No, there is nothing wrong with my current Seafarer. I still love the thing. But the more I think about moving aboard, the more certain I am that that is what I want to do, the more anxious I get to just get on with it. I did a little bit of math and I have figured out that I can pay off my 401(k) loan (used to purchase my rental property) right now, which would free up the account to buy the next boat.

The problem…I would have to dip into my Big Adventure funds to do it. I’m thinking, though, that I could consider that something of a loan, with a null result as I’m basically paying off myself, essentially moving the loan. And, I could perhaps immediately return the funds to the BA account if I decided to take out a couple thousand extra.  Hmmm….definitely worth considering. It’s time to break out the spreadsheets!

Anyhow, what is getting me is that I am seeing all sorts of decent sounding boats online. Lots of these could potentially work for me. Of course, what a boat looks like online, and what a boat looks like in person are not necessarily the same. But it would be nice to have the option to jump on a deal should one come along.

There are a lot of boats out there that I’m interested in; but two have grabbed my attention of late. I take that back…one of the two has apparently just been sold…you see my frustration?

 Anyhow, the last one that is currently holding my attention is a Grampian 30 centerboard model named Avocet. Click the name and you come to the boats current owner’s website, click here to see the sale listing (up when this post was written…it will quite likely disappear in the future). I’ve stolen a couple shots from the for sale page (hope the guy doesn’t mind) just in case the advert comes down.

Now, the Grampian 30 is a pretty roomy, pretty seaworthy, and not terrible looking boat; but not really designed as a world voyager, more of a coastal cruiser (like most of the boats in my price range). But, even so, this particular boat has done a fair amount of voyaging all over the Atlantic and Caribbean and is pretty well outfitted including a newish diesel engine, Cape Horn wind vane steering, solar panels, wind generator, refrigerator, upgraded (and reasonably recent) rigging, and who knows what else, and with the centerboard it gains the benefit of shallow draft (3’3″). This gear would represent a significant investment if upgrading another boat, quite likely coming close to this boat’s asking price of $15,000. Of course, there is a catch…I’ve yet to find anyone claim that the Grampian 30 is a stellar performer, especially to windward. But she can get the job done, clearly, because she has gotten the job done. I like the interior shots. I love the outfitting list. I love the shallow draft. It might be worth looking into. Especially if I can free up some money and actually purchase her if things look good.

If things don’t look good all is not lost. There are several Tartan 30s around that look like they might fit the bill, and some Sabre 28s that might be worth a gander. The Bayfield 29 had some really interesting features I wanted to check out, but I waited and it apparently is gone. Ah, well.