Hay Ryan, I'm a disabled senior and cant afford to do anymore then subscribe to your video's and have watched them several times. I've been all over the country as professional diver for the majority of my life but have always wounded what it would be like to live on board and travel the world. But do to age and physical limitations I am no longer able to live out my dreams but am very happy you kids are able to live them out for me now. I am so envious of you as you not only are living a dream but have such a very special young lady to share it with. You are both a rare an beautiful couple and unlike so many young people today have a good head on your shoulders and are willing to work for what you want without expecting everything to be handed to you. i imagine both of you have parents that are very proud because if you were my kids I would be bursting with pride for sure. I have an aunt and uncle that will be celebrating there 50th wedding anniversary next month and you both remind me so much of them. I hope this adventure is only one of many happy adventures you share together and 50 years from now you are still in love and just as happy. I will be anxiously looking forward to you next video. You kids be careful and keep enjoying life to it's fullest and keep shooting for the moon, even if you miss you'll still wined up amongst the stars!
I'm 70 yrs old and grew up sailing out of Holland Harbor into Lake Michigan in the 50s and 60s. I've enjoyed watching your twist on sailing and will continue watching you learn to sail vicariously.
Its great to see that there are people out there that treat others the way you would want to be treated! I have found myself in the same position, where you give someone a screaming deal! You find it easy today to say what a fool i was.but then its worth every penny when ya look in the mirror.Congrats!take care of her!
Sweet documentary of a candid change of command. I'm sure it was very emotional for him to let go, a very hard thing to do with boats that have given you so much in the last 20 years. Best of luck in your new and exciting stewardship of this little ship.
Never thought of it as a change of command but that's exactly what is was. It was definitely an emotional time all around! We share passions by the way - I've been surfing my whole life. Grew up surfing year round in frigid NJ waters. All the best and thanks for the support :)
Great boat at a great price! You'll be wanting "Creeping Crack Cure" (CCC)! Hallberg had this great scheme for making a perfectly waterproof plastic boat leak by laying a teak deck and creating screw holes through the GRP. We had a 1990 vintage HR 382 and taking the headlining down to trace a leak is a no no because it is glued to the coach roof! So, when it's wet and leaking try to work out where the water is coming from and when it's dry, allow the CCC to trickle into all likely leak holes. It is a very thin white liquid and seems to find the holes and block them up. Good luck - Our HR 382 took us on a 2 year 12,000 mile Atlantic circuit and really looked after us. You will have the time of your lives.
Thanks Ian for the awesome recommendation on the CCC. We just bought some! Your two year circuit sounds amazing and we are hoping to get the boat back over to the UK some day in the future to get Jim back on-board. We are excited to start our adventure!
Good luck to you both in your adventures. First luck first get thru the restoration with no catastrophic failures..... Looking forward to the next video.
Yeah really think you are both down to earth and likable. Key ingredients to a successful voyage. Now hurry up and get your boat chores done so you can get out there and make magic. I will be rooting for you guys!!!
Well done. I'd nearly forgotten about this channel but great to see you got the boat. Hope the lack of having it surveyed doesn't bite you later. Looks a clean boat but time will tell. Looking forward to the next installation...
I love that you had the courage to pull the trigger and buy it based on your gut. I think too many people become an obstacle in their own path. I recently purchased an Alberg 37 Yawl and will be following your journey as I start my own.
Couldn't agree more. Comfort is the #1 killer of dreams. Congrats on taking the leap, John! Any cruising "plans"? I write plans in quotes because with this lifestyle plans seem to never hold up!
I plan on going, where and for how long I leave up to the mood I am in :) Like most I "plan" on cruising the Caribbean for a while. I did buy a blue water boat because I don't want to find myself wanting to go somewhere my boat could not go.
Congratulations on your new boat! I am sure it will change your life for sure. We would love to consider doing something like this in the future. Smooth sailing!
Because of the oil embargo during the later 1970's and the newness of fiberglass materials for boat building, it is best, if you want an old boat, to buy a fiberglass boat built 1960's to around 1974. the reason for this is the boat builders used much heavier glass and made the boats much stronger due to not understanding the strength of fiber glass materials. However, due to the thicker fiberglass, the boats are much heavier and therefore slower. You made a great purchase, but don't ever be scared to go with an older boat, they are built very strong and will last a very long time. Great boat you purchased, good luck refitting it, and I look forward to watching all of your videos moving forward.
35 to 45 foot is a good size for 2 people to sail.i know people out there will say its to big for people starting out sailing but you have to learn how to sail a bigger boat sooner or later and why not sooner.It does not matter wether your buying a boat or a home the same buying skills are the same just a different type of home .life is a risk and so is buying anything .good to see you both powering on and pushing forward with your dream.
35ft is plenty for us. Looking back on it - we probably could've gone smaller but we'll see if that remains true once we're out on the big blue in 20ft swells! Thanks for the kind words and supporting our dream :)
Congratulations! She's a beauty of a boat and Jim seems like a stand up guy. I can only imagine what a tearing experience it was for him to sell. My personal recommendation (if there is an opportunity) is that before Rebel goes back in the water you pull *EVERYTHING* not nailed down out of her. See what you have in the way of mold, rotted wood, wiring issues and leak issues (look in every access hatch and compartment). Then clean clean clean (& more cleaning) repaint as many areas as you can. Teak decks look GREAT, unfortunately the hundreds and hundreds of screws holding it down are by now corroded enough that you have/will have leaks. It's just what happens with old teak decking and is why so many live aboards have torn out their old teak. In the long run at some point I think you will be time and money well spent to remove that deck. I know that sounds harsh, and you obviously will need time to afford that, but your health is at risk with mold and damp from a leaky teak deck if you intend to spend much time living aboard. ...not to mention water damage, rust and corrosion from a water permeated humid boat. Sorry to be a downer and I hope that the deck screws are mostly intact but the many drops I saw falling in the vid seem to indicate otherwise.
