# new owner



## zack4512 (Dec 27, 2013)

Hey im new to the site and im currently in the process of buying a boat. I plan to live on board and would love tips of any kind to prevent future mistakes that i will probably regret. 
Thanks guys


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Welcome... suggest you look through the many posts here already to prepare yourself for 'the hunt'...

Study boat classifieds to get an idea of what you can get for your money, have a firm idea of how you intend to use the boat, where it will be kept (moored or trailered, eg) solo, family, kids? How much can you spend? Lots to consider before you dive in!


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

Welcome aboard your profile says crushing area is Pensacola Florida when do you plan on moving? now would be the time to research and save money for the future sailboat and like already 
stated we need more to go on to give any suggestion.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

Educate yourself on how to inspect a boat. Marine survey 101


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## zack4512 (Dec 27, 2013)

well im buying a 27 foot hunter tall rig from a buddy and he is letting me get it for 4500 so to me thats a amazing price im moving back home to pensacola in jan of 2015 so i got plenty of time to get things straight but my buddies helping out a lot with this ive barely done any of the work im just looking at prices and telling him what i want to pay and like i said this will be a live on boat ill be a boat hobo as he called it


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

27' is a little tight, but it can be done. Is this a dock queen, or do you expect to actually get her out on the water? If the former, I'd suggest that you go look at at least a few other boats, especially old, junky ones, so you know what water leakage does to the boat, what sponginess feels like, etc. Then, a careful walk-through of your friend's boat following the 'self-appraisal' thread mentioned above will probably be sufficient. If you're planning on actually sailing her regularly, though, I'd encourage you to get a survey. Survey's aren't the be-all and end-all, and they certainly aren't fool-proof. But if you find a good surveyor, he or she will help you identify a lot of the fundamental issues your boat faces, and then you can prioritize the repairs and decide just how hard you want to push her.

The nice thing about Hunters is that, in my inexperienced opinion, they tend to focus on creature comforts. Unfortunately, they tend to do so at the expense of performance/equipment. To be clear, I am a former Catalina owner, and would buy a Catalina again. To my eye, though, the Catalinas are a little more Spartan but they have slightly better equipment than the corresponding Hunters. As a live-aboard, I'd lean more toward a Hunter (though I'd also lean more toward a 30+, but that's a separate issue) than a Catalina. There are exceptions, and the over-all condition will be paramount to any particular manufacturer's set-up, but the Hunter's set-up should be relatively decent, and about as good for your purposes as you're going to find in a 27'er. When you get a chance, post pictures!


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## zack4512 (Dec 27, 2013)

thanks guys this really is helping i do plan on taking her out i dont know about regularly but she definitely wont be a dock queen i will post pictures soon i just have to have my buddy take them and trust me i know what she looks so its not a buy off of just his word alone ive been sailing on her and have spent many nights on her and from what i see shes a sturdy rig and comfortable to live in work is going to be done to her to while shes in dry dock im getting the hull repainted and im also getting a new main sail put up so she will need minimal work when i move in


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## Torch (Dec 9, 2013)

Welcome, looking forward to the pics.


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

I would encourage you to read some of CruisingDad's posts. His family and he live aboard. Now, granted, it's a family of 4 with two boys, so things are very different from your current situation, but from what I've read most live-aboards tend to say that it is a real pain to take the boat out every so often. You basically have to live in a state of constant readiness, or resign yourself to having to spend a fair bit of time (hours? a day or two if you're like me?) stowing stuff before she'll be ready to sail.

Also, be ready to spend a lot more money if you plan on actually leaving the dock. Yeah, stuff breaks at the dock, but it is subject to more wear and tear and force when you're out-and-about. And some repairs on boats aren't just hundreds of dollars, they are thousands. In some cases, more than the cost of the boat you're considering. 

I'm not trying to scare you off; just trying to make sure you understand what you're getting yourself into. As long as you're okay with this, and have a means of making the necessary repairs without it bankrupting you, then (other than the size to me) it sounds like an interesting way to spend some time. I suspect you may tire of it quickly, but that's a separate issue.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

jimgo said:


> I would encourage you to read some of CruisingDad's posts. His family and he live aboard. Now, granted, it's a family of 4 with two boys, so things are very different from your current situation, but from what I've read most live-aboards tend to say that it is a real pain to take the boat out every so often. You basically have to live in a state of constant readiness, or resign yourself to having to spend a fair bit of time (hours? a day or two if you're like me?) stowing stuff before she'll be ready to sail.
> .


We lived onboard a forty footer for almost twenty years and lived well. Our cars were not filled with junk, had no of boat storage and our boat looked empty because everything was stowed properly all the time. We were off the dock 2 - 4 days per week and it took less than 5 minutes to get underway.

There is no need to live like a bag lady. Keep it clean and well organized and get rid of all the extraneous junk that you never use anyway and it can be a very comfortable life.


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm not sure it's fair to compare living on a 40' with living aboard a 27. I think it's much easier to keep things stowed on a 40.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

jimgo said:


> I'm not sure it's fair to compare living on a 40' with living aboard a 27. I think it's much easier to keep things stowed on a 40.


Two people (who don't believe in camping) and four people for 3yrs. (my son and his wife) had no problem keeping "stuff" to a minimum). For twenty yrs my entire social circle was liveaboards, many of whom (on much smaller boats) were as organized as we were. Some on 50' motoryachts had so much junk there was no where to sit down. It all depends on your personal proclivities.


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## zack4512 (Dec 27, 2013)

well all that i own right now is cloths a bed and my guitar so stuff wont be an issue the issue i will have is sleeping space (im 6'6) my plan on that was instead of sleeping in the vberth was to get a hammock and hang that up inside (how i dont know but im sure its doable) but when i think jimgo said money issues yeah im looking at throwing 8000 at least in the first 6 months in docking, payments on the boat, and other projects that need to be done before i get there but with my finances i believe its very reasonable for me to afford.

pics are on the way soon just got to get russell to send them to me


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