BARNEGAT BAY BASH 2016

[MKBLK]

Jason,

Well, "discretion is the better part of valor" and I opted to "call it a day" and bring Pegasus home. As you are well aware, being a sailor can be quite taxing physically and I was pretty much wiped. I was disappointed at not being able to join up with all at Tice's, but was grateful for the help of friends (esp. Kevin). I'm sure you'll soon "hear" from the other Compac-o-nauts. I do know that the ocean temp was about 78 degrees!

The hardware that failed was a "snap" shackle that I had obtained from an unknown source. It was not the swivel type and I believe that torque generated on the fitting was too great for it to handle. The replacement will be more robust and of the swivel type. Damage was limited to the snap shackle, torn jib (already sent out for repair) and a lost halyard. And, of course, my ego!

Marty

[K3v1n]

Here you go, early release for the CPYOA Gang!

...enjoy.

BBB 2016 Part I 'The Rescue'

[Bob23]

  Of course, I can't resist for long throwing in my 2 cents about this years Bash, undoubtedly one of the best. Before I start blabbing, let me first thank Sean at Southwinds Marina for accommodating the 3 yachts that needed a slip. Great showers, nice boat ramp with parking and reasonable priced. And all within crawling distance from Lattitudes, the local food stop and watering hole.
  On Friday afternoon, after discovering I had no electrical system due to a mysteriously dead battery, I threw the lines and headed north from Long Key Marina up to Southwinds, where I was to find Marty and Allen who had already been tasting the local brew. As I motored into my slip, they were most helpful in tying up my tiny yacht in a slip made for a 40 footer.
  A word about the Bash, for those who don't know. To say it's a loosely organized gathering of Compac-o-nauts from various backgrounds is putting it mildly. There is no schedule...hardly any rules. The rules: Have fun, help each other out, no political discussions. Really, what more does a person need?
  After a cold beer and some apps, we started to think about dinner so we settled for a late one...because, we just felt like it, that's why. We wanted to eat outside but after the pleasant young girl hostess informed us of the 90 minute wait, we decided that was trying our patience. She actually said: "Do you want to be on my list?" I refrained from one of my wise ass comments and told her, no, we'll dine inside, thank you. Soon we were seated with cold beers in hand except for me: Margarita's were beckoning and I just had to answer the call. Twice. While the 5 of us were eating, who should appear but Juan, Kevins brother who is also known as John and sails a Skipper 20. While gabbing together who else should appear but Kevin himself who is the original instigator of the Bash, known 10 years ago as the Compac Convergence. Yup, for you math wizards, this is the 10th anniversary Bash.
  Finally we were done, paid our bill and did our best to stagger back to the boats for a peaceful nights sleep amid the loud band, loud people and much too large powerboats tied up only feet from us. I slept well aboard my 23, she really is quite comfy and the 2 margs didn't hurt either. Before splitting, we decided on breakfast in the morning at the famous Colonial Diner, hoping that Athena would still be there from last year.
  To be continued...
Bob23

[lkm]

Speaking of '2 cents' --- The 2016 BBB will go down in my books as ... probably costing a lot more than 2 cents.

My intent was clearly to have the family have fun and enjoy my passion.  But, I think my wife had _too_ much fun at the BBB, and has fully bought in to the sailing thing, and is now requesting a 'full size' boat with plans for keeping it probably on the Barnegat bay so that she can take regular advantage of both bay and ocean beach activities (this is now one of her favorite beaches).

Thanks a lot, BBB participants!

With that said, I'm not sure how much I can afford.   She wants something in the 35-40 foot range with full bath, kitchen, and rooms for kids to grow, etc.  The boat is on thing, but part of the reason for the Compac was that slips get expensive over time, too. Question arrises about slips or mooring a 'full size' boat on the Barnegat bay.  Do the regulars there (Bob/Kevin/Marty) have suggestions on marinas that have reasonable seasonal rates?  Mooring would be ideal/preferable, but online I don't see any places that do that. 

Larry.

[MKBLK]

Larry,

Wow! Well, looky here: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2016/Com-Pac-35-C. Your "new" Com-Pac cruiser. The best of everything and still a part of the BBB family!

P.S. I'll leave the pros and con$ to others.

Marty K.

Sorry about the "page not found", stupid URL's. Anyway, I'm sure I don't have to tell you, the CP35 is gorgeous!

[Bob23]

Larry: You're welcome!!! Count your blessings: My wife does not like to sail at all. That's why I'm solo all the time. And please read the disclaimer and waiver that you signed when you joined the forum which clearly states that we will accept no responsibility if you, your wife and/or your kids get hooked on sailing and request a larger boat.

I would not recommend a mooring for a boat that size. My advice would be to look for something a bit smaller (30'?) and keep her in a marina. Long Key is reasonable and there are many others.

[HeaveToo]

Larry:
I had a Catalina 30 before the Compac 23.  It was a great boat, had a TON of room for a 30.  I had a head, shower, 2 burner stove with an oven, and a lot of other niceties.  I REALLY miss that boat but it was SO expensive to keep.

Consider what budget you think that you will have for the boat.  Think of slip fees, taxes, yearly engine maintenance (haul out, paint, etc), upgrades, the cost of sails, the cost of canvas (bimini, Dodger, etc), and that is just the surface.  If you have any major repairs they can really hurt.  A new diesel is usually at least $10,000. 

Bob is right on about the smaller boat in the 30 foot range.  Take a look at the Catalina 320.  It is a great boat, it is big but not too big, and it may fit the bill.

A few more things.  People always talk about having an aft cabin.  That is all well and good but remember that if you are on the hook you don't have shore power so no AC.  The V-berth is the best place on the boat for ventilation and sleeping.  Look for a boat with a big V-berth.

Also consider the maximum draft you can have for your area.  For the Chesapeake Bay I would suggest staying under 5'.  Your area may be different.

Trust me, I owned the Catalina 30 for almost 10 years.  I bought her at $35000 and when I sold her, after I paid the stupid broker, I had $21000 in my hand. 

Do your homework before you start boat shopping.  Go to marinas and find out if there is a waiting list and what the price is per year.  How often does the marina fees go up?  What will you pay for insurance?  What is the depth of your marina?  What are your intended uses for the boat?  Will you take Transient slips or will you anchor out?  How long will your trips be?

[Mas]

Larry,

There is no sense reminding all of what happened when i returned to sailing after a long hiatus. Got that 23d thinking she will be just fine for me and the occasional trip with Susan........the 23d is now in New England (and missed), and i have a larger hole in the water. Larger craft have their advantages for sure but smaller craft have theirs as well. Be sure what you are getting into. Heave has pointed out many of the things to consider. The cost for a mainsail alone for our 31 is about what a mainsail, staysail, genoa,and  spinnaker cost for the 23. With that said the cost for an unhappy wife is even greater.

As far as where you plan to keep her, can't speak to Barnegat Bay but have been told it is quite shallow. Don't know about slip fees there either but Bob can assist in that area. Hear there are some slips available for a case of beer! We have to pay dollars down here on the Chesapeake, no such luck!

On the choice of boats, yup think 30ish would be a nice compromise for increased size but not so huge you have to mortgage the kids too, Also easier to handle in tight spots and shallow causing grounds. The Catalina 30 Heave mentioned in a great boat and there are a ton of them out there. Remember that increased length is a geometric increase in size in all aspects from sail size, to engine, to draft, to displacement, to costs. I would recommend you get a boat with the company still in business and the model still in production if you can. So much easier for after sale needs and eventual resale price. Also avoid project boats unless you just love to work on them and not sail them. Your best buy is a boat someone else has done all the work on, if done right. Even then there will always be stuff that needs attention.

Resist the urge to buy a boat so other people can enjoy her, especially as those other people may or may not always be onboard. I watch this happen all the time, folks keep getting a larger holes in the water because they would like the extra room or features. So many of those craft seem to never leave the slip. Buy a sailboat because of how she sails. Let's face it, if you want spacious accommodations on a boat get a tug or the like. Sailboat owners all live in their basements!

Good luck! Fall is a good time of year to both sell and buy.

[K3v1n]

BBB 2016 Part II 'The Raft Up'

Sounds great Larry, but you don't want to go too big too fast. Here is the link for the marina I am at, they have three marina's...Silver Cloud, Wibert's and Tall Oaks is where I keep Tetra. They also have some boats for sale.

Silver Cloud Harbour Marina

Also....

Sandy Hook Yacht Sales

[lkm]

Yep, theres a bit of tongue in cheeks with the 'thanks a lot!'

Great advice, and I have a lot of ambivalence about this for all reasons listed above.   I love my Eclipse in large part for those reasons.  1.5 foot draft for gunk holes, trails and sets up easily, and a very high fun/cost ratio.  There's almost no way I'll ever match those attributes in a larger boat.  So, if it was just me, I'd be quite happy with the what we have.  The main problems currently are: 1) bathroom options (women are more fussy about these things), headroom (the females complain about difficulty changing into swimwear discretely) and my only issue which is 3) overall cockpit space for 4 people is tight (I feel I'm constantly stepping on someone to reach a line).  So, I'm not going to rush right out, just yet.  I want to do a quite a bit more homework, and probably make some kind of a move next Spring, or maybe even into Summer depending on how the financial evaluation looks then, and sale of the Eclipse.  Sorry, Marty, unfortunately $165K base price for a new Compac 35 is probably not in the tea leaves, but, yes a late 90's or early 2000 ('ish) 30 ('ish) foot Catalina's, or maybe a Jenneau, or Beneteau with as shoal draft as I can find are probably where I'm thinking we might land.  It looks like there are zillions of options available, and I'm not in any rush.  Any opinions on how important the boat age is (e.g. after nn years, xyz starts to fail and might need replacement) in that equation?

