a certain lack of logic...

A very good point, some twitter sense being made, and in the "Covid deaths are finally below 300 a day but" department...

It has often occurred to me that we live in a world of flawed logic and if you're looking for a good example there is no better place example than the buying and selling of sailboats.

Seriously, why am I looking at two boats of the same model/vintage/condition that are both floating right side up and seeing a $40K price difference? Two boats that both could be considered fixer uppers?

It boggles the mind.

Listening to Heartless Bastards                                                                                     

So it goes...

My kind of sailboat ad...

An interview of note, another AIS issue, and in the "Not really a bad idea when you think it through" department...

A Westerly Tiger going for nada. I have an excellent memory of being rafted next to a Tiger in Honfleur and having a spirited conversation over tea with about eight people aboard and being very impressed with the overall quality of construction as well.

Looks like an excellent project for the right person...

Listening to Link Wray

So it goes...

A Bolger boat worth taking a look at...

Some excellent solar thinking, regarding a specious argument of note, and in the "Seemed like just yesterday" department...

I just saw that Tomboy the Bolger Jessie Cooper that Chuck Merrell built is currently up for sale in the PNW. I expect it's well worth a look.

Back when I was building our Jessie Cooper (Loose Moose) at the old Charles de Gaulle airport just outside of Paris Chuck was building his in Seattle and we kept in touch as we did our respective builds. Sadly, Chuck is no longer with us and he is still missed.

Over the years I've written quite a bit about my love for the Jessie Cooper and still think it is one of Phil's best designs.

Yeah, well worth checking out.

Listening to an album's worth of covers

So it goes...

a quick note on price disparity...

A bicycle story of note, an incredibly bad idea, and Scalzi making sense...

One thing I keep noticing in the used sailboat market is that there's bugger all sense in the asking prices. It's whatever the owner thinks he can get away with.

Which is why you can have a bunch of Catalina 27s selling between $500 and $22,000 in the same area. FYI the current average price for a Catalina in good condition appears to be hovering between $2.5K and $3.5K.

I'll say it again and remind you that doing your research on the market makes all kinds of sense.

Listening to a couple of albums or so worth of Kate Bush coverage

So it goes...

So, here's the question...

Book bans, something about speculative fiction, and a plethora of climatical bad news...

So, I saw this Columbia 26 MK2 selling for $500 OBO in New Orleans.

Obviously, the boat is in desperate need of a cleaning and I've an ominous feeling that the interior might be even more daunting,

Still, the Bill Tripp designed MK2 is a very cool boat and with a little work and talent, might make someone a great little boat. The advantage of a small cheap boat is that the labor and materials to bring it back to life are small as well.

Looking at the selling price of more turn key examples of the design, the average seems to be somewhere around $3500. So, the question is can one restore and outfit this boat for less than $3K?

I'm guessing that, providing there is a reasonable place to put the boat for a month to work on it, you do all the work yourself, and avoid buying anything marine, it's possible. If I were doing the boat I'd budget for $1500 with an extra $500 just in case. I'm pretty sure that's a doable project.

One proviso though: on any project like this it's vitally important to keep within that budget framework and only fix what needs fixing.

Listening to some Talking Heads coverage

So it goes...

A couple of thoughts on the price of boats...

A problematic Caribbean situation, five monkeys, and learning celestial navigation...

As I’ve mentioned before, I follow the used cruising boat market. An obsession that has taught me a lot about the real vs perceived value of boats. Not to mention the poor logic of many boat sellers and buyers.

Case in point: some six years ago, I saw a boat that, by my calculations, was worth somewhere between $10K-$15K. The owner, however, was asking for $20K. Since sellers ask for more than they expect to get, the $20K price should be a starting number for negotiation rather than a firm price.

I get that and understand the mindset. Too bad the seller didn’t grok that as well.

The seller keeps renewing and updating his ad like clockwork. The time it’s been on the market, the price has continued to be pegged at $20K. This boat has not sold despite receiving several offers of sums more aligned with the boat’s actual value. The owner has not used the boat in six years and in a marina berth costing somewhere between $250 to $350 a month. The boat’s a budgetary black hole and the newish picture in the ad shows a boat poorly maintained at a level that will not entice buyers. Doing the math, six years of marina rent would be close to $15K and, assuming the owner has the boat insured as the marina requires, his outgoings are going to be greater than his asking price.

