Advice on boat purchase

Marakei

Marakei

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I'm new to owning boats, and interested in cheap small boats that might be a good first purchase. I was looking at little plastic bilge keelers, but then I saw a beautiful Hillyard 2.5 ton restoration and thought, 'that's the one for me'.

However, it comes with nothing beyond rigging and sails, what you are buying is literally the boat. After purchase I'd have £2000 to spend on it.

Is that a realistic budget to equip it very basically for sailing this summer or would I be better forgetting it and buying a boat with the essentials installed?

I have made lists of equipment and priced them and so on, but would welcome reactions from people with more experience.
 
Merry Girl said:
I'm new to owning boats, and interested in cheap small boats that might be a good first purchase. I was looking at little plastic bilge keelers, but then I saw a beautiful Hillyard 2.5 ton restoration and thought, 'that's the one for me'.

However, it comes with nothing beyond rigging and sails, what you are buying is literally the boat. After purchase I'd have £2000 to spend on it.

Is that a realistic budget to equip it very basically for sailing this summer or would I be better forgetting it and buying a boat with the essentials installed?

I have made lists of equipment and priced them and so on, but would welcome reactions from people with more experience.
Click to expand...

You must ask yourself this question-Do I want to be a sailor or a boat restorer? If you can find something up and going in fair to good condition within your budget and you want to sail, that may be a better option.
 
Hard to say what is a realistic budget without knowing what sort of sailing you want to do and what sort of stuff you consider to be essential. What exactly are the essentials on your list? I need:

1. Boat, Mast, rigging, sails- sounds like you have these.
2. Means of bailing (£2.50), Cheap Anchor for lunch stops/ emergency with 2 m chain and a bit of line.
3. 2 more lines for mooring- for a small boat like that, you do not need these to be big or expensive or new, four fenders- you could use car tyres.
4. 2 life jackets- one for you and one for your mate (who knows the local waters that you are going to sail in, so no need for a chart or a pilot book).
5. A means of getting home if there is no wind. This need not be expensive.
6. er thats it. Anything else is luxury, or will allow you to extend your range and confidence.
 
Buying a boat

Generally you are far better off buying a boat in service with all the gear.
Your wording about plastic boats implies that the one you are looking at is wood. Don't buy wood. Plastic has the ability to survive many years of neglect while wood is always deteriorating with rot. GRP IMHO is the miracle material for boats. Many of us forget that. olewill
 
PeteCooper said:
It's not this one is it?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18ft-HILL...ng_Goods_Sailing_Boats_ET&hash=item27c1cab31b

I stand to be corrected, but it doesn't look like a Hillyard to me.
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YeP I think that one is a Hillyard and it may actually be a Hillyard 2.5 ton:


janet.jpg
 
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PeteCooper said:
It's not this one is it?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18ft-HILL...ng_Goods_Sailing_Boats_ET&hash=item27c1cab31b

I stand to be corrected, but it doesn't look like a Hillyard to me.
Click to expand...

If its that one I might know of 24' center-boarder that reads ready to go (petrol inboard) for around that price... Possibly a similar bilge keeler looking for good home if all goes to plan with me...

If your a serious buyer you will find a good boat, there are lots of them out there..

With the one on Ebay IMO it depends on if you want your boat to be a labor of love or a boat you sail...
 
Merry Girl said:
I'm new to owning boats, and interested in cheap small boats that might be a good first purchase. I was looking at little plastic bilge keelers, but then I saw a beautiful Hillyard 2.5 ton restoration and thought, 'that's the one for me'.

However, it comes with nothing beyond rigging and sails, what you are buying is literally the boat. After purchase I'd have £2000 to spend on it.

Is that a realistic budget to equip it very basically for sailing this summer or would I be better forgetting it and buying a boat with the essentials installed?

I have made lists of equipment and priced them and so on, but would welcome reactions from people with more experience.
Click to expand...


You dont say where you are!

However if you are in the Chichester /Emsworth area the Corribee in the ad below might be of interest.

If its the boat I think it is ... pretty certain... It belongs to a couple I have known for donkeys years.

Refurbished is an understatement! It's a better boat now than when Newbridge built it by a long chalk.


It for sale because having spent about 2 years working on it the owners wife has decided she has lost her nerve!
Sad because this is the third small sailing cruiser they have had in the time I have known them in addition to a sailing dinghy.

http://www.ybw-boatsforsale.com/Boats/142938-1979+Corribee+Mk2-


It is the boat .... I checked the phone number


.

.
 
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Be very clear on the difference between a boat and a project. They can and do turn into money pits and bring little satisfaction in relation to the costs, emotional and financial.

Agree with the advice to get a plastic boat and do a lot of sailing. Unless you like spending your time varnishing and trying to restrict the ravages of time on a wooden treasure.

