Going from this random 2016 Harley for ~$18k, there are a lot of good boats that are cheaper and would qualify as a yacht per your definition (sleeping cabin, 33+ feet)
Of course, Craigslist has some options. This one is slightly more expensive than the Harley but it looks in very good condition with a lot of recent upgrades.
Overall, there are ~3 price ranges for used sailboats: Under $10k, you’ll have small-ish boats (under 27 ft) in pretty good condition or medium-ish boats (25-35 ft) that need a little work. Around $50k you’ll get older (1980’s), medium-large boats (35-45ft) in good condition, or smaller ones in very good condition. And at $100k-$200k you’ll get much newer medium-large boats (2005+).
Thank you for this, I had no idea. I now see that I also assumed that yacht = super rich asshole boat. They’re so much cheaper than I expected! I could sail the ocean for less than $20k. Damn.
Just be aware that there’s a huge difference between coastal sailing and bluewater sailing. You can sail “on the ocean” but stay relatively near shore in a lot of boats. All the ones I’ve mentioned would be good for coastal sailing, where you’re never more than a few hours away from shore.
To go truly offshore and cross an ocean you really want something more substantial. Why? It’s mostly because you’re much more likely to get caught in bad weather or to get something that breaks, so you need a lot more redundancy (spare parts, etc) and the boat needs to be built to withstand a lot more forces. Offshore you’re also constantly moving because of waves; something that flexes a little when you hit a large-ish wave will maybe flex 3-4 times during an outing in coastal or protected waters, but will flex every ~4 seconds for 20 days during an Atlantic crossing which adds up to about a half-million times. This can break a lot of stainless parts on your boat.
Anyway, still achievable, I just wanted to add some perspective
Thanks again. I know next to nothing about boats so this is all new, interesting information for me. I’m definitely not planning on getting one any time soon, I just never imagined it was even potentially achievable.
gonna need a lot of work and other items to actually sail, fire suppression, satnav, depth sounder, licensing etc. its still a rich asshole boat but not a super rich asshole boat.
Licensing isn’t really a thing in North America (except maybe the $50 card we have to get here in Canada), insurance can get complicated / pricey but you only really need liability which is much cheaper, and all the fire & safety stuff usually comes with the boat and isn’t that expensive anyway.
You can obviously go crazy on electronics, and boy are these expensive indeed, but you can also just use any old tablet* with Aquamaps or Navionics installed. Try to get one that’s waterproof or get a waterproof case.
The most expensive part, honestly, is where you park it.
So yeah, it’s a money-pit, but it’s possible to keep costs under control.
(*) You need a tablet with a GPS receiver. iPads used to only have it on cellular models (no need for a plan), but most Android tablets have it.
Although many things may differ in different parts of the world, this seems to be universal:
The most expensive part, honestly, is where you park it.
I used to sail with my friend sometimes, and his boat was parked in the town about a 100 miles away. It was because after the last cheap place closed to become an estate construction site, it would cost more than 2% of his yacht’s cost per month to park it closer
With any hobby one can go above and beyond making it expensive af, or go above and beyond doing everything on their own with as little expenses as possible
Going from this random 2016 Harley for ~$18k, there are a lot of good boats that are cheaper and would qualify as a yacht per your definition (sleeping cabin, 33+ feet)
Overall, there are ~3 price ranges for used sailboats: Under $10k, you’ll have small-ish boats (under 27 ft) in pretty good condition or medium-ish boats (25-35 ft) that need a little work. Around $50k you’ll get older (1980’s), medium-large boats (35-45ft) in good condition, or smaller ones in very good condition. And at $100k-$200k you’ll get much newer medium-large boats (2005+).
For reference, my first sailboat cost me $2k.
Thank you for this, I had no idea. I now see that I also assumed that yacht = super rich asshole boat. They’re so much cheaper than I expected! I could sail the ocean for less than $20k. Damn.
Just be aware that there’s a huge difference between coastal sailing and bluewater sailing. You can sail “on the ocean” but stay relatively near shore in a lot of boats. All the ones I’ve mentioned would be good for coastal sailing, where you’re never more than a few hours away from shore.
To go truly offshore and cross an ocean you really want something more substantial. Why? It’s mostly because you’re much more likely to get caught in bad weather or to get something that breaks, so you need a lot more redundancy (spare parts, etc) and the boat needs to be built to withstand a lot more forces. Offshore you’re also constantly moving because of waves; something that flexes a little when you hit a large-ish wave will maybe flex 3-4 times during an outing in coastal or protected waters, but will flex every ~4 seconds for 20 days during an Atlantic crossing which adds up to about a half-million times. This can break a lot of stainless parts on your boat.
Anyway, still achievable, I just wanted to add some perspective
Thanks again. I know next to nothing about boats so this is all new, interesting information for me. I’m definitely not planning on getting one any time soon, I just never imagined it was even potentially achievable.
Super interesting! Thanks
gonna need a lot of work and other items to actually sail, fire suppression, satnav, depth sounder, licensing etc. its still a rich asshole boat but not a super rich asshole boat.
Licensing isn’t really a thing in North America (except maybe the $50 card we have to get here in Canada), insurance can get complicated / pricey but you only really need liability which is much cheaper, and all the fire & safety stuff usually comes with the boat and isn’t that expensive anyway.
You can obviously go crazy on electronics, and boy are these expensive indeed, but you can also just use any old tablet* with Aquamaps or Navionics installed. Try to get one that’s waterproof or get a waterproof case.
The most expensive part, honestly, is where you park it.
So yeah, it’s a money-pit, but it’s possible to keep costs under control.
(*) You need a tablet with a GPS receiver. iPads used to only have it on cellular models (no need for a plan), but most Android tablets have it.
Although many things may differ in different parts of the world, this seems to be universal:
I used to sail with my friend sometimes, and his boat was parked in the town about a 100 miles away. It was because after the last cheap place closed to become an estate construction site, it would cost more than 2% of his yacht’s cost per month to park it closer
With any hobby one can go above and beyond making it expensive af, or go above and beyond doing everything on their own with as little expenses as possible
There’s a great story of a person who built his first yacht on his balcony and then proceeded to circumnavigate the world in it, and then some more
I don’t exactly know how costly it was, but it definitely was not an example of a rich asshole: