A bigger boat for next year

[bignick]

Delivering boats that hadn't finished curing isn’t a new phenomenon. I crewed on the delivery of a new Westerley to Lisbon back in the late 90s. Everything smelled of polyester within days. By day 4 even our bread tasted of polyester, as the sealed plastic bags were obviously no match for the volatile compounds coming from the curing resin.

 

[Refueler]

Delivering boats that hadn't finished curing isn’t a new phenomenon. I crewed on the delivery of a new Westerley to Lisbon back in the late 90s. Everything smelled of polyester within days. By day 4 even our bread tasted of polyester, as the sealed plastic bags were obviously no match for the volatile compounds coming from the curing resin.

But it was rare ....

 

[Daydream believer]

Cannot agree with the bilge keel comments. I have friends with fin keel and long keel boats. They are frightened to come out of the channel. They do not like anchoring overnight incase they drag. They dare not cut any corners even when there is adequate tide. If the only reason you buy a boat is to go a little faster buy a jet ski. I love ditch crawling, going places no one else can. How many boat owners on here have been in to manningtree, one of the best and friendliest clubs on the east coast with Broadside at £2.50 a pint. Manningtree has a tesco express, wonderful pubs , a chinese takeaway, fish and chip shop and a safe pontoon you dry out on. To be rude you can shove your extra knot, my bilge keeler leaps along at 5 knots with both sails up and has taken me all over the east coast.. I do not want to be tied going from one deep water marina to the next.

Try The Dutch canals, Ostend, Boulogne, Dieppe, Channel Islands & some of the Brittainy rivers. Then make the comparison with your scruffy mud bound creek.
The above are easily reached with a well found yacht, that sails through the waves to windward rather than bounce on the top of the waves with its bilge keels slapping on the ripples.
I watched my friend runaground in his bilge keeler in the SW Sunk Channel. The boat hit hard in the waves & rolled over the keels. It was pinned over at 90 degrees to the horizontal. Not upright as many imagine. Fortunately he & his son were hooked on & managed to avoid being thrown into the sea. It was only by fluke that a big set of surf picked the boat up & it went back onto the keels. It could easily have just pushed the boat further up the bank, where the boat would have been wrecked. As it was the skeg was damaged & the boat had to be lifted for repairs.
Running aground in a bilge keeler is not fun.
Being frightened of dragging an anchor has diddle sqat to do with keel configuration, so that comment is irrelevant.
You do NOT have to go from marina to marina with a fin. I do it out of necessity. Many enjoy anchorages with fin keeled boats & do so almost exclusively.
But to each his own & the OP can sift through the suggestions & will, no doubt, make his own choice.

 

[fredrussell]

…I've surveyed a number of Bavs - and the one item that comes up so often - the smell !! Bavs were delivered based on a time slot schedule - similar to cars. But unlike cars - some Bavs were going out 'post green' .. that is still with 'green GRP' causing that excessive resin stink - that on a number of Bav's I checked out - caused not only myself - but prospective owners nauseous headaches .....

How old were these Bavarias you were surveying? I’m guessing you weren’t surveying boats just out of the factory, so are you saying the resin hadn’t cured and still smelt months or years later?

 

[Refueler]

How old were these Bavarias you were surveying? I’m guessing you weren’t surveying boats just out of the factory, so are you saying the resin hadn’t cured and still smelt months or years later?

I was active in UK till quite recent actually ....

 

[fredrussell]

I can’t find a single report/complaint on the web re Bavarias being sold with ‘green’ resin. Got any links?

 

[Refueler]

Bilge Keelers get slagged unfairly ....

Previous comments about being able to explore many locations that fin / long keelers would steer clear of - has been a great advantage that I have enjoyed ... so many great spots I have been able to get to because of the BK's ....

 

[Refueler]

I can’t find a single report/complaint on the web re Bavarias being sold with ‘green’ resin. Got any links?

My own observations and surveys for clients ...

 

[Dutch01527]

Southerly might meet the requirement. Quality build, lifting fin keel and loads of head room.

 

[Kelpie]

Don't think anybody has mentioned Moody, something like a BK 346 might suit? But maybe a little too old, being 1980s.

 

[Tranona]

Sorry T - but your reply leaves out a whole world of woe that USA dealers were pushed into.

Their liability was supposedly covered by a 2% warranty clause .... which given the failings of the boats - was so far short of reality - they took the matter to court. Bav's answer - from the new investors was that they would revert back to a quality build ... but still left the dealers holding the stinking can.
Dealers had agreed because a 2% factor was a common value factor and usually did not lead to dealers out of pocket.

