Best 32' bluewater sailboat - up to 14.000 pounds budget

Adrian_ said:
Paul, where are you located in Greece?

As for the Apollo, if I was planning to charter it and they would go for my offer that would be a lot of boat to buy for 14.000 :)
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Hi Adrian, in Ermioni Peleponesse, lots of boats that have been for sale for a long time, some are selling for 60% or less of the advertised price, so worth being cheeky and trying your luck, the worst they can say is no.
 
A couple of boats ago I was in the market for something in the £17K range. I made a very cheeky offer on a £26K boat that was turned down by a rather hurt seller. A week later he was back on the phone saying OK. In that time I had bought another boat.
It is always worth making an offer, as has already been said, all they can say is no.
 
Of the 8 boats I have had the Moody 30 was the best one. I bought one when they first came out, (still got the invoice) Aparrently they stopped making them as they cost too much to make. Big inside. Comfortable. 25 hp Volvo Saildrive. The one with the steering wheel cost more but was worth the extra. Wish I had one now.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
That is a VERY low price for a Moody 31 Mk II. In fact, it's so low that I'd ask what's wrong with them!
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If these ex charter boats were ex hire cars they would go to Auction. They have done their job. The season has ended. They dont have the luxury of sitting on them, they want to order their new boats for next season.
 
Jim@sea said:
Of the 8 boats I have had the Moody 30 was the best one. I bought one when they first came out, (still got the invoice) Aparrently they stopped making them as they cost too much to make. Big inside. Comfortable. 25 hp Volvo Saildrive. The one with the steering wheel cost more but was worth the extra. Wish I had one now.
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If you're doing bluewater stuff, I'd avoid saildrives. Failure can lead to rapid intake of water whereas a shaft gland can usually be staunched.
 
ghostlymoron said:
If you're doing bluewater stuff, I'd avoid saildrives. Failure can lead to rapid intake of water whereas a shaft gland can usually be staunched.
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I'd tend to disagree with this statement. While it might appear that saildrives could lead to this disaster scenario, there are thousands of modern boats still floating happily with saildrives and AFAIK there is not a major problem, the rubber seal is extremely thick and any failure would be preceeded by detectable weeping long before any major water ingress happened.

As with everything if they are well maintained there will be no problem - and a replacement seal is a one-day job, the end result is a completely sealed drive system which does not leak any water into the boat at all, vibration is also considerably reduced.

Shaft drives are also not perfect, they come with their own set of problems. On older boats misalignment and vibration can be an ongoing maintenance nightmare and it's also possible to sink a boat or jam the rudder should the shaft disappear out of the back.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...er-shaft-decoupled-out-in-the-open-46181.html

IMHO I wouldn't base a buying decision on the belief that a saildrive is likely to sink your boat.
 
ghostlymoron said:
If you're doing bluewater stuff, I'd avoid saildrives. Failure can lead to rapid intake of water whereas a shaft gland can usually be staunched.
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Not heard of it happening a lot. But they can be expensive to fix or replace and there is less chance of improvising a fix, off the beaten track.

...I guess we are talking about the Centurian boat here. Was it supplied with a saildrive from new, unusual? ....looks an ok set up I think
 
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The saildrive on that Centurion 32 is clearly a modification done sometimes diuring the boat's life.

Any other suggestions for specific models that might suit the bill? :)
 
As others have said, don't think you can be fussy about the specific design. If a design was popular (and even good) it will hold its price if in usable condition. So you are more likely to find your boat among the oddballs - which might be just as good, but not with a reputation that leads to a higher price.

Unfortunately most boats of the type you are looking at come on the market at a low price because they are unloved, or are located in an out of the way place where potential buyers won't go. Greece and the southern coast of Spain are littered with dreams that have run their course, and if you are prepared to start your adventure from there you might do better than trying to buy in N Europe where most of the potential new dreamers live. However, buying cost is only one aspect. Getting a tired boat up to speed (apart from the cost) is arguably easier in UK than elsewhere.
 
Yup, I saw yesterday his ad on the owner's forum, it might just fall in my range given the boat's location. The one thing that makes me cautious about this one is the boat being sold right after a long passage.
Anyway, it's on the short list and if I manage to locate a few more interesting boats in that area I'll probably go and have a look at it, if the owner seems interested to drop the price without stripping the inventory.

Do you happen to know the owner and/or the boat?
 
Just did. :)

There's also a Barbican 33 for sale by the same broker, if I find 1-2 more in that area of Greece a trip might start to make sense.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions :)

So far, after doing a bit of research on various sites specialised in selling boats, the models most likelly to come within my price range while having a decent condition and good equipment level are Wauquiez Centurion, Rival 32, Mh 32. There's also a Moody 31 lot sold cheap by a charter company in Greece.
I realise that this being a UK forum, there is little chance to find someone with extensive sailing experience on the Mh32, but maybe I'm going to luck out.

Therefore, how would you guys rate these 4 boats for bluewater cruising?
 
Close friends of mine, very experienced sailors, are selling their SHE 31b (a growing family means they need a bit more space).

A beautiful boat to sail: I've sailed her quite a bit, including in some very testing conditions.

She is, without doubt, one of the nicest sailing boats I've had the luck to sail...right up there with Squibs and Dragons for the sheer joy of sailing, yet also a really easily handled seaboat.

PM me if you'd like to be put in touch.
 
I'm biased. I have one. Heavily laid up solid glass fibre, heavy stringers run the length of the hull, lead keel bullet proof rig, deep safe cockpit and oodles of cabin space. The reason I bought this type was I have small children and wanted something solid and reliable and SAFE:

http://www.colvicufo31.co.uk/
 
As others have suggested, there are a few good boats suitable for what you want, although the asking price may be well over your budget, you will find that due to recession, the seller will accept much much less and they don't want to pay next seasons fees.
 
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