For as long as we have been married, my wife and I have always had the dream that some day we would buy the boat we would own and sail for the rest of our lives. Over the last twenty years we have owned a couple of small, old boats that were good for a day sail or an uncomfortable weekend but limiting in where and how far we would sail.
In the last year, we have become empty-nesters and we decided to take the plunge and buy a boat we could cruise with more ambitiously. And it has taken a year to buy that boat. Over that time, we read a lot, researched extensively and were given great advice from various sailing friends and a few professionals whose advice we came to trust. For the benefit of anyone who is buying a boat, I thought I would share our experience. Is it the definitive advice on buying a used sailboat? Of course not but it worked for us and we are happy with where we ended up.
And here she is. Her name (well her current name) is Poetry and she’s a 1988 Mk2 Sabre 38.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing the experience of buying our boat. For convenience sake, I have broken it down into five phases.
Step 1: Figuring out how you will use your sailboat. This is a crucial step that you cannot spend enough time on. I have heard so many stories of people buying brand spanking new 50 foot cruisers only to find that the rest of the family gets seasick or hates sailing. In this section, I will take you through the process we went through and share some experiences from other boat-buyers who ended up in a different place.
Step 2: Developing a long list. This is where the hard research comes in. Web sites like www.yachtworld.com are incredible resources but make the process overwhelming. In this post, I will explain the process we went through to get to a list of 10-15 possible boats.
Step 3: Narrowing your list down. Getting to a shortlist of 2-3 boats is the really fun bit. This is where you start to experience what sailing and owning the boat of your dreams will be like.
Step 4: Finding YOUR boat. Once you have narrowed the list of models down, the hard analytical work of finding THE boat you want own.
Step 5: Closing the Deal. Completing the purchase of a boat is more like buying a house than a car. It’s complicated and there are many details that need to be planned out.
As I don’t pretend to be an expert, I would love to hear others experiences and perspectives and promise to include the best advice.
Congrats! I look forward to reading your posts. Looks like a winner. Craig from H2uh0
Another conratulations! Where is she docked or moored?
I bought my first boat, a 1983 C&C 24, at the end of August, and am still learning about her. After years of dreaming, reading, and a little research, the right boat at the right price at the right location finally grabbed me. “Mischeif” probably won’t be my last boat, as in a few years, if I can afford it, I will probably move up. Until then, I am still learning what it means to be a boat owner, glad to learn on a smaller, less expensive boat first.
How much of your search was influenced by your experience with the couple of small, old boats you previously owned?
Congratulations. Look forward to reading all about it. Especially the furniture in the boat.
Many thanks for the kind words and congrats. As I write this she is being sailed from Stonington to Perth Amboy. Sadly I can’t join the crew but hoping to sail her this weekend
Looks like a really nice boat,
your point 1 is right on the money
I’m looking forward to reading the series. I shared this with my Twitter followers – not that there are many of them!
BTW, she looks a fairly fast boat, so you should have an enjoyable sail and then plenty of time at your destinations!
Nice congratulations, and I hope to see more pictures soon!
Looks like a great boat, looking forward to hearing more about it
Adam – Thanks in advance for posting your experience with buying a used sailboat. No doubt a ton of good information will be available to those looking to buy a used boat. Few of us are experts and so reading a first had experience of buying a used sail boat will be right on the mark with where a lot of people are.
Hi Adam,
Great looking boat – many congratulations. I share the same ambition, but my kids are well and truly in the nest for a few years yet. The boat i’m keen on, and have been since i first sailed one in 1987, is a Sigma 38, looks very similar to the Sabre.
Talking of ambitious cruising, my cousin, who retired early, is on a very leisurely 5yr circumnavigation. He’s currently near Singapore working out the best way to come back past the Yemen / Somali pirates. Up to this point its been happy sailing without any unexpected issues – fingers crossed for this last big crossing.
M
Mike
A Sigma 38 is a great boat. Quite similar I believe.
Very jealous of your cousin. That’s our hope too.