Being realistic is never being a downer in our books :) The teak deck will be coming up in a few months. Surprisingly, it's held up well throughout the time we've owned her. Next episode we show us tearing apart the boat and cleaning like crazy. Thanks for the support and advice!
I'd put down a fiberglass deck with non-skid. Don't mess with new teak. Very expensive and it'll just be a maintenance hassle the whole time you own it.
Undoubtedly, Jim is the type of sailor you want to buy a boat from. For an '85 boat, it looks in great shape. I want to hang out with Jim and hear his stories. I'm happy he seems to like you b/c it must be an emotional thing for him to give up his boat. So much more romantic in the day without GPS and internet and long-range forecasts, etc. No boat is perfect and you will continue to do a lot of upkeep. But it looks very good!
We're planning on having Jim back on board as a 3rd crew member when we cross the pond. It was an incredible experience hanging out with him and we can't wait to see him again!
Greetings from the port of La Rochelle, France and congrats on your purchase, Jim seems such a nice man, without doubt a salty old seadog with heaps of knowledge. Keeping Jim in the loop is such a wise decision.
Hi Guys - lovely to come across your vlogs as we too are looking at buying a boat to sail and know next to nothing! Even better to see that Jim is from the UK - lovely genuine man from our homeland :-) Looking forward to catching up with the videos and learning alot.
Most sailboat people are great people and help each other. I use to have a small sailboat and sailboat around Florida a little. Ive been thinking about buying another and move on for good since Im retired now and 63 but in good shape? You never know might see you out there someday.
Did you see the dripping water between 5:50 and 6:20? "American chocolate is rubbish." I totally agree! Congratulations guys! It looks like a nice little boat. I'm looking forward to your upcoming videos when you're crossing the pond...
good luck to you guys, take as much as you can to work on parts of the boat, we have the same plans still looking for our boat so we are watching how do it well help us as well .
Haha! We remember the feeling :) Pelican is a beaut! But always keep the options open and try to detach our emotion from the equation. A steep ask but somewhat doable.
Kelsey, your smile as you came out of work was priceless.... like I wrote before I've a boat "relation" to your HR352 in a Najad 343, but what I didn't say is that I now live in Sweden, about 70kms from the Rassy yard on Ellös. Great boat you've got yourselves, good quality build, as well as a fantastic price. I'm NOT kidding you but the very same boat here (Europe) would set you back between 100%-200% more. Check the thickness of the teak deck before you decide to rip it up, there are a lot of teak haters but it is a fantastic surface to have.. I'm in the process of renovating mine, up with the plugs and screws, in with epoxy and plugs, new caulking and a light sanding. My deck is 36 years old and is still on average 10-12mm thick... Good luck Warren s/y Legend
She was quite surprised to see me and to be buying a boat :) Didn't know you lived so close to the yard. What is the weather like there during June/July? We got very lucky with the price paid on our boat but as I said before this is no credit to us negotiating because we paid Jim what he thought was a fair price. It was more about carrying on the boat's legacy, we think. As always, thanks for the support, Warren.
Congratulations! Great to see folks getting a good sea boat, and not a dockside condo. Looks like Jim took good care of the boat. Very brave of you to proceed! Had an Aries wind vane on my previous boat. It's an excellent piece of kit, just be sure to keep it well lubricated/waxed. The proper operation depends on smooth bearing surfaces. Easy to make a couple different upper vanes (smaller/bigger) to help adjust for higher/lesser winds. An electric or hydraulic autopilot is nice for motoring in no wind, or you are sailing downwind in light air. Looking forward to the following episodes! Cheers!
Thanks, Marty! Jim took great care of her. We're stoked to break out the vane and get to use it. Our boat has 2 autopilots as well, one wheel unit and one hydraulic. Both Raymarine :)
Interesting: nice to see some Florida style sailors. My background is Great Lakes growing up, 4yrs San Diego, and 27yrs working other people's commercial tour boats and stuff.
Love the quote. Agreed, he spent almost 30 years to the day he sold her on board her. Luckily for Jim, we're planning our circumnavigation attempt around bringing her back over to him in a couple years :)
Congratulations! I'm looking forward to following your adventure. I appreciate the transparency on the costs. Do this on your own time and in your own way and ignore the trolls!
You got a fantastic deal on that boat. The SSB and anchor windlass are very desirable items. The weather fax transmissions I understand are good to like 200 miles off Euro/American shores and the addition of a data modem (2,500 USD) along with a 250 pr yr subscription to the ham operated email system will allow for as cheap an email system as one could hope for. Email gets to be very expensive at sea with sat phone options too. You can also get weather fax data using laptops and tablets too. So in short you can replace that printer with a tablet and repurpose that nav station area.
Subscribed and can't wait to follow the adventure! I love the honest and real tone, guys. Keepin' it real and honest...my kind of people! I could fall in love with you two! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. God bless and good fortune moving forward!
You bet! I'm excited for you. Check out my story at my website (www.dannyboytravels.com). I've left the corporate world, and now travel and volunteer (and teach sailing part-time). I'm readily available to assist as crew for passages (or refurbish work at dock/yard) if you need a helping hand at any point. I trade work for a place to sleep :-)
I think that you have a great boat and if you complete your "to do" list it will last you for a number of years. Looking forward to your further adventures with this boat, best of luck!!
About half-way through this never-ending todo list! We're calling her our forever boat so we'll see how far she takes us. Thanks for the support, Davie :)
Within this short video, I found myself liking and even trusting your seller gentleman. Normally I would never purchase a sailboat without a survey but I don't believe this guy would intentionally deceive anyone. With a bit of fixing up, you two now have a fine sturdy vessel to sail our earths ocean's. Good on you!
