been installed or used just taking up space in my aft dinette seat...
Then there's the old rope. I mean, seriously, where did all this rope come from?
You get the idea.
As it seems that more human auxiliary powered sailboat were collected for the 2022 R2AK it would have been nice to have a race on the side for the competitors to display their various systems.
A not-very-fast drag race if you will.
I don't know about you but I'd love to see a lot more about what worked, what didn't, and the various workarounds used.
I just got the new Cruising Compass and they had a link to this BFB...
Now, I've long been a fan of boats from Jeanneau for ages and I'm sure most everyone in the yachting media will be all over this design but I have a short question...
Is this the right boat design for 2022?
In a world of finite resources shouldn't we be focused on a more earth friendly and sustainable design model?
Granted a lot of good work went into the design of this rich man's toy but how much of that good design can be adapted to more sustainable and affordable models?
Now, in my less than humble opinion, is the fact that boats like this distract from any real development and distort the market to the point that all of a sudden, everyone feels like this sort of sailboat is what one needs to go cruising with.
Another downside of BFBs is that the cruising areas tend to adapt their services and facilities to boats like this making it that much more difficult and expensive for cruisers of modest means to fit in. Sint Maarten used to be the best place in the Caribbean to get work done but these days no one wants to work on smaller boats because the bigger the boat the more profit involved. Worse is that a lot of marinas and shore side facilities create barriers designed to favor their preferred client in such stupid ways as not allowing human powered dinghies in their dinghy docks.
Which is just the sort of attrition that makes people give up cruising or sail off to places that have not caught up to the new norm or reality that is currently passes for cruising.
Anyway, it's an interesting boat and one can learn quite a bit in studying it.
More soonish on a semi-related subject...
Everyone, whether they admit it or not, is going to be on a budget. It's just part of how things work.
Some years back we had a client contact our charter brokerage asking us for the best charter yacht in the Caribbean when we queried how he defined "Best" it turned out that what he really wanted was the most expensive yacht in the Caribbean because, you know, the more expensive the better.
Having some experience where Mega-yachts were concerned we actually knew that the current most expensive yacht had a base price of around $400K plus all expenses which were, at the time, mostly covered by an advanced provisioning allowance (APA) of 30% or more. If you do the math you're in a serious chunk of change zone.
Instead of offering that yacht to the client we offered him an excellent yacht that went out for nearly $100K and the client nearly had a heart attack. Obviously the $400K and $100K were out of his budget.
Like I said, everyone's on a budget.
The problem is that not everyone knows what sort of budget they're on.The old adage attributed to J.P. Morgan where yachts are concerned is "If you have to ask, you can’t afford it".
So, here's a question...
How much can you afford to spend on a cruising sailboat?
another...
How much money do you need to live in reasonable comfort?
and lastly.
Do you have a way to sustain a boat and your reasonable comfort level long term?
I don't want to know those numbers but if you want to sail off into the sunset you really should do a bit of research and figure them out.
Sadly, most folks on boats don't have a clue about budgets until they're confronted with the cold hard economic reality of the words can and can't. A situation that almost always ends badly.
Oh yeah, about that guy who wanted the most expensive charter boat in the Caribbean? He wound up chartering a very nice crewed power boat for around $18K.
Just sayin'.
It was just pointed out that I'm rather stupid because I think it's possible to buy a boat for not a lot of money, sort out any needful issues, and go cruising.
It's not the first time...
Apparently, the ex-reader in question is of the opinion that it's impossible to buy a suitable boat for less than $30K and that the $30K boat would cost as much again to make it into a proper cruising boat. So we're talking about a minimum of $60K.
As it happens, I've been beavering away on a book with a working title of Eighteen VolksCruiserish Boats which documents various affordable production boats suited to long term voyaging on a blue collar budget. None of which will cost you more than $10K to purchase with minimal refit expenditure.
I'm not all that big on giving advice. I'd much rather point out options, workarounds, and common sense approaches that work rather than offer a one true path to cruising Nirvana.
Fact is, I don't take issue with a guy who feels he has to spend a minimum of $60K to sail down to the Caribbean or other milk run destinations where high prices, keeping up with the Joneses, and conspicuous consumption are the norm. As long as he's happy doing it, I have no issues.
