Me Again... somehelp please

[wannabeboater]

Ok im back, I would rather not have a powerboat but a sail boat and i have a little budget. I can only transport from neighboring states and it must have a trailer.If you don't know what state i'm in it's Florida. It must be able to sail like i can put it into the water the day i buy it. And the only work i am able to do is interior cushions, no more.. so mostly turn key. I would like it 23- 29 feet. Company doesn't matter as long as it is safe. The budget is around 4,500. I'm not asking you to look for me but help me with places to look. I am saving up, i should be able to purchase it by the end of the year. W

[wannabeboater]

ok this is continuing it... please tell me websites. suggest certain types of boats and so on... but no adds. well that is it thank you for looking...
---wannabeboater--- (Patrick)

[wannabeboater]

i stink at this but i accidently pressed enter so this continues it... suggest boats and tell me good websites.. that is it thankyou....
---wannabeboater--- (Patrick)

[marshmat]

Hi Patrick,

I would guess there's a fair number of boats on the market right now that would suit you. If you're interested in trailering, and in keeping the price down, I'd tend more towards the small end of that range, ie. a 23 to 25 footer, which if trailerable would probably have a centreboard and water ballast.

The obvious sources- the brokers- probably won't be interested in selling much in your price range. But the folks who publish the classified-ads magazines will. It might take some time with Google's "advanced search" to narrow down a few good local listings, but there are always cheap boats listed somewhere if you spend enough time looking. Sometimes they're just sitting in fields under a shredded tarp, waiting for a white knight to rescue them from their land-bound existence.

For $4500, I doubt you'll be able to find something totally "turn-key". But you might be able to find a suitable candidate with a sound hull and rig, that needs paint, interior work, maybe some electrical work, and if it has an engine, at least a major tune-up. The trailer will for sure need paint, new electrics, and probably wheel bearings. The thing is, even if you don't think you're all that handy, with patience and a few good books you can do virtually all of this yourself.

Happy hunting

[wannabeboater]

Thank You as you most likely have more experience then me do you have any suggestions of a well ballanced, and because of my location prefferably less draft, anything is appreciated
---wannabeboater--- (Patrick)

[PortTacker]

Craigslist, eBay, the local Nickel Ad type of papers, the local newspapers, any local sailing websites with classifieds etc.
Local marinas and sailing clubs bulletin boards. There are probably hundreds of such boats (size and price range) in your area, especially today when prices are depressed.

[Kay9]

Best bet is the local marinas and look for the $2.00 FOR SALE sign. Find one you like call em up and say I have 3 grand cash today to buy your boat. Take it or leave it.

My guess is 8 out of 10 will take it.

The other 2 will wish they had.

K9

[ancient kayaker]

That's about 1/10 what a certified boat would cost, I'm guessing. Even in these days for that kind of budget you are probably going to have to settle for an older boat, pre 1980 I would guess, and be prepared to collect it from wherever it happens to be. I googled Sailboat For Sale and got lots of posts, followed up a couple, try these:

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/

(26' Seacraft "everything works")
(24' Freedom)

You can do a search on this site:-
http://www.boatdealers.ca/boats/results.aspx
(I got a 23' Kell and a 26' Grampian)

-so they're out there somewhere. Good luck and be careful, Caveat Emptor!