I've only messed around with RC sailboats a few times, but I've been sailing for my entire adult life. I bought an old Grampian 26 in '78 when I was about 22, and my current boat, a semi custom made boat from Argentina, a "Van 30", its the only one in North America. There were two at the Miami Boat show in '90, and the other one got shipped to the Canary Islands. There were about 24 of these sailing in Argentina when I bought mine. It's got a mauve leather interior, 10 lines leading to the cockpit, tiller, Volvo Diesel, the hull to deck joint is filled in, so it looks kind of cool, in an America's Cup sort of way. I sometimes wish it didn't have the toe rail, to make it REALLY have a smooth look. It has a swim platform too, but you have to step over the transom. The guy that designed it, had worked for German Frers, so it really looks a lot like one.
I'm turning 52 next month, and my goal is to sell my house soon, and get an older Hunter Passage 42, early '90's are affordable for me. I've been paying to dock boats since 79, and now, my dock is 3000 dollars a year, and if I get a '42, it will only be about a thousand dollars more, but I'll save almost 2000 in real estate taxes to off-set it. I think I can generally spend Winter's living with GF's.
Back in the early nineties, my racing crew and I, chartered Hunter Passage 42's, twice in the Keys, and a Catalina 42 out of St. Thomas. We all liked the Hunter a lot more. The Catalina 42 leaked EVERYWHERE when it rained. It was an aft cockpit, and probably made around '90. So, that leaking may not be an issue now.
The aft cabin layout of a Hunter Passage 42, is to die for. The silly looking "roll bar" looking thing, is WONDERFUL. It gets the main sheet out of the cockpit, and makes it possible to have a really functional bimini, that is never in the way, open or closed, rain or shine. In the main cabin, or the aft cabin, the Hunter is soooo open to the outside. I'm seeing some old ones for sale now, in the 100,000 dollar range, online, and I'm pretty much focused on getting one. The aft cabin has about a queen sized bed, you can walk around on three sides, lots of window, and a shower with a sit down tup off that cabine. Eventually, I see myself living on it down South, at least for a while.
I'm not a "Money'd Person", I work as a Maintenance Mechanic, and retiring onto a paid for boat, living mostly at free anchorages, will be very affordable, even on Social Security money, leaving my IRA for major expenses, etc............
Oops, is there an "Off Topic" place I should have put this ???? Ha ha......
I have a couple TT-01R Cars, and came in here, looking up RC boats, in particular, thinking about getting a 40 inch PT 109 boat...........
The pictures are my boat.