That said, it really gets up my nose when someone feels the need to tell me that his way is the only way.
As I've said before, VolkCruisers and cruising is not for everyone and you really have to understand basic economics and sweat equity to make it work.
No rocket science involved.
I really shouldn't have to say more.
So, there's a 32' Piver trimaran for sale in California with a listed price of $19.5K. From the looks of the pictures it's in fairly good shape. Though no interior pictures or mention whether or not the inboard engine works.
The boat was built in 1973.
The basic equation of a cruising multihull for $19.5K certainly seems like a great deal in a market that is just silly expensive.
Then again, $19.5K is a lot of money for a plywood boat built before epoxy was in common use in boat building.
As it happens, I have a lot of respect for Piver, his designs, and plywood as a boat building material. That said, I'll point out that it's best to leave your rose colored glasses at home whenever looking at a 49-year old plywood boat whatever the price.
I saw a Columbia 34 MK2 for sale on CraigsList for $500 OBO. Obviously a boat that needs a lot of work. Still, a tempting project for someone who wants head room and doesn't mind some sweat equity to get it.
PBO (AKA Practical Boat Owner) has been a great resource for me since I first started reading the magazine in 1980. While, these days, I feel their subscription rates are now akin to piracy but their website still has excellent content.
For example, this simple how to rehab a sailboat article is just what most folks considering an inexpensive boat that needs work should read.
You're still here?
Here's an interesting rig on Reuel Parker's Terrapin 30.
What really appeals to me is not so much what it has but what it doesn't have.
For starters, it's a three stay rig made possible by a low center of effort. A low powerful rig requires less ballast which is no bad thing as it reduces heel.
A rig like this requires very little in the way of expensive hardware. The fact that a simple rig is also going to be a lot cheaper to build and maintain is just icing on the cake.
The wood tabernacled mast is owner buildable and serviceable plus, in the days of $500 mast stepping, the tabernacle will easily pay for itself from the get-go.
If I found myself with a CAL 29 or reasonable facsimile without a rig or a rig needing serious investment/repair I'd seriously consider doing a similar rig. Sure, you'll scandalize some folks in the process but the rig will work just fine and there's not much prettier than a gaff rig sailing into the sunset.
Hunter has something of a bad reputation that, for the most part, is undeserved. Which is not to say that there were not some boats with issues but from where I sit all boats have issues.
Hunters were all made to a price point as all boats are. Building and selling boats has always been about selling boats and Hunter was very good at marketing to various budget niches and, as such, there are a lot of used Hunters on the market for not a lot of money.
Sometimes an iffy reputation is no bad thing.
Take the Hunter 28.5 for example...
It's a reasonable cruiser for a couple. It doesn't cost a lot when compared to boats of a similar age or performance with a very livable interior due to it's 10.5 foot beam and the designers KISS design brief.
Lot to be said for simple.
The biggest obstacle for someone intending to sail away and live on a sustainable boat is not about money, hurricanes, pirates, or restrictive legalities it's group think. Or, to put it another way, following the herd.
Now, herd mentality exists in all pursuits and walks of life and it's just part of the matrix we find ourselves in. As it happens, escaping the herd used to be the primary reason most people became cruisers. Read just about any cruising book from the sixties or seventies and it quickly become apparent that cruising was not a group sort of endeavor.
Of course, times change. We find ourselves in a world where there are enough people cruising that folks on boats are now an assemblage of various herds and something of a bastion of group think. Depending on which group you subscribe to, there are implied guidelines of how one cruises, what sort of boat is acceptable, and most importantly, what is unacceptable. Gone are the days when people sailed away to escape the herd but now go to sea to join the herd.
Obviously, folks of a VolksCruiserish bent don't quite fit in to the various popular herds and mindsets.Which, considering the alternative is actually non-problematic if not advantageous for those who don't quite fit into whatever herd/group think on offer.
Setting out on your own without the herds safety net forces us to adapt and adaptation is a good thing. My biggest issue with group think situations is that they often result in stasis when the group does not come to a clear consensus on what to do.
You know, like when there's a hurricane comings and everyone's talking about what to do and no one is doing what they need to do. Sadly, a situation I see with every storm that comes through.
