boat buying adventures

written  by  Nathan      photos  by  vivian

My wife Vivian and I have spent years looking for a sailboat to call home, we have been professional sailors for nearly five years, love life on the water and have a hard time imagining being land based. Nomads by nature, twice selling or giving away nearly all of our possessions to go on extended adventures, the thought of buying a house tying us to one place sounded like the dreariest thing we could do. Constantly consuming all the sailing books we could get our hands on from Slocum to Kretschmer, convinced us that a fin keel and a rudder on a skeg was the ideal underbody to provide us with a decent turn of speed, strength, stability, and a sea kindly motion.

During our search, our ideas of the perfect boat varied, I like to think that our criteria evolved to meet our current needs. We often went back and forth on size, alternating our desires for a small ship, cheap to maintain and moor, and the dream of having a boat big enough to make pay, running charters or training passages. We knew without a doubt no matter the size, our boat would have to be a true bluewater passagemaker, something we could sail anywhere in the world. Our budget limited us in terms of size and eliminated some makes altogether. Luckily, there are a plethora of well-designed boats from the late 70’s, early 80’s out there, heartily constructed, sailing machines often well-loved and far traveled for most of their lives. These boats, especially the recently neglected ones, are usually affordable after careful negotiation with their loving, but now shore bound owners. For a fraction of the price of a brand-new boat, one can buy a world class bluewater cruiser as long as they are willing to invest time and effort.

In early 2015, we were living aboard our 37-foot Irwin Sloop, Hobo Chic, with two close friends, sailing on the weekends and refitting the boat. Hobo Chic had been purchased as a compromise between four people and was not our ideal bluewater boat, but had two cabins and two heads, great for two couples, and was also quick to forgive our novice sailing mistakes. She provided us a wealth of knowledge in sailing, boat system repair and maintenance. After a couple years of living aboard a small boat with four people, we reached the decision to follow our own paths. Hobo Chic, now absolutely gorgeous compared to when we bought her quickly sold for thousands more than we bought her. I can’t say we made money after all the materials and labor put into her, but what she offered us in experience sailing, refitting, and boat ownership was invaluable and her entire crew was happy to take the first offer. But, she wasn’t the boat we were going to plow through oceans with so thus began our new search. Vivian and I moved down to Fort Lauderdale eager to make a living afloat. We took courses at maritime schools obtaining certifications, researching jobs, and networking with professional yacht crew. Vivian joined a luxury motor yacht as first mate, while I hired on as crew on a couple of offshore sailboat deliveries gaining more sailing experience and sea time. We got into a rhythm of working during busy seasons and searching for boats during our off times.  

Ericson 36C

Solid, overbuilt hull with a roomy interior for its size. I wasn’t thrilled with a transom hung rudder.

hans christian 38

By far, one of our favorite interior layouts featuring a U-shaped galley, beautiful mahogany interior. The one we saw though, needed major repair. The deck had a rotten core and was delaminated. Estimated 50k to get it replaced.

After combing local listings for sailboats in South Florida, we set off with a list. We started with an Ericson 36C in Fort Pierce, an interesting classic boat, with a decent layout but the older style wasn’t exactly our idea of a beautiful bluewater boat. Next, we drove inland to Indiantown Marina to check out a Sparkman and Stephens designed Chris Craft Apache 37. Well maintained and sporting some cool upgrades it was more of an IOR racer than the true cruiser we were searching for. Close by, we noticed a Hans Christian 38 for much cheaper than usually listed and decided to check it out. These classic boats have beautiful lines, and are heavily constructed with a very livable interior which we love. Excited about this unforeseen prospect we climbed aboard and nearly fell through the cabin top. Almost the entire deck was delaminated, the core soft as a wet sponge.

Having no desire to replace an entire deck, we carried on to Glades Boat Storage near Lake Okeechobee to see a Contessa 32. We went in with a healthy dose of skepticism due to the low price, but this was the sister ship of Gigi, the boat on which John Kretschmer had made his first Atlantic Crossing and then doubled Cape Horn! We pulled up to the boatyard where they handed us a ladder, gave us a vague location in the rows of old, tired boats and told us to beware of yard dogs. We marveled at rows upon rows of forgotten fiberglass as we trekked through this vast boat graveyard in the oppressive Florida heat, as far as one can get from a cool ocean breeze. We recognized the Contessa from her sea kindly underbody, knife like entry, deep fin keel and strong skeg hung rudder. We propped the ladder on her side and climbed up to disappointment. She was far and away the worst kept boat we had seen. Even making the assumption that the hull and deck were in decent shape the entire interior, rotting cabin sole, moldy cabinets, and rust eaten engine would all need to be removed and replaced. This once amazing offshore sailor was sadly just a hull of her former self. Even if we paid $1,000 for the boat, the refit would take years and countless hours of labor, a task we simply couldn’t undertake at this point in our lives. We drove back down the dirt road from the yard and back to Lauderdale determined to renew our search and find a boat that had received some love and care in the past 5 years.

