My X is finally in its Box and on the High-Seas.

[beene]

a good used Mac-X is a nice family splurge and tough to beat.

..... or and M for that matter.

Especially when used 26 foot cruisers are much more expensive than brand new Mac's

I think you would be looking at a 20 year old cruiser for the same money, at least around these parts of the good old globe

[Terry]

Especially when used 26 foot cruisers are much more expensive than brand new Mac's

I think you would be looking at a 20 year old cruiser for the same money, at least around these parts of the good old globe

In the land of the Great Lakes with the dense east coast population one would think used boats to be a dime a dozen, or at least a reasonably cheap purchase. What gives out there? Lots of good deals out west!

[beene]

One thing is for sure, there sure are a lot of cruiser type boats for sale, or just sitting around rotting. I see them everywhere from May to Oct. There is a field just south of where I live full of boats for sale just sitting there, auction after auction. I should take a picture this summer and post it so you can see what I mean.

As for the price, I have seen 22" aft cabin cruisers for 22-30 boat bucks that are 20 years old. Meanwhile, pick up a new Mac from B4S for less than 19G.

Most of the older boats I have seen are questionable at best, which might explain why they sit and sit...

[NautiMoments]

Phillip, congrats on your boat. I sent you a personnal email re information on shipping. I know what you mean that every man should have a "Sheila" like yours, although mine is called Carole (close enough). She is determined that we are going to cruise the canals in Europe with our Mac. Then she says we will buy a bigger boat (36-40') for more cruising (YES!!) Got to love em. She liked the Catalina 40' at the boat show.

[Catigale]

You can get a solid 20-30 year old 32-35 foot keelboat on the Great Lakes in excellent condition hullwise, with dated accessories for about 20k or less easily....to calibrate...BTDT.

[NautiMoments]

How about a 36-42'er? What kind of cost?

[Catigale]

36 foot Catalina near our slip, 2002 boat, asking 75..didnt sell

Would have gone for 55-60 or so.

30-40 maybe for the bigger boat Ill guess??

[Frank C]

An acquaintance moved to FL & loved sailing a borrowed Hunter 29. In 2002 he & his Admiral got to shopping around & found a still un-sold 2001 Hunter 386 up near Boston. The fancy "master cabin" convinced the Admiral, so they bought it, brand new, for around $140,000 and added another $20,000 in electronics, refrig, etc. He motor-sailed it solo from Boston to Tampa.

After six months or so they discovered that Tampa has very few slips to keep that 6-ft draft, and those few slips are very, very costly. They also discovered that it's not as much fun to sail their deep-draft 38-footer compared to the Hunter 29 -- at least not in the Tampa vicinity. They moved the boat onto jackstands & put a for-sale sign on her ... $120k ... no takers. Hard-storage for the past 4 years has probably cost them another $15,000.

They shouldda sold it for $100k back then ... might now for $75k! Anyone in normal depth waters who wants a great buy on a nearly new, deep-water keelboat, shop first in Tampa ... right, Dimitri?

[Terry]

They shouldda sold it for $100k back then ... might now for $75k! Anyone in normal depth waters who wants a great buy on a nearly new, deep-water keelboat, shop first in Tampa ... right, Dimitri?

I wonder how much it would cost to have it shipped to the PNW, but then again one would have to secure a 40' slip first. I am sure there are better deals to be found south of the 49th due to the higher population and plentitude of boat owners. I understand it is a buyers market these days, I do a lot of looking on the brokers sites and see plenty of them. Just not sure I am willing to give up my Mac and pay annual slip fees, 4 months slip fee seems about right.

[NautiMoments]

Frank, do they still have the boat and is it still for sale? I may want more details.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Yea, I got stuck a couple times on my old keelboat, which had a shoal draft (wing keel) of only 3 feet. But that is in Tampa Bay, not out in the deeper Gulf. There are certainly a lot of big boats out in the St Pete area, and a lot of transients that come through here on the way up and down the West coast of Fl. If you have a 6 foot draft in these parts, you are going to be hanging around in big Marina's for the most part, not gunkholing. The less expensive slips have long waiting lines that can span many years. The numerous and beautiful protected little anchorages are quite shallow...perfect for a Mac, not a real deeped keel boat. Other places like Greece for example, where the protected bays are still very deep, even just a few dozen yards off shore, would be perfect for a big boat and a dinghy of course.

[Frank C]

Frank, do they still have the boat and is it still for sale? I may want more details.

Not sure ... I have emailed him to check on it, but no response in past couple of days ... waiting.