Let’s say you were looking for a nice 25- to 35-foot boat to take your family out sailing. You haven’t done a lot of sailing, maybe you’ve taken a few sailing classes at your local community center, or chartered a boat or two down in the Caribbean. The times you’ve been out have been great, and you’re ready to take the plunge. You’ve gone through your finances, figured out how much you can afford to spend up front, and also annually for maintenance.

You’re looking for a boat you can get for under $15,000. One which will get the ever-important family approval factor with a nice cabin-area, a head, and a cockpit you can entertain some friends in once in a while.

After asking for advice, you’ve also budgeted in the 10 to 15% per year (of the new cost of the vessel) in annual maintenance costs; you’re expected to spend $5 to $10k per year in keeping the boat moving and in good shape, although hopefully you can do much of that work on your own to cut down cost.

Since you’re new to sailing, you want a vessel which sails well and will also take care of you if you do venture out in a bit too much breeze or a bit too far away from shore. What do you get?

We’ve selected four great boats to start with.

Tartan 34
This 1971 classic S&S designed fiberglass cruiser truly is a classic, with a centerboard, good sailing characteristics, and a very traditional design of both topsides and the cabin. This is both a plus and a minus, as it means less space than many other, more modern designs (although good luck finding those for $15k) particularly in the aft section of the boat. On the other hand, this is a boat which will take care of you in a variety of conditions, and will let you cut your teeth getting out there. Generally, motion of these older boats tends to be more moderate, and they tend to have lower sail area / displacement ratios than many more modern designs.

With 525 boats launched from 1968 to 1978, there are plenty to choose from, and in a wide variety of conditions. With the centerboard drawing just 3′ 11″, when you do run around you can just step over the side and pull her off.

Things to watch out for include a sticking centerboard, soft spots on the deck (subdeck delamination, typically), water intrusion in the rudder, and the excess wear in the lower rudder bearing.

Several years ago, many of these boats were going for between $20 and 30k. But in the current environment, we found several for between $10 and $12k. With a bit of negotiation, you can get a nice cruiser.

Boats on the Market (as of January 15, 2010):

• This Tartan 34 includes wheel steering and the original Atomic 4.

Learn more about the T34 in this full review.

Ericson 28
While there are several Ericsons available to choose from, we selected the Ericson 28 largely based on budget. If you have a few more k, you can get into the 29, which has a bit more room in the v-berth, among other changes. Considered a reasonably constructed boat, they manufactured 90 of them from 1980 to 1984, and were designed by Bruce King.

With an LOA of 28ft, and a LWL of just 23.3ft, they will be slower than the Tartan 34.

Keep in mind as well that this was the period when the boat blisters occurred, which can require a major bottom job (read thousands of dollars or 10s of hours of your time). So make sure they haven’t had any bottom issues, or that they haven’t had any issues recently.

Other information, according to Jeff H on Sailnet:

Ericson built a line of performance cruisers. They were reasonably but not exceptionally well constructed. The 28+ sailed reasonably well for a boat that was intended as a weekend cruiser.

The 28+ had a fractional rig which is my favorite rig for a boat this size BUT the big advantage to a fractional rig in boats this size (beyond having easier to handle headsails) is the ability to control mastbend on the fly which allows a rider range of sail shape and therefore fewer reefs. The problem with the 28+ is that many of them do not have proper backstay adjusters that allow you to really control mast bend and so give up some of the advantages of a fractional rig.

Boats on the Market:

• Ericson 28: This is a 1981 masthead-sloop variety.

Newport 28
One of the all-time classic plastic yachts, the Newport 28 offers basic accommodations combined with reasonable build quality and sailing characteristics. With a production run from 1974 to 1987, and over 1000 hulls constructed, there are nearly always a few available on the market.

Built to a price-point, these have never been considered high-quality go-anywhere boats. Their design and construction is sufficient for day-sailing and protected cruising, and there are active cruising fleets in San Francisco, among other locations.

Things to look for include the more recent 28 II, which offers a slightly deeper keel and a diesel (as opposed to the gasoline Atomic 4 in the 28). The difference in depth isn’t great – just 4’6″ vs. 5′ 2″ but the diesel is a nice safety update.

Under sail, it is initially tender due to it’s rounded hull sections amidships, but with a 40% B/D ratio, it stiffens up once it takes a set. It sails well in a variety of breezes – put a single reef in if it is going to blow, while it can ghost along quite nicely in light air.

Down below, all versions featured a v-berth forward, followed by an enclosed head and hanging locker. The galley was originally placed on the starboard side, but the 28 II moved it aft, with options of placing it on either the port or starboard side.

Look for a boat with re-covered cushions (the dated checkered pattern is, well, in need to being replaced). Also watch for de-lamination on the deck around the chainplates, and leaking hull-to-deck joints.
All-in-all, a good offering for a great price. With over 1000 to choose from, you can find one at your price point.

Boats on the Market:

• This Newport 28 is in desperate need of re-upholstery

A full review is available here

Alberg 30
One of the great offshore designs, the Alberg 30 may not look like much, but they have circumnavigated and are well respected in the cruising world.

Although examples can range as high at $35,000, we found several in our price range. Designed by Carl Alberg, and built by Whitby Boat Works in Ontario, they are well-known as good rough-weather boats.

The boat has a straight-forward setup, with a v-berth in the bow and two benches / settees on port and starboard. The galley aft and optional head just behind the v-berth complete a functional and compact layout. With large windows on either side, the boat has a tight, compact feeling to her.

We cruised extensively with an Alberg 30 in the Bahamas. That version had replaced their head with more storage (using a porta-potty), and also rigged up additional storage around the galley, and canvas around the cockpit, making it into an additional living area. It was a small boat, and can be a bit dynamic at anchor or when motor-sailing in a short chop. This comes with the territory with these smaller boats. Find a nice anchorage and nestle up in some protected waters, and this boat really comes into its own. And it is well built enough to take offshore and protect you from a bit of weather if you find it.

Under sail, her deep keel, conservative rig, easy motion and small cockpit all help to improve sea-keeping ability and safety offshore.

Boats on the Market:

• Albert 30:

A full review is available here

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