To Buy or Not to Buy

[Tri’d n Sail’d]

I am a complete novice to sailboats, trimarans and buying one of them. I am however committed to obtaining a trailerable Telstar 28 and Sailing her. Recently I put an offer on a 2006 and that has been on its trailer for 2 years now. It seemed dirty, disorganized, and messy but the price seemed right. The survey revealed many issues that need to be fixed. I am not interested in a project that eats up all of my spare time. I want to sail. I am getting the sense that I should spend a little more for a boat that is in better condition. Any comments from this group on this would be appreciated! I am looking forward to becoming a “real” member (owner) of this August group! Thanks!

[Mangodoc]

Here’s a complicated answer to your question. It depends on where your passion lies. My father has always had a boat, but he rarely uses it. He says “A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into“ and “The proudest days of a boat owner’s life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.“ He likes boats, but he doesn’t LOVE boats. He loves horses. He would rather spend a day washing and grooming a horse, or even picking out stalls, than having to do maintenance on a boat. I am the exact opposite. I’d rather spend time putzing around on my boat doing chores than most anything else. Yes, I’m into it for the sailing, but my real passion is for the boat in general.

Having said that, I’d rather have a boat that needs less work and spend the little time I have sailing. But all boats will require a good bit of maintenance. If I have a limited amount of time, I’d rather pay someone else to do the maintenance and spend my time sailing . So it all depends on whether your most valuable asset is time or money. Regardless, boats require a lot of time and/or money. It all depends on where your passion lies.

[Tri’d n Sail’d]

Well said and thanks. I ended up getting the less expensive boat, but having significant maintenance done before I pick her up.