The Marriage Saver

1980 Gulfstar 47 Sailmaster - $120,000

The number one reason couples quit the cruising life isn’t storms, pirates, or engine failure. It’s comfort. Usually, one partner dreams of crossing oceans under sail, while the other dreads the idea of living in a dark, tilting hallway. This boat is the peace treaty.

The Gulfstar 47 Sailmaster solves the “Sailboat vs. Home” debate by refusing to choose. It offers the infinite range of a sailboat, but the “Raised Salon” living room of a trawler. Picture the typical sailboat interior: You climb down a steep ladder into a space that feels like a mahogany-lined cave. To see the sunset, you have to stand up; to see the anchorage, you have to go outside. On the Sailmaster, you sit on the sofa, air conditioning on, drink in hand, and look out at the horizon through massive tempered glass windows. It is the boat for the couple where one wants to sail the world, and the other wants a waterfront condo.

The “Unicorn” Factor

We scour the market for hundreds of boats every week, and we usually scroll past 40-year-old vessels because they are often “project boats” in disguise. Then we found this one.

This isn’t a boat that has been passed around every three years. This vessel has been with the same owners for 20 years. Think about that. Two decades of care. Two decades of upgrading systems, not just fixing what broke. It is set up for the kind of self-sufficient lifestyle most people only watch on YouTube. It has a watermaker (freedom from marinas), solar panels (quiet power), and a bow thruster (stress-free docking). It’s not just a boat; it’s a turnkey retirement plan.