Buying first boat

[RichHV]

I was hoping someone could give me some advice on my first boat…im looking to buy a used boat for around £15000-£20000 for coastal cruising maybe sail up the west coast of Britain.
I have been looking at a beneteau 29 but im not sure if it would be suitable, is it more of a racing boat?
If someone has any advice it would be much appreciated.

 

[pvb]

Welcome to the forums!

It would be helpful if you told us what your sailing experience is.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Welcome.
You can coastal cruise in anything. What is it you actually want? How much space? Speed or comfort ? Single handed or full crew? How much do you want to pay for mooring fees? Fixer upper or as new condition?

what have you sailed on and what did you like?

 

[ashtead]

It’s easy to buy a boat but initially I would think about where you might want to keep it and how much you would like to pay for the privilege . Once you have considered home ports it might influence your choice of keels and vessel. Will you have crew to help berth as to be honest parking is the trickiest bit really provided you don’t venture out in stormy weather I guess. As you might have discovered there are limited supplies of vessels currently so don’t feel rushed into buying the first you see. Make a list of comfort and other features you and your crew want eg shorepower,shower,heating etc, whatever make you go for look for one with newish engine and mast/rigging etc and remember to set aside some of your budget for fixing all those things you never realised needed replacing until you started out sailing .

 

[RichHV]

Welcome to the forums!

It would be helpful if you told us what your sailing experience is.

At the moment just competent crew but i intend on completing my day skipper soon…but have sailed up west coast before as crew on 3 peaks and also flotilla. Basically it would be a boat for family of four but want something small and in budget but also capable of say sailing from whitehaven up the coast to Scotland

 

[RichHV]

Welcome.
You can coastal cruise in anything. What is it you actually want? How much space? Speed or comfort ? Single handed or full crew? How much do you want to pay for mooring fees? Fixer upper or as new condition?

what have you sailed on and what did you like?

There seems to be a few beneteau 29s available that fit out budget and fit want we want out of a boat, size, room etc and was hoping to moor in whitehaven but i cant find any review or description of someone who has owned a 29 and what sailing they did in it.

 

[mrming]

If it’s a First 29 from the 80s / early 90s, they’re a solid sea boat, well-mannered, not particularly racy and with nice woodwork below. I would happily sail a well sorted one from Whitehaven to Scotland. Apart from the usual watch outs of engine, standing rigging, and sails that have already been called out above, there is one major issue with Beneteaus of this era - the interior vinyl headlining. The glue fails on the back of the vinyl and it starts to droop / sag away from the deck head / hull sides. There’s a lot of it, it’s a major job to replace it all yourself, and it can be difficult and expensive to find someone to do it. You may also come across the First 285. That’s a smaller, lighter, faster boat, and the same issue applies.

 

[Jim@sea]

You want to sail up the West Coast, get something which under engine will do at least 6 knots due to the speed of the tides. Also if cruising you should be prepared to sail backwards for a time. As I have always remembered around 40 years ago I was in a Power boat off Holyhead and the tide was running at about 6 knots and we overtook a small yacht which was being sailed North at about 3-4 knots and we realised that the tide was pushing him backwards. The West Coast of Wales and up to Whitehaven is not the sort of place where you want to hang about cruising slowly.
PS What about a Moody 30 I wish I still had the one I had.

 

[RichHV]

You want to sail up the West Coast, get something which under engine will do at least 6 knots due to the speed of the tides. Also if cruising you should be prepared to sail backwards for a time. As I have always remembered around 40 years ago I was in a Power boat off Holyhead and the tide was running at about 6 knots and we overtook a small yacht which was being sailed North at about 3-4 knots and we realised that the tide was pushing him backwards. The West Coast of Wales and up to Whitehaven is not the sort of place where you want to hang about cruising slowly.
PS What about a Moody 30 I wish I still had the one I had.

Thanks for info i had been looking at the moody 30 as well.

 

[RichHV]

If it’s a First 29 from the 80s / early 90s, they’re a solid sea boat, well-mannered, not particularly racy and with nice woodwork below. I would happily sail a well sorted one from Whitehaven to Scotland. Apart from the usual watch outs of engine, standing rigging, and sails that have already been called out above, there is one major issue with Beneteaus of this era - the interior vinyl headlining. The glue fails on the back of the vinyl and it starts to droop / sag away from the deck head / hull sides. There’s a lot of it, it’s a major job to replace it all yourself, and it can be difficult and expensive to find someone to do it. You may also come across the First 285. That’s a smaller, lighter, faster boat, and the same issue applies.

Thanks for info

 

[Jamie Dundee]

I had an Atlanta 25 and later a Dufour 29 which I kept in Whitehaven c2000/2004. We sailed the Atlanta up to Portpatrick, over to Donaghadee, down to Ardglass and back to Whitehaven via the IOM. The Dufour took us up to the Clyde for a couple of weeks and over to the IOM on several occasions. We did sleep 4 on the Dufour for a couple of weeks but you need to be very good friends, it would be pretty crowded if bad weather ruled the cockpit out of bounds.

 

[Stemar]

It’s easy to buy a boat but initially I would think about where you might want to keep it and how much you would like to pay for the privilege .

Big +1 for this. Find somewhere to park it before you buy it. I don't know the area, so these are general comments that will apply to most areas.

A marina is convenient and will please the other half, a mooring is a LOT cheaper, and, if you get a nice one, can be a good place to spend a couple of days without even going anywhere - boat as weekend cottage, but you'll need a dinghy to get to the boat, which is a faff, especially for a family of 4 plus all the stuff you'll need. We have a nice mooring with a nearby pontoon, so I go and get the boat and Milady steps on board, which is close to the ideal. Worth investigating local sailing clubs. They may have moorings for a good bit less than commercial ones.

 

[Jim@sea]

Thanks for info i had been looking at the moody 30 as well.

You should have a look inside a Moody 30 to appreciate the accommodation When I bought mine new around 1978 I bought one with wheel steering fin keel, but now with the cost of marinas so expensive I would now go for a bilge keel. The one I had I sold it back to the dealer I bought it from and bought a Power Boat (big mistake as I ordered a new one then found out it had been a demonstrator so I returned it and got my money back and the Moody 30.
BUT as that happened over the winter when I came to use the Moody 30 I found that at the start of the winter they had not put Antifreeze in the engine so that the Volvo 25hp Diesel Engine had a great big crack in the block. So whatever boat you choose make sure it got Antifreeze in it, and if a Marina Services your boat buy one of those cheap glass Antifreeze Testers and test the strength.