Look around a lot.
You should expect to 'kiss a lot of frogs' before you find the prince.

Looking at a lot of boats, even if they are the same model. This gives you a huge insight into what you really want.
Be prepared to walk away if you have any reservations.

Boats do not generally sell that quickly and thinking it over is always a good move. Do give the vendor a ring, even if you do decide not to go ahead - it simplifies his life too.

There is no shortage of boats out there looking for new, gullible and naive owners.
 
VicS said:
You dont say where you are!

However if you are in the Chichester /Emsworth area the Corribee in the ad below might be of interest.

If its the boat I think it is ... pretty certain... It belongs to a couple I have known for donkeys years.

Refurbished is an understatement! It's a better boat now than when Newbridge built it by a long chalk.


It for sale because having spent about 2 years working on it the owners wife has decided she has lost her nerve!
Sad because this is the third small sailing cruiser they have had in the time I have known them in addition to a sailing dinghy.

http://www.ybw-boatsforsale.com/Boats/142938-1979+Corribee+Mk2-


It is the boat .... I checked the phone number


.

.
Click to expand...

I have sailed a Hilliard 2.5 tonner, and while it's a pretty little boat I found it horrendously slow - I'm not a racer nowadays but with speeds that low one is a sitting duck for bad weather, and always last for the available moorings etc !

Definitely one of those boats 'nice for someone else to own'...no self draining cockpit either.

Do consider mooring costs too...


I'd definitely go with the Corribee VicS suggests ( or an Anderson 22 if really being choosey ! ;) ) ,and William H is right on the money re.grp over wood and avoiding 'project boats'; I have no connection with either boat.
 
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Seajet said:
I'd definitely go with the Corribee VicS suggests ( or an Anderson 22 if really being choosey ! ;) ) ,and William H is right on the money re.grp over wood and avoiding 'project boats'; I have no connection with either boat.
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+1

I have no woodworking skills, but more importantly little inclination, and even less time, to learn them... plastic boats were made for people like me! :eek:
 
I am currently doing up an 8 metre boat that was in nominally sailing condition when bought, although I knew I would have to make many changes to achieve what I think is right. I have bought no major equipment, just small stuff, wood, epoxy, fastenings, wire etc, other than a new toilet. My spending is already well over £1000, with nearly nothing to show for it. You will be far better off, both in time and cash, to buy a boat that is thoroughly sorted.
 
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You don't give much of a clue what you really want, other than "small cheap boat" and you mention £2000

Well I own what I think most people would describe as a small cheap boat, and it was bought for under £2000 complete and (almost) ready to sail. It came on a trailer and included an outboard motor.

It was in fact ready to sail as it was and we had it in the water sailing within a few weeks of purchase, but decided to suit our needs to do a few modifications to the running rigging, and the trailer needed a major overhaul that was done this year while the boat was afloat.

If you really want a small boat like this, look for one that comes on a road legal trailer, that really simplifies getting the boat from where you buy it to where you want to sail it, gives you the ability to launch and recover from a slipway, and lets you bring it home for the winter so it's right outside your house for any work that needs doing. You should easily find one for under £2K

Where you want to sail may dictate what type of keel. You mention a bilge keel, but also look at boats with lifting keels (like ours)

At this end of the market, it's probably not much use saying I want that particular make of boat, rather just go and look at what's for sale near you, and choose the one that best suits your needs. Even if it is a make nobody has ever heard of (like ours)
 
No. Don't buy a wooden money-pit as your first boat.
Get a ready-to-roll plastic boat and enjoy the owning experience, with sailing included.

Your £2K will be swallowed up in moorings, insurance, transport and fettling.
 
There's a smashing Vivacity 20 in commission in Emsworth marina going cheap if you're interested :D
 
ProDave said:
At this end of the market, it's probably not much use saying I want that particular make of boat, rather just go and look at what's for sale near you, and choose the one that best suits your needs. Even if it is a make nobody has ever heard of (like ours)
Click to expand...

+1 The more boats you look at the better... Picture sailing it as you want to for what you want then decide.
 
Just walk round the local yards and see what is for sale.

Or do what my wife has done and look for the boats that are looking a little bit sad and neglected then find the owner and make an offer. So far we have a Westerly Centaur for us, which is now looking immaculate, and a Westerly Nomad for a friend at £250 (It is a large project but basically sound).

You should be able to get an 18 foot bilge keeler, or thereabouts, for £1000 - £1500. Enjoy that one, find your feet and then decide the next step. You won't have lost anything and you will have a better idea about your requirements for the next, bigger, boat.
 
Thank you to everyone who replied to my original post and your very helpful advice. It's definitely helped me to see things more clearly.
 
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