My dad just bought a rare Watkins 32 sailboat and none of us know how to sail. Are we crazy?
Posted by boobrandon@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 44 comments
My dad recently bought a 1982 Watkins 32 sailboat near Fulton, Mississippi. From what I’ve been able to learn, only around 8 Watkins 32s were built before the design transitioned into the Watkins 33, so it seems to be a fairly rare boat.
The funny part is that none of us are sailors. It will basically be mine as it will sit in a slip by my house. I’m perfectly fine taking my wife and son up to the marina - taking it out by motor a little way out on old hickory, dropping anchor and just fishing and swimming and maybe sleeping for a night or two once or twice a month- as I grow accustomed to it. Sailing is far down my list of goals- but it is a goal. But hell- for the first few years - I’m happy keeping it in the slip and just partying on it there or a little bit away. I’m hoping I can get a slip for 4-500$ a month near Hendersonville/Gallatin.
My dad is 74, I’m 48, my oldest son is 18 and heading to college, and I also have a 3-year-old son. My dad’s reasoning was basically, “I’ve always wanted a sailboat, and I want you boys to have it one day.” So now we own a yacht and are trying to figure out what comes next.
The boat appears to be in decent condition for its age. The diesel runs. The sails appear usable. The interior is surprisingly nice. The biggest known issue right now is that it needs a generator. He says he has one ready to go and I’m not worried about that. He personally knows the people he bought it from and they wouldn’t have knowingly sold him a lemon. They have loved it.
The current plan is to bring the boat to the Nashville area and keep it somewhere on Old Hickory Lake or the Cumberland River near Hendersonville/Gallatin, Tennessee.
A few questions for those with more experience:
Does anyone here have experience with a Watkins 32? Or anything similar. What should we be looking for specifically on this model?
What would you estimate it should cost to professionally transport a 32-foot sailboat from the Fulton, MS area to Hendersonville, TN?
What are realistic annual ownership costs for a boat like this if we keep it in a slip?
What are slip rates around the Nashville/Old Hickory Lake area these days for a 32-footer?
How difficult would it be for complete beginners to learn on a boat like this if we commit to lessons and spend a lot of time on the water?
Long-term dream: I would love to eventually take the boat from Nashville to the Gulf via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Is that a realistic goal for beginners over the next few years?
Be brutally honest. Did Pop make a good buy, or are we about to discover why a rare 44-year-old sailboat was affordable? I think he paid around 10k.
StatisticalMan@reddit
A 32 foot boat absolutely 100% does not need a generator. especially not one used for weekends and day trips.
A generator will just be an endless pit of money you burn for nothing. Of the 10,000 things you could possibly do to this boat to improve quality of life and capabilities a generator would be 10,001.
archlich@reddit
Never heard of that boat. That said every boat is hand-made and older boats most assuredly have previous owner specialties. It’s not like a car where everything is standardized you get to learn everything from scratch. I recommend don caseys complete illustrated maintenance manual.
Transportation is likely expensive. Especially if you cannot motor it to its new location. (Even if you take the mast off for bridge clearances). Youd need to likely have a professional trailer it, take off the rigging, rerig it at your new location and hopefully you have a travel lift near the body of water you’re going to be sailing it at.
Cost for transport is going to vary greatly probably at least 10k.
If you have your own slip costs go way down, especially if you do your own maintenance. Your biggest costs are engine, sails, and rigging. Estimate about 10-20k for each if you need to replace. You’ll need to replace the antifouling every two years or so so that requires a haul out and repainting appx 2k.
Slip rates… you’re gonna have to call around. You’re probably looking at 3-5k/yr but no idea about your specific location.
I bought a 50 year old boat and put a lot of love blood sweat and tears into it. Wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Boats are cheap because no one can afford them anymore, and post covid everyone is getting rid of them so it’s really a buyers market.
Avoid major repairs if you can for the first year and just use it and enjoy it.
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
That transport cost is scary. Dad was thinking 2-3 grand. He will probably end up rigging up some crazy boat hauling contraption that his neighbor knows how to do and he’s done it a hundred times and don’t worry….. lol.
Thanks for the info.!
erittainvarma@reddit
I have no idea about transportation costs in USA, but I paid 900€ (around 1000$) in Finland transporting similar sized boat about similar range six years ago. And that was with special boat hauling trailer that could probably handle boats to at least 40ft range, no custom contraptions.
So your dad might be right. But it also seems that everything boat related is astronomically priced in the USA. For example for that same boat I got hauled, I paid here around 1.5k/year for slip + haul in/out + spot on the hard for the winter + yearly maintenance items ( bottom paint + wax + oil + filters for oil and fuel + impeller).
johnbro27@reddit
My bro had a company that used a special trailer to haul his Bristol 29 from St. Pete area to Orlando, if it was expensive I sure didn't hear about it, and I would have. This was awhile ago though. I think it will be reasonable as people do move keelboats. Our 45 was trucked from Rhode Island to Seattle by the previous owner, so it can't be like millions of dollars. Probably half the costs are pulling the mast and securing it and the travel lift fees, then the reverse when you get it splashed down in TN.
