Can anyone point to articles or other forms of information concerning what to think about when buying a 2nd hand sailboat? A sort of basic guide to how to go about it.
I've just recently gone through the process of buying my first boat, and I found that the best place to get advice was from the local yacht club. I just wandered in, said
"Hi I'm thinking of buying this boat, can I have some advice please"
They were incredibly helpful, lots of advice.
There might be some useful comments on the Trail Sail Association's web site, which has a page on 'STARTING' It can be found at www.trail-sail.org.uk. It is mainly about choosing a trail-sail boat, but some of the comments might well apply to somebody looking for their first bigger boat.
I haveve been writing a column for YM for the last two years on the subject of buying second-hand boats. I have also just completed a supplement for YM which will be published with the October issue.
The self-promotion over, the RYA Book, The RYA Book of Buying Your First Sailing Cruiser (snappy Eh?) by Malcolm McKeag, is well worth reading as is Choosing the Right Yacht by J Muhs (Adlard Coles).
There is no substitute for experience, though, so talk to brokers, fellow yachtsmen, kibutzers at the bar etc.
I'm very new to yachting myself so I won't even attempt to get technical. I bought my first yacht just over a month ago, at first I wanted to go straight for one large enough for ocean going say 30 foot or more, I perused the internet and magazines and got to know a little bit about the jargon and different manufacturers, but when I actually went and looked at some yachts it shed a new light on things, it is all very well reading technical specs ect. but simply going and viewing boats I found helped alot to make a decission, in the end I bought a yacht well within my budget and only 22 1/2 feet with the intention of learning the ropes on her ,as it were, and then progressing to a larger and more expensive yacht later with the benefit of practical experience and hopefully a much better idea of what type of yacht I want.