I mention this as the boat will never sell at the asking price and won’t sell until it comes up as part of the owner’s estate. But simply put, the silly asking price does not just affect his boat, but the entire boat market.

There are so many moldering overpriced boats on the market that I’ve started not including such beasts in my averaging since they distort the equation.

Listening to Richard Thompson

So it goes...

Maybe if I could teleport myself...

About that new normal, somewhat worrisome, and in the "Heinous acts supporting profit" department...

There’s a CAL 34 for sale in Southern California on Craig’s List going for $2k that I find interesting. The pictures and description support a reasonable fixer upper. 

Any 34-foot sailboat selling for $2K, it’s expected that the motor is not working and has things that need fixing. But, hey it’s $2K!

To be honest, I’d love to buy this boat and would even consider doing the deed sight unseen. I have a CAL 34 and know its little secrets and perversities. So I already know what needs to be fixed and improved on. A refit with the advantage of  hindsight on a blank canvas would be a very pleasurable experience.

The cost of sorting out the boat from fixer-upper to excellent condition and ready to cruise would require the infusion of another five to eight thousand dollars. Not a terrible investment when you consider a cherry CAL 34 is going to cost somewhere between $13K and $20K.

The problem for me is that it’s in California. Resettling for two or three months is just too problematic to consider. Now if it was within five hundred miles of me, I’d have bought it already.

That said, anyone interested in the boat that would like some advice on the boat in question, drop me a line. I’m always happy to talk CAL 34s with folks of a like mind.

Listening to Gabriels

So it goes...

Old fiberglass is still a factor...

A boatish blog I follow says what needs to be said, something from the "Idiots voting begets idiots" files, and why I'm not buying stuff from REI these days...

Every once in a while I’m just floored at how well they built old fiberglass boats. Even sailboats built to a price point, with somewhat dodgy materials, have outlasted anyone’s most optimistic predictions.

Looking through Craig’s List yesterday, it amazed me just how many forty or fifty-year-old boats were still floating in pretty good shape.

One boat that caught my eye was a Bristol 26 selling for all of $500 dollars up on the Chesapeake. It looked well kept, tidy, and the only obvious issue was that it needed a small outboard. Which is a lot to say for a forty-year-old boat.

I’ve always liked the Bristol and think it’s a way better bang for the buck than the

Whenever I see an older boat in dire straights, the reason for its problems is almost always because of poor boat keeping by previous owners. Seriously, how difficult can it be to mount hardware properly or do a little maintenance?

That said, a lot of boat-owners have taken their stewardship seriously and done excellent maintenance and boat work. The big issue where classic plastic is concerned is not so much the boat but how well maintained it was by previous owners.

Listening to the Lumineers

So it goes...

So many good boats...

An ongoing horror story of the Orca kind, some needful situational awareness about the food you eat, and why cod should not be on your shopping list for the foreseeable future...

I tend to look at a few boats for sale sites on a pretty much a daily basis. Partly because I might come across my dream boat, partly because I want to see what the used sailboat market is doing, and mostly because I'm just interested in what's available. The last part has a lot to do with living in a place where we have hurricanes and keeping an eye out for a replacement boat is part of the escape plan in a total loss scenario.

The point being that I spend quite a bit of time looking at used sailboats for sale. Which has led me to the conclusion that it is really a great time to be buying a boat. Which I consider to be something of a good thing.

Of course, I really have to be honest and point out that while there's a literal plethora of good sailboats for sale at very low prices there are a couple of issues that are somewhat problematic. The biggest issue for would be boat owners is that affordable places to park that boat are few, far between, and silly expensive. Plus if you want to live on said boat it's nearly impossible.

However, if you want a boat to sail off into the sunset you'll find that, with a bit of homework and care that you can mostly anchor for free pretty much anywhere you find yourself.

