regarding hurricane plans...

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...

a deal or not?

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.

So what condition is it in...

I’m obsessive in monitoring the used boat market, especially where inexpensive VolksCruiserish candidates are concerned. I find the used market insane and trying to make sense of it is an ongoing conundrum that is entertaining.

One thing I’ve learned so far is there is zero rhyme or reason where the cost of boats is concerned. The best description I can come up with is that it’s bat-shit crazy.

However, armed with a bit of knowledge, we can use the current situation to our advantage.

Face it, it’s really all about the condition of the boat.

A lot of cheap boats are in terrible condition. If one look tells you to look elsewhere, look for another boat.

There are many cheap boats which are ready to go, that you can take out for a sail, and mostly everything works. I say mostly because I’ve yet to find a boat anywhere where everything works.

Most cheap boats will fall somewhere between these examples. It’s up up to you to make sense of what condition they’re in.

Things I look for in a boat are cleanliness, lack of clutter, workable systems, and upkeep. Since most sailboats are built well, you’re mostly looking for problems from previous owners rather than faults in the construction.

To be honest, I’d much prefer a boat stripped of owner improvements or a gutted interior, providing it was clean, and I don’t have to pull stuff out of the boat to fix stuff.

So, here are my thoughts on grading condition…

I’ll give the boat a 10 if it’s floating, has a dry bilge, is clean, and most everything appears to work. This includes being able to take the boat for a sail and if there’s a motor, it works.

A boat gets a 9 or lower for everything on my list that where it falls short. So a boat that is not clean, has a wet bilge, and the electricity does not work, would get a 7. The trick is to be ruthless and have a firm low number (in my case “5”) which is when you go look at another boat.

Obviously, a project boat is a whole different kettle of fish. I’ll be doing a series on how to cope with a project, but as there are so many boats that are close to turnkey for small money, I’d advise an affordable boat that is in a working condition.

A cruising boat worth thinking about...

 

There's a Beneteau 235 for sale here that caught my attention and got me thinking about what a great little cruising boat it would make.

Now as far as French production boats go, I've never been a huge fan of the Beneteau boats preferring the Jeanneau designs back in the pre-conglomerate days. I expect that's mainly because of the designs of Philippe Harlé like the Sangria, Fantasia, and Tonic.

As far as the Beneteau 235 is concerned it fills the same design niche as the Tonic.

Now, I don't know about you, but the idea of a Tonic or a Bendy 235 as a cruising boat makes a whole lot of sense and inspires dreams of unfettered freedom.

Sure, they're small but small equals a low price, minimal cruising expenses, and small problems. 

That said a small boat is not for everyone.

Back when I was considering buying a Tonic for serious cruising my life was pared down to just the essentials and that's a given where cruising in a small boat is concerned.

These days, where anything smaller than a forty-foot boat is considered small, what is considered essential is a very different thing and people do love having a lot of stuff.

For me. the real beauty of a small design like the 235 is that there is simply no room for anything that is surplus to requirements. The idea of not having to contend with dragging stuff you don't need or use actually qualifies as something akin to a luxury.

Which is not to say it would be an easy transition for most. I'm in the middle of a never-ending struggle  to cull all the various stuff that seems to accumulate and just takes up room but never gets used. So I'm well aware how difficult it can be.

The attraction of a little boat like the 235 or Tonic, for me at least, has everything to do with jettisoning all the stuff I don't need and getting back to a simpler and more focused life. Which, when you think about t is why most of us decided to sail away in the first place.

I often do a mental exercise where I work out how I'd cruise a given boat where I use an Atlantic circle as an example. While doing an Atlantic circle on a 235 is not on everyone's with list it would be an excellent way to sort out just what you'd actually need after you've done your Wordle for the day.

Now, If only I can bring myself to throw away that bent stanchion I can't find a use for...

a 26-foot project I'd be all over...

“One of the very best boats ever designed. I based a good part of my design work around the Haida 26. I love that boat.”... Robert Perry

Robery Perry sure knows what he's talking about.