As to reading Bav owners site ... are you kidding ? That's like reading BMW boy racers forums !!

Bav when it was a small concern - was an excellent build. Once the Investment group identified and funded the production lines - the build quality was on a downward curve - eventually pushing them to verge of bankruptcy. Without the investment made by new 'blood' Bav would be history. It is to the credit of the new guys that Bav is recovering well.

Bav is not only one that suffered from such ... many other well known brands followed suit .... but thats another story.

I'll leave you with a titbit - that I personally know occurred not once but actually caused a number of boats to be 'quietly checked out' .....

Guy bought New Bav .... had strange water leak ... could not find where it was getting in ... but every day there it was again. Finally in desperation - boat was lifted to check all surfaces ...
Reason ? Fitting screw too long had penetrated hull below waterline and caused a weeping leak when hull flexed. Dealer was 'gobsmacked' and was adamant - it was not done by his guys ... that boat was delivered in that condition.
Checking of other boats - revealed a number of others with same problem. It was not an isolated incident.
Take my word for it - I have no reason to fabricate the story - but the incident was agreed to be kept 'quiet' ... something that I dislike.

I've surveyed a number of Bavs - and the one item that comes up so often - the smell !! Bavs were delivered based on a time slot schedule - similar to cars. But unlike cars - some Bavs were going out 'post green' .. that is still with 'green GRP' causing that excessive resin stink - that on a number of Bav's I checked out - caused not only myself - but prospective owners nauseous headaches .....

Get a Jeanneau !!

I don't need any lectures from you about Bavaria history - but what has any of this to do with the OP possibly buying a 30,31,32 from the late 1990s early 2000s. Boats that sold in their hundreds and give good service to their many owners.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I've surveyed a number of Bavs - and the one item that comes up so often - the smell !! Bavs were delivered based on a time slot schedule - similar to cars. But unlike cars - some Bavs were going out 'post green' .. that is still with 'green GRP' causing that excessive resin stink - that on a number of Bav's I checked out - caused not only myself - but prospective owners nauseous headaches .....

Get a Jeanneau !!

Why were you surveying boats so new that the resin had not cured ?

 

[PaulRainbow]

My own observations and surveys for clients ...

Again, why were you surveying brand new boats ?

 

[ashtead]

If looking for shallow draft and engine grunt then a bilge keel moody seems like an obvious choice -but maybe too old but as said #30 above 346 might be a starting point -probably sails much like a Hunter legend though so maybe that’s not what you want? I suppose southerly is another solid choice . You don’t say a budget? Sub £50k ?

 

[Refueler]

Again, why were you surveying brand new boats ?

Because people had looked over and wanted a second 'eye' over what they found.

A number were in fact not new stock - but 1 year old .... a daunting fact.

I am fully aware that you live on a Bav ... so I will leave it that.

 

[Refueler]

If looking for shallow draft and engine grunt then a bilge keel moody seems like an obvious choice -but maybe too old but as said #30 above 346 might be a starting point -probably sails much like a Hunter legend though so maybe that’s not what you want? I suppose southerly is another solid choice . You don’t say a budget? Sub £50k ?

Depends on what Hunter ..... the Moody should trounce the US Legend downwind ... if not then not set up right.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Because people had looked over and wanted a second 'eye' over what they found.

A number were in fact not new stock - but 1 year old .... a daunting fact.

I am fully aware that you live on a Bav ... so I will leave it that.

So, people bought new BAVs, but wanted you to look them over ?

1 year old, but still not cured ?

No idea where you get your awareness from, but i do not live on a Bav, never even owned one.

 

[Refueler]

So, people bought new BAVs, but wanted you to look them over ?

1 year old, but still not cured ?

No idea where you get your awareness from, but i do not live on a Bav, never even owned one.

Sorry - I thought you posted one time you did ? You are Liveaboard in your yard ?

The 1yr olds still stank of resin .... one in particular - was during a sail to Folley Inn (Isle of Wight) .... guy I knew had bought a 36 ... just over a year old ...

We were berthed next to each other and he asked me to look it over as he was very unhappy ..... wife and I could not stay longer than a few minutes inside .. head started pounding from the resin stink ...
Andy was really p'd off and was not having any satisfaction from sellers ...

I asked Andy - why he bought it .... typical answer - girlfriend liked the cabin layout ... price was right ... they assumed stink would dissipate ....

Few months later - they were trying to sell it ...

 

[PaulRainbow]

Sorry - I thought you posted one time you did ? You are Liveaboard in your yard ?

Nope.

M partner and I live aboard, but not in a yard.

 

[Refueler]

Nope.

M partner and I live aboard, but not in a yard.

Honest apology.