The thing is, if you go to Sailboat Listings, Craig's List, or just haunt your local marinas looking for a battered and worn For Sale sign you'll come across an amazing number of excellent boats within the $5K, $10K, and $15K price points. Granted, these boats will not be new or a current example of what Sail or Cruising World magazines thinks is hip but they will be right for the job.

Which is not to say every boat within your chosen budget is a boat you want to buy. It is assumed that before you get around to shopping for a boat, you've done your homework and gained enough knowledge to not throw money at a semi-derelict disaster waiting to happen. One supposes you have at least a modicum of common sense where things financial and mechanics are concerned.

Oh yeah, actually knowing how to sail would be no bad thing.

To be continued...

Listening to Sloppy Jane

So it goes...

Hurricane boats...

Someone's acquired a new boat, transporting baby salmon, and in the "I hear Home Depot has some good deals on pitchforks" department...

I rarely ever look at boats on ebay. Partly because I find Craigslist a much better source for finding used boats and partly because the ebay environment seems to have become overly expensive as well as hostile. But, as it happens, I found myself looking for something and took a glance at sailboats for sale.

Where I found a 2005 Bendytoy 343 with a Buy It Now price of $24,997.00.

The reason it's so cheap is that it's a hurricane boat and being sold off by the insurance company which acquired it when they paid out to the insured party as a total loss.

So, at best, we're actually talking about someone selling a $5-10K boat for $24,997.00.

Let's get back to that phrase TOTAL LOSS for a moment and consider what that actually means.

I'll go on record that buying a storm damaged boat for cheap and rehabbing it is not a bad way to go for someone with some serious frugal boat building and repair experience can result in a great boat. I'll even go so far as say that depending on the boats total loss condition, a cheap enough selling price and availability of a place to move said boat for little rent I might even consider such a boat.

Of course, I'd never ever pay almost $25K for such a project because that would be stupid. Considering I can find the same model for around $70-$85K and I can't see spending less $35K in materials, another $5-10K in expenses, and the cost of three to six months of my full time labor to get it done.

Then again, if you were able to buy the total loss wreck for $5K, had a yard to put it in, a whole lot of free time, and some wizardly boat building skills it might actually be a viable project.

In general though the best advice I can give someone considering this sort of hurricane boat project is to avoid it with prejudice.

On the other hand if someone gets it and does a YouTube channel of the rehab it will be fun to watch in a dark comedy of errors vein.

Listening to a playlist from 1987

So it goes...

an old lust revisisted...

About that application, on why infrastructure is important, and it would appear that GMC/Hummer have completely missed the point of sustainable vehicles...

A couple of weeks ago I came across a Herreshoff 31 Cat Ketch for sale up in St Paul Minnesota. For those unacquainted with the Halsey Herreshoff cat ketch design here's the plan.

Back in the early 80's I seriously lusted for this boat as it was as close to the picture I had in my head at the time in what would make a near perfect cruising boat. If the draft had been a foot or so less it would have been perfect.

The fact that the boat for sale up in St Paul had an asking price of only $1300, had me looking at airfares and wondering about the cost of yard space...

The other tempting factor is the idea of fixing up a boat and then getting it to the sea via the Mississippi river.

Listening to the Iron Leg Radio Show

So it goes...

Thinking of a one way ticket to Hawaii...

A bit of good news, some collateral damage, and on the subject of 400,000 needless deaths...

A very interesting junk rigged sailboat for sale in Hawaii.

 

Awesome design by Angus Primrose and Blondie Hasler. Here's a sister ship that was for sale a few years ago. A reader (thanks Bill) also reminded me of the exploits of of Teleport, another sister ship, and its Northwest passage.

Listening to some music to build hatches to.

So it goes...

Is a trigger warning really needed?

A failing infrastructure, something about that plague state, and in the "Not the right question" department...

The other day over on VolksCruiser I wrote something on the subject of "Free Boats" and I got quite a bit of push back as a result. Apparently, the words 'free' and 'boat' used in conjunction is something of a trigger phrase for some folks.

Now, where I come from, the whole idea of taking something that has no or a negative value and recycling it into something that has a purpose and value is no bad thing and I truly admire those folk who take on such projects and are successful in their endeavors. 

