In the beginning...

Elysium, in Greek mythology, was originally the paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality, were sent. It probably was retained from Minoan religion. In Homer’s writings the Elysian Plain was a land of perfect happiness at the end of the Earth, on the banks of the Oceanus. A similar description was given by Hesiod of the Isles of the Blessed. (Elysium - Britannica.com)

In a continuing definition, it refers to a place or state of perfect happiness.

I cannot think of a more fitting description for the feeling I get when aboard a sailboat, even at rest. Thus, my newest purchase has been christened "Elysium".

Ok, before I get into my story, let me say that this is NOT the S/Y Elysium, a Hoek Design TC56 that was converted to full electric power. Nor is it the Westsail 42 by the name S/V Elysium, either. But there are only so many words out there, and given I'll be calling Lake Ontario home for a while, I didn't want something as common as say "Serenity" or "Tranquility", even though they have a similar feel to them. And, I was one of the people that actually enjoyed the movie with Matt Damon, so there's that.

First, a little about myself - I owned my first sailboat about 10 years ago, an Excalibur 26. I acquired it free, put her back together and sailed one season on Cayuga Lake before taking her to Fair Haven, on Lake Ontario for a couple more. I passed her on to another up-and-coming sailor, spent a year or two away and then purchased a Newport 28. Vastly different characteristics but a wonderful boat nonetheless. However, as most of my things tend to be, she was rough around the edges. And after purchasing a project home, I decided to sell her to spare myself storage fees.

During all the time I had my other boats, between researching for my own projects and whatnot, there was one boat that caught my eye from the start - the early Sparkman & Stephens-designed Catalina 38. The tumblehome hull design and sleek look of the overall package was really pleasing to my own eyes, and to me it seemed like an attainable dream boat. Admittedly, they were 30-40k+ purchases, so I didn't really expect to, but in theory!

Now I've watched the markets on these boats for quite a while and they've all seemed to hover around that 30k mark. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but usually around there as long as you don't count the outlier like a recent hurricane-damaged example on the East Coast. I should also mention that the East Coast generally doesn't see these boats very often. 

This past year, I was set to inherit some money from an estate sale. Not a lot, but enough to pay off some credit cards and maybe work on a few other little projects, but I had made the joke a few times that maybe I'd find another boat. And I would look on some sites, see what was out there, and then find myself just for kicks, peeking at the Catalina 38 listings, yep, price is still up there, oh well, can't go spending all my money on that and not paying off things like a responsible adult (a title I've never been accused of previously).

And then a few weeks ago, I just happened to turn to Facebook Marketplace, expanded my search area and low and behold, a Catalina 38 that was NOT thirty thousand dollars. In fact, it wasn't even twenty thousand dollars. I should also mention that I'm going to be 110% transparent in what this costs the entire way. So this boat, my dream boat, was listed for only $10,000.00

Naturally, I ask myself what must be wrong with this? The profile had no other photos, was recently created, the pictures looked well, normal, but I was naturally skeptical. After a few days of revisiting the add, my brain wouldn't let it go. And even though the estate sale hadn't closed, I had a general idea of what I should be expecting when it did, so I decided I would message the seller, try to figure out if it was legit, what MUST be wrong that it's 1/3rd the market price, and go from there.

The seller was a real person, using a throwaway FB account due to an understandable disdain for social media, the boat was pretty much all original and not upgraded as many others are, and needed a little work. Coupled with it being a little large for him to solo for other reasons, the price was set accordingly, and I arranged to leave that night, drive straight through and meet him the next morning. I did, saw no holes in the hull, rigging that was intact, and put a deposit down.

This last weekend, I drove back out again, paid the balance, and signed over the paperwork, making me the proud owner of a 1979 Catalina 38. My dream boat.



I've spent the last few days getting everything ready from my end. The launch is pre-paid but I still needed to insure the boat, register it in NY, and as we'll be traversing the Welland Canal through Canada and back, I needed to upgrade my license to an Enhanced version. Oh and I better get some BoatUS towing coverage, just in case. Luckily, I did find a marina with an available slip, as the boat has a near-7' draft and that tends to limit places.

Purchase price: $10,000
NY State Registration and Tax: $876
Enhanced DL: $52
BoatUS: $218
Insurance: $918
Marina slip: $3344

Total spent (not counting gas for the two trips out):

$15,408

Now, I do have a lot of upgrades and equipment to purchase for the trip and beyond, I think my cart is around the 4-5k mark (it might be overkill).

Either way though, it's not Thirty.