Buying a used 45 -50 cruising sailboat soon, but what material?
concrete?...seems difficult to get a good one
wood....lots of maintenance?
steel....hot in summer down here in australia
grp....don't know much about it
all thoughts most appreciated!

"aussie" yup wrote in message news:3fb53723$1@news1...
Buying a used 45 -50 cruising sailboat soon, but what material?

concrete?...seems difficult to get a good one
Cheap, almost free. Can be good if well built by good people. Usually not.
Almost no resale value in USA -- usually sell for value of mast, winches,
etc.

wood....lots of maintenance?
Right. Good ones are charming, interesting. Maintenance need not be much
more the glass (grp to you), but you do have to care for them.

steel....hot in summer down here in australia
Strong, bordering on indestructible. Need not be hot, as you can insulate.
Maintenance much the same as wood if you want to keep rust at bay. (Our
choice for our boat, but mostly because we go to strange and wonderful
places) Good ones can look very nice, bad ones look rough.

grp....don't know much about it
Probably cheapest total cost of ownership over a period. Can be strong if
well built (but not as abrasion resistant as steel -- stay away from coral).
Osmosis (water soaking into glass and weakening it over time) is an issue.


In any event, GET A SURVEY BEFORE YOU BUY. Best money you will ever spend
is a good survey.



--
Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com


..

Jim Woodward wrote:
"aussie" yup wrote in message news:3fb53723$1@news1...

Buying a used 45 -50 cruising sailboat soon, but what material?


concrete?...seems difficult to get a good one

Cheap, almost free. Can be good if well built by good people. Usually not.
Almost no resale value in USA -- usually sell for value of mast, winches,
etc.

Same down under, about the most famous was Helsal the floating footpath
(74ft??) which won the Syd-hobart in the 70s (big downhill run). They
make reasonable "homes" but not too good a reputation as cruising boats.
Not too good with impacts (Helsal died moored to & banging into a wharf
in the Philippines when the wind changed)



wood....lots of maintenance?

Right. Good ones are charming, interesting. Maintenance need not be much
more the glass (grp to you), but you do have to care for them.

Again if you are going cruising, consider impact resistance which is
about the lowest of the options. In a perfect world around the harbour &
especially the yacht club bars these things just "never" happen, alas in
the real world amongst offshore reefs ....... ??????


steel....hot in summer down here in australia

Strong, bordering on indestructible. Need not be hot, as you can insulate.
Maintenance much the same as wood if you want to keep rust at bay. (Our
choice for our boat, but mostly because we go to strange and wonderful
places) Good ones can look very nice, bad ones look rough.

All as said however age is a consideration, an old steel boat can look
good but it only takes one concealed nook or cranny (usually around what
would be the garboard forward of the keel) to be silently going away.
The current thickness testing with instruments that the surveyors use is
more suited to commercial vessels with much thicker scantlings.
Maintenance is unforgiving on steel boats but all in all probably the
safest choice for serious cruising.

Stay well away from the strip planted glassed over ex racing boats
they're very short term.



grp....don't know much about it

Probably cheapest total cost of ownership over a period. Can be strong if
well built (but not as abrasion resistant as steel -- stay away from coral).
Osmosis (water soaking into glass and weakening it over time) is an issue.

Apart from having less ultimate strength (because it's lighter, grp the
same weight can be as strong as steel but it will be 14 times as thick
as the steel) than steel this is the best all round balanced choice, but
it's reflected in the price of GRP boats, notwithstanding they're the
most plentiful.

In any event, GET A SURVEY BEFORE YOU BUY. Best money you will ever spend
is a good survey.

Absolutely & never use one recommended by the seller or their broker.


K