For a variety of reasons I monitor sailboats for sale in a few places and a 26-foot Haida in Washington State popped up on my radar today.

The thing is, back when I was living on a CAL 20, I lusted  for a flush deck Haida 26 that was for sale in the marina which had seduced me with the siren song of go-anywhere possibilities. In other words it was a pretty awesome boat.

The boat was everything my Cal 20 was but bigger and tough in a way that made the idea of sailing off to Hawaii and Japan a much more sensible proposition. However, as a starving film student it was just outside my budget.

Still, It's one of those boats I've always wanted and wonder how things would have turned out if I'd been able to scrape the needful purchase money together.

So, seeing a Haida for sale on Craig's List for only $750 really caught my attention and had me (for a few moments at least) considering buying a plane ticket to Seattle. Hey, it would be nice to have a Pied à l'Eau in the San Juans...

Sure it's a fixer upper and that's not a bad thing. Back in the days I was living on a Cal 20 in Sausalito I spent hours and hours working out how I'd fix up the Haida I was so enamoured with. The fact is that the Haida 26 is a very simple boat and at 26-feet there is actually very little to replace or fix so the cost of fixing it up would be fairly minor if you were doing the work yourself. 

Even having to buy an outboard for it I can't see it taking more than $1500 to put things right.

I recently saw a nice Haida going for $8900 so the fixer-upper VolksCruiser route makes a whole lot of sense if you're able to do it right.

Sadly, it's the wrong coast and time for me and a project for someone else in Washington State who I hope knows what a wonderful boat it is.

a boat with a lot of resources...

Checking Craigslist this morning I saw there was a Pearson Triton being sold off at a marina in the San Francisco Bay area for $750. You might say it caught my attention. 

 

It's a great design, Dan Spurr used the Triton as his main example of how to fix up a small boat for cruising in his "Spurrs BoatBook Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat"which amounts to a great how to do it guide.

James Baldwin circumnavigated his Triton twice and now is an awesome resource on how to make small boats better and a great resource on all things Triton with an excellent website and a wonderful YouTube channel.

The going price for a good to excellent Triton seems to be between $10K to $28K so a fixer upper for $750 that's floating right side up and appears to be in OK condition is certainly a good candidate to check out.

What I particularly find attractive about the idea of refitting and cruising a Triton is that all of the brain work has already been done for you. Between Spurr's book, James Baldwin's books , articles and videos you pretty much have the answer to any issue you'd encounter in the project.

For example take a look at one of the Triton refits on Baldwin's Atom Voyager channel;

I'll be honest and say that if the Craigslist ad was down here I'd be there with money in hand as fast as I could get there as it would be a great boat to fix up and resell for a profit...

and in the "Are we ready to look at that Ericson yet?" department...

So you've done your research, sorted out that an Ericson 26 would be an appropriate small cruising boat you could live with, and within your budget. Hell, you even built a dinghy to prove to yourself you were not a tyro, had the mindset and needful skills to fix up the Ericson, and you're ready to go look at the sucker cash-in-hand but your buddy and everyone on that forum tells you you need to get a surveyor.

Here's the thing...

One, you don't need a surveyor and two, the boat's already sold.

A good surveyor might make sense if you're paying big bucks for a boat but not so much if you're talking about a fixer-upper that costs less than the surveyors fee. For a VolksCruiser you're better off doing your own survey.

Don Casey has a decent book on the subject that you might want to check out as it makes a good outline of the things you need to look at.

When I look at a boat I'm mostly concerned with the hull, deck, and rig. Everything else I'd rip out and rebuild the interior and systems from scratch as it's faster and cheaper than trying to work around or make sense with what previous owners have done to the boat. The other advantage of starting fresh is that you set up things in a way that makes sense.

When you do your self-survey make sure to take lots of pictures/videos and take note or narrate the survey so if you need to talk to someone about the boats issues they have as much information as possible to base their advice on. Some time ago a reader sent me a ton of photos on a Bolger design he was considering and it was easy for me to offer advice and the sad conclusion that it would be a big mistake to consider the project.