Thank you, Ed! We had the same first impressions with our conversations with Jim as well. We wanted a boat with a loving owner and beautiful story. He wanted a reliable buyer and someone he felt was right to take over the reins. All around a great buying experience :)
Great choice on the boat indeed! Looking at HR352 myself, have not seen anything at least twice as expensive on this side of the pond... thumbs up! Subscribed a while ago. Looking forward to more videos and boat projects!
I love your song! We're in the same boat, tiny house or sail the world. We're in love with CO but I grew up fishing and she gets seasick. Good luck and caulk up!
We flew to Florida from the UK and bought a sailboat at the end of last year (also at Indiantown Marina coincidentally). We've safely made it through the Bahamas, Turks and now we're in the Dominican Republic. I personally had no sailing experience but my partner had grown up sailing small sailboats. Now he's the proud owner of a 42 ft C&C and we're loving it! Wishing you both a bundle of luck on your journey ⛵⛵⛵
Congratulations! You must be so excited. I can't wait for my studies to be over and get to work so I can save up the money to shop for a sailboat. It's been a dream of mine for some time. Once again congratulations and enjoy.
Great to hear another Scottish accent from Jim. Edinburgh-based vlogger here - not water based but love the idea of it and will be following your adventures 😊👍⛵️
Glad you were able to close the deal.Seemed the PO really wanted you to have it and see it go to a good new caretakers. Congratulations. Are you planning to take the ASA courses and did you have any trouble with getting her insured due to the amount of sailing experience that you guys currently have? Keep us up dated. Can't wait til the next video. Charles
Wow guys, this is fantastic! What a great deal you got on the the HR and you've done an amazing job of documenting it. While it makes me wish we'd done a better job of capturing video early on, your videos are are very inspiring. Good job on following through with answering the big hard questions people have about finances as well. It's something we've noticed over the years and it's helpful to everyone who follows!
Thank you for the kind words and support. We're more than happy to answer any of the tough financial questions because we really don't have anything to hide. We know the main question we had before embarking on this adventure was 'what is the cost?'. So we do the best we can to answer it because we know this is what's holding people back from taking the leap to pursue this lifestyle. We want people to watch us and say damn if these goons can do it then I can :) Thank you for following our journey!
Great video editing style in telling your story...loved it! Was smiling the whole way through and that's why have you have sub success. You two are so likable, it was like seeing two of my good friends from childhood get the boat they have been dreaming of. Best Wishes and Fair Seas
Sailing ruby rose #15 at the 10 min 30 sec mark is good to see..they handled it well. The 3 way painter lashing there tender to the boat was a good idea.( there tender may have flipped without that.) They actually say on the video that they slowed and he re-ties knots to the tender. Wow.. That is hopefully avoidable. Double reefed. Probably just running on a double reefed main. No jib . Exciting. If they expected that weather there tender would be topside.. Interested in your enclosure. Canvas shops are often booked for awhile....Best wishes to you two. G.T.
Lucky for us we have a porta-boat now and she'll be in her SUP racks off the stanchions. So we shouldn't be towing her too often! Canvas is still in the cutting & measuring phase. Won't be out for a few episodes but next Thursday is episode 4 (boat tour). Thanks for watching as always, Gary!
Good for you guys! My girlfriend (now wife) and I bought an HR 38 and sailed to Mexico and back for 9 months in 2012-2013. No regrets! The HR 38 is just a slightly larger version of the 352. I know that boat like the back of my hand, so if you ever have any questions, feel free to hit me up!
Tim McDonald I'll give your blog a peak! Awesome to hear you guys have been there and done it. We'll definitely keep you in mind for any questions we may have 🙂
I just started the process of getting into the maritime world myself! I must say its one of the most daunting things I've ever experienced in my life, congrats you guys on the vessel if you ever need some help with a voyage I am more than happy to offer my services, the skills are very limited but can definitely learn along the way. Good luck you guys.
It definitely is! So many things to learn and it's not like anything land-based where if you mess up you're just broken down. You're at the absolute mercy of mother nature out on the water. We love it though! Best of luck on your adventure as well :)
I have to admit I initially took a peek at your first video because Kelsey is really cute. I was expecting to be invested in no more than 1 episode, as many of the 'sailing' vlogs I have watched on TH-cam, over the last 2+ years, have been really hit or miss(and for me mostly miss). I'm someone who did a lot of sailing the Pacific with my ole man growing up. And while I loved every minute of it, I've had a different calling that has taken me away from Ocean sailing. But, I find your approach and openness about the process very refreshing. I think many who may want to follow this path can find some useful tidbits from your approach. You don't lecture, and you are allowing others to see your mistakes without taking yourselves too seriously. If you respect the oceans and seas, you two are going to do just fine. Congrats on what seems to be a nice following so far. And put me in the corner of one of those who has absolutely loved the music you have used so far.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Kelsey and I really felt moved after reading this. You keep us motivated to keep producing and showing our trials and tribulations for others to know what to expect. Again, thank you a million times over. Truly means the world to us.
my comment came from the shot of both buyer and seller together in your video, nice looking boat good luck and happy sailing ahead. Personally I have owned 2 larger keel boats during the last 20 yrs and feel they are meant to be lived in and are a lifestyle rather than an asset, I only feel sad when I see a beautiful yacht sitting at its marina unused and unvisited unfortunately all too common.
We're over the moon! Awesome to hear the info we provide is helping you guys with your "dream design"!! Thanks for watching and don't hesitate to reach out if we can help in any way with making the boat dream come true :)
You two bought a 1985 boat from its original owner and it looked like it was in pretty good cosmetic shape. That is ridiculously rare. Plus, you really lucked out on how accommodating and kind he was.
We looked at a lot of boats and this one was truly an amazing find. We are actually the 4th owners but Jim had the boat for the majority of the time (almost 30 years). The buying process couldn't have gone smoother and we still keep in touch with the previous owner. :)
I like the hull shape on this boat, and I like how the rudder is protected and reinforced.. where there any other boat brands you guys considered which had these qualities? It seems like all of the mainstream brands have fin keels and spade rudders...
Awesome guys and congrats too. Lovely boat you got there and Jim seems such a nice guy. I am pleased for both of you. Thanks for sharing and best from Hong Kong 🇭🇰
![4] Brand New Sailboat Tour! | Abandon Comfort - Sailing The World](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mKfxJaU9yY8/mqdefault.jpg)
![4] Brand New Sailboat Tour! | Abandon Comfort - Sailing The World](/img/tr.png)
![42] Buying Our Dream Sailboat from an Abandoned Boatyard | Abandon Comfort](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w_RWnE51KbE/mqdefault.jpg)
Can tell he loved the ship and really pained him to let it go. He talks about it like it's his child.
Hay Ryan, I'm a disabled senior and cant afford to do anymore then subscribe to your video's and have watched them several times. I've been all over the country as professional diver for the majority of my life but have always wounded what it would be like to live on board and travel the world. But do to age and physical limitations I am no longer able to live out my dreams but am very happy you kids are able to live them out for me now. I am so envious of you as you not only are living a dream but have such a very special young lady to share it with. You are both a rare an beautiful couple and unlike so many young people today have a good head on your shoulders and are willing to work for what you want without expecting everything to be handed to you. i imagine both of you have parents that are very proud because if you were my kids I would be bursting with pride for sure. I have an aunt and uncle that will be celebrating there 50th wedding anniversary next month and you both remind me so much of them. I hope this adventure is only one of many happy adventures you share together and 50 years from now you are still in love and just as happy. I will be anxiously looking forward to you next video. You kids be careful and keep enjoying life to it's fullest and keep shooting for the moon, even if you miss you'll still wined up amongst the stars!
Love how respectful you are guys. It was not easy for Jim to leave her.
He seems like a genuine friendly older man. The world can use more people like that. Good luck with your adventures.
Couldn't agree more. Thanks for following along!
I'm 70 yrs old and grew up sailing out of Holland Harbor into Lake Michigan in the 50s and 60s. I've enjoyed watching your twist on sailing and will continue watching you learn to sail vicariously.
Awesome!! Stoked to have you along for the journey, Jay :)
That boat is worth every penny. Wow!
Its great to see that there are people out there that treat others the way you would want to be treated! I have found myself in the same position, where you give someone a screaming deal! You find it easy today to say what a fool i was.but then its worth every penny when ya look in the mirror.Congrats!take care of her!
Thanks, Tom! That's the golden rule, isn't it?! All the best and thanks for the support :)
What a sweet spirit! That man you bought the boat from is awesome. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Jim was the best part of the deal! Now we have a friend for life and a beautiful boat's legacy to carry on.
I really enjoy the SMILES that you both have all across the video. It shows your passion for this adventure.
Sweet documentary of a candid change of command. I'm sure it was very emotional for him to let go, a very hard thing to do with boats that have given you so much in the last 20 years. Best of luck in your new and exciting stewardship of this little ship.
Never thought of it as a change of command but that's exactly what is was. It was definitely an emotional time all around! We share passions by the way - I've been surfing my whole life. Grew up surfing year round in frigid NJ waters. All the best and thanks for the support :)
Nice boat! And a friendship with a cool old dude. You scored.
We definitely did. Like we said in the video, our boat buying process was truly incredible. All credit to Jim. Thanks for following our journey :)
Congratulations Guys!! She is a beauty!!! . Take care of her and she will take her of you two.It is a great boat and sail like silk.
Thanks for the kind words and support, Marco. We love her :)
Hey, we know that boat! We met Jim 12 years ago when we were just getting started. He is a great guy full of awesome stories!! Congrats again guys.
Thanks guys :)
Great boat at a great price! You'll be wanting "Creeping Crack Cure" (CCC)! Hallberg had this great scheme for making a perfectly waterproof plastic boat leak by laying a teak deck and creating screw holes through the GRP. We had a 1990 vintage HR 382 and taking the headlining down to trace a leak is a no no because it is glued to the coach roof!
So, when it's wet and leaking try to work out where the water is coming from and when it's dry, allow the CCC to trickle into all likely leak holes. It is a very thin white liquid and seems to find the holes and block them up. Good luck - Our HR 382 took us on a 2 year 12,000 mile Atlantic circuit and really looked after us. You will have the time of your lives.
Thanks Ian for the awesome recommendation on the CCC. We just bought some! Your two year circuit sounds amazing and we are hoping to get the boat back over to the UK some day in the future to get Jim back on-board. We are excited to start our adventure!
Just started with you guys. I like the way this video was done, no fluff, but not drivel either. Informative and interesting, thank you very much.
Icova Rook Thanks for the kind words and support! Welcome to the crew 🙂
Good luck to you both in your adventures. First luck first get thru the restoration with no catastrophic failures..... Looking forward to the next video.
Thanks, Austin. We're about half way through the refit with no huge surprises...yet. Thanks for the support!
Yeah really think you are both down to earth and likable. Key ingredients to a successful voyage. Now hurry up and get your boat chores done so you can get out there and make magic. I will be rooting for you guys!!!
