How much would a decent 20 foot sail boat cost?

You can can a great (used) safe, seaworthy 20' - 28' sailboat for under $3,000 pretty easy these days. Matter of fact, depending on your location and/or where you are willing to go get it - right now the Florida ICW and Atlantic coast area has great sailboats at near give-a-way prices. In fact, a 34 footer was just given away last week at the marina I was at. Seems all the NASA layoffs (and the ripple effect thereof) is simply flooded the used boat market all up and down Florida's east coast. It would not surprise me at all if you couldn't find a really great used sailboat now (in this economy) for even under $1,000. One thing for sure however - the vessels that can't be trailered are the one's being sold for a song. The owners that are out of work and getting behind in their monthly marina fees are the ones giving their boats away. Good luck, John

You can can a great (used) safe, seaworthy 20' - 28' sailboat for under $3,000 pretty easy these days. Matter of fact, depending on your location and/or where you are willing to go get it - right now the Florida ICW and Atlantic coast area has great sailboats at near give-a-way prices. In fact, a 34 footer was just given away last week at the marina I was at. Seems all the NASA layoffs (and the ripple effect thereof) is simply flooded the used boat market all up and down Florida's east coast. It would not surprise me at all if you couldn't find a really great used sailboat now (in this economy) for even under $1,000. One thing for sure however - the vessels that can't be trailered are the one's being sold for a song. The owners that are out of work and getting behind in their monthly marina fees are the ones giving their boats away. Good luck, John

Congratulations on your decision. I have two sailboats, an 19' and a 25'. I would find it impossible to live aboard the 19' for more than a few days, and the 25' could be okay if it was just myself. A 20' sailboat on the ocean is a tricky subject, and may be why no one is taking you seriously. I wouldn't want to be in anything smaller than my 25'! Situations are way too unpredictable, but I won't lecture you on that. My point is, a 20' sailboat that can serve as a liveaboard on the ocean would have to be fancy and special, two things you said you weren't looking for. Of course this is just my opinion. Using my 19' as a point of reference, we'll talk motors later: it is a 1980 in good condition (including reconditioned original sails, and hardware is in good shape). All ropes are less than 5 years old. If I were to list it for sale I would probably list it for 3,500, wanting at least $3000 for it. Just to give you an idea. That being said, you may be able to find something 20' for $2000. The economy is still in a bad place and someone may be looking to free themselves of their boat. Boats aren't like cars when it comes to buying one used. There is a blue book equivalent, but there are more variables and parameters involved. A new 4HP motor costs around $1,200 to $1,500. Depending on the displacement of the boat you find, 5HP may be enough. But since you want to take it offshore I'd recommend geting something bigger. And honestly, I wouldn't mess around with used outboards. They, like boats, are often abused. Ethanol fuel kills them and few people use ethanol-free gas in them faithfully--they just have their carburetors rebuilt every five years. The motor needs to be there when you need it. And you will need it if you are offshore. If I were to sell the 25' (1982) which has a new engine in it that cost about 10K to install, I would probably want $25K for that. It is ocean rated and has a main and jib, with optional spinnaker and genoa sails. If I hadn't replaced the engine, I would be lucky to get $8K out of it. Largely due to the fact that is an inboard engine. So, I guess the best way to judge what a boat would cost is to look around. You'll get to know how much money gets you. Insurance on sailboats is tremendously cheaper than motor-powered vessels. Annual insurance for the 19 is around $70, $180 for the 25. These are both used on inland lakes and stored 6 months of the year. I don't think storage has anything to do with it though. I'm sure pricing would be different if you are living aboard and especially if it was your primary residence.

I could give you a very long answer to your question. The shorter answer is a 27' Catalina will be the best choice for your requirements. You will need a full size Van or larger pick-up to pull it. But a 6 cylinder will be ok for occasional trips. The 20' to 25' boats just will not meet your needs. The 27 Catalina can be found in very good condition for $5 to $10K and are trailer-able. I'm not sure what a new trailer runs, but in today's market used boats are inexpensive, relatively speaking. I saw a Catalina 27 advertised for $3900 in Baltimore CL but no trailer. It was a 73' model year, but looked good. Fiberglass will last indefinitely, and in fact older boats are built heavier. See:http://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/2889060247.html SEE:http://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/2910542456.html See:http://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/2910542456.html The second one might be a fixed "fin Keel" they are build with a "swing keel, or fixed Fin Keel. If you are trailering the swing keel is a must. If you think if you fore go the trailering, there are lots of nice 30-32' boats out there fore less than $10K that would be very comfortable to cruse or live on. That's about as big as you can sail with one person (Single-hand in sailor talk).

I could give you a very long answer to your question. The shorter answer is a 27' Catalina will be the best choice for your requirements. You will need a full size Van or larger pick-up to pull it. But a 6 cylinder will be ok for occasional trips. The 20' to 25' boats just will not meet your needs. The 27 Catalina can be found in very good condition for $5 to $10K and are trailer-able. I'm not sure what a new trailer runs, but in today's market used boats are inexpensive, relatively speaking. I saw a Catalina 27 advertised for $3900 in Baltimore CL but no trailer. It was a 73' model year, but looked good. Fiberglass will last indefinitely, and in fact older boats are built heavier. See:http://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/2889060247.html SEE:http://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/2910542456.html See:http://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/2910542456.html The second one might be a fixed "fin Keel" they are build with a "swing keel, or fixed Fin Keel. If you are trailering the swing keel is a must. If you think if you fore go the trailering, there are lots of nice 30-32' boats out there fore less than $10K that would be very comfortable to cruse or live on. That's about as big as you can sail with one person (Single-hand in sailor talk).

To own, a speed boat since around here there is only a river. I do have the need for speed too! I've never been in a sail boat, I think it would be fun. The closest place to sail one would be about 50 miles from here. I think I'd settle for a canoe, cheap, easy to haul, and it fits into the local creeks and ponds.

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/axfen Bugger all. This is a trailer sailer, so apart from maintaining the trailer bearings and metalwork etc. of the trailer you should consider this as any other trailerable bondwood boat. Normal paintwork upkeep, wire rigging and so on. Every ten or so years you might have to replace your sails - but that very much depends on use and abuse. Rego of trailer and boat - I have no idea what that is wherever you live, check your local RTA. I am currently rebuilding a thirty year old 18 ft Hartley - very simple straightforward boat.

Never mind the length of the boat, dozens of very small boats have made very long passages in perfect safety, to my mind if you're planning to live onboard either afloat or on the shore then being able to stand up in at least one place below is of prime importance, preferably full headroom the length of the main cabin, this factor alone will dictate keel type which in turn will dictate if easy to tow and behind what size vehicle. Headroom, pure and simple.

This isn't Craigslist dummy.