But why bother as the boat is already sold. Right?

The thing is, good deals on boats don't ever last long. Show me a boat that has been sitting with a For Sale sign for a year and I'll know it's selling for way too much. On the other hand, boats that are priced to move, move quickly.

Which is why, when looking for your VolksCruiser, you really need to be ready...

On that big hole in the water you throw money into...

OK, I get it. "Everyone" says that if you buy a fixer-upper sailboat with the goal of turning it into a cruising boat it will all end in tears. Some will tell you that you'll wind up with nothing but an expensive disaster that you'll have to pay someone to dispose of it in some landfill.

I could go on but I expect you've already heard it all before and it's boring...

What I will do is point out that the disaster or failure scenarios of this sort have a lot to do with people who have made stupid mistakes in choosing their projects, have little in the way of an intelligent plan for the needful work involved in the enterprise, and a poor skill set where boat building and repair are concerned. Which is another way of saying that if the boat refit project failed it's because the person doing it screwed up big time.

Every once in awhile I'll point out what I think is a possible project boat like the Ericson 26 so we'll use that as our crash test dummy. Which brings us to the question of whether or not an Ericson 26 is a good choice as a cruising boat for you?

So, you'll need to put away the rose colored glasses to do some research and a bit of math. Seriously if you don't properly research the project and work out the costs you're in clusterfuck territory. For starters you really need to research the market for the Ericson 26. 

• What does an Ericson 26 in great shape cost?
• What does an OK Ericson 26 cost?
• Does the Ericson 26 have an inbuilt issues which will need to be repaired and cost you money (FYI ALL production boats have some issue(s) or other that will need attention so find out what it is)?
• Can you afford an Ericson 26?

With me so far? Most boat projects fail simply because someone did not ask and get real answers to those four simple questions. Let's say you've answered the previous questions, got your answers and think it's time to move to the next level which requires a few more questions.

• Is the Ericson 26 a boat that I'll be able to cruise comfortably on without major changes?
• Do I have access to an affordable location in close proximity to work on the boat?
• Am I willing to put some effort into learning the needful skills to refit the boat?

Some of you may have noticed that none of these questions involve the actual fixer upper in question. My advice is to always do your homework before not after viewing a possible project as the more you know about the boat the better your advantage you'll have when you actually look at it. 

In fact I'd recommend, before you go boat project shopping, that you build a dinghy as a proof of concept that your abilities are up to the task. My advice for most folks is to build the Bolger Nymph from Dynamite Payson's "Build the New Instant Boats" As it's a great dinghy, does not take a lot of outlay in materials, and pretty much shows you if you have the needful skills and mindset or not to take on a much bigger project like the Ericson. No pressure but if it takes you more than 24-hours of labor to build a Nymph rowing version you might want to forget the idea of anything larger than a dinghy refit projects.

Just saying.

We'll get into how we handle looking at a fixer-upper in the next bit...

Different strokes for different folks...

So, here's a question...

"What sort of VolksCruiser do you actually want?"

Face it, everyone's different with disparate needs and situations which means one's VolkCruiser of choice may not be what others need or want. Which I suppose brings us to other questions we have to ask ourselves...

"How are you going to use your VolksCruiser?"

Want to sail around the world? Or are your ambitions more about just sailing around the Pacific Northwest? Maybe you're interested in sailing to the back of beyond or maybe you'd be content to just hang out somewhere nice and live aboard.

Different strokes (or should I say 'Boats'?) for different folks.

Which leaves us with quite a few categories. Off the top of my head I'd say we're talking about live-aboard, area cruising, coastal cruising, transocean cruising, circumnavigating, and expedition/adventure cruising. Obviously this is not all of the possible variants but it does cover the majority in broad strokes.

Here's a VolksCruiserish design by Lyle Hess that I really like...

The Balboa 26 is a very cool trailer sailor. It's shoal draft of a kiss less than two-feet with the board up allows you to get into places other boats can't. It's seaworthy, has a comfortable albeit spartan interior, and it performs a lot better than most folk would suspect.

