Advice please re headroom and buying a boat

[JOANNA]

Hi we are currently looking to buy a boat as a live aboard in Greece or Spain and would like advice on what are the most obvious aspects to watch out for when viewing boats. Also my partner is 6 foot so any recommendations on boats with headroom would be great. thanks in advance. Joanna

 

[Trevethan]

Don't know what the budget is, but don't skimp on the head room -- I am 6'5" and have about 2 inches to spare in most of our Sole Bay ketch.

Look out for deck saloon boats. Hunter/Legend have a bout 7 feet and it makes for a wonderfully light and airy interior.

Others DS also tend to have good headroom.

Check teh shower -- ours is way too low and makes showering a pain -- end up having to sit down to wash hair.

 

[Kilter]

I lived aboard a Tradewind 33 for 2 years...great boat and good headroom for a 6 footer!

 

[rwoofer]

At 6 ft 6 ins, I found that many of the Moody's had good headroom, however, as with all makes there are exceptions, so the only way to be sure is to try. A more important consideration for me was the length of the berths, because there are few boats these days that have berths long enough.

 

[Melody]

Hi Joanna

If you are going to spend a lot of time in Greece, I'd suggest you look for something that is easy to med-Moor, ie: it goes astern well and doesn't have a centre cockpit, so that the helmsperson can also handle the lines. Make sure that you have plenty of chain - we carry 110metres on our 44footer.

Remember that you will want to keep cool - large airy spaces, forward opening hatches, etc etc. I'd also make sure you could sleep comfortable in the cockpit or on deck for when its really hot.

If you read books about choosing for a liveaboard boat remember that they are advising for the whole world and a variety of climates. If you intend to stick to the Med and not sail in winter, for instance, the 'typical' liveaboard may not be your best choice.

Cheers
Melody

 

[JOANNA]

Thanks for your advice. Very much looking forward to getting into the sunshine and blue water. If you do have any tips on buying a used yacht would be very grateful. Do you think it will be cheaper to buy in Greece?

 

[philmell]

Hi joanna, we have a brokerage just about to open in Athens, and can speek very good English, i met him last week, very nice chap. He will have lots of contacts around Athens and will have his finger on the pulse of the best boats around. If you like you can email me and i can put you in touch, regards phil@boatshedkent.com

 

[Talbot]

If you intend to live aboard, make sure that when you are in the saloon, you can actually see outside the boat, and that you get good ventilation through the boat. That it has a cockpit that enables you all to sit in in comfort in the evening, and even eat there. Make sure you can rig a bimini even when sailing.


And for all those people who say I cant make a recommendation about a boat without mentioning a cat - darn it done it again.

 

[TigaWave]

Swim platfrom (very handy for unloading shopping and swimming) No traveller across the cockpit, big solid cockpit table. Big shower/head with lots of ventilation. Made to measure cockpit cushions. Good dinghy, rib with 5-9 hp. Water cooled fridge. Loads of ventilation in your cabin.

I almost got it right but missed a few of the above.

 

[jeremyshaw]

All good advice so far. I'd

1. Add the need for a boat that motors well and parks easily. You do a lot of both in the Med.

2. Stress ventilation a bit more. Most boats are built for the northern European climate and can be ovens down there.

3. Spain is a good place to buy. Touring the 'marina coast' you can see a lot of boats in a short time.

4. You've already had one person suggesting you consider a cat, so here's another. If you are interested you can find a list of pros and cons on my site www.zingano.com. Don't let people tell you that parking a cat is impossible in the Med. We spent a year there (25' beam) and had no problems.

Good luck.

 

[Melody]

Yes, it will definitely be cheaper but BE CAREFUL.
Make sure you get any yacht you are interested in surveyed. Email me for contact details for English trained surveyor.
Remember that in Greece there is usually no fixed brokerage fee - the broker will try to add as much as possible onto the price the owner wants.
Don't necessarily avoid ex-charter yachts, they can be a good deal, but MUST be thoroughly surveyed to make sure that they haven't been damaged and patched up.
If possible, go for a yacht that has been used by the owner + family as well as for charter.

 

[Melody]

Yes, I agree that you must have a bimini. I'm so used to ours that I forget that not all yachts can rig one.

We have an arrangement that works well for spring and autumn - we had a 'doghouse' made that zips onto our sprayhood and bimini so that we can completely enclose the cockpit in inclement weather. I reckon it gives us an extra month of comfort at each end of the sailing season.

I'm not sure I agree about the cockpit table. I prefer one that can be dismantled as I hate having to manouvre around a table when sailing hard.

Swim platform is a must, not only for the obvious, but it also takes a lot of the worry out of how you'd get a MOB back on board.

 

[alorwin]

we've got a colvic countess 33 (and they come in 35 and 37 too) and my partner is 6ft and finds it quite good. The aft cabin is a bit low but the rest of the boat is fine. If you are looking for something between 30-35ft then I would reccommend taking a look at the countess range, as for the size they were the roomiest and airyest boat of that budget and size range in an ocean goer.

Having said that, if its just for the Med, there are loads of plastic fantastics to choose from with a nice wide beam and built in "mod-cons". They always look nice, light and spacious, but it depends if you want to do any distance sailing.

Just an idea!

 

[hlb]

Might as well go the whole way and get a mobo. Loads of space and the best veiws since Bay Watch /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif