You say primarily. Only really on the long term. It’s mid 20 foot sail boats. I can learn to do fiberglass/painting, etc myself. Paying tradesmen is where the cost is.
Fiberglass ain’t cheap either brother. You need to fix a water tank? Just looking at fiberglass makes your wallet lighter $500, and costs rise exponentially.
Problem with your inverter? Batteries? Generator? 3k a piece, and that’s if you’re shopping around.
Don’t get me wrong, I live off-grid and after doing it for a few years we decided a while back that if it’s not rated marine we just aren’t interested in it. Everything rusts. Every bullshit thing in the market is designed to fail after 200 cycles, just past the 180day warranty. But marine ratings are actually enforced. So everything we own has steadily become aluminum or stainless steel. Redoing finishes and waterproofing, oiling. Protecting shit from the weather is almost a full time job.
And then the canvas. And the rigging. And the ropes. Rope is without question my favorite tool. I know a solid 50+ knots I can do blindfolded, upside down and behind my back hanging in a tree. Bro, I love sailing, and rigging for that matter, and I won’t even do what your doing and I’m in my early 40s, childless, no debt, own two businesses, have no rent or mortgage payment - and I can’t afford a boat.
Godspeed my man.
I just love him arguing with you when you clearly were speaking from wisdom gained by experience (even if it’s experience of others, idk)
There’s a reason there is a famous joke about the happiest days of a boat owners life are the day he bought it and the day he sold it.
But if anyone knows a work around I’d say this OP is a bit down that list already lol
I’m not rebuilding a boat. I’m finding a boat in good condition with space to basically camp for a week. Inverter? Generator? Bro I’m not buying a yacht. I’m looking at 50 year old boats built like tanks with matching accomodations. Just want to get out there and have some fun. Lines can get rough and ugly but still have years in them when it’s double braid. Also it’s going to be in fresh water for most of its life. Merely interested in patching any bad looking stuff with fairing compound, hit it with some bottom paint every now and then. I already passed on a 1972(?) Pearson 26 (soft spots in the deck), now looking at an Ericson 27 instead.