The going price seems to average out at around a bit over $4000 or so which puts it into the VolkCruiser price range.

Like I said, I really like this design...

Then again, it's not really a boat I'd choose for a circumnavigation, transocean, or adventure voyaging. Sure the boat could cross oceans or circumnavigate but being small with limited displacement it become all kinds of problematic to carry the essentials like water and provisions you'll need for those sort of enterprises.

On the other hand, for coastal and area based cruising it would be a great boat. Its shoal draft would allow you to get into out of the way places and, in my experience the shoal draft will also save you a lot of money in terms of mooring and marina bills.

Better yet, if you desire a change of scenery you could always leave the Pacific Northwest and have the boat towed to the east coast, then coastal cruise your way down to the Caribbean if you felt the urge.

Coming up, we'll look at a another 26-foot boat more in the voyaging category.

More on affordable multihulls...

Multihulls are HIP and as a result multihulls demand a higher price and this includes used boats. Which, I suppose, is good news if you happen to be selling a catamaran but bad news if you want to buy one. In my opinion, multihull prices are mostly inflated and don't quite reflect their actual value.

Here's an example;

I've been following an Iroquois 30 catamaran built in 1969 that has been for sale for ages at $45K but recently came down to $35K. Maybe it's just me but I think that either price is way too high for a fifty-two year old boat. As the Iroquois has a displacement of 6560 pounds that's right around $6.86 a pound at $45K and $5.34 at $35K.

As it happens, "So It Goes" is a 1969 CAL 34 and I also tend to track what the model sells for and, by my addition, a 1969 Cal 34 costs between $5K in OK condition to $20K where the boat is pretty much pristine. So, by my figuring, the average price of a good to very good CAL 34 hovers around $14K. That said, with a displacement of 9500 pounds the CAL 34 is a lot more boat than the Iroquois but sells less at $1.48 per pound. 

The big question for me is whether or not the hipness factor of a 52 year old geriatric catamaran is worth the extra cost. The fact is if you were to base the value of the Iroquois on its displacement which, by rights it should be you'd be able to buy the Iroquois for around $2 a pound which would be along the lines of $13K which is very close to several other Iroquois cats I've seen over the last few years.

Most builders I know tend to budget a sailboat based on how much it weighs and not so much on what you can sell the boat for. Working out what a boat is worth in terms of weight/displacement is a great way to sort out what you should be willing to pay for a given multihull.

So, what's a person going to do if he/she want a multihull on a VolkCruiser budget?

Well for starters, I'd take a look at smaller designs like the Heavenly Twins, Iroquois, and Prout Sirocco because they're good boats and long enough in the tooth and in a less-than-hip size to have a few out there at reasonable prices.

If those boats are a bit small for your tastes you might check what you can find in the 30-35 foot niche but be warned that deals are very few and far between.

While I've not mentioned multhulls of the DIY sort I'll go on record and say that finding an inexpensive multihull in the under 40-foot niche is, more than likely going to be a DIY boat. The downside is that a lot of folks consider home-built boats inferior and, to be honest, there's a valid reason as the old adage of...

"You build your first boat for your worst enemy, the second for a friend, and the third for yourself."

... which has more than a passing resemblance to reality and, as a result, there are some truly heinous examples of boat butchery laying in wait with a "For Sale" sign laying in wait for the unwary.

More on the subject of home-built designs, what they should cost and building yourself in the near future...

A channel of interest...

Plus, I've always liked the Poker design.

Maybe the best VolksCruising channel on the web...

Sailorama is a great YouTube channel of the unapologetic cruising on a budget ilk and if you're leaning towards doing the VolkCruiser Fandango you should really be following them.

Really.

For example...



and



Lots of good stuff and content with the added advantage of a definite lack of the "Look at me we're wonderful and oh so cute" vibe.

Ya think?

$2.99 you need to spend...

A couple of days ago I saw there was a book on Kindle that looked like it might be interesting...