Chris craft apche 37

Liked it, despite the fact that it had a very narrow IOR design. So, it would have been a great racing boat and didn’t match our needs to liveaboard. There was a repaired crack in the keel hull joint that made us weary.

CONTESSA 32

One of the most well revered boats in UK, made famous by the 1979 Fastnet, and also John’s voyage doubling Cape Horn.

Hallberg-Rassy Mistral 33

We soon found a Hallberg-Rassy Mistral 33 in St. Petersburg and based on the reputation of these world-renowned Swedish boats, we scheduled a viewing. A slick little boat with a sturdy fiberglass hull shaped much like the Contessa, and boxy yet low-profile wooden cabintop, she had sweet lines, a beautiful butterfly hatch, and was covered in elegant teak. The Mistral 33 had been expertly maintained, was clean, practically turn-key, and had been recently sailed to the states from Scotland, obviously capable of crossing oceans.

We also found a Dutch built Contest 35. In comparison to the Hallberg-Rassy, the Contest was a cruise ship, despite being only 2 feet longer, her higher freeboard and wider beam provided a drastically increased interior volume. The broker admitted the Contest had obviously been in a hard collision with a channel marker, and she would require some serious fiberglass repair we didn’t wish to undertake. The next day we made an offer on the Hallberg-Rassy, but after some haggling, we decided the owner wanted too much for such a small boat. 

Note: A year after we made our offer, we checked back on the listing and were surprised the owner had gone down in price to what we originally offered. He had paid a full year’s worth of private marina dockage and still hadn’t sold his boat.

That chapter of our search came to a close and boat buying was put on hold. We signed on a string of back to back sailboat deliveries in the Caribbean and the Pacific that lasted the next 3 months, but knew we still wanted a boat to call home.

While we were underway, we came across a listing for an Albin Nimbus 42, a Kaufman and Ladd designed cutter that appeared to be more or less a smaller version Kretschmer’s Kaufman 47, Quetzal.

Between Pacific passages I exchanged emails with the owner arranging to see it when we returned to Florida. Before we could go look at her, a couple of super yacht jobs fell into our laps and we decided to pad our bank accounts before buying our own costly floating abode. We spent several months on too big of boats being overworked by over-rich yacht owners. As my contract ended, I returned to sailboat deliveries linking up with the French crew of a Swan 57 for an Atlantic crossing from Maine to England.

ALBIN NIMBUS 42

Sturdy and durable Kaufman & Ladd design, built for the Baltic and North Seas. Cabin interior provides plenty of hip and handholds for increased safety underway. The fin keel and tall rig make for great overall speed and easy maneuverability.

I stayed in England for the winter earning my Yachtmaster in the Solent and made another delivery aboard an Outremer from France to the Canaries before returning to Florida. While I was away Vivian met and befriended Tadji Kretschmer, John’s wife, and I had the good fortune of meeting them and sharing my experience with Gigi upon my return.

We spent the holidays with the Kretschmers and became fast friends. Vivian, drained physically and mentally from her job as First Mate on a 108’ Westport, needed a break from the superyacht industry so our boat hunt commenced again with renewed vigor. Days were spent pouring over Kretschmer’s lists in his Used Boat Notebook, Sailing a Serious Ocean, and article, 9 Great Used Sailboats (for less than $100,000). From these helpful lists and what was affordable nearby, our search narrowed.

We found a Corbin 39 in Fort Pierce which was one of the cleanest and well-maintained boats that we had looked at yet. It was obvious that her Canadian owners cared for her greatly and had sailed her far and wide. The Corbin 39 is a steadfast boat with a rich history and a devoted following of passionate owners, while the interiors not factory built can vary greatly in quality and craftmanship, this one was immaculate. The only downside seemed to be that there was only one real private cabin. Before we could make a solid decision, Vivian enrolled for a Yacht Cookery course in Spain and wanted to return to Switzerland to film drone footage for a documentary she had been working on. So, we headed off to Europe for the Spring.

After we captured all the footage we could in the Swiss Alps, we sailed back to the States from La Rochelle, France aboard a brand new 44’ Fountaine Pajot and our search recommenced. We went back to see the Corbin 39 again and in the spirit of keeping our options open, we also viewed a Moody 376 and a stunning Alajuela 48 Ketch. The Moody’s production boat feel was unappealing to us. The Alajuela was well maintained, impressively spacious with a unique layout, but seemed like too much boat, for us to continue updating. The Corbin was still our favorite, but we weren’t quite ready to make an offer. We headed up to Titusville to view a Bob Perry designed Panda 40, a gorgeous classic boat that has become quite popular. Usually selling for a reasonable price and rarely on the market for long, the Panda 40 has a full keel with a cutaway forefoot, a fair compromise on the fin keel. The boat was in good condition with a much preferable layout to the Corbin. As I was drafting an offer letter for the Panda, we received a job offer on a motor yacht in San Diego and an opportunity to interview for positions at a charter company in the Caribbean. We took the freelance job in San Diego, once again making the familiar decision to make money rather than spend it on a boat. We worked for a month in sunny Southern California, then packed and moved to a little island in the Caribbean to gear up for a busy charter season. I took on a job as the head engineer for the fleet of monos and cats, while Vivian was in the office, managing everything from sales to marketing.

