Buying a small yacht

I would consider the noticeboards of the local sailing clubs near you. Usually find a well looked after boat for a reasonable price, and can get help with initial sailing advice. If you are very lucky may find someone who willing to give you a boat, may have to settle their mooring fee as the cost.
 
pij27 said:
I would consider the noticeboards of the local sailing clubs near you. Usually find a well looked after boat for a reasonable price, and can get help with initial sailing advice. If you are very lucky may find someone who willing to give you a boat, may have to settle their mooring fee as the cost.
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Thanks

We are off to Hayling Island today, will take a look around

Grant.
 
Might also consider either side of there, Portsmouth and Chichester. Try also walking around the moorings, may find a few for sale signs? I found mine on wightbay, but also tried gumtree as looking at the lower end to start with. Enjoy the search
 
pij27 said:
Might also consider either side of there, Portsmouth and Chichester. Try also walking around the moorings, may find a few for sale signs? I found mine on wightbay, but also tried gumtree as looking at the lower end to start with. Enjoy the search
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Thanks pij
Saw our first boat today
Leisure 23
Bit too small, needs a lot of TLC internally though it look floaty enough, but needs to be very tidy inside at that size I think.
Felt overpriced at 4k but I might be wrong.

Toured the yard too, saw a few boats
Helped us think about what we want.

Grant.
 
You might find a few older Westerlys and suchlike around the Folly moorings on the Medina -there is a MMA sailing club which might be a source of info on cheap boats and moorings if you fancy a trip to the island.
 
Are you sure you want to go sailing round the world,how much of your desire is fostered by yachting books and magazines,use check you are really sure you want to leave your home and friends behind
 
Praxinoscope said:
The Achilles 24 Triple keel doesn't do too badly, but in general I would agree with you.
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That's true. The Achilles is a nice boat. But as you say generally triples have a lot of leeway. A good example is if you sail a fun keel squib and then a triple keel sandhopper. The difference between them is pretty big
 
Wansworth said:
Are you sure you want to go sailing round the world,how much of your desire is fostered by yachting books and magazines,use check you are really sure you want to leave your home and friends behind
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Its a fair question

Yes I am sure.

My kids are all grown up.

Nevertheless, we will build up to it.

Circumnavigations/Excursions of.....
Calm harbours
Solent
IOW
Trip to France
Scillies
Ireland
UK
Then ARC
Then ......

We shall see, baby steps.........
 
ashtead said:
You might find a few older Westerlys and suchlike around the Folly moorings on the Medina -there is a MMA sailing club which might be a source of info on cheap boats and moorings if you fancy a trip to the island.
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Thanks will take a look

Grant
 
For the money you will spend on a small boat you could go somewhere warm and do RYA nothing to Coastal and charter each year before retirement. Your investment would be in skills and experience and you will have a much better idea of what the future holds than if you spend the time and money pottering about in a shed.
 
Buck Turgidson said:
For the money you will spend on a small boat you could go somewhere warm and do RYA nothing to Coastal and charter each year before retirement. Your investment would be in skills and experience and you will have a much better idea of what the future holds than if you spend the time and money pottering about in a shed.
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Yes thats an option

We have Day Skipper booked for Easter

We just think OWNING one might confront us with some realities before we spend 45k??
 
My advice is contrary to the way I did it! I had a 22 footer for 16 years and exhausted what I thought was a reasonable cruising ground for that size of boat - UK S coast, CI's, N Brittany and two circular trips through the French canals to the Med and back. Then moving to a 33 footer to tackle Biscay, Spain and Portugal. 33 footers handle totally differently to 22-24 footers that you can push around an man handle. When I bought my 33 footer (I've had it for 20 years now) it took me three or four years, maybe even five to fit it the way that I wanted it - electronics, inner fore-stay, sails with deeper reefing points and full battens, charging systems, etc.
As you are a comparative 'late starter' I would advise you to go straight to the size of boat that you want to end up with and spend the money that you waste on a small boat fitting out the boat you want to live on. You will still get the boat handling and maintenance experience but it will be on a single learning curve not two. If you have to take out a short term Marine Mortgage (do they still exist?) then do it, I understand from my kids that borrowing money is cheap these days! :whistle:
 
