Buy cheap, buy twice

[Stemar]

My boat is, of course, the best boat for all conditions*. Yours is a heap of rubbish, scarcely fit to leave harbour.

My take on it is buy the boat/car you can afford and that will get you out on the water having fun. Sure there are things to criticise on "budget" boats, but there are also things to criticise on more expensive ones, just different things. OK, given the budget, I'd start my list with makers from Sweden and Finland, but I'd make sure a few others got on the list, including some US ones, but were someone to give me a BenJenBav, I'd say thank you very much and go sailing.





* A Snapdragon 24

 

[Blueboatman]

I have bought cheap cars and never regretted it
I have bought cheap guitars and regretted every single sound
I have bought inexpensive tools -well designed-that have refused to die
I have great faith in good design, good quality control and choosing a design spec in line with your intended useage
You put whatever badge on that lot you like ?

Some old threads can last forever . Sheer quality, no??

 

[Fimacca]

Not being drawn on this one again.....................................I have better things to do !

 

[UK-WOOZY]

Hi & welcome, you would have been better posting a fresh thread to ask your question, as it is you've resurrected this old (& somewhat controversial) one from 2003!

No matter, as it happens I had a 1989 Jeanneau Sun Dream 28, Tony Castro design, quite quick and nicely fitted out below. Condition is everything with boats of a certain age - engine, sails, standing rigging, bunk cushions, electronics, etc. If it's been looked after I would have no concerns around build quality...

were you on the owners FB group?. My 1988 Sundream=

 

[Norman_E]

Nice photos. Older Jeanneau boats were very well made, and had nicely matched teak veneered interiors. My 1998 Jeanneau 45.2 had seven years of hard charter use, then my ownership until a month ago, and was bought by a well qualified yacht surveyor who understands just what good strong boats they are.

 

[Greenheart]

Anyone responding to this thread, may benefit from knowing that the chap who began it, hasn't appeared on the forum since 2010.

 

[MystyBlue2]

Thanks for pointing that out, dont know why this thread was in my "Most recent" list if it was started 11years ago.

I tend not to look at when the thread was started as if its in my most recent or new threads list i tend to assume its a fresh topic.

 

[Greenheart]

I'm not swayed from responding to any ancient topic on the basis of its date if I deem it to be of enduring interest, and assuming former contributors are still alive to respond (plus there may be many better-informed potential respondents reading, now)...

...but as there seemed to be so much vehement denial of the point made by the original post, I thought it was worth warning similarly-minded people that they may be aiming their indignant rhetoric at a tomb. ?

I'm usually irritated when people say 'this is an old thread, why are you replying to it'. If the question was interesting then, why can't the old views be revisited rather than repeated in a new, separate-yet-repetitive discussion? Online searches routinely lead to threads from the first ten years of the century and their age may be part of the content's usefulness, giving perspectives against which later developments contrast starkly.

 

[Tranona]

It is actually 18 years ago - and most if not all of the "cheap" boats he was railing against are alive and well and giving great service to their owners.

 

[steve1963]

I'm sure the price of those nice Skandi boats could be bought down if they stopped the idiotic practice of putting completely impractical, unnecessary and environmentally destructive teak decks on them

 

[Tassiebill]

Hi Everyone
Thanks for all the responses. I was curious as there wasn’t much written feedback on the Suncharm. We lifted it out yesterday and it all checked out. I was previously a 1/2 owner of a great Adams 40 centre cockpit glass boat which was well made. My impression is that this old Jenneau is as well built and has also good lines and an amazingly big well thought out layout. I love the timber down below. She has been well loved by previous owners with upgraded electronics, rigging and sails. She still has the original 50 hp Perkins Prima. It has a new injector pump and water pump. Excited to get her out. The first voyage will be Melbourne to Hobart. Great pics of the Jenneau in London? I’m amazed to see some of you guys who posted back in 2003 fire back up. Mr Cassandra- great to hear you were impressed with your Sun Charm. Maybe a 20 year old thread means the opinions are even further validated
Thanks again all!

 

[Tranona]

Just to put things into perspective, this topic is a regular one here - probably 2 or 3 times a year, although it has dwindled a bit in recent years. In the late 90s/ early 2000s just about all UK volume builders had gone and the market was awash with German and particularly French boats. The diehards were convinced because they were cheaper they were poorly designed, poorly built, not good at sea and anyway would fall apart in next to no time.

Time has proved them wrong on most counts, and some of the detractors have gone on to buy such boats, but a rump remains that still cling to the idea that nothing really good has been built since 1990 or so (unless, through gritted teeth you spend twice the price and buy a Scandinavian boat!). meanwhile as you will have gathered from most of the responses there are lots of very happy owners, many serial buyers - but also inevitably many who once owned older style boats but would not go back.

Enjoy your Jeanneau. Watch the engine as they are getting old now and spares may become difficult, although expect you will find aftermarket suppliers of Perkins still stock most spares. The engine was originally a British Leyland automotive engine used in mid range cars and vans - now of course long gone. Also sold as a Volvo with slightly different marinisation.

 

[Tassiebill]

Tranona - couldn’t agree more. There were a number of ‘ armchair admirals ‘ telling me I was buying a Tupperware boat with a turned up lip. Interesting their advice was from the the comfort of there living room. The Perkins Prima is smokey on start up. Runs silky smooth. Will see how Smokey performs with the Jeanneau In Bass Strait next week.

 

[doug748]

Tranona - couldn’t agree more. There were a number of ‘ armchair admirals ‘ telling me I was buying a Tupperware boat with a turned up lip. Interesting their advice was from the the comfort of there living room. The Perkins Prima is smokey on start up. Runs silky smooth. Will see how Smokey performs with the Jeanneau In Bass Strait next week.

Here is a video of someone trying to poke a hole in a Jeanneau 40 of broadly similar vintage:

Your boat is 30 years old so you should have a similar very tough construction. Plus the benefit of a strong laminated inner structure around the keel rather than a bonded liner. Good work.

.

 

[catlotion]

The thing that gets me is people saying "modern boats are built on production lines, like cars, therefore quality control is much better." What rubbish. Yes, quality control on cars is far better now, but only because everythings done by robot.

Bavaria for one seem to employ a fair amount of production line automation (and have been for some years I believe)

 

[Zing]

Bavaria for one seem to employ a fair amount of production line automation (and have been for some years I believe)

Goop is used a lot:

 

[Tranona]

Yes, produces a strong stiff boat - well at least mine is - and if it lasts as well as the previous one built in the same factory (but different design) in 2001 I shall be very pleased.

 

[Zing]

Yes, produces a strong stiff boat ...

Stiffer than what?

 

[catlotion]

Goop is used a lot:

Similar to modern car production then. Stronger than welded joints in some cases so I've heard.

 

[Tranona]

Stiffer than what?

Did not offer any comparison - just said it was stiff in that the hull structure is completely fair and there is no movement when sailing. In addition the internal furniture is structural. Not a lot of point in just saying "goop is used a lot" without trying to understand the whole structure - not very technical is it? Remember similar comments made about early GRP boats by wooden boat designers and builders who had spent their lives trying to engineer wood to make boats that did not distort when sailed and fall apart after a few years.