[Alberg30] Preparing to Buy
Tom DeWitt
dewitt-t at cmltek.com
Sat Apr 26 06:46:05 PDT 2003
Bill,
Thanks for the good advice. I've been focusing on the A30 in part because
there seems to be an active fleet on the Chesapeake. It was encouraging to
find the web site and the association and this list. As I noodled through
this I decided that it was going to be very important to have folks like you
around me, either in reality or virtual reality, with a common bond. I used
to sail out of Zahnizer's a few years back when I was working at the Pax
NAS, so I need to get in touch with Tom Maroldy as you suggest.
I'm of two minds. One is to buy a Cape Dory 25 so I don't get in too deep.
It has an outboard well in a lazarette (sp?) so I could get around under
power without the complexity of an inboard -- enen add controls to I didn't
need to look at the iron horse. I found one on a trailer in Tampa so I
could probably ramp launch it and move it to a convenient location to work
on it. I'm not sure about ramp launching a 4000 lb full keel boat though
even if it does only have a 3' draft.
The other mind is to go straight to the objective and get a "real boat". My
wife and I pretty much did this when we bought a house and it was right for
us (BTW she has no interest in sailing). I have lots of three day weekends
and when I retire in ten years I'd like to do annual commutes to and from
the the south Atlantic in fall and spring. That makes the boat a winter get
away. I used to race in college and for years after, but I love to sindsurf
now so I'll keep that gear on board to satisfy my need for speed. The boat
should give me access to lots of windsurfing spots that can't be reached by
land.
I'm not afraid of the craft work but I've done enough motor cycle and
automotive work to know that working conditions are important, and not all
jobs are created equal. I have no interest if reparing a blistered hull or
delaminated decks. I'm not excited obout long hot hours on the hard in an
ugly boat yard trying to do a job that requires an enclosed shop. I may be
guilty of stupid thinking but I've even pondered options for regularly
hauling a boat and getting it to shop/shed/garage where working conditions
are more friendly.
Whoaaa... I just checked my inbox and I can't believe how many replies!!! I
need to stop anyway because I was starting to bore myself ;).
T
-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
[mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org]On Behalf Of Mary & Bill Mahony
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 9:09 AM
To: Alberg 30 public list
Subject: Re: [Alberg30] Preparing to Buy
Hi Tom,
About one year ago exactly I was doing the same thing you're doing. My
wife and I had done some dinghy sailing over the years, I had even owned a
couple--a Capri 14.2 and a Hunter 170. We wanted to get into bigger boat
sailing--something we could start to explore cruising/overnighting on. We
saw an Alberg (I didn't know it was an Alberg at the time) on the upper bay,
started to investigate. By July we had found one and added her to the
family!
If you haven't done so already, do a web search on Alberg 30 and see
what's out there--I have not yet found a bad revierw of the boats--like all
boats, they have strengths and weaknesses, all relative to the kind of
sailing you envision doing. Best advice I got early on was from this org--I
contacted Tom and Sheila Maroldy down at Zahnizer's YC in Solomons (Trident
Yacht Sales--they were a wealth of info, and know most of the boats that
might come up for sale on the Bay.
As Brian mentioned, there's probably lots of things to go on about, so
feel free to ask any specifics. Some starters for buying an older boat to
answer are how talented are you at craft work (we're not very), and how much
do you want to spend? My very general advice would be to look for a boat
whose seller has put a lot of effort in--done a lot of the upgrades/fixes
over the years and is looking to move up or out--a seller will rarely be
able to realize a large return for the money put into the boat--and you can
save yourself some money that way. Also, check through the Public List
Archives on this site and search for the typical questions to see what the
common fixes/ideas are for keeping these beautiful boats alive.
Good luck--feel free to ask anything.
Bill
#276 "Mary Ann"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom DeWitt" <dewitt-t at cmltek.com>
To: <Public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 5:07 AM
Subject: [Alberg30] Preparing to Buy
>
> So I'm sitting here on a Saturday morning looking at a listing for an A30
to
> sail on the Chesapeake and contemplating the purchase. There are so many
> questions in my head that my eyebrows start to hurt. I need a shot of
> courage from all those who have gone before me. Can anybody remember
this
> moment of truth and relate? I've done a fair bit of sailing, mostly one
> design dinghies, but I've never owned a boat. Tell me I'm not crazy!
Then
> I'll see if my questions are tolerated.
>
> Tom DeWitt
> dewitt-t at cmltek.com
> Voice Mail 240-599-1289
>
> "If I only had the brains...
> the heart...
> the nerve"
> Scare Crow, Tin Man, and Lion
>
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