Thanks for the support, Matthew!! Stoked to have you along for the journey :)
Well done. I'd nearly forgotten about this channel but great to see you got the boat. Hope the lack of having it surveyed doesn't bite you later. Looks a clean boat but time will tell. Looking forward to the next installation...
We've lucked out with her! She's had no real big surprises during her shakedown cruise or during the refit. Stay tuned for next episode :)
That's great great news. Can't wait for the next episode...
Good luck with your adventure, can't wait to see what work you now do on the boat.
Thanks for the support Mark! They'll be plenty of refit videos so stay tuned!
I love that you had the courage to pull the trigger and buy it based on your gut. I think too many people become an obstacle in their own path. I recently purchased an Alberg 37 Yawl and will be following your journey as I start my own.
Couldn't agree more. Comfort is the #1 killer of dreams. Congrats on taking the leap, John! Any cruising "plans"? I write plans in quotes because with this lifestyle plans seem to never hold up!
I plan on going, where and for how long I leave up to the mood I am in :) Like most I "plan" on cruising the Caribbean for a while. I did buy a blue water boat because I don't want to find myself wanting to go somewhere my boat could not go.
Congratulations on your new boat! I am sure it will change your life for sure. We would love to consider doing something like this in the future. Smooth sailing!
If we can do it, so can you :) Let us know if we can help in any way with making the dream a reality!
Because of the oil embargo during the later 1970's and the newness of fiberglass materials for boat building, it is best, if you want an old boat, to buy a fiberglass boat built 1960's to around 1974. the reason for this is the boat builders used much heavier glass and made the boats much stronger due to not understanding the strength of fiber glass materials. However, due to the thicker fiberglass, the boats are much heavier and therefore slower. You made a great purchase, but don't ever be scared to go with an older boat, they are built very strong and will last a very long time. Great boat you purchased, good luck refitting it, and I look forward to watching all of your videos moving forward.
35 to 45 foot is a good size for 2 people to sail.i know people out there will say its to big for people starting out sailing but you have to learn how to sail a bigger boat sooner or later and why not sooner.It does not matter wether your buying a boat or a home the same buying skills are the same just a different type of home .life is a risk and so is buying anything .good to see you both powering on and pushing forward with your dream.
35ft is plenty for us. Looking back on it - we probably could've gone smaller but we'll see if that remains true once we're out on the big blue in 20ft swells! Thanks for the kind words and supporting our dream :)
Congratulations! She's a beauty of a boat and Jim seems like a stand up guy. I can only imagine what a tearing experience it was for him to sell. My personal recommendation (if there is an opportunity) is that before Rebel goes back in the water you pull *EVERYTHING* not nailed down out of her. See what you have in the way of mold, rotted wood, wiring issues and leak issues (look in every access hatch and compartment). Then clean clean clean (& more cleaning) repaint as many areas as you can. Teak decks look GREAT, unfortunately the hundreds and hundreds of screws holding it down are by now corroded enough that you have/will have leaks. It's just what happens with old teak decking and is why so many live aboards have torn out their old teak. In the long run at some point I think you will be time and money well spent to remove that deck. I know that sounds harsh, and you obviously will need time to afford that, but your health is at risk with mold and damp from a leaky teak deck if you intend to spend much time living aboard. ...not to mention water damage, rust and corrosion from a water permeated humid boat. Sorry to be a downer and I hope that the deck screws are mostly intact but the many drops I saw falling in the vid seem to indicate otherwise.
Being realistic is never being a downer in our books :) The teak deck will be coming up in a few months. Surprisingly, it's held up well throughout the time we've owned her. Next episode we show us tearing apart the boat and cleaning like crazy. Thanks for the support and advice!
I'd put down a fiberglass deck with non-skid. Don't mess with new teak. Very expensive and it'll just be a maintenance hassle the whole time you own it.
I have a feeling that's what will happen when the time comes... They don't call them "Leaky Teakys" for nothing.
Can't go far wrong with a Rassy...she looks well cared for too.
Agreed! We love her and she's been in good hands the past 30 years.
What a great bloke. No problem buying a boat from him.
True dream boat buying experience!
Enjoyed the vid very much and looking forward to many more. You were lucky to find Jim, and both he and the boat were lucky to find you.
Thank you, Robert! We were so lucky to find Jim. Even if we didn't end up buying the boat from him, we've made a friend for a lifetime.
Undoubtedly, Jim is the type of sailor you want to buy a boat from. For an '85 boat, it looks in great shape. I want to hang out with Jim and hear his stories. I'm happy he seems to like you b/c it must be an emotional thing for him to give up his boat.
So much more romantic in the day without GPS and internet and long-range forecasts, etc.
No boat is perfect and you will continue to do a lot of upkeep. But it looks very good!
We're planning on having Jim back on board as a 3rd crew member when we cross the pond. It was an incredible experience hanging out with him and we can't wait to see him again!
Greetings from the port of La Rochelle, France and congrats on your purchase, Jim seems such a nice man, without doubt a salty old seadog with heaps of knowledge. Keeping Jim in the loop is such a wise decision.
Congrats on the boat! Jim certainly is a class act. Looking forward to the refit!
Jim is the man isn't he? We'll have plenty of project videos coming up once we take her on her shakedown cruise. Stay tuned!!
Just started my binge watch. I feel like 1:51 says it all so far... 😊
Hi Guys - lovely to come across your vlogs as we too are looking at buying a boat to sail and know next to nothing!
Even better to see that Jim is from the UK - lovely genuine man from our homeland :-)
Looking forward to catching up with the videos and learning alot.
Hopefully you learn from our mistakes :) Everyone starts out not knowing anything! Happy to have you along for the ride!
Abandon Comfort very happy to be here. we be catching up with your journey and hopefully welcome you to UK waters soon
Hoping we make it that way as well! We have an old friend we'd like to show the boat off to :)
Abandon Comfort ahh.....If you have a UK meet up, do let me know. Jim was awesome 🙋
Looks like you are on your way to adventure. Be safe. You only live once so do it
while you are young.
Absolutely! We're extreme planners so everything we do has been thought over for quite some time. We'll be safe, don't worry about us :)
Most sailboat people are great people and help each other. I use to have a small sailboat and sailboat around Florida a little.
Ive been thinking about buying another and move on for good since Im retired now and 63 but in good shape? You never know might see you out there someday.
Good luck with the refit guys, looking forward to seeing the boat in action.
Stu Rocks Thanks! She'll be in action by episode 5 so stay tuned 🙂
Did you see the dripping water between 5:50 and 6:20?
"American chocolate is rubbish." I totally agree!
Congratulations guys! It looks like a nice little boat. I'm looking forward to your upcoming videos when you're crossing the pond...
Yea she was leaking a good amount that day! Luckily we've addressed almost all of the leaks. Stay tuned for plenty more videos :)
Congrats guys! Looks like a beauty. Can't wait to see how your adventure plays out. All the best.
Thank you, Ken! Plenty more videos coming so stay tuned :)
What a wonderful guy.. I have a feeling he's going to miss that boat, and congrats on the new boat.. Peace!
Calvin H. He does but we've promised to bring her to him sometime in the future 🙂 Thanks for following along!
Very happy for the two of you , can't wait till the next video ...
Thanks, Richard! Stay tuned, plenty more on its way!
Excellent start to your adventures, will look out for others.
Congrats and fair winds!
Thank you, Randy!
We just moved to Miami from Dallas, TX and I swear I've said "If we don't go to Florida, we're moving to colorado". Great minds! I love this channel!
Haha! How about that. Great minds do think alike :)
She is nice, great classic lines, she is what one dreams of, and Oh... the boat looks good too.
Two good looking ladies! I'm a lucky man
good luck to you guys, take as much as you can to work on parts of the boat, we have the same plans still looking for our boat so we are watching how do it well help us as well .
Awesome! Let us know if we can help with the boat hunt in any way. Stay tuned for some refit & project videos :)
all right thanks we dont mind hard work or a fixer upper, looking forward to more videos
You got a great deal I have one of these 1986 model one of the toughest boats built we are in the Algarve Portugal at the moment. Enjoy
I love these videos. When I saw you guys were from Tampa I knew I had to make this dream a reality.
Hell yea! If we can do it, so can you.
Congrats to you both. I cannot wait to see what adventures you two go on in your new boat.
Thank you so much for the support!
Reviewing your process...again, so I can slow the Viking's roll. He wants to buy the boat right NOW. Loved the text message sequence. Hehe.
Haha! We remember the feeling :) Pelican is a beaut! But always keep the options open and try to detach our emotion from the equation. A steep ask but somewhat doable.
Kelsey, your smile as you came out of work was priceless.... like I wrote before I've a boat "relation" to your HR352 in a Najad 343, but what I didn't say is that I now live in Sweden, about 70kms from the Rassy yard on Ellös. Great boat you've got yourselves, good quality build, as well as a fantastic price. I'm NOT kidding you but the very same boat here (Europe) would set you back between 100%-200% more.
Check the thickness of the teak deck before you decide to rip it up, there are a lot of teak haters but it is a fantastic surface to have.. I'm in the process of renovating mine, up with the plugs and screws, in with epoxy and plugs, new caulking and a light sanding. My deck is 36 years old and is still on average 10-12mm thick...
Good luck
Warren
s/y Legend
She was quite surprised to see me and to be buying a boat :) Didn't know you lived so close to the yard. What is the weather like there during June/July? We got very lucky with the price paid on our boat but as I said before this is no credit to us negotiating because we paid Jim what he thought was a fair price. It was more about carrying on the boat's legacy, we think. As always, thanks for the support, Warren.
Congratulations! Great to see folks getting a good sea boat, and not a dockside condo. Looks like Jim took good care of the boat. Very brave of you to proceed!
Had an Aries wind vane on my previous boat. It's an excellent piece of kit, just be sure to keep it well lubricated/waxed. The proper operation depends on smooth bearing surfaces. Easy to make a couple different upper vanes (smaller/bigger) to help adjust for higher/lesser winds. An electric or hydraulic autopilot is nice for motoring in no wind, or you are sailing downwind in light air.
Looking forward to the following episodes!
Cheers!
Thanks, Marty! Jim took great care of her. We're stoked to break out the vane and get to use it. Our boat has 2 autopilots as well, one wheel unit and one hydraulic. Both Raymarine :)
Sweet! Let me know if you have any questions, have built boats for many years, would be glad to help. Cheers!
Ha Ha!! This makes me happy!! Our family is rooting for you guys. Good job on the videos!
:) Thanks Jeff & fam! Appreciate the positivity & support!
Looking at the rain you guys need a boat 😂👏👏 You can’t beat a Rassy. Very slick boat.
Congratulations dudes.
Rock and Roll 🎸 and seas 🔥👍👍🧭🧭
What a great old guy!! Good luck to you both, I really love that you are showing the whole process of buying and including all the costs.
Best time to buy a house (or a boat) is when it is pouring down rain and you can see where the leaks are! And how everything drains.
You're spot on, John!!
Interesting: nice to see some Florida style sailors. My background is Great Lakes growing up, 4yrs San Diego, and 27yrs working other people's commercial tour boats and stuff.
So happy things worked out for you guys. It will be fun watching your new adventure!
Thanks, Steve :) Stoked to have you along for the ride.
So excited for you two! Congratulations on finding your boat! so excited to see your upcoming adventures! Woooooo!
Thanks, Mikinzie! Stoked to have you along for the journey :)
Congratulations to you both, fortune favours the brave....can imagine it was difficult for Jim parting with an old friend.
Love the quote. Agreed, he spent almost 30 years to the day he sold her on board her. Luckily for Jim, we're planning our circumnavigation attempt around bringing her back over to him in a couple years :)
Congratulations! I'm looking forward to following your adventure. I appreciate the transparency on the costs. Do this on your own time and in your own way and ignore the trolls!
You got a fantastic deal on that boat. The SSB and anchor windlass are very desirable items. The weather fax transmissions I understand are good to like 200 miles off Euro/American shores and the addition of a data modem (2,500 USD) along with a 250 pr yr subscription to the ham operated email system will allow for as cheap an email system as one could hope for. Email gets to be very expensive at sea with sat phone options too. You can also get weather fax data using laptops and tablets too. So in short you can replace that printer with a tablet and repurpose that nav station area.
great sailboat, good luck and fair winds guys
3 videos in and hooked. Great work guys. Cheers from Texas.
David L. Awesome! Welcome to the crew 🎉
Subscribed and can't wait to follow the adventure! I love the honest and real tone, guys. Keepin' it real and honest...my kind of people! I could fall in love with you two! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. God bless and good fortune moving forward!
We want to paint the most real picture possible to get others living this lifestyle :) Appreciate you following along and supporting us!!
What a steal of a deal....! I would have bought her in a heartbeat
A truly fun video to watch! A beautiful boat! Fair winds to you…
Awesome to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the support, Adam!
Congrats, and good luck! I'll be following you!
Awesome! Stoked to have you along for the adventure, Danny!
You bet! I'm excited for you. Check out my story at my website (www.dannyboytravels.com). I've left the corporate world, and now travel and volunteer (and teach sailing part-time). I'm readily available to assist as crew for passages (or refurbish work at dock/yard) if you need a helping hand at any point. I trade work for a place to sleep :-)
I think that you have a great boat and if you complete your "to do" list it will last you for a number of years. Looking forward to your further adventures with this boat, best of luck!!
About half-way through this never-ending todo list! We're calling her our forever boat so we'll see how far she takes us. Thanks for the support, Davie :)
My new favourite channel. Thanks guys - that was a great watch!
Within this short video, I found myself liking and even trusting your seller gentleman. Normally I would never purchase a sailboat without a survey but I don't believe this guy would intentionally deceive anyone. With a bit of fixing up, you two now have a fine sturdy vessel to sail our earths ocean's. Good on you!
Thank you, Ed! We had the same first impressions with our conversations with Jim as well. We wanted a boat with a loving owner and beautiful story. He wanted a reliable buyer and someone he felt was right to take over the reins. All around a great buying experience :)
A top class yacht make. Hopefully it's a great buy .
Great choice on the boat indeed! Looking at HR352 myself, have not seen anything at least twice as expensive on this side of the pond... thumbs up! Subscribed a while ago. Looking forward to more videos and boat projects!
Plenty of boat projects coming your way, Andrey! Keep us posted on your boat hunt :)
I love your song! We're in the same boat, tiny house or sail the world. We're in love with CO but I grew up fishing and she gets seasick. Good luck and caulk up!
Awesome to hear! Eh Kels got seasick too but she adapted. Humans can pretty much adapt to anything :)
We flew to Florida from the UK and bought a sailboat at the end of last year (also at Indiantown Marina coincidentally). We've safely made it through the Bahamas, Turks and now we're in the Dominican Republic.
I personally had no sailing experience but my partner had grown up sailing small sailboats. Now he's the proud owner of a 42 ft C&C and we're loving it! Wishing you both a bundle of luck on your journey ⛵⛵⛵
Congratulations! You must be so excited. I can't wait for my studies to be over and get to work so I can save up the money to shop for a sailboat. It's been a dream of mine for some time. Once again congratulations and enjoy.
Thanks, Mojo! Keep us posted on the process and if you need any tips/help with making the dream come true don't hesitate to reach out :)
Because i am deaf, thanks for CC. Congratulations and Happy Traveling!
We turned it on 2 weeks ago! Thanks for following along, Eric :)
Great to hear another Scottish accent from Jim. Edinburgh-based vlogger here - not water based but love the idea of it and will be following your adventures 😊👍⛵️
Awesome to have you a part of our AC Crew, Shaun!! We'll check out a few of your videos as well :)
Glad you were able to close the deal.Seemed the PO really wanted you to have it and see it go to a good new caretakers. Congratulations. Are you planning to take the ASA courses and did you have any trouble with getting her insured due to the amount of sailing experience that you guys currently have? Keep us up dated. Can't wait til the next video. Charles
Jim seems like an absolute legend! It's obviously a while ago now that this was shot but you guys did great getting that deal!
Thanks for adding the caption button to this video. Missed it on the others. Fair winds to you!
We'll be sure to add it to all videos from here on out, Larry! Thanks for the support.
Just subscribed, lot of,boat for the money, happy and safe travels guys and look forward to updates. Andy - Sussex, UK
Wow guys, this is fantastic! What a great deal you got on the the HR and you've done an amazing job of documenting it. While it makes me wish we'd done a better job of capturing video early on, your videos are are very inspiring. Good job on following through with answering the big hard questions people have about finances as well. It's something we've noticed over the years and it's helpful to everyone who follows!
Thank you for the kind words and support. We're more than happy to answer any of the tough financial questions because we really don't have anything to hide. We know the main question we had before embarking on this adventure was 'what is the cost?'. So we do the best we can to answer it because we know this is what's holding people back from taking the leap to pursue this lifestyle. We want people to watch us and say damn if these goons can do it then I can :) Thank you for following our journey!