This one in fact.

At $2.99 it was something of a no-brainer so I downloaded a copy to my Kindle and read it in a couple of hours.

It's an easy enjoyable read and contains a lot of information that flies in the face of what a lot of people say. Stuff, as it happens, that actually needs to be said.

Whether you want to flip boats or not is unimportant as the real meat of the issue is simply how to approach boat work and get the boat up-and-sailing in a timely, affordable, and seaworthy manner.

In short a whole lotta good advice for just under $3.

That said, surveyors and boat brokers will really hate the book. Of course, from where I sit that's just the cherry on top.

Do I really have to say more?

What everyone seems to do...

Have you noticed how many YouTube channels there are about people downsizing, buying a boat, fixing it up, and sailing off into the paradise of Patreon fueled bliss?

If not, you really should check them out because they are very educational for the most part.

One of the things you'll notice is there seem to be certain rites of passage that everyone goes through and rules of sorts that, like it or not, apply to the whole "Buying a boat, fixing it up, and sailing off into the sunset" gig...

Rule #1

Whatever boat you buy or how much you spend will require lots of work and money to fix up.

Rule #2

Everyone underestimates the amount of work and money needed.

Rule #3

Nothing involved in the process is rocket science and can be accomplished by just about anyone.

Rule #4

Everyone makes mistakes (though some make more than others).

Rule #5

Most people on boat projects don't do enough research/homework of the right sort.

 

Sure, I know, rules are never concrete things in this life but they do exist even if it's just to give us a hint of what may lie in store for us. Forewarned is forearmed so to speak. 

That said, rules often send the wrong message as the big picture does not always reflect a specific projects specific details. Especially if you're embarking on a VolksCruiserish project.

Yeah, VolksCruiserish rules are going to be a little bit different.

More about that on Sunday.

 

$10K and a couple of plane tickets...

I'd like to visit Alaska by boat...

I've been to Alaska a few times to do climbs but my only experience with boats in Alaska involved ferries and a too brief day in a big skiff trying to pull the lips off salmon.

I mention this because yesterday I came across a rather nice sounding CAL 27 for sale in my old stomping grounds of Washington State that whispered to me with...

"Would it not be cool to take me up to Alaska and hang out for a season?"

The CAL 27-2 is a great boat and right at the top of the VolksCruisers I would not mind spending time on in interesting places.

So many boats/places so little time...

A favorite boat...

Just what do you actually need?

From where I sit, the Jeanneau Tonic pretty much has all of the bases covered...

Admittedly the forward berth pictured doesn't really exist and, I'm sure, that it's only in the drawings because some clueless guy in a suit decided they couldn't sell a boat with just one dedicated double berth.

Still, it's a boat that a guy six foot five has plenty of room to be comfortable in, a well thought out galley, and, for a boat under 24 feet long, a head of more than ample size...  A very livable design.

What's not to like?

on what a VolksCruiser should actually cost...

Someone recently asked me what a VolksCruiser should cost and I had to actually think about it for a while before an answer came to me...

The whole premise of a VolksCruiser is that it's affordable to a section of people totally ignored by the Powers That Be. Of course, that leaves us with the somewhat slippery question of what is actually affordable. What's affordable to a guy making fifteen dollars an hour is very different to what's affordable to someone making $80K a year.

Then there's the problem of sustainability which is often forgotten in the mix because folks these days seldom take a long term view albeit it's the more crucial part of the equation.

An oft heard phrase for what it costs to cruise, that's always bothered me, comes to mind... "As much as you have". The reason it bothers me is it's just bad economics and, if building, rehabbing, or cruising a boat is using up "as much as you have", you're doing something seriously wrong.

Living frugally is actually pretty easy to do as is cruising on a small budget but, as anyone on a constrained budget knows, there's not a lot of margin for accidents, surprises, and getting stuff wrong. Since everyone has accidents, surprises, and gets stuff wrong it's important to keep it in the budget.