BTW I learned how to sail on Old Hickory lake outside Nashville back in 1960s.
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
That is great to read. I’m looking forward to doing the same with except in the 20’s. That’s seems strange to read.
Getting_jjigae_with@reddit
Check out “u ship”. It’s a reverse bidding site for shipping. I used them to ship my sailboat 1500 miles in USA.
RandyJester@reddit
You could rent or borrow a truck and trailer and tow it yourself. I'm guessing your boat is wide enough that you'd have to be weary of the state laws along the way. You'd need professionals at the yards on either end to help you put it on the trailer and then launch it and put the mast back up..
Getting_jjigae_with@reddit
That transport fee seems high. You can get a quote online.
LameBMX@reddit
quite.. I mean, nice amount to have ready because things could stack up quick. get to launch and travel lift down, have to rent a crane quickly etc. though lots of places would more than likely be able to work around things. like transfer to yard trailer and put it up on stands till the travel lift is back up.
Here2_killtime@reddit
I own a 1983 Watkins 27 and by the looks of it, the 32 is just an upsized version. Mine’s slow, wide, and could use some more weight upfront, but damn she’s comfortable. Once you learn to sail, you’ll hate the upwind performance, lack of control while backing the boat and the leak midway down the cockpit from the toe rail screws (my weekend project I should get back to). Until then you’ll love the shallow molded in keel and wide beam. That keel is designed for (some) bouncing off the bottom or logs and water else you’ll “find” on a lake like yours.
Horror-Raisin-877@reddit
Boater Education Certificate: If you were born after June 30, 1980, Mississippi law requires you to successfully complete an approved boater safety course and carry the certificate while operating. You can complete this requirement online through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
I was born in 78! Yessss!
Horror-Raisin-877@reddit
You should still do the course though :)
gregarious83@reddit
Even if born earlier and not required by law to take a boater safety course, you should still take a boater safety course.
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
I absolutely will
Sracer42@reddit
I had a professional hauler truck a 30' boat about 200 miles (northeast coast) 3 years ago. Cost was $3000.
There were additional yard charges at both ends for loading /unloading the boat and unstepping and stepping the mast. Probably about $1200 total.
Good luck!
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
I’m just gonna haul it in my 2014 Honda Pilot. It’s got a tow package on it. That should be fine.
Uh- I’m not serious - lol- at all.
Much-Research875@reddit
There is a yacht club that actively races on old hickory from fall to spring. Id encourage you to look them up. Try to get on one of the racing boats. As long as you show up with a good attitude and are willing to learn you'll find a boat to ride along with everyone needs crew.
That'll teach you the basics and go from there. No reason to wait/struggle for three years trying to do it alone.
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
Great to know. Thanks!
Electrical_Cut8610@reddit
Tbh, anyone who buys a boat is crazy. Welcome!
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
I always knew it.
Sh0ckValu3@reddit
Ive been on a lot of boats about that size - none of them have a generator. Just make sure you have a "starter" battery and a "house" battery and as long as you're not crazy with fridges and AC you should be fine.
If you want cheap lessons - go to your local marina and ask about crewing on local 6-pack races. Most skippers will take on someone new as long as your easy to get along with and do what they as you to do.
gremblor@reddit
Yea, if you are tied up at a slip with shore power, the AC connection should include a DC inverter that charges the battery.
And the inboard diesel should have an alternator that charges the battery when running. For that reason, BTW, you need to cut the engine off by pulling out the fuel valve cutoff and letting it extinguish itself, rather than just turning the key to "off" while the engine is running. (Turn off the key after the engine stops doing engine things.) Otherwise it'll send a massive inductive surge into your electrical system and blow out some component or another.
On the circuit breaker panel it should have a voltage meter for your batteries. If they're ~12.5V when everything is off and 14-15V when on shore power or engine, then the batteries are good and the charger or alternator are working.
If those voltages are low, then either the batteries or the charger or alternator need to be replaced / repaired, rather than buying a new genset.
Raneynickelfire@reddit
DC rectifier.
Inverters turn DC into AC, rectifiers turn AC into DC.
johnbro27@reddit
Our 45 foot boat had no genset. You just have to be a little conscious of your power situation to keep your batteries charged.
As for learning to sail, although I've never done any 'real' racing, it seems like being rail meat on a racer won't teach you much if anything about how to sail. For one thing, everyone will be speaking a foreign language like sheet, winch, jib, chute, gybe, fall off dammit! and so on. No one will have the time to run a class on basic sailing and terminology.
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the advise. Thats probably what I’ll end up doing.
IndyBananaJones2@reddit
You could easily get a gas generator if that's what you want. Not a big deal to run on one a boat that size, just be sure it has a battery charger from the shore power plug and you have the right cord to plug in. Then you can run it at anchor if you have any real power demands like a fridge or whatever.
Otherwise you could get some solar panels.
I learned how to sail on a 30 ft boat without ever having sailed before. We took that boat from the Chesapeake to Maine and then to Grenada.
I'm sitting on my second boat now in New Zealand, crossed the Pacific last year. Be reasonable, don't go out in bad weather, and buy TowBoatUS towing insurance.