Meanwhile, some folks not wired to the hive mind are already in the mangroves putting out anchors and preparing or sailing their boats somewhere the hurricane won't be.
Not being part of the herd allows you to make decisions and adapt to a given situation in a timely manner which is often the difference between surviving and not surviving.
I see some big changes coming soon and, I suspect, most cruising herds will have big problems adapting in spite of the fact that we all know they're coming. Charles Darwin made a good point when he said...
"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change"
Everything you need to know about VolksCruising and cruising culture.
I've mentioned before that one of my favorite small boats for cruising is the Haida 26. For those in the PNW there's another one currently for sale that you might want to take a look at...
I came across an ad on Craigslist for a Newport 30 that made me wonder why Newport boats have fallen out of favor.
As I recall, the Gary Mull designed Newport 30 was a pretty nice boat. A bit more beam than most at the time with a simple but very comfortable interior. Fact of the matter is, that most Gary Mull designs are well worth keeping and eye out for.
Might want to add some to your search list.
Here's something from Boat Bits in 2011...
I've been looking at the boats for sale on Craig's list recently... It helps if you use Search Tempest
which allows you to search all of Craig's list rather than just one at a
time... Anyway, there are a lot of good boats for cheap and cheap is no
bad thing!
Of course, the boat market seldom has any real rhyme or reason and I
have always believed that boat pricing is more often pulled out of a hat
on a whim rather than something arrived at through much thought on a
boat's real value, but when you think about it, this is an advantage as
at least half the time folks are selling boats for far below their
value.
One problem most all cruisers at any budget level find is that their first year of cruising costs a lot more than they expect to spend. Sadly, I speak from experience and in our first year of full time cruising; we spent money like the proverbial drunken sailors on steroids.
It doesn't make it any better that everyone goes through it.
So where did all the money go?
For starters, marinas took a serious toll. Now, as someone who really dislikes marinas, why was I staying in them? I blame my inability to trust my initial thought process when the decision to anchor or go into a marina conflicted with the cruising guides. Cruising guides are geared for folks who mostly do marinas and anchor when there’s no other option.
Leaving a marina in the morning after paying our bill when a dozen anchored sailboats fifty yards from the marina would put me in a seriously bad mood.
Where spending money was concerned that it seemed every new place had something to buy. I’ll admit that confronted with a good deal in a chandlery, I throw the budget to the wind.
Plus, not having done proper due diligence, we were clueless on what things would or should cost in the places I was visiting. Most of the currency seemed like Monopoly money. Translating Pesetas to Francs to dollars skewed the reality of what stuff really cost. We spent too much on some things while we missed great bargains.
Another source of bleeding money is eating out, drinking, and hanging out with other cruisers. None of which is a bad thing in moderation, but keeping up with the Joneses can be a big problem when you’re on a very different budget.
The main thing to keep in mind is that cruising long term is not a vacation. You can’t spend away, knowing with the option that you can pay off the incurred debt when you get back to the real world. It’s a long haul equation.
Still, I expect, you'll overspend your first year out as it seems to be an ingrained right of passage but don't say you have not been warned.
So, what is an affordable boat?
While the prevailing wisdom appears to be that a boat should cost everything you have and more I'll suggest a somewhat different formula...
If you can't pay cash for it and the required needful work, it's too frelling expensive.
Fairly simplistic is it not?
For those who don't quite get the concept of cash I'll just say that credit cards and future earning are not at all what I'm talking about. If that CAL 34 for $1,500. that needs $7K of material and work to put it right you'll need at least $8.5K in cash money in hand to even consider buying the boat. Better yet, let's round up that number to an even $10K because you always miss something and it's prudent to have a buffer.
In going back over my list I've realized a couple of things that, in hindsight, I appear to have missed. The first being that I'd really prefer a boat with a transom hung rudder. They're simple, easy to fix, and by adding a simple trim tab to the rudder you have an excellent and inexpensive self-steering gear that will make your life a happier thing.
Lastly, the most important point that should have been on the list was that whatever boat you buy or build is one that you should either like or love. Your relationship with your boat is a very tangible thing and if you don't have a positive bond it's going to end in tears or worse.
