GabrielS
New member
I do not have a specific question for the great hive mind as such, but I would like to sense check my thinking below. That is not to say I am not open to any suggestions, why else would I post here. Also, if anyone knows of any of the boats below being sold, or knows something similar I should check out then I would love to hear from you.
Background:
For the past 6 years, I have been living out of a suitcase, going from contract to contract, and when not working I have lived in nice warm places. Mostly. The liveaboard lifestyle would not be a huge change for me, at least not as big as it would be for someone with a traditional 9-5 lifestyle. I know a few liveaboards, and some I have had the chance to go and stay with for a couple of days (Hi Paddy, I still owe you a couple of beers).
My industry has been completely disseminated by Covid, and I do not expect to work on any long term projects until summer next year. After I topped up my pension for this year, calculated my estimated tax bill and budgeted my living costs until next summer, I have about €27.000 left, not including my contingency fund. I recon €22.000 for boat purchase and 5.000 for upgrades and repairs is reasonable?
I have more time than money, so I can afford to wait for the right boat, or take on a boat that needs some attention over the winter. Chances are I won't get many opportunities to go sailing anyways, and as I will not be working, boat repairs would give something constructive to do while also learning more about the boat. That being said, I am not looking for a complete project though!
Area I am (mainly) looking in:
I am currently focusing my search around Scandinavia, and Denmark in particular. I have family there I could stay with if I cannot stay on the boat over winter and I also have a family member who is a mechanic (not marine) and a friend who has just started a marine service business. That could come in very handy. Plus I know a lot of sailors there and it is always good to have a network. That being said, I have similar connections in Scotland (lived there for 10 years) and Greece.
My experience and plans:
I took my Day Skipper license in 2017 and crossed Biscay that same year. Sadly I have not been able to go sailing since then, and I have never chartered a boat and so have never been in charge of one. I would need to refresh my sailing skills and get back into the groove of things. Both theory (who gives way when two sailboats are on the same tack?) and practical (I do remember how to tie a bowline though).
I imagine sailing around Scandinavia and build up my skill level and confidence and then, in a season or two, sail to Scotland. I would love to spend some time sailing around the west coast. Eventually, I would like to set sail for the Med. I do not have any burning desire to cross any big oceans, but who knows what will happen in a couple of years time.
After a couple of years I imagine one of three things would happen:
A) Be feed up with living on a sailboat, move back on land, and use the boat for sailing whenever I can.
B) Love it but want a bigger boat.
C) Love it and love the boat.
In the case of B it would be good to have a boat that does not require a lot of upgrades to meet my immediate goal and is fairly easy to sell on. It seems the HR's have a good reputation and should not be too difficult to sell, but is that a reason to spend an extra 7-10k?
These are the boats I am looking at at the moment:
Hallberg Rassy 29.
Some are out of my budget, but with a bit of luck and negotiation, I could maybe find one.
No separate heads and potential issues with teak decks.
Galley is very small and some have limited cockpit storage.
Albin Ballad.
Does not come with separate head. Some models seems to have no chain locker. Known to have issues with water leaking at the mast steep. Does not look to have a lot of standing headroom.
Scanmar 33.
Not a lot of handholds or storage, but seems to have a good layout and good sailing characteristics. At the upper limits of my budget.
Mamba 31.
Difficult to find information about this one, The FB owner group only has two members, which strangely makes me like the boat even more. Swedish built and designed by Rolf Magnusson who was also behind some of the Albins. From the numbers on sailboat data it looks similar to the Ballad. Galley runs down the port side of the boat and as I am not planning on entertaining large amounts of guests, that seems like a good use of space. Or?
I am aware they are all Scandinavia built boats. This is mainly because I have focused my search on Scandinavia, but also, as a Dane who has been away from his homeland for over 15 years, I do like the idea of a boat from my part of the world. I guess in the same way an Englishman might have a special affinity for an English built boat.
Requirements or wishes:
These are in somewhat descending order. Some of these comes from experience, some from recommendations, some from a bit of reading and some from a, probably, limited imagination. I would reconsider all of them for the right reasons.
29-33ft +-
Fin and skeg hung rudder.
Easy to single hand.
Tiller steering.
Aft cockpit.
Good storage.
Steady at anchor, I do not want to spill my beer.
185cm head room. I know I might be dreaming here.
Good layout of nav station.
Decent galley layout.
Good size fresh water and diesel tanks
Adequate number of handholds.
Separate heads compartment would be nice but is not a deal-breaker.
Chain locker. I think the Albin Ballad does not come with this? Would be nice to have.
Ability to shower once in a while. Can be a handheld showerhead.
Anchor windlass. Would be a bonus.
Holding tank. Also would be nice but again, happy to install this myself at some point in the future.
Not a massive fan of in-mast furling, or electric heads and water pumps. When I did my Day Skipper, one of the other boats had issues with both and it was not a fun time for them.
