Contessa 32 purchase advice. Newbie here. Yatch world purchase

I didn't really elaborate much yesterday when I said about my friend selling his Rustler 31 for the 30k asking price without the buyer having a survey. What I should have said was don't worry about paying good money for a good boat, even if it is an older boat. The Contessa is a classic, it'll always be a classic there will always be someone who will pay a premium for a well looked after boat they don't have to do much to. I'm pretty sure many Co32s will be restored in the future so you might as well get one someone else has spent the money on.

As for if it's the right boat/if it's the right first boat don't be put off by 6 man crews racing them in the Solent, they're perfectly ok single/shorthanded, they'll take anything that's thrown at them buy you'll probably get a bit of that over you if you don't duck behind the sprayhood. Yes they're not as big as a newer AWB but they'll sail really well. You don't buy a 90s Volvo estate if you want an E-type jag.

You mentioned a Hydrovane, personally I would suggest a Sea Feather, perfect vane for the svelte lines of a Contessa, not too heavy either. I'm not too sure what a HV costs but you'll probably save 2-4k which is a good chunk towards a new engine or a decent autopilot (Raymarine Evo) and a lot of change.

I mentioned before about the Ballad (poor mans Contessa) being similar, I'm really happy with it for the sailing I do. I bet I've paid 20k on it (inc buying it for 8k) but I couldn't have found 20k for anything nicer/newer when I wanted to buy a boat, and I wanted a boat to go sailing.

A friend recently bought a Konsort which I'm very impressed with, loads of room and I sometimes think I should have gone for something a bit more sensible so to speak but it just doesn't do it for me, I'm pretty confident it won't sail as nicely either. Occasionally I think it would be nice to have something with hot pressurised water, a shower fridge and heater (I'm working on the last two) but then I look at her as I row back to shore and know the creature comforts don't really matter that much. I would have to spend a lot more than 30k to find a boat with creature comforts I would be happy with.
 
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Buck Turgidson said:
If you don't think your boat is the prettiest in the Maria then you bought the wrong boat.
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I bought the prettiest boat and everyone else says so, but keeping up with the brightwork is quite challenging. No wonder they say, "a boat for others to buy and for the rest of us to admire."
 
Just had a look at the pictures, lovely boat.
the engine is a twin cylinder sabb. These engines will last forever if maintenance is kept up. That wouldn't put me off buying
 
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A fascinating thread with much excellent advice for a newbie to our World of madness and Man Maths. But something here is bothering me, and no one seems to have noticed, especially with all the advice of alternative boats, price being too much, etc.

Flinny is his opening post makes this clear statement ...

" ... I've got a viewing on Saturday, 30th and it looks like my offer may be accepted. ... "

So you have entered into a possible contract as you have made an offer, and on a boat you have not yet actually seen. Whether or not a contract will exist is now solely down to the vendor. I would be hoping and praying he declines your offer ! If he accepts you have a contract he can now compel you to complete.

I can vaguely remember those halcyon days when I first became smitten, and that was with a boat I had actually seen and crawled all over, and when by then I was also a YMO Instructor.

I do hope you find a boat that is suitable, but please at least do some sailing first. Some may love the idea of sailing but get so seasick they take up golf. Others will quickly realise that boat ownership is not as romantic as it seems. Nothing wrong with dreams, but you wake up from most dreams into a reality, and please don't let your reality become a nightmare.

Don't get me wrong I love the Contessa 32 indeed I did my Coastal and YMO on a Contessa 32, but if you do carry on to purchase please ask yourself how long has the current vendor has had her on the market.

Finally the past year has seen a kind of madness in the world of boat sales and similarly caravan and camper sales. No one can get abroad for a holiday, and the hotels and B&Bs when available are stacked out and asking top dollar. A boat / caravan / camper offers a very convenient holiday get away and many many have seen this and unable to spend, yet still earning are actively buying a recreational toy they can sleep in. This is pushing boat prices to silly levels. But the crash is due, and presently only being forestalled by Rishi's daily intake of crystal met. When (not if) the Government run out of cash, which can't be too long now, the recession coming is going to be frightening. No one wil then be buying boats, caravans, campers, and many may find buying food very very tough.

Best of luck to you. Please take those rose tinted glasses off.
 
superheat6k said:
Flinny is his opening post makes this clear statement ...

" ... I've got a viewing on Saturday, 30th and it looks like my offer may be accepted. ... "

So you have entered into a possible contract as you have made an offer, and on a boat you have not yet actually seen. Whether or not a contract will exist is now solely down to the vendor. I would be hoping and praying he declines your offer ! If he accepts you have a contract he can now compel you to complete.
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I can't say I've ever heard of a private or even corporate vendor forcing a sale on somebody who's not viewed the goods in person. Anyone selling something would be a fool to think a blind offer is binding till the cash is in the bank, merely an acceptance of a willingness to sell at that price. I frequently ask people if a price would be considered before travelling to view, not worth wasting anyones time.

Good luck getting cash out of me if you've not been up front with a description.

Finny go have a look, it's your money, if you decide in a few years it's not what you wanted someone will buy it, recession or not (I seem to recall that in the last few recessions decent classic cars, bikes, guns, whisky etc all went up in value. I'm sure a decent classic boat will at least hold it's value but it's not really about that). Don't forget you're asking on "practical boat owner" forum, most of us are tight arses and do things on a budget, if you want to pay abit more for a sorted boat do it. You'll probably pay 20k for an unrestored Contessa and you'll pay an easy 5k tidying it up.

