The Boats We’d Actually Buy (With Our Own Money)
Almost every week we look at boats that are tempting: shiny listings, “bluewater capable” claims, teak for days, and enough superlatives to sink a schooner.
But if you handed Canadian Ken and me our own checkbook and said “Buy something you can actually live with,” we’d do what most experienced owners do:
We’d buy the boats that are quietly right.
The ones that don’t scream for attention, but do show a pattern:
cared for, not flipped
upgraded for use, not for photos
and (this is the big one) recently re-powered or running low hours on a known-good diesel (newer: Yanmar, Volvo Penta, Beta Marine | older: Perkins, Westerbeke, Universal)
Because nothing vaporizes a “great deal” faster than an engine that’s living on borrowed time.
So here are a few boats we’ve recently profiled that fit the BoatFools definition of “safe bets” — boats we wouldn’t hesitate to buy ourselves (and as some of you know, we actually bought one of them…and wanted all of them!).
1) The Southern Cross (new engine, 65 hours… this is the stuff)
We just profiled this boat, and it checks a box that buyers under $50K almost never get to check:
Someone already paid the big bill.
A new engine with 65 hours is not a “nice feature.” It’s the difference between:
sailing this season, or
spending this season trying to find a mechanic and swearing a lot
And in a pocket cruiser like this, a repower changes the whole ownership equation:
predictable starting
predictable charging
predictable maneuvering
predictable resale value (because buyers are terrified of old diesels - at times for good reason)
The Southern Cross 28s are serious boats - as in they have circumnavigated around the globe and not way back when they were fresh out of the factory either, we’re talking modern history - as in 2007 and 2017. Same boat, same solo sailor: Donna Lange.
This is what we mean when we say “well-kept.” Not polished wood and staged throw pillows—expensive, unsexy competence. ASKING PRICE: $39,500 (Gray & Gray Yachts)
2) The Morgan (low engine hours, big practical value)
If you’ve watched our channel for more than five minutes, or you’ve read a few of these reports, you know we’ve got a soft spot for Morgans. Not because they’re glamorous—because they’re honest. As a very WISE viewer of our show stated recently: “As soon as I saw your boat, I recognized the Morgan bottom. I had a 321 for 5 years and it is just a shrunken Brewer designed 38. Both these boats are the most under-rated vessels. Built like tanks, encapsulated keels, easy access to chain plates. I envisioned my 321 as a Contessa 32 only with a dryer cockpit and more room below. Love em!”
So a Morgan with documented low engine hours is basically a unicorn. It means one of two things:
the boat hasn’t been used much (sometimes a red flag), or
the boat has been used sensibly and maintained (and possibly repowered!)
What we like about the “right” Morgan (382, 383, 384 - these are the ones we’re most familiar with):
a layout that makes sense for real cruising
systems you can access without dislocating your shoulder
and a hull that doesn’t feel like a disposable appliance
And, damn, if we didn’t find a Morgan unicorn - twice. The first time we found her, she sold immediately. We gave up hope. But then she landed in our lap a second time and we figured out a way to buy her. Mind you, we now own a Morgan 382 (with a rebuilt Perkins 4-108 and updated systems throughout), and this Morgan 384 (with a new Beta Marine with 26 hrs on it, with some systems that need updating). We are some kind of lucky…if there is such a thing in boat ownership.
“One of the most under-rated vessels” out there. We didn’t say that but we agree!
BoatFools rule: low hours matters only if the maintenance story is real. Receipts, logs, the owner who can talk about the engine without saying “It ran when we parked it.”
3) Sea Sprite 34 (fresh engine + classic lines + owners who get it)
The Sea Sprite 34 is one of those boats that attracts a certain kind of owner—the kind who doesn’t need to tell you they’re serious. You can tell because the boat is sorted.
A Sea Sprite 34 with a newer engine hits that rare intersection - and this one has less than 50 hrs on its new Beta Marine Diesel AND the price just dropped from $49,500 down to $39,500 (Gray & Gray Yachts):
classic, proven design
manageable size
and you’re not inheriting a 40-year-old diesel that’s one bad day away from becoming “a project”
A repower in a boat like this is often a clue about the ownership mindset:
they weren’t trying to sell it—they were trying to keep it. But life had other plans.
Those are the boats we want.
Why We Keep Coming Back to “Recently Re-Powered”
Let’s just say it plainly:
The engine is the most expensive “invisible” risk on a used cruising boat. On boat from 28 to 38 feet, you’re talking $20,000—$35,000 to re-power (in Maine anyway)
Sails are obvious. Standing rigging can be inspected. Deck core issues often show themselves - and some core issues can be left alone but others need to be fixed (also expensive depending on the quality of work done and scope of work).
But an engine can sound fine right up until it doesn’t.
When we see a recent re-power (or an engine with legitimately low hours and solid documentation), it’s not just “nice.”
It’s a signal that the owner:
invested for reliability
didn’t defer the inevitable
and probably didn’t cheap out on everything else either
What We Look For (Our Actual “Would We Buy It?” Checklist)
If you want to use the BoatFools filter at home, here’s the quick version:
Green flags
receipts: repower docs, yard invoices, parts lists
“boring upgrades”: wiring, fuel system, hoses, seacocks, bilge pump(s)
clean bilge (not sterile—just not horrific)
owner can explain systems without guessing
rigging age known (or recently done)
Yellow flags (not deal-killers, but price-changers)
low engine hours but no maintenance records
“We didn’t use it much” + unknown fuel age
cosmetic upgrades with no systems work
Red flags
“Engine runs great” + won’t start for the showing
corrosion at the mixing elbow / exhaust riser + shrug
soft decks underfoot and mystery stains below
electrical spaghetti that looks like modern art — or a dog’s breakfast, as Canadian Ken likes to say
The BoatFools Bottom Line
If you’re trying to buy a boat you can actually use—especially on a sane budget—stop chasing the prettiest listing.
Chase the boat where the owner already suffered financially on your behalf.
That’s why these three stand out:
Southern Cross (new engine, 65 hours, ready to go)
Morgan (new engine, low hours [26], solid platform)
Sea Sprite 34 (classic + repower [50 hrs] = rare sanity and beauty)
If you’re looking at a listing that fits this theme—well-kept, recently re-powered, genuinely maintained—and are looking to buy, it might just be your huckleberry. Go have a look!
We love a boat that doesn’t need a motivational speech to leave the dock…
The Caveat:
There are exceptions to every BoatFools Rule. You will find boats with engines that have been absolutely babied — engine rooms that look like palaces. A well-maintained diesel can run for years and thousands of hours…8,000 to even 10,000 isn’t unheard of.
For some perspective, in car terms, roughly 1,000 hours on a marine diesel is about 30,000 miles.
And just for real-world context — we sailed about 30 days last summer and added less than 25 hours to the old meter. At our rate, getting to 1,000 hours could take…about 40 years.
As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your support!
I can't count the boats I have walked away from for this very reason. The other bugaboo today is the lack of or very old electronics. The cost of a new setup, including radar, is outrageous.