Buying a small yacht

My two pence worth . Go for something older and heavier it will be less like a dinghy and more like your eventual cruising boat . Having now done this in reverse after 10 years cruising, the stiffness of your boat is very significant to a comfortable anchorage / windy berth. As to cost, as many have said there is very little demand for older boats so bid what your conscience dictates . I paid half the asking price but saw others where the owner would have paid me to take it away. Be prepared to pay more though to get something that the owner has restored to a high standard it will also be easier to move on .
 
LittleSister said:
Ring Beta Marine and they'll tell you whether they have spares for it. You only need genuine Beta spares for the marinisation parts (heat exchanger, etc.).

The 'service parts' oil and fuel filters, alternator belt etc. will all be industry standard parts also readily available from auto-spares shops etc. (once you've identified the number).

The base engine is probably a Kubota, and also used in industrial diggers, generators, fridges, etc. around the world. If you can find the model number you will almost certainly be able to obtain spares for the engine itself.

p.s. Presumably the Beta BD622 is based on the Kubota D622, for which a very quick Google search showed all sorts of parts, including pumps and piston rings, etc., available from various supplier around the world.
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Yep, all spot on

Rang Beta

Confirmed its a 662 and that its based on a Kubota

And they still do spares, so do Kubota and even more the new 772 model is interchangeable with older 662. So plenty of spares all round ?

Good news ?
 
GrantD said:
How do you attach it to the ceiling without screwing through?
Small screws?
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i put a nimber of thin ply strips epoxied to the underside and screwed up to that , in areas where necessary i made up 3.5mm ply panels and battens . it is notouriously difficult to get all the old residue off the old fibreglass and if you dont it will fall off as soon as it gets hot .
 
Biggles Wader said:
At this end of the market boats are worth very little. Many are worth nothing at all. Some are worth even less than that. The cost of keeping and running the boat are far more important and should be uppermost in your calculations. Mooring fees and insurance might cost £2000 per annum+ and very basic maintenance another £500- £1000. So your Centaur can cost almost its value every year just to keep it parked and running.
An anecdote---
I know of a boat which has gone for scrap. Five years ago it was a tidy little example well painted with an elderly owner who passed it on due to his age. Family not really interested so up for sale it went with a broker---£12000 IIRC No takers.
Boat remained unsold and kept in a marina unmaintained for several years with renewd efforts to shift it every year just before annual berthing fees due. Still overpriced and no takers. They must have spent £10000 on mooring fees and insurance over the years and probably more. They should have sold it for £2500 in the first place and someone would have a nice boat and they wouldnt have lost money.
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A friend recently bought a boat for €3500 which its previous owner had paid €14500 two years before. When I mentionned that in the marina office I was told that 3 8m boats had been given away free the previous week.
 
Hi Grant,

When we meet I have a copy of PBO with an article about aSabre 27, probably the one mentioned but will hook it out and bring it with me .

Enjoy her, I know what some have said about boats not being worth much but for the price of a good family holiday you will get years of enjoyment from her and learn lots of new skills too.

Have fun
 
Sybarite said:
A friend recently bought a boat for €3500 which its previous owner had paid €14500 two years before. When I mentionned that in the marina office I was told that 3 8m boats had been given away free the previous week.
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Was this because of the marina fees? Or something else? Dead men's boats?
 
MOBY2 said:
Hi Grant,

When we meet I have a copy of PBO with an article about aSabre 27, probably the one mentioned but will hook it out and bring it with me .

Enjoy her, I know what some have said about boats not being worth much but for the price of a good family holiday you will get years of enjoyment from her and learn lots of new skills too.

Have fun
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Hi Moby

Is it the one where he does a full upgrade? Sticks a 10hp outboard on the back?

Great article, had the PBO but left it on the ferry on the way back from the IOW ?

Cheers
 
dunkelly said:
i put a nimber of thin ply strips epoxied to the underside and screwed up to that , in areas where necessary i made up 3.5mm ply panels and battens . it is notouriously difficult to get all the old residue off the old fibreglass and if you dont it will fall off as soon as it gets hot .
Click to expand...
Thanks thats helpful
 
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