Siren cost $28,000 plus new standing rigging totaling $37,000.
- Included:
- Main Sail
- Try Sail
- 125% Roller Furling Jib
- 100% Hank On Jib
- Storm Jib
- Genniker
- Storm Anchor
- CQR Anchor
- Plow Anchor
- Danforth Anchor
- 400′ Anchor Chain
- Windlass
- 1990s GPS
- Furano Radar
- iCom SSB Radio
- VHF Radio
- Pur 40E Watermaker
- Freedom F20 Inverter
- Five 105Ah AGM Batteries
- Perkins 4-108 50hP Diesel Engine
- Inflatable Dinghy
- 5hP Outboard Motor
I searched around for about a year before I found Siren. I didn’t know what I wanted really, but I knew it would have to cross oceans. I searched online (Yacht World and craigslist mostly) and walked the nearby harbors checking bulletin boards and looking for “For Sale” signs. I found plenty of boats for sale without listing prices, so I called a lot of owners. I ended up boarding 6 boats and test sailing 3. All three were in live-aboard condition but in horrible shape for sailing. Torn sails, frozen winches, broken turning blocks, etc. I’ll pass.
When I first heard of Siren, she was way out of my price range. $60,000 list price! The Cal 39 was recommended by my experienced sailing friend, however, so I thought I would check her out. When talking to the owner, I said, “Your price is way out of my range, but would it be ok to see her in person to see what a $60,000 boat looks like?” He was very friendly and offered to show me the boat with full knowledge I wouldn’t be buying her. Siren wasn’t in tip top shape but it was obvious she had been sailing recently and in good repair. I loved the size, not too big and easy to single-hand, but not too small for long voyages. I still wasn’t a very knowledgeable sailor at the time, but she seemed perfect. I thanked the owner and kept looking around at the smaller, more affordable boats around and ALMOST put an offer on a nice looking Alberg 35′. My sailor friend said she was too slow for me, and I waited a few more weeks when I got a call from a local broker I had been keeping in touch with. He said to make an offer on the Cal 39! I had about $35000 in my bank account and said $25000 was the max price I could offer. The broker said try it. Can’t hurt. So the broker called the owner with my offer and said it was too little. Oh well, worth a shot. The broker then called me and asked if I could do $30k. Nope, impossible if I wanted to live and maintain the boat in sailing order. But $28k would work if I bought now, let her sit and build my bank account back up. The broker offered it up and the owner accepted!!! I could even keep the boat at her current slip at La Mariana.
I bought Siren knowing I would have to replace the old standing rigging (12 years old with cracks showing), but at $28,000 I would only have to work two more months to save enough for the replacement. So I dove into the manual labor loosening bolts and preparing for haul-out and cleaned her up some, but didn’t put hardly any more money into her. I mean, I didn’t really have any after the purchase!
Quicken Report: Purchase price, 15 JAN 2013