Great video editing style in telling your story...loved it! Was smiling the whole way through and that's why have you have sub success. You two are so likable, it was like seeing two of my good friends from childhood get the boat they have been dreaming of. Best Wishes and Fair Seas
johnnybarbar Thank you so much for the kind words and support! Welcome to the AC crew - stoked to have you along for the journey 😎
Congratulations. I'm so excited for you.
Thank you!! Stoked to have you along for the journey.
Sailing ruby rose #15 at the 10 min 30 sec mark is good to see..they handled it well. The 3 way painter lashing there tender to the boat was a good idea.( there tender may have flipped without that.) They actually say on the video that they slowed and he re-ties knots to the tender. Wow.. That is hopefully avoidable. Double reefed. Probably just running on a double reefed main. No jib . Exciting. If they expected that weather there tender would be topside.. Interested in your enclosure. Canvas shops are often booked for awhile....Best wishes to you two. G.T.
Lucky for us we have a porta-boat now and she'll be in her SUP racks off the stanchions. So we shouldn't be towing her too often! Canvas is still in the cutting & measuring phase. Won't be out for a few episodes but next Thursday is episode 4 (boat tour). Thanks for watching as always, Gary!
Good for you guys! My girlfriend (now wife) and I bought an HR 38 and sailed to Mexico and back for 9 months in 2012-2013. No regrets! The HR 38 is just a slightly larger version of the 352. I know that boat like the back of my hand, so if you ever have any questions, feel free to hit me up!
Tim McDonald I'll give your blog a peak! Awesome to hear you guys have been there and done it. We'll definitely keep you in mind for any questions we may have 🙂
Awesome, congratulations guys! Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks, Bill!! We're stoked!!!
Congratulation Guys! i am looking closely at this model myself as it seems a good compromise!
It's the best compromise. Go small, go now!
I just started the process of getting into the maritime world myself! I must say its one of the most daunting things I've ever experienced in my life, congrats you guys on the vessel if you ever need some help with a voyage I am more than happy to offer my services, the skills are very limited but can definitely learn along the way. Good luck you guys.
It definitely is! So many things to learn and it's not like anything land-based where if you mess up you're just broken down. You're at the absolute mercy of mother nature out on the water. We love it though! Best of luck on your adventure as well :)
I have to admit I initially took a peek at your first video because Kelsey is really cute. I was expecting to be invested in no more than 1 episode, as many of the 'sailing' vlogs I have watched on TH-cam, over the last 2+ years, have been really hit or miss(and for me mostly miss). I'm someone who did a lot of sailing the Pacific with my ole man growing up. And while I loved every minute of it, I've had a different calling that has taken me away from Ocean sailing. But, I find your approach and openness about the process very refreshing. I think many who may want to follow this path can find some useful tidbits from your approach. You don't lecture, and you are allowing others to see your mistakes without taking yourselves too seriously. If you respect the oceans and seas, you two are going to do just fine. Congrats on what seems to be a nice following so far. And put me in the corner of one of those who has absolutely loved the music you have used so far.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Kelsey and I really felt moved after reading this. You keep us motivated to keep producing and showing our trials and tribulations for others to know what to expect. Again, thank you a million times over. Truly means the world to us.
Congratulations guys!! Very nice boat I wish you to have nice sailings and great seas!! My best wishes!!
Thank you so much for the support!
Congrats guys!
congrats on buying a beauty , love your channel , best wishes Phil
Thank you, Phil! We'll be using your solar install video to help us during ours :)
Cheers and thanks , Sailing Zingaro has a great solar video as well , best wishes Phi
Awesome! Thanks Phil we will watch their video as well.
I am excited for you guys your boat is beautiful I can't wait for more videos on your new adventures ,may the Lord be with your journeys.
Thank you, Butch!!!
The two happiest days of boat ownership the day you buy and the day you sell it :)
So the saying goes!
my comment came from the shot of both buyer and seller together in your video, nice looking boat good luck and happy sailing ahead. Personally I have owned 2 larger keel boats during the last 20 yrs and feel they are meant to be lived in and are a lifestyle rather than an asset, I only feel sad when I see a beautiful yacht sitting at its marina unused and unvisited unfortunately all too common.
she's beautiful, you must be so excited! 😄 hubby and i are planning for a boat too and your videos are helpful info!
We're over the moon! Awesome to hear the info we provide is helping you guys with your "dream design"!! Thanks for watching and don't hesitate to reach out if we can help in any way with making the boat dream come true :)
Woo hoo!!! Very awesome. Great to see the starting of a new dream.
Great job guys! Lets get that refit started and that sailing adventure scheduled! Fair Winds, JC
We're about a year behind with our videos so the refit is more than half way done!!! We'll be cruising the Caribbean in 7 months!
That makes me more excited for you two! Looking forward to seeing your progress. JC
You two bought a 1985 boat from its original owner and it looked like it was in pretty good cosmetic shape. That is ridiculously rare. Plus, you really lucked out on how accommodating and kind he was.
We looked at a lot of boats and this one was truly an amazing find. We are actually the 4th owners but Jim had the boat for the majority of the time (almost 30 years). The buying process couldn't have gone smoother and we still keep in touch with the previous owner. :)
I like the hull shape on this boat, and I like how the rudder is protected and reinforced.. where there any other boat brands you guys considered which had these qualities? It seems like all of the mainstream brands have fin keels and spade rudders...
Awesome guys and congrats too. Lovely boat you got there and Jim seems such a nice guy. I am pleased for both of you. Thanks for sharing and best from Hong Kong 🇭🇰
Thank you, Laurent! Hong Kong! Awesome, welcome to the crew :)
Congratulations!
Looking forward to following your adventures!
Thanks for following along, Rodney!