We
have always bought used sailboats mainly because we needed to buy our
adventure on a budget. Used sailboats are affordable
adventure. They give the dream of sailing to a lot of people
who wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise. It is especially
affordable if you can do the work needed to fix it up yourself.
Buy at AllPosters.com
We currently own a used sailboat called Life’s Dream. She is a 32 ft Irwin Citation and she is beautiful especially to us. She has always been a beauty to us because we could see the end result of what we knew would be a labor of love. Boat Insurance From BoatUS
is very
important to protect your investment and all the labor you put into it.
The first thing you should decide when buying a used sailboat is how much money you are willing to spend. We decided $1000/foot with only cosmetic cleanup would be about right for us. Life’s Dream was even a better deal than that and we fell in love at first sight.
Buy at AllPosters.com
We could tell right away she would need about 8 coats of paint taken off the bottom with a sand blaster then about 5 coats of new bottom paint put on. We knew the boatyard would sand blast it for us and we could do the painting. She was in need of a good waxing and her stainless steel needed polishing badly but for a used sailboat she was a gem! The only canvas she had was a bimini for shade and an old mainsail cover. They were faded and were in need of restitching to get them to last a bit longer. The sails were in really good shape also and for that we were thankful. These cosmetic needs we knew we could do with alot of elbow grease and a little time on the weekends. We couldn't think of a better way, other than sailing, to spend our weekends.
Some other things to look for before buying a used sailboat are blisters on the bottom. Blisters will not sink the sailboat but should be fixed before painting the bottom. Also look for signs of moisture or leaks in areas that should be dry. These can be a little tricky to track down but after you find where the water is coming from they can be easier to fix than you might think. Check the rudder for cracks and check the condition of the sails. Some things you can live with and some will need attention right away on a used sailboat. Like Captain Ron says about body rot on a wooden boat, ”Everybody has got it boss. At least yours is above the waterline”.
Another thing before buying a used sailboat you should think about is how big a boat you want and what you plan to do with it. Are you going to go around the world? Or sail on weekends? Will you keep it at a dock or bring it home every night? This will add to the cost of upkeep for you boat along with the repairs. Remember to do some good research about the kind of boat you want. What kind of engine will it have? Will you need an engine at all? Our Irwin has a Yanmar diesel. Ours has needed very little maintanence, just the usual oil change and check ups until recently. On our Blog we have DIY pages and one of the articles recently published, 9/13/08, is about us replacing the fuel lift pump. We tell the way we did this project and have pictures along the way we hope are helpful to you. A good diesel engine maintenance
book has a lot
of helpful information for the novice as well as the experienced sailor
and it
is a good idea to have one for reference and a good idea to keep it
handy.
You can find used sailboats in the Sunday newspaper, at a used sailboat dealer or floating at a dock in a marina. We got ours from a friend my husband worked with. Who knows, there just might be the sailboat you are looking for right around the corner from where you live. Sailboats are what dreams are made of and ours came true with a used sailboat named Life’s Dream. Nightmares can happen but if you are careful and do your homework before you buy, starting a sailing adventure even on a budget can be exciting. Remember with a sailboat, the adventure starts when you climb aboard.
Buy at AllPosters.com
We currently own a used sailboat called Life’s Dream. She is a 32 ft Irwin Citation and she is beautiful especially to us. She has always been a beauty to us because we could see the end result of what we knew would be a labor of love. Boat Insurance From BoatUS
The first thing you should decide when buying a used sailboat is how much money you are willing to spend. We decided $1000/foot with only cosmetic cleanup would be about right for us. Life’s Dream was even a better deal than that and we fell in love at first sight.
Buy at AllPosters.com
We could tell right away she would need about 8 coats of paint taken off the bottom with a sand blaster then about 5 coats of new bottom paint put on. We knew the boatyard would sand blast it for us and we could do the painting. She was in need of a good waxing and her stainless steel needed polishing badly but for a used sailboat she was a gem! The only canvas she had was a bimini for shade and an old mainsail cover. They were faded and were in need of restitching to get them to last a bit longer. The sails were in really good shape also and for that we were thankful. These cosmetic needs we knew we could do with alot of elbow grease and a little time on the weekends. We couldn't think of a better way, other than sailing, to spend our weekends.
Some other things to look for before buying a used sailboat are blisters on the bottom. Blisters will not sink the sailboat but should be fixed before painting the bottom. Also look for signs of moisture or leaks in areas that should be dry. These can be a little tricky to track down but after you find where the water is coming from they can be easier to fix than you might think. Check the rudder for cracks and check the condition of the sails. Some things you can live with and some will need attention right away on a used sailboat. Like Captain Ron says about body rot on a wooden boat, ”Everybody has got it boss. At least yours is above the waterline”.
Another thing before buying a used sailboat you should think about is how big a boat you want and what you plan to do with it. Are you going to go around the world? Or sail on weekends? Will you keep it at a dock or bring it home every night? This will add to the cost of upkeep for you boat along with the repairs. Remember to do some good research about the kind of boat you want. What kind of engine will it have? Will you need an engine at all? Our Irwin has a Yanmar diesel. Ours has needed very little maintanence, just the usual oil change and check ups until recently. On our Blog we have DIY pages and one of the articles recently published, 9/13/08, is about us replacing the fuel lift pump. We tell the way we did this project and have pictures along the way we hope are helpful to you. A good diesel engine maintenance
You can find used sailboats in the Sunday newspaper, at a used sailboat dealer or floating at a dock in a marina. We got ours from a friend my husband worked with. Who knows, there just might be the sailboat you are looking for right around the corner from where you live. Sailboats are what dreams are made of and ours came true with a used sailboat named Life’s Dream. Nightmares can happen but if you are careful and do your homework before you buy, starting a sailing adventure even on a budget can be exciting. Remember with a sailboat, the adventure starts when you climb aboard.
Trinidad Pro - Anti Fouling Bottom Paint Trinidad Pro Blue, Gallon