It is 11:30 PM and I am sitting in the cockpit enjoying a Norwegian sunset. The sun has dipped below the western horizon and the sky is painted with broad brush strokes of orange, yellow, and red. It is the kind of moment that calls one to pause for reflection. The thought that captures me is how far we have come in the past 4 years of cruising sailing. Quite literally, we have sailed over 20,000 miles, visited 27 countries, and crossed an ocean. Figuratively, we are thriving in the lifestyle that we dreamed about for years while working and raising a family ashore.
Although there are many aspects to beginning a successful cruising lifestyle, buying the right boat and outfitting for blue water cruising is certainly one of the most important starting points. So where to begin? Monohull or Catamaran? Older of newer construction? Fiberglass, steel, aluminum, or wood? Much of this depends on your budget, personality, skills, and how many hours you wish to spend working on your boat before setting sail.
Like most things in life there is a spectrum to the blue water boat market. At one extreme there are low budget project boats that can be purchased for less than $20,000. Most of these will require a total restoration often taking years to complete. The other end of the spectrum is actively marketed at the major boat shows. This end of the spectrum is supported by new boat reviews, welcoming booths for new production boats, and financing companies to help you realize your dream. New boats capable of crossing oceans, however, will usually cost more than $400,000 fully outfitted. For those that can afford it, this is certainly an attractive option. Between these two ends of the spectrum is a vast “middle ground” well supported by brokers and online listings. This “middle ground” of the blue water boat market is more attainable for many people that do not have the skills or time to complete a major restoration nor the budget for a newer boat. It is possible to find a great number of boats for less than $100,000 that are capable and comfortable. With careful selection, you can find one that needs only routine maintenance and minimal outfitting.
My wife and I are adventurous but conservative and pragmatic. We are frugal, and typically choose value and functionality over aesthetics. We also do our research and eagerly listen to the insights of others. It was important to us to own our boat outright with no financing so we quickly ruled out new or “newer” used boats. We briefly looked at a couple of project boats but realized that the project boats would require years to refit. We narrowed our boat search to older fiberglass sailboats that would meet the demands of offshore, blue water cruising.
To be clear, an older boat is best suited to someone that has the skills and interest to do most repairs and maintenance themselves. Skilled labor in boatyards is expensive and repairs to an older boat can quickly add up. For my wife and I, boat projects are part of the lifestyle and we enjoy the learning and satisfaction that comes with doing things ourselves. It is also helpful to be self-sufficient when cruising in remote areas.
With three adult kids and adventurous close friends, we hoped to have frequent guests during our travels. A priority was to have two private sleeping cabins along with a comfortable cockpit and salon. Catamarans and center cockpit monohulls best fit this priority. Although catamarans offered spacious layouts, it seemed that we would need to spend significantly more money to buy a catamaran that was truly capable of blue water cruising. In reality, catamarans of this caliber have only been built in significant numbers for the past 10 or 15 years. Solid cruising monohulls have been built for the past 40 years. In fact, many of the older monohulls are built more ruggedly than newer production boats. Our goal was to find a boat requiring only a reasonable amount of updated equipment to be ready to cross an ocean. We set our budget at $80,000 or less.
The refined list of requirements for our boat read like this:
- Monohull sailboat originally built strong enough to cross an ocean and still structurally sound
- Layout offering 2 private cabins
- Length as short as practical for the desired layout which translated to 38’ to 44’ given the vintage of boats in our price range
- Full keel or long fin with skeg
- Generous tank capacity
- Engine young enough to give us at least 3000 hours of service
- Price less than $80,000
It is a wonderful thing that there was both strong interest in cruising sailing and a decent economy in the early and mid 1980’s. There were numerous builders in North America and Europe churning out fiberglass monohull sailboats built to high standards of construction. We created a custom search on Yachtworld to identify listings of interest. Since we lived in Maine we also restricted our geography to New England. The shortlist of builders that emerged included: Whitby, Brewer, Pearson, Bristol, Island Packet, and Moody.
After looking at a half dozen boats we narrowed our search to the Whitby 42. At the time, there were five Whitby 42s listed for sale in New England. We chose the one in the best condition and paid $75,000 for ALEMBIC. To be honest, we were not thrilled with the name. An alembic is a type of vessel used in distillation. In a poetic context, however, the name can also mean “a vessel that transforms and purifies”. The name has grown on us with each mile under the keel.
In hindsight the attributes about ALEMBIC that made our transition into the cruising lifestyle a success are as follows:
- She was ready to sail immediately. Her equipment was adequate for coastal sailing and only a few big ticket items were required before venturing offshore.
- Cosmetically she looked good. We did not need to perform any significant cosmetic maintenance.
- Her original Ford Leman engine had been replaced with a Yanmar and she had accumulated only 2500 hours on the new engine.