If you have the money and it makes you happy do it! You could go out and but a spanky family car that'll be worth sod all in 10 years time instead.
 
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superheat6k said:
A fascinating thread with much excellent advice for a newbie to our World of madness and Man Maths. But something here is bothering me, and no one

Finally the past year has seen a kind of madness in the world of boat sales and similarly caravan and camper sales. No one can get abroad for a holiday, and the hotels and B&Bs when available are stacked out and asking top dollar. A boat / caravan / camper offers a very convenient holiday get away and many many have seen this and unable to spend, yet still earning are actively buying a recreational toy they can sleep in. This is pushing boat prices to silly levels. But the crash is due, and presently only being forestalled by Rishi's daily intake of crystal met. When (not if) the Government run out of cash, which can't be too long now, the recession coming is going to be frightening. No one wil then be buying boats, caravans, campers, and many may find buying food very very tough.

Best of luck to you. Please take those rose tinted glasses off.
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this made me laugh. My initial offer of 21k was rejected. i did put in my email to the broker "subject to viewing, professional survey, haul out and sea trial"
i did some research on present and post sales to realise that my offer was reasonable. The owners argument was that he is getting annoyed with low offers, from people who have not viewed the boat.

my argument was, that the market proce is the market price and it can only go down on a viewing, if everything isn't what it seems.
I then agreed to view the boat, and said, after that we can negotitate...

...the plan was to get the boat, a new engine and the tiller pilot for around 33k all in...

i'd then have a contessa with recent new mast (2006
new running rigging 2017
new standing rigging 2017
new engine 2021
new tiller pilot 2021
fully hull epoxy treatment 2017
full rewire 2017
new interior 2017

a very, very nice contessa that would look good on a resale even if i dropped 5k in 18 months

Although, thanks to a new perspective from you guys. i many now not make the offer, if any, until i get home after the viewing
 
flinny said:
this made me laugh. My initial offer of 21k was rejected. i did put in my email to the broker "subject to viewing, professional survey, haul out and sea trial"
i did some research on present and post sales to realise that my offer was reasonable. The owners argument was that he is getting annoyed with low offers, from people who have not viewed the boat.

my argument was, that the market proce is the market price and it can only go down on a viewing, if everything isn't what it seems.
I then agreed to view the boat, and said, after that we can negotitate...

...the plan was to get the boat, a new engine and the tiller pilot for around 33k all in...

i'd then have a contessa with recent new mast (2006
new running rigging 2017
new standing rigging 2017
new engine 2021
new tiller pilot 2021
fully hull epoxy treatment 2017
full rewire 2017
new interior 2017
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At this point, you have a rather nice Contessa 32,that owes you a lot of money, far more than it's worth and more than your £33k, because you'll have found another few £k that needs spending. But, if you're keeping it 10 or 15 years, who cares.

a very, very nice contessa that would look good on a resale even if i dropped 5k in 18 months
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Here's where you've lost the plot :) Try £20K in 18 months, if you don't find anything else that needs money spending on it.

Although, thanks to a new perspective from you guys. i many now not make the offer, if any, until i get home after the viewing
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Ah, things might be looking up again. Although i cannot stress enough how important it is for you not not actually make an offer until you have looked at some other boats and had a good think, using your head, not your heart.

Much of the advice in this thread come from hard earned experience and is given with the best of will, don't squander it ?
 
The only other thing that I would add is that sadly you'll be amazed at how little actual sailing you'll do owning a boat for just 18 months in the UK even if you weren't planning to fit a replacement engine and there was no Coronavirus and especially if you have to go to work...
 
It’s not entirely clear to me what the OP wants to do ,namely spend time and money fettling an old and wet,cramped design or to go sailing as a newbie in something that’s easy to sail, park and sell on. If this is to be a labour of love then good luck and I hope you will keep and post photos of your experience but for an outlay of say 40k I just feel other opportunities might be out there.
 
Go to work. Well that's blown the whole idea in to oblivion then. Dam it. Really thought we were on to a winner here. New guy comes along and buys fab boat and ive got really fab threads to read about. Just imagine it, Ruined. Now im going to have to wait until Captain Pugwash comes back and finishes his unsplashed eco boat. Dam.
Steveeasy
 
A couple of people have said the Contessa 32 is a wet boat - I would imagine that would get old quite fast when singlehanding.

A face full of water can be quite jolly and invigorating, one's first season, in good company and "off on an adventure" to Weymouth.

When passages exceed 8 hours and you may be tired, I quite appreciate the cosiness of my big doghouse.



(I started to write this before, but don't think I hit send, so apologises if I have, in fact, said it twice.)
 
Working on the theory that the less cash you venture, the less you can lose. Here is an example of a similar vintage cruiser/racer which I would much rather take on to buy and sell, short term (not that I yet think that is a good idea ; - ) :

Elizabethan - 30 in Suffolk, Eastern | Boats and Outboards

Actually I think that boat may be no longer for sale, but it is a cracker.

.
 
doug748 said:
Working on the theory that the less cash you venture, the less you can lose. Here is an example of a similar vintage cruiser/racer which I would much rather take on to buy and sell, short term (not that I yet think that is a good idea ; - ) :

Elizabethan - 30 in Suffolk, Eastern | Boats and Outboards

Actually I think that boat may be no longer for sale, but it is a cracker.

.
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Id second that. There is a fine example of one of those at lymington yacht harbour that rather caught my eye last year.
Steveeasy
 
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