Offhand I'd really love to find a free boat without a mast so I could test some cunning plans I have regarding affordable rigs and rigging but every time I find such a beast they are in someplace far away. That said, If a free C&C 35 without a mast appeals you might want to check out Craig's List up in NYC...

Listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees

So it goes...

An AS-29 for sale...

Something regarding water, an excellent educational post, and in the "Five Possible Reasons We Haven’t Been Visited By Aliens" department...

Speaking of boats for sale a reader dropped me a line with a link to an, shall we say, interesting, Bolger AS29 for sale.(the As-29 being the little sister to Loose Moose 2).

Those portlights certainly caught my attention. That said, there's nothing that a sheet of plywood, some fiberglass, and and a half-gallon of epoxy wouldn't set right.

 Listening to Sarah Jarosz

So it goes...

Anyone looking for a Westsnail?

When companies become quasi governments, a whole lot of Mars wonderfulness, and why you shouldn't really be eating out these days...

There's a hurricane boat for sale over on St John that's a good example of a great opportunity for someone or the boat project from hell for someone else.

In short it's a Westsail 32 with very little information except that it has a mast and boom (condition unclear), it's beat up so needs lots of work, and the seller is asking $1k for it.

 

Now, I'm not a huge fan where Westsails are concerned but, if it were closer to me, I'd be very interested in taking a serious look at the boat as a fix it up and sell it sort of project. Considering what I know about Westsails in general I expect it would be a reasonably profitable project to take on.

Well, providing I just fixed it, sorted out the cosmetics, and not decide to try and turn it into something it's not.

The positive side of a project like this is that the Westsail is a pretty simple boat, they're real tough, and most anything you'd need to replace you can get cheap or build yourself. My guesstimate is that unless there is major damage that's not being shown or mentioned a basic rehab would end up costing somewhere between $3K to $5K and a month or two of serious sweat equity. If there were major damage that would entail more work/money than it's worth I simply would not bother with it.

On the other hand, the same project could easily cost someone $100k or more if you want to turn it into a pristine example of yacht construction conspicuous consumption and you'd still wind up with a boat that's only worth $25K-$50K. 

A great resource for those interested in Westsails is the Westsail Owners Association. Actually it's a great resource for folks not interested in Westsails as well.

Listening to the Drive-By Truckers

So it goes...

on the subject of intersting sea trials...

Some skiing/sailing in out-of-the-way parts, a very interesting stamp, and from "the mind boggles" files...

Some impressive out-of-the-box info on the Minimus II sea trials.

A project that's well worth following.

Listening to Lilly Hiatt

So it goes...

a thought inspiring boat for sale...

A video you might want to watch, something regarding the working world, and some seriously scary shit in Texas...

So, I saw what looks like a very good deal on a Westerly Centaur with a trailer in Illinois (Lake Shelbyville).

For those who don't remember it's a very popular twin-keel design by Laurent Giles.

Considering the low asking price I'm very tempted to buy it, convert it to junk rig, and spend a bit of time doing some lake cruising on Lake Shelbyville which looks like a neat place. Than tow the sucker to Seattle and sail it up to Alaska to hang out with Dave Z for a bit of salmon and halibut fishing. 

Might even make a good film?

Listening to yesterday's quiz answers

So it goes...

All or nothing...

EBM pretty much says it all, Senator Tammy Duckworth with the needful, and I'll just add that Mayor Muriel Bowser is now my favorite politician in the US of A...

The other day I had someone tell me that they'd only go cruising on the best boat available and how they were quite willing to wait as long as it takes. Then pointed out that, unlike me, he'd never lower himself to settle for less.

Or, in other words, "All or nothing".

For me, the scary part of that is it really doesn't take into account that what is considered "best" today will, more than likely, be something entirely different tomorrow.

Fact is the whole "All or nothing" mindset is a huge factor when it comes to setting yourself up for failure. Whether you're learning a language (I won't speak French until I can speak it perfectly), building a boat (I won't launch the boat until it's absolutely flawless), or I won't vote for a candidate unless they're 100% to my liking... The list is endless.

