Bilge keel with aft cabin... post your comments

SmileyGiley

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 Aug 2007
Messages
415
Location
Manc/'pool/Conwy/GoM
Visit site
Well, here I go again. As some of you may have noticed, I spent two years looking for just the right yacht, purchased it in Jan of this year, shipped it up to Conwy for a peel & poxy and got a phonecall from the bill on March to tell me it had been burned to death by a fire in an adjacent yacht. Must be about the shortest stint at ownership ever.

Well, looking again in the hope that the insurance coughs up the cash. Any ideas?

THe boat we bought was a Colvic countess 33 bilge keel. Why...
Lots of nice beaches in N. Wales... fun for the kids (currently 3 & 1)

Verry solid... good for the choppy old Irish sea.

Big acommodation. Aft cabin with walk through... two heads to boot.

Ketch rig. More bother & more cost, but a very mangeable rig and very scaleable. Previous owner said he doused the main as soon as it blew up & salied under genoa & mizzen. At that point you have a roller foresail and the mizzen is right behind the cockpit for further reefing.

Decided the Pentlands were just too old, and don't have the walkthrough.
Westerly Solway maybe.
Moody 34 (Bit too pricey)
Moody 333??? (Bit too pricey)
I see the Countess 33 deckhouse up for sail in Essex just now... 35k asking price puts it in the ballpark.


Suggestions please

SmileyG
 
I take it that the old boat cannot be bought from the insurer for a couple of hundred quid and repaired, patiently, very patiently ! ?
 
Since you have mentioned a Solway you are on the right track! I have had mine for 5 years now and would not change her even if I won the Lottery(which I won't as I don't do it) Got all the usual bad weather stories to tell but no point as we've all got them and I don't want to be boring but for sea keeping ability and living space they are superb boats for the money.PM me if you want to discuss further
Bill
 
Whay change an already sensible decision ? You liked the Countess - many others do as well (some just don't want to admit !! )

Me ? Countess would be very high on my list, along with Macwester Seaforth and Moody 33. The Countess and Seaforth being excellent family boats.
 
Sorry to hear about your fire. I went through the same search as you seem to have. I found the Countess' to be of variable fit-out quality. I looked at one which was stunning but too expensive. Another was affordable but badly fitted out. In the end I went for a Westerly 33. I don't have a walk through but I do have two lockers which are so big that we call them the port and starboard holds! Good luck with your search.
Allan
 
Top