- She was structurally sound with dry cores in the decks and encapsulated ballast so no keel bolts to worry about.
- Most importantly she inspired confidence in heavy weather. Most people recognize that their boats can handle heavy weather better than their crew. ALEMBIC is easy to handle offshore. This proved to be a blessing as we honed our skills in handling offshore winds and waves. Three months after setting sail we crossed the Caribbean from Haiti to Colombia in trade winds exceeding 30 knots each night and seas 6 to 9 feet. ALEMBIC loved these conditions and kept us safe and reasonably comfortable.
As we accumulate experience and success in our lifestyle, people frequently ask us our opinions on how best to get started and what to look for in a boat. Here are a few opinions we have formed.
Sailing performance is important. After all it is a sailboat. Like it or not, if you want to complete predictable passages, motor and motor sailing performance is essential. The coast of Norway is a magical cruising ground. In the summer, however, the winds are light. We clocked 250 hours on our diesel traveling the length of Norway. Similarly, the Med is said to have too much wind or too little wind. Unless you plan to spend most of your time reaching about the Caribbean, you will want a boat that motors efficiently, quietly, and reliably.
There are several common structural issues that are best to be avoided in purchasing an older boat. One of the most common is decks where water has leaked into the wood core of the deck construction at fittings such as stanchions, chain plates, and hatches. Teak decking is also a major cause of water leaking into the structural core. Small localized areas (less than a couple of square feet) can be repaired at a reasonable cost. If there are wet areas throughout the boat, it is better to move on to another prospect. We did meet one clever boat owner that took his Union 36 to Roatan to have the teak removed and decks rebuilt for less than $5,000. Not a bad option if you have 6 months to spend supervising the work. In short, it is best to pre-survey any boat you may consider purchasing to rule out deck structural issues. Sadly, although teak is beautiful, I would further recommend avoiding any boat with teak decks that is over 15 years old.
Another major structural issue with older boats is external ballast and associated keel bolts. Fortunately, there are many older boats with encapsulated ballast. This method of construction is far more durable. Alternatively, if you have your heart set on a design that has external ballast, you may be lucky to find a boat where a replacement of the keel bolts has already been completed.
The condition of the fuel and water tanks is also a key item to include in a pre-survey. Many older boats may require replacement of tanks. Depending on the accessibility of the tank, replacement can cost $5,000 to $20,000. Fortunately, tank replacement may be something you can tackle yourself saving thousands of dollars. I once replaced both diesel tanks myself in my Westsail 32 for less than $1,000. One fellow Whitby owner replaced his water tanks himself at a cost of less than $3,000.
Finding a boat that is in good condition except for the engine may be a good buying opportunity provided that the price reflects the cost of replacing or rebuilding the engine. Starting out with a newer engine can eliminate many headaches. The expense for re-powering a typical production sailboat is usually predictable. Generally speaking, if the existing engine is a mainstream brand and in reasonable condition, rebuilding the engine may be the lowest cost provided you can wait 6 to 8 weeks for the rebuild to be completed. Our Whitby 42 has a four cylinder Yanmar with turbocharger. Given the Yanmar pedigree, this engine will likely be worth rebuilding. She currently has 5,000 hours of run time. I anticipate that I will have the engine rebuilt sometime between 8,000 and 10,000 hours of operation. As for repowering with a new engine, Beta Marine has become a popular choice to replace older auxiliary engines. The Beta Marine engine is a marinized version of the Kubota industrial diesel. Beta Marine has done a great job configuring the motor for cruising sailboats.
As for the lengthy list of other essential equipment necessary to outfit a cruising sailboat, there are many affordable boats that come well equipped. A good strategy is to look for a boat that has recently completed an extended cruise. The Southeast USA is a great place to look for a cruising sailboat loaded with gear. Many people have outfitted boats and headed south only to find the lifestyle not to their liking. Other sailors are completing mid-life sailing sabbaticals and heading back to the grind. Whatever the circumstances, there are solid boats for sale with equipment that is still relatively current and in good working condition. In our case, the only equipment upgrades that ALEMBIC required before crossing oceans were 2 new sails, a new Mantus anchor, a used Hydrovane windvane, an updated chart-plotter, and VHF radio with AIS receiver. The total price for these items was less than $11,000.
Like anything else, every sailboat represents a compromise of competing priorities. Most likely, no boat will meet all of the criteria that you establish for your boat search. Similarly, you will probably not be able to avoid all of the potential issues that I have attempted to outline in this article. Each boat will be a unique blend of design, features, equipment, location, condition, and price.
The cruising lifestyle is a rich way to spend as many years as it takes to fill the voids in your life. Whether it is a mid-life sailing sabbatical or the next phase of your adult life after a career working ashore, starting off with the right boat can make all the difference. Boat shopping can be a great adventure so start shopping early and take your time to find the boat that will help you fulfill your dreams.