My search for the right sailboat began in 2017. For years, I bounced in and out of the market—interested, then hesitant; motivated, then discouraged. Every time I thought I was ready to buy, I would run into a boat with structural issues, hidden decay, or a repair list that quickly spiraled into five figures.
Ultimately, I kept delaying—not because I didn’t want to sail, but because I didn’t want to inherit someone else’s mistakes.
Then I found a boat that changed everything—not because of the listing, but because of its history.
1. The Long Pause: Why 2017–2022 Didn’t Lead to a Purchase
I walked away from dozens of boats over the years:
- saturated decks
- soft core around chainplates
- delaminated rudders
- neglected standing rigging
- wiring disasters buried behind panels
- diesel leaks disguised as “just needs a tune-up”
Each one felt like stepping into the middle of a multi-decade maintenance story with no beginning and no clear end.
The costs—not the sailing—kept me on pause.
2. Understanding What I Actually Wanted
After years of evaluating problems, I started to understand my own criteria:
- I didn’t want a “project boat.”
- I did want something I could improve.
- I wanted a technically honest platform, not a polished dock queen.
- I wanted a boat that had already proven itself offshore, because that’s where I want to go.
- And I wanted a clear understanding of the real workload I was taking on, not a guessing game.
By 2023, my search stopped being emotional and became systematic.
I evaluated sailboats the same way I evaluate industrial systems in my professional work:
structure first, systems second, cosmetics last.
3. The Turning Point: Discovering sailboatrefit.com
What brought me back to the Ericson 32-200 Sure Shot wasn’t luck.
It was Tom’s blog — sailboatrefit.com.
Tom, a previous owner of this exact hull, documented the boat’s systems, upgrades, repairs, failures, victories, and even its offshore passage to Hawaii. He wrote with precision and honesty—no salesmanship, no gloss, just a working sailor recording real work.
For the first time in my entire search, I wasn’t looking at a mystery boat.
I was looking at a traceable engineering record.
That matters.
- I could see the chain of upgrades.
- I could understand why choices were made.
- I could evaluate the maintenance philosophy behind the boat.
- I could see the rig under load, offshore.
- And I could confirm that this hull had already done what I want a boat to do.
The boat had a documented past, a proven offshore history, and a trail of meticulous notes.
That eliminated 80% of the risk instantly.
4. Tracy’s Survey: The Final Confirmation
Tom’s documentation got me emotionally invested.
Tracy’s 2023 survey confirmed the technical reality.
The report showed:
- A solid hull with no structural defects
- Dry core except for predictable hardware-mount points
- Renewed rigging in 2020
- Modern electronics
- Updated charging architecture
- Serviceable engine performance
- A cracked rudder and corroded exhaust riser—the right amount of work
This was the exact workload I wanted:
- not overwhelming
- not trivial
- meaningful
- technical
- achievable
For the first time in all my years of searching, the survey aligned perfectly with my expectations—not a horror story, not a money pit, not a mystery.
Just a good boat with honest problems.
5. Why This Boat Was “Right” When Others Weren’t
It had a documented history.
Tom’s blog provided a level of transparency I have never seen in a boat listing.
It had already done the passage I want to do.
Hawaii is on my list. This boat has already proven it.
The survey revealed finite, solvable issues.
Not structural rot. Not mystery leaks. Not unknown wiring.
Just real, manageable work.
The design philosophy matched my goals.
The Ericson 32-200 sails exactly the way I want a boat to sail in the Bay and beyond.
It was honest.
Nothing hidden. Nothing suspicious. Nothing disguised.
After searching for years, that combination is rare.
Conclusion
My multi-year boat search didn’t end because I finally found the cheapest boat or the prettiest one.
It ended because I found a boat with:
- a traceable maintenance history
- a documented offshore record
- honest engineering
- a survey that matched what I already knew
- the exact amount of work I wanted
- and the capability to take me where I want to go
SURE SHOT isn’t just a boat—it’s a continuation of a story with a documented past and a future I want to write into it.
This is the method I’ll apply as I help others find their own boats:
proven history, honest surveys, and technical clarity over emotion.
—J