If you have made it this far, then thank you very much, and I look forward to your replies.
Background:
For the past 6 years, I have been living out of a suitcase, going from contract to contract, and when not working I have lived in nice warm places. Mostly. The liveaboard lifestyle would not be a huge change for me, at least not as big as it would be for someone with a traditional 9-5 lifestyle. I know a few liveaboards, and some I have had the chance to go and stay with for a couple of days (Hi Paddy, I still owe you a couple of beers).
My industry has been completely disseminated by Covid, and I do not expect to work on any long term projects until summer next year. After I topped up my pension for this year, calculated my estimated tax bill and budgeted my living costs until next summer, I have about €27.000 left, not including my contingency fund. I recon €22.000 for boat purchase and 5.000 for upgrades and repairs is reasonable?
I have more time than money, so I can afford to wait for the right boat, or take on a boat that needs some attention over the winter. Chances are I won't get many opportunities to go sailing anyways, and as I will not be working, boat repairs would give something constructive to do while also learning more about the boat. That being said, I am not looking for a complete project though!
Area I am (mainly) looking in:
I am currently focusing my search around Scandinavia, and Denmark in particular. I have family there I could stay with if I cannot stay on the boat over winter and I also have a family member who is a mechanic (not marine) and a friend who has just started a marine service business. That could come in very handy. Plus I know a lot of sailors there and it is always good to have a network. That being said, I have similar connections in Scotland (lived there for 10 years) and Greece.
My experience and plans:
I took my Day Skipper license in 2017 and crossed Biscay that same year. Sadly I have not been able to go sailing since then, and I have never chartered a boat and so have never been in charge of one. I would need to refresh my sailing skills and get back into the groove of things. Both theory (who gives way when two sailboats are on the same tack?) and practical (I do remember how to tie a bowline though).
I imagine sailing around Scandinavia and build up my skill level and confidence and then, in a season or two, sail to Scotland. I would love to spend some time sailing around the west coast. Eventually, I would like to set sail for the Med. I do not have any burning desire to cross any big oceans, but who knows what will happen in a couple of years time.
After a couple of years I imagine one of three things would happen:
A) Be feed up with living on a sailboat, move back on land, and use the boat for sailing whenever I can.
B) Love it but want a bigger boat.
C) Love it and love the boat.
In the case of B it would be good to have a boat that does not require a lot of upgrades to meet my immediate goal and is fairly easy to sell on. It seems the HR's have a good reputation and should not be too difficult to sell, but is that a reason to spend an extra 7-10k?
These are the boats I am looking at at the moment:
Hallberg Rassy 29.
Some are out of my budget, but with a bit of luck and negotiation, I could maybe find one.
No separate heads and potential issues with teak decks.
Galley is very small and some have limited cockpit storage.
Albin Ballad.
Does not come with separate head. Some models seems to have no chain locker. Known to have issues with water leaking at the mast steep. Does not look to have a lot of standing headroom.
Scanmar 33.
Not a lot of handholds or storage, but seems to have a good layout and good sailing characteristics. At the upper limits of my budget.
Mamba 31.
Difficult to find information about this one, The FB owner group only has two members, which strangely makes me like the boat even more. Swedish built and designed by Rolf Magnusson who was also behind some of the Albins. From the numbers on sailboat data it looks similar to the Ballad. Galley runs down the port side of the boat and as I am not planning on entertaining large amounts of guests, that seems like a good use of space. Or?
I am aware they are all Scandinavia built boats. This is mainly because I have focused my search on Scandinavia, but also, as a Dane who has been away from his homeland for over 15 years, I do like the idea of a boat from my part of the world. I guess in the same way an Englishman might have a special affinity for an English built boat.
Requirements or wishes:
These are in somewhat descending order. Some of these comes from experience, some from recommendations, some from a bit of reading and some from a, probably, limited imagination. I would reconsider all of them for the right reasons.
29-33ft +-
Fin and skeg hung rudder.
Easy to single hand.
Tiller steering.
Aft cockpit.
Good storage.
Steady at anchor, I do not want to spill my beer.
185cm head room. I know I might be dreaming here.
Good layout of nav station.
Decent galley layout.
Good size fresh water and diesel tanks
Adequate number of handholds.
Separate heads compartment would be nice but is not a deal-breaker.
Chain locker. I think the Albin Ballad does not come with this? Would be nice to have.
Ability to shower once in a while. Can be a handheld showerhead.
Anchor windlass. Would be a bonus.
Holding tank. Also would be nice but again, happy to install this myself at some point in the future.
Not a massive fan of in-mast furling, or electric heads and water pumps. When I did my Day Skipper, one of the other boats had issues with both and it was not a fun time for them.
If you have made it this far, then thank you very much, and I look forward to your replies.