Back to the person who makes $15 an hour who, even working full time, is only going to have something like $20K a year in spendable income. Most of which will be used for just getting by without a lot to put towards a boat. Add that up and, just maybe, you have a working budget of $3-5K for that VolksCruiser.

Luckily, there are a lot of nice boats for sale in that niche but the more important question is whether or not one can afford and sustain a boat long term... more about that later. Next we'll tackle the really, really BIG question...

Lists are a wonderful thing...

So, after giving the Columbia 26 a lot of thought, I've come up with a short list of things I'd do to make it just that little bit more VolksCruiserish...

Interior

1. DIY composting toilet
2. Rebuild/replace the dinette with a Buehler inspired one
3. Figure out a cunning plan to make the galley bettter (spelled add worktop space)
4. Add more water stowage

Exterior

1. Rig... If the rig is in good shape I'd simply roll with it (if it works no need to fix it mantra) but, if the rig needs substantial work or financial outlay, I'd just build a new rig of the junk or balanced lug sort.
2. I'd seriously consider replacing the rudder with a transom hung one with an integrated self-steering (trimtab) system.

Propulsion

1. Depending on what's already installed, I'd have to roll with the flow so, more about that in a later post...

Now, of course, there's all of the usual bringing a tired boat back to life in the cosmetic sense, sorting out the wiring, and other various tasks that you'd need to do but this list represents the needful tasks I'd need to sort out to make me a happy camper.

All in all, it's not a very long or expensive list...

Next we'll do the math on what it should actually cost.

A project on the drawing board...

A friend and I have been discussing an idea I have for rehabbing an old small classic plastic design and turning it into a VolksCruiser...

The boat in question happens to be a Columbia 26.

As it happens I've always liked the Columbia 26...

Studying the current crop of the C26 for sale floating around, my calculator tells me that the price for a boat in good or better condition falls somewhere in the $3-6K zone and we might safely say the average is right around $4500 (+ or -).

The $2000 boat I have my eye on however is a far cry from being in good or better condition and the amount of money needed to make it right, not to mention the large amount of labor involved, actually makes it quite a lot more expensive than the various boats in that $3-6K zone. My hope is that the guy who's been selling it for a couple of years now will wake up one morning and just sell the thing for what it is currently worth (about $500 or so) in which case I'll pounce.

You might say I have a cunning plan...

So, what would I do to turn a fixer-upper Columbia 26 into a proper VolksCruiser?

Tune in for the next post and I'll get into it and yes, dear reader, there will be lists!

On the difference between a makeover and a honeymoon...

Dick Dorworth makes some good points...

Truth is, I'm not real big on advice... Sure, I might point you to places you can read up up on stuff so you have the information you need to make an informed decision but I'm not really that guy who tells you to do shit.

Well... mostly.

The hardest part of getting off the consumerist treadmill and joining the real world of need as opposed to want is just taking that first big step and quit buying stuff while you sort out your need/want regime.

Really. You can always buy more stuff later...

Yesterday I read about a couple who just bought a boat and even before they've taken possesion they're already buying "stuff", having it shipped to the boat, and, I expect, they are adding to the list of needful things to get as I write this.

Now, if it were me who'd just bought a boat I'd go and get to know it a bit before I started making changes, adding stuff, and all the mayhem that comes with making a new to me boat mine. You know, just get to know the boat and let it talk to me and tell me just who she/he is.

Call it a honeymoon...

Find out what works...

Get to know the quirks...

Find what doesn't belong...

What is truly needful...

The funny thing, is while I do not know the new owners of the boat, I actually do know the boat very well. I'm pretty sure the last thing it wants is to have people making changes before she's had a chance to let them know who she is and how she feels. As it happens, I'm pretty sure the boat has some changes it would like/need to make as well as it is something of a one off, a bit special, and very much needs to become what it needs to be.

Of course, they will have to do some work on the boat and stuff will need to be bought but, just maybe, the right work and stuff may not at all be the stuff that they think and, if they listened to the boat, something else entirely.

They just have to listen...

“A designer knows, he has achieved, perfection not when, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry