Lol .... only for a complete Contessa obsessed old person ... but I'm not and never will be in the market for a Contessa of any vintage or condition. Something we lusted after as a family in the 70s from the cockpit of our Kingfisher 20+ but now hopelessly outdated and cramped.
Some more...
Dogs aren't daft, the only problem we had with ours was her trying to jump ashore as we were approaching the dock. Clipped her lead on to keep her out of the way while docking and all was fine. We never bothered with netting, she could swim, and her favourite place when underway was below the...
If you search for boats on boataround there are hundreds of cats in Croatia ...
https://www.boataround.com/search?destinations=croatia&category=catamaran&sort=reviewsDown
The search shows which charter companies the cats are with.
I used boataround to charter in Thailand and we had an issue...
A hole can be punched or ripped in any boat, it's just a matter of the force or momentum involved. Luck plays a huge part in that.
Hit a container at 3 knots and only catch it a glancing blow on one of the flat sides and almost any plastic boat will survive.
Get dropped on the corner of a...
Had a work colleague who was single handing off the coast of Australia, he stupidly climbed into one of the cockpit lockers (which was quite deep) armed with a few tools to fix something in the bowels of the boat .... the boat was on autopilot, it heeled a bit and the cockpit locker closed on...
A lot is cosmetic, but it depends on what you want out of your boat. I'm a bit OCD with mine, and I can't abide things that don't work exactly as they should.
Examples you will certainly find on your average 10 year old boat are:
Buttons with the symbols or labels rubbed off
Buttons that need...
If an offer was made and accepted as "subject to survey" then as a buyer, when the surveyor thinks something is wrong but can't tell me what it is, or how much it is likely to cost to repair, then the next step is on me as the buyer - after all "My surveyor says the steering isn't right" is no...
Bah humbug, we had no hot water as kids, did the washing up in sea water 'cos the fresh water was in plastic containers .... also no fridge, no heating and condensation dripping off the roof in the mornings .... we survived.
... as soon as I got my own boat, we had hot water, fridge, hot...
Had a 36ft boat in the Croatian part of the Adriatic, only had one occasion in 12 years where we couldn't find a visitors berth when we wanted one and had to anchor out of town - this was one of the most popular towns (Mali Losinj) in the middle of August when we arrived late .... 6pm.
Currently looking to buy a retirement boat after selling my trusty Bavaria 36 at the beginning of 2022 and then getting stuck in a very, very, long frustrating wait for probate. Watching the market it does seem that mediteranean boats in the 40-45ft range are constantly seeing price reductions...
@ritchyp - If you're a U.K. citizen, Sunsail will do an ICC assessment in one day for £199 at Port Solent. Don't know what you feel about the cost, but that will cover you for all EU countries. Course and contents are in this link ....
International Certificate of Competence | ICC for boating...
If it's a Selden furler then check if there is a ratchet at the mast to prevent the sail unfurling accidentally. When the ratchet is engaged it locks the furler and prevents it rotating clockwise, so to reduce sail it can rotate anti-clockwise with the ratchet clicking as the sail furls in...
When I sold my boat, the broker asked me to prepare a detailed inventory of what was being sold with the boat. I thought this was normal practice, as I also had a detailed inventory when I bought the boat.
I unblocked a holding tank through-hull (a very unpleasant experience) under a Bavaria 37 last year by getting in the water approximately 1km off the shore in 30-50cm waves (in the Med, warm water and swimming trunks) ... I was totally exhausted very quickly, and the boat was all over the place...