I recently read that one of the main reasons people fail while on a diet is simply that if they, let's say eat a donut they should not have, then tell themselves that as the days shot diet-wise they might as well just go whole hog and skip it entirely for the rest of the day instead of admitting they screwed up and continue with their diet as planned albeit with a couple hundred extra calories in the mix.

But hey, that's just me and I apparently have low standards. Je parle français come une vache Espagnole, I've built a lot of boats and every single one has been imperfect but they all worked and floated right side up, and while I have never met a politician who I agree with 100% of the time I have always endeavored to support the ones who will (hopefully) do the better job when elected.

Or you might just say I try to do the best possible with what's available which, for me at least, makes a whole lot more sense than the all or nothing fandango.

Listening to Krakin' Kellys

So it goes...

a tale of two boats...

A needful report on the climate/economy, some homeless programs of note, and in the "Why am I not surprised" department...

This morning I read a fairly interesting review of the new Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 which Beneteau is marketing as a "starter boat". To be honest I actually quite liked it and it certainly seemed like a very nice boat.

Well, at least, until I saw that the price listed was "From $122 300*" which seems to me to be a whole lot of money for a "starter" boat. Albeit, it's a nice boat and the fold-down Nav station is a very cool feature/idea that I'll be stealing in the not-to-distant future.

Now, if someone were to ask me for a suggestion on a twenty-nineish-foot boat as a starter boat I very well might suggest a CAL 29. It sails well, has a very livable interior, and doesn't cost a lot. Just a quick search of the Seattle Craig's List had what appears to be a turnkey example with an asking price of $13K*.

That said, pretty much any 30ish-foot boat of the classic plastic genre (Catalina/Morgan/Columbia/etc) should go for about the same money, offer equivalent performance and accommodation.

So, of course, what sort of "starter boat" you choose is up to you but it would seem like you could do a lot of improving and cruising with $100K in your pocket and, while it might not be quite as sexy or hip as the Bendytoy, the CAL or reasonable facsimile would take you to any of the same places the more expensive boat would.

Then again, you wouldn't have that cool fold-down navigation desk with the CAL unless you built one. Oh well, we all have to make those difficult decisions.

Listening to Mapache

So it goes...


* $13K happens to be the norm for a turn-key CAL 29 in good condition but as it is the asking price it is assumed you'd be able to get it for a bit less. Surprisingly good deals on CAL 29's pop up in the $3K to $4k zone fairly often so it make sense to shop around.

Regarding boats for sale on eBay...

Something important about the postal system, some thoughts on Vonnegut & Slaughterhouse Five, and in the "a mind-boggling waste of government resources" department...

The other day a reader dropped me a line suggesting that he'd really like to see a weekly post on good deals on sailboats to be found on eBay. As it happens, he is not the first reader to suggest such a thing.

Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of eBay these days as most things tend towards being overpriced, of questionable quality and far too many of the sellers give off a Spidey-sense inducing miasma.

That said, I'm bored and my boat task for the day is not on my "Oh fun" list, so why not?

The first boat to catch my eye is a Sparkman & Stephens designed Chris Craft 26 that looks OK. It's opening bid is already a bit higher than I'd spend for a boat sight unseen but it's in the ballpark and a very nice pocket cruiser you could go anywhere you cared to. Certainly a better buy than a Flicka for sale in the same 20-27 foot category.

There's an Iroquois catamaran for sale that I'm pretty sure has been for sale for ages and, while I really love the Iroquois design, $45K is just silly for a fifty-year-old boat that, at most, should cost less than $19K.

Sadly, in today's listings, it pretty much comes down to the Chris Craft as all the boats I looked at have way too expensive asking prices and, considering it's nearly impossible to do the required due diligence, it's pretty much just a suckers game.

By the way, my first rule when considering eBay boats is not to spend more than the resale value of the ballast and, last I looked scrap lead is worth about a dollar a pound.

With that being the case the best place to look for a good deal on a boat these days is Craig's List. Sure there are bad overpriced boats on Craig's List but, overall, it is a whole lot better than eBay. You also might want to check out Search Tempest as it makes searching for boats on CL by area a lot easier.

Listening to a Marvin Gaye cover

So it goes...