In the meantime, we might see us poke around different marinas with/without the Eclipse asking questions.  And, even if a non Compac choice I hope it won't limit me from 'crashing the bash' on occasion.

Finally, I will say what an odd feeling with the rest of the family looking at yachtworld.  It's bad enough as a time sink for me!   I might even point them at Sandy Hook Yacht sales, except at the top of the page is that beautiful Taswell.  Once they see something like that its 'Oh - I like that one...' - 'yeah Dad - lets get that!' And  I say 'uh, yeah, well except for the draft is too deep, and well the fact that its #$@ $500K!!! Yes, that _IS_ a beauty, but No, I don't think so.  Then I show them a Catalina 30, and their response is 'Yeah, maybe, but I like the Taswell better', 'I think we should get the Taswell'.  Ugh.

[Mas]

Well this boat violates a couple of the gotta consider when looking for a boat ideas, mostly the company still in business and model still in production advice but know these are great sailing boats and know that this owner is trying to flip her and have too many boats right now. She was purchased for a bunch less so PM me if you are at all interested.

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/60012

Happy hunting!

[Bob23]

There's a nice Compac 27 for sale at Mariners Marina, Barnegat. Not far from Southwinds.
Bob23

[HeaveToo]

If you are looking at Catalina 30s feel free to ask me questions.  I had 8-10 years with a 1990 Catalina 30 and I know the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Try to get a boat in the MKii vintage.  It is better if it is after 1990 because the 1988s tended to have more blisters.  They switched the resin around 1989 as I recall.  An MkIII would be awesome but you may not find that in the right price range and they are a bit more rare than the MKII. 

Catalina changed the compression post in 1988 and went to a metal compression post.  This was a huge improvement and it saves you some issues BUT, and I mean BUT, check the base of the mast.  It is sealed in the bilge.  MOST of the boats that are MKii need to have the oak block that the metal compression post sits on replaced.  Mine was coming due for that repair and that is a big one.  In that one you have to take the mast down, chisel out the old wood block, and put a new one in there.  Also watch for delamination of the rudder.  The deck is cored plywood and it is not abnormal to have a little moisture but watch for soft decks.  Mine didn't have that issue at all but I did have a few blisters.  In the MKi you have to watch for blisters, the Catalina Smile (the bilge base is cored plywood which will get went and cause the keel to sag a little causing a big repair), the compression post, the compression block in the bilge, and a few other things.  Diesel is a must and look for the Universal M25XP.  That is a GREAT engine that is easy to work on and it works out great.  While you have a big engine you have a small prop so you won't get much more than 5knots at cruising speed with a clean hull. 

I could go on and on about the Catalina 30.  Great boat, huge amount of room, sails well, takes a beating, etc etc etc.  I miss mine a lot.  Just be ready for a budget that is MUCH MUCH MUCH higher than your current boat.

[Mas]

"In the meantime, we might see us poke around different marinas with/without the Eclipse asking questions.  And, even if a non Compac choice I hope it won't limit me from 'crashing the bash' on occasion."



Oh, forgot to try to address your question. The age is clearly important but of more importance IMHO is the quality that was put into the boat when new and how many owners she has had and how well they have kept her. A new boat of dubious quality can have many more issues than a 30yr old boat of exceptional quality. I know of two different folks who recently purchased different brand new Beneteaus that have had 10's of thousands of repairs and issues with them. Go figure. In our case the boat we acquired, and those like her at her age, are selling for about what they were new 25 years ago and are still in production. This speaks to the longevity of the design and quality built in. She has work that must be done, but the only time a boat has no work you will do to her is when she is no longer yours. There is a huge range in the quality and costs for similar sized boats. For example a new 31 Beneteau in 2010 was 109,000, base price no options. A new 31 Pacific Seacraft in 2010, base price no options, was 240,000.

I had already known for years which boats i wanted based upon many parameters, Susan picked ours out of that group we were considering. We both are happy. As far as timing.....fall has the best pricing as winter (mid Atlantic) is just around the corner but your timing is more important. Hope all this helps.

[Bob23]

Just watched BBB part 2....great videography!!! Thanks, Kev!