CORBIN 39

Extremely strong, safe, and adaptable ocean cruising boat with a high comfort ratio. Despite its size, the Corbin 39 didn’t have the private cabins we wanted.

MOODY 376

While the Moody was spacious and well built, we prefer classic style boats and this one felt more like a run of the mill production boat.

PANDA 40

Love most of Bob Perry’s designs. Similar to the Valiant 40, but with a full keel. We missed buying this boat due to timing and got offered jobs. If we were ever to downsize, we’d highly consider the Panda 40.

MALO 106

A well regarded Swedish yacht comparable to Halberg-Rassey. Liked the layout and robustness but owner declined our offer.

Thinking that we could easily live on a boat while at the charter company, our search didn’t stop. We made an offer, sight unseen, on another super cool Swedish boat, a 35’ Malo 106, but what was becoming my standard low offer was once again rejected by the owner.

We found another Corbin 39 in Grenada, listed for next to nothing, but couldn’t get a hold of the seller. I then inquired about a Bob Perry designed Lafitte 44 in St. Lucia, which had sold two days before I called. Running out of listings in the Caribbean that were both appealing and affordable, we contented ourselves delivering charter boats up and down the Windward Islands.

Once we were back stateside, we were absolutely determined to finally buy our own boat. Lo and behold, the same Albin Nimbus 42 we had eyed earlier was once again for sale. Before we went to look at this boat I had been lusting after for nearly two years, Vivian mentioned to Tadji that we were going to look at a mini Quetzal. The morning we were going to look at the Nimbus, I received an email from John Kretschmer asking if we would consider taking over some training passages on our own boat once they set sail on their planned Circumnavigation The Big One. We were awestruck, John Kretschmer, was proposing us to work with him?!

LAFITTE 44

Probably my favorite of Perry’s designs. Strong, modern, world cruiser. Most that we found were out of our price range.

STEVENS 47

One of our all-time favorite boats built by Queen Long in Taiwan. A precursor to the Hylas 49. We have several friends who own the Stevens 47 who wouldn’t trade them for any other boat.

Drone Shot of Compass 47

Of course, we had to say yes, but that yes meant saying no to the Nimbus. Suddenly our criteria for a boat changed dramatically. We now needed a capable bluewater passagemaker big enough to sleep at least 6 with a pedigree that crew on their first ocean passages could trust and feel safe aboard.

The Nimbus, a very capable boat, was suddenly not big enough. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning the next two nights scouring the internet for boats that could be put to work sharing the beauty of the deep ocean with new adventurers. The two most likely candidates were a Stevens 47 built by Queen Long, and a Compass 47, a boat that I knew next to nothing about but she had sweet lines, a great hull shape, and the price was reasonable.

We drove up to Mobile, Alabama to look at the Stevens. It was a beautiful boat but in fairly rough shape, with the original 1981 engine. The price tag, while out of our budget was below any other listing for a Stevens 47 and I considered trying to haggle them down. I had my doubts about any low offers on the Stevens being accepted and I desperately wanted to see the Compass 47.

I emailed the broker while I searched everywhere online for any more information about the Compass 47. The search yielded limited results, a few pictures of another couple who had refit one 10 years ago and some questionable stats.

Kretschmer told me what he knew about the Compass, built in Cape Town, South Africa, designed by Angelo Lavranos, who worked for S&S in the late 70s and designed some of the most noteworthy Swans.

I then emailed Lavranos himself, and received a very lovely reply with design drawings and original brochures. Weeks went by with no response from the broker until he finally got back to us with an updated listing, and pictures. We scheduled a viewing and set out for Maryland as soon as we could.

From the moment we saw the Compass it felt right, we spent several hours going through the boat. It had a brand-new engine flawlessly installed and the interior was reasonably clean, any problems seemed to be mostly aesthetic.

I made an offer immediately.

Sitting on the hard for the last 3 years almost untouched had left much of the boat in rough shape so we offered half the asking price.

After some brief haggling we agreed on a price dependent on the survey. During the initial survey on the hard it was determined that the boat was nowhere near ready for a sea trial and we made an “as-is where-is” offer knocking thousands off the price.

The owner accepted and suddenly we were owners of a 47’ boat capable of sleeping 10, with a fine entry, a deep fin keel, a skeg hung rudder, and a brand new Yanmar engine.

 

Patience and perseverance paid off, despite having a long refit list of jobs and upgrades, we now have the boat of our dreams. The practice of negotiation, even making offers of half the asking price just to have them refused, was worth it when an offer was finally accepted on the perfect boat for us. Looking back, I can be thankful that our offers on small boats were turned down and the same amount of money got us a boat that we won’t outgrow, can use for business as well as a home that we can take anywhere in the world. My advice to someone looking to purchase their own cruising boat would be to take your time.

Finding the right boat at the right price is one of those things that shouldn’t be rushed.

years

boats

offers

**all sail plan photos from sailboatdata.com**

ULTIMA

1981 Compass 47

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