Return to Seasons

While we were at my parents’ house, Margaret came across two Cabot 36s listed on Yachtworld and located in Indiantown, Florida, near where we had looked at So Bella and Suwendenjen. We were unfamiliar with this design, but started to do a little research.

It turns out the Cabot has an interesting history as the product of a Canadian government development grant that helped get the company off the ground in the early 1970s. They produced boats in the far north for about eight years, constructing some 50 Cabot 36s. The design seemed sound and there were quite a few Cabots that have made serious ocean voyages. While there was not too much information available on the web, there was a blog that many owners had contributed to that filled in some of the details
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With Suwendejen – and the less than helpful broker – behind us, Margaret and I got some breakfast in Fort Pierce and then drove across the state to my folks’ house near Charlotte Harbor. During that time, we talked a lot about boats and decided we wanted to try and get on more while we were in Florida. Before leaving Illinois, we had created a spreadsheet of nine boats we might want to look at over break. Once we made it to my folks, we went through all the listings on Yachtworld and expanded that list to about 20. That meant that our list now had boats that we felt were good values and others that we just wanted to check out so we could get a feel for the design and learn a little more about what to look for, though we would soon discover that there was little distinction between these categories. And, with that, we promptly called a broker down the road in Punta Gorda who had a Bayfield 36 for sale.
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After getting off So Bella, we crossed the yard, waited another fifteen minutes while the broker took care of more important things, and then finally headed out on the dock to see the Valiant 40 we had also come to take a look at. Margaret and I were both fairly excited about this boat. On Yachtworld, it appeared to be in great condition and the list of equipment – including a new mast and boom – seemed impressive. I had even written in our notes that I thought this boat represented the best value of the Valiants for sale under a 100,000 dollars. Adding to my excitement, the broker explained that this was the owner’s third Valiant and that he was in the process of completing a refit, based on his experiences with the other two, in anticipation of a circumnavigation before health concerns forced him to sell. Unfortunately, it did not take long for the boat’s actual condition to overcome my optimism.
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