LadyInBed said:
My advice is contrary to the way I did it! I had a 22 footer for 16 years and exhausted what I thought was a reasonable cruising ground for that size of boat - UK S coast, CI's, N Brittany and two circular trips through the French canals to the Med and back. Then moving to a 33 footer to tackle Biscay, Spain and Portugal. 33 footers handle totally differently to 22-24 footers that you can push around an man handle. When I bought my 33 footer (I've had it for 20 years now) it took me three or four years, maybe even five to fit it the way that I wanted it - electronics, inner fore-stay, sails with deeper reefing points and full battens, charging systems, etc.
As you are a comparative 'late starter' I would advise you to go straight to the size of boat that you want to end up with and spend the money that you waste on a small boat fitting out the boat you want to live on. You will still get the boat handling and maintenance experience but it will be on a single learning curve not two. If you have to take out a short term Marine Mortgage (do they still exist?) then do it, I understand from my kids that borrowing money is cheap these days! :whistle:
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Depends on what you mean by short term, but yes there are providers out there who are willing to cater for loans less than 10 years. Whether that is cheap borrowing I am not sure.
 
moondancer2 said:
Triple Keeler's don't sail well. Father in law had a triple keel virgo voyager and it sailed like a dog.
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In all fairness, there's more to the reason why Newbridges don't saill well than its number of keels. It's like putting a young collie against an elderly bulldog in a race together.

I'll go against the grain here and say that's a very nicely taken care of Trident and they're not bad boats at all. They have a very strong keel set up that doesn't splay like some Centaurs did. Probably more "sailorly" then a Centaur, it's classic in the sense that it's of the generation of GRP boats designed like wooden ones. I think most Centaurs of a similar age will be shagged out and not taken care of, so it's worth much more than £1,500.

In a sense, it underlines the dilemma of small boat ownership. Assuming those are this years photos, and not ones taken 4 years ago when it was just finished, that is a rare, properly taken care of boat, with a price that reflects it. Obviously, you'd want to try and knock a Grand off it at least. The question then is, do you really want a Trident and are you willing to pay full price for one. True, ones not taken care of do sink down towards the £1,000 mark. The other is, does he really want to sell it (as it is a buyer's market).

People then get caught in the trap of, "but what else could I buy for the money?" generally prioritising length as the most important feature, as in "more for your money". I'd prioritise condition (but then I'm not trying to fit a family of 5 in). Smaller interiors also have their own advantages.

It reads like everything that needs to be taken care of has and to a high standard which would make it cheaper than a tired Centaur at half its price with the legacy of whatever conditon its engine is in. And, remember, what you're really spending money for is to go sailing now, rather than to go repairing. I'd take that over most Centaurs on the market from £1,500 to £4,000. How much would you be prepared to spend (lose) on going on a month's holiday? I'd consider being prepared to "lose" that on a boat you can just immediately go sailing in.

I don't know how much they sell for, but the equivalently maintained Centaurs I've see are advertised in the £5,500 to £7,000 bracket. (And it's generally considered they were over-engined, the legend is they got a special deal from Volvo, hence the big engines).

Last final caveat, all through all that well oiled/varnished wood looks attractive now, it's also an invitation to have to do lots of maintenance. I think it's sad that boats don't sell for what they are really worth, as it encourages buyers who can't afford and are not inclinded to look after them. Even if as a buyer it can be thrilling.

I'd be thinking about what experience you are after (type of boat) and be prepared to pay over the odds to get a really good one. Ultimately, you are throwing the money away whatever you buy, so make it worthwhile. A couple of weeks in a beautiful mooring are worth far much more than 6 months scrubbing on hard standing.
 
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