Mehfisto666@reddit
I liveaboard a 34ft. Definitely don't need a generator. Hell i don't even have hot water onboard and I'm up in the arctic
HealthyHappyHarry@reddit
Look into the United States Power Squadron, there is a club in Nashville
https://www.americasboatingclub.org/club-details/?sqdno=3560
They are for power and sail and they may have someone who can help you. They have many courses from beginner to senior navigator, engine maintenance, sail, arching, weather, basic boating some taught and some learn yourself with a booklet or video.
fastautomation@reddit
A note of caution before you spend a lot of money getting that boat to Nashville:
There are not a lot of sailboats on the Cumberland River. The Hickory Lake portion is narrow, winding, and low summer winds. Most of the docks there are covered powerboat slips (not accessible to sailboats). A Watkins 32 footer will be frustrating to sail as it is heavy, slow and the skeg keel will not point or tack well. It is really not a good choice for an inland reservoir. That is a good coastal cruiser, not a good inland lake boat.
That boat would be great in the gulf area... Pensacola, Gulf Shores, etc. It would be significantly more fun to take a weekend a month over the summer and explore the islands and sounds along that coast than it would be dieseling up and down the cumberland river.
El__Guapo__@reddit
A couple of things. I’m in your area and took the ASA 101 course from SailNashville recently. A few years ago, I ended up with a 25-foot boat (long story) that I basically taught myself to sail on at a large lake where I used to live.
Happy to share my experience with SailNashville (it was good), and learning to sail on my own on a slightly smaller boat. Feel free to message me.
Someoneinnowherenow@reddit
Buy a small sailing dinghy, laser or sunfish to keep near the boat. You can learn to sail on that while you hang out on the bigger boat. An 8' sailing/rowing dinghy would be a good option as a tender. You could use a very small outboard on it as well
Once you start messing about in the little boat, the big one will make more sense
Do take lessons or study instructional videos to understand sail trim and tacking. With sails it is easy to sheet them in too tight. Use telltales and remember "when in doubt, ease it out"
Have fun
permalink_child@reddit
Good find. Enjoy. Will change your life. Buy some good cupholders. Thats it.
Mehfisto666@reddit
Sailing is easy. If you have the boat next to your house it's even easier.
Don't overthink it. The most difficult part is the docking. If you have enough space to practice do just that. Learn about prop wash and prop walk, that will help you. Practice both forward and reverse. You will get used to it in no time.
As for sailing, don't overthink it. Watch some yt videos and go out there in fair weather. Practice taking the sails up and down and learn how to reef and heave-to ASAP. Your only concern while being close to home is making sure you don't get overpowered so much that you can't take the sails down, which honestly would take a lot.
Fair winds sailor
torenvalk@reddit
ASA sailing course! Have you, your dad and son take it. That will get you the basics and safety and then off you go. You might even be able to get someone to instruct you on your own boat.
Wander_Globe@reddit
3 and a half years ago I took a sailing course. 3 years ago I bought a sailboat and have been living on it full time ever since. For the first 6 months I lived on the hook just sailing around BC. The point is, it's not that hard. Take a course. Be safe. Enjoy your boat. There's gonna come a day though where you'll be motoring out to drop the hook and you'll be looking at the sails all nicely tied and you'll start to wonder, "I wonder what would happen if I put those things up." You'll be nervous at first but you'll get the rush we all got when we hoisted the sails and turned off the engine. Then you'll just want to get out far enough to shut the damn engine off and fill your sails.
As for your question I can only really answer the "complete beginner" one. Make sure at least one of you has taken a course or two and maybe even hired or befriended a local to go out with you on your boat. Just so you get the feel of it and where everything is. Go out the first few times in light wind, even no wind, and practice putting up the sails and taking them down. Eventually you'll be cursing the lack of wind and racing everyone who comes within sight of you.
It's a lot of fun. Enjoy and no, the old man did not make a mistake. Get out there sailing with him. I wish I could have with my pops but mom is still around and I'm taking her out sailing in a month even though she says she's not going. 😄 Newfie blood. She won't say no.
celery48@reddit
Before you step foot on the boat, you need to know basic boater safety.
Boat US boater safety courses
You’ll need to know what life jackets, radios, and other safety gear you need on board, as well as basic navigation rules and what all the navigation aids mean.
AppropriateBunch147@reddit
Sounds great
Slight-Conference680@reddit
Why not call the marinas at hickory lake and along the Cumberland River and find out the slip rates for yourself? Oh wait that would be way to much work when someone on reddit can do it for me while I suck another beer down.
cyricmccallen@reddit
What would your mother think if she saw how you treat people looking for help?
Sh0ckValu3@reddit
Have you considered some THC?
boobrandon@reddit (OP)
I literally just found out today. We will certainly be calling around. Sorry for FORCING you to read all that and taking up YOUR time so you could the make that comment. BUT I’m super excited about it but I do know there will be people at the marina we end up who are jerks. I won’t bother asking how we should handle them.
we-otta-be@reddit
Sounds like it’s gonna be a fun summer of learning:)