Buying first Boat - any recommendations?

[srm]

Buy the smallest, cheapest boat you think you can live with, and also have a good chance of selling easilly at a similar price within two or three years.

This boat is your learning curve and after using it and deciding what type of sailing suits you best you will be in a better situation to go for something else. At that stage be realistic, its nice to own a long legged ocean passagemaker, but not very practical for weekends and the occasional two or three week cruise.

Your needs and aspirations will change over time. In over 30 years of sailing I started with a 26 catamaran (Bobcat), and have also owned 50 ft MFV, 29ft long keel cruiser, 42 ft long keel cruiser/racer, various dinghys and inflatables, and now have a 31 ft Prout cat as its light and easy to handle singlehanded but also has living space comfort, and proven offshore ability.

Have fun and be flexible.

 

[poter]

Have a look at this Nice Yacht well within your budget & nicely fitted out. A good cruiser with all the sails & add ons. with you level of experience she will look after you & take some abuse as well.

good luck.

poter

 

[LeonF]

I started with a 19 ft triple keeler, owned a Sigma 33 that was the OOD (Racing) model that was set up for cruising and in very good condition, and have recently traded down to a 26ft Victoria 800, smaller but newer and with more mod cons..heating , hotwater .
The decision and searching could drive you insane but is all part of the fun. An extensive short list of features is absolutely necessary. I sailed my Sigma single handed and it was fast and a joy to sail, but while happy to anchor was never confident about entering marinas single handed. It was fun to have 6 on board but the occasions when this happened were few, and storage was limited.
Features to consider are: sailing qualities...is this important or are you happy to spend a lot of time motoring? A friend has upgraded to a Westerly Pentland from a wooden Stella 26 and loves the space but really misses the thrill of sailing.
Is the girlfriend a keen sailor? If not then a large heads and a comfortable berth ( apart from a decent kip for conjugal pleasures) pressurised water, a shower and heating may be essential.
Aesthetics. The new Bens Jens and Bavs are great where domestics are concerned but no on could actually call one pretty. And a Jen dealer who races a Sigma admited that they are nowhere as robust as a Siggy.
Setting up for single handed sailing. They may motor well under autohelm but will they sail too ? Integrated instruments to steer to waypoints etc are a real bonus in fog. Sail management systems...roller furling yes but stack pack mains are also essential in a large boat..lashing a large main to the boom alone in a rolling swell is no fun.
There is no perfect boat...as someone on here said it's like a wife ...you need a few before you find the one that suits you best.
What do I miss about my previous boats..well the 19 footer could be beached and dried out for a walk along the shore..not the narrow berths though.
The Sigma ?? The speed and performance..the sheer thrill of sailing. The fin keel that allowed me to spin her about and go astern. The engine access.
My Victoria seeems to be the right decision once I get used to the long keel. I can enter a marina alone in confidence and hold her alongside a pontoon in a blow. The shower ! The really comfy forepeak. And the wonderful looks. And the sailing performance and ease on the helm are a bonus too.
Spend 10 grand less than you can afford as there will be lots you will want to change and improve.
Plenty of Westerlys, Sigmas Sadlers and even a Hunter to consider. Victoria 30 perhaps. An older Halberg Rassey.
Draw up your list, then look at whats available. you may come across a beauty that you had never considered. and get a good surveyor.. Good luck.

 

[janie]

[ QUOTE ]
Is the girlfriend a keen sailor? If not then a large heads and a comfortable berth ( apart from a decent kip for conjugal pleasures) pressurised water, a shower and heating may be essential.

[/ QUOTE ]One sees this recommended all the time, and obviously all the modern AWBs have showers, etc. But in reality they sail from marina to marina, which all have showers. Do people actually use their boat showers in a marina and pollute the water, or do they use the plumbed in marina showers? This has been puzzling me!

 

[jac]

We sold our first boat about 4 months and are now looking for for something similar to you - 31 - 36ft (max) 50k budget.

I wouldn't worry too much about age of the boat as such. If its well built and maintained a 20 year old boat can be a better buy than a newer one that hasn't been looked after. Things to consider are the costs of replacing major components - Teak Decks could cost 15-20k.

So find a design you like then look for a good example. If its 20 years old but got rigging, sails, electronics all less than 5 years old and a well maintained engine it will possibly be better than getting a 5 year old ex charter boat.

As for what design what do you enjoy? If its just gentle potering and sitting on the boat in a nice location maybe a deck saloon. If its sailing for sailings sake, performance will be important etc. A boat is like anything else - work out why you're buying it and then look for the one that best matches your needs.

Sigmas have a good reputation but need to look out for boats that have been raced hard or used by sailing schools.

One final thing - don't forget that running costs will be £5k+ ignoring replacement of items unless you find a cheap mooring. Sadly most of those have a waiting list