Contessa 32 woe's

A few years ago I looked at a Co32 and the deck around the shrouds area was distinctly uneven and a bit bouncy, every indication that it had been abused. Walk away - in this market it is very easy to buy a boat and much more difficult to sell one if it has issues.
 
amuges said:
The reason for three surveyors was that I had three numbers, I called all three and only got through to one, I then received a call back from the one who told me about the stress issues.
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The surveyor has done you a big favour. He's basically saying don't waste your money. There'll be enough to fix when you buy a boat of that age never mind dealing with structural issues, whatever they are and however caused.

It might be an attractive boat for a boat builder who thinks he can get it dirt cheap and do it up and sell it. I presume you have not got anywhere near that sort of skill set and spare time and really just want to go sailing.

Walk away and find a boat that can get you sailing for a reasonable outlay in money and time. Buying the boat is the easy bit.
 
20+ years ago I had a similar dilemma when I was looking for a boat around the 32ft mark.

I looked at a number of CO32s, but they were all well used. A wardrobe of 10 sails - all shot. Miscellaneous stress cracking or bulkheads that needed re-glassing. There was also a problem with the hull 'pumping' at the roundness of the bilge (this can be cured by glassing in a new stringer). All fixable, but at a price. There is also the question as to how well new fibre glass will bond to old, well cured and possibly slightly damp, fibreglass.

For a cruising boat the CO32 has a small area main, and a large jib. Maybe not ideal. Even for an old design the internal accomodation is cramped; the heads less than perfect.

I ended up getting a Nicholson 32 and had her for 20 years, cruising her from the north coast of Spain and up to the Faeroe Islands, and most places in between.

Maybe not as fast as the CO32 on the wind, but overall a good cruising boat. Check the results of this years RTI race, where the CO32s and Nic32s have the same start. The first Nic32 will not be far behind the first CO32 over the finishing line.

I think the CO32s sell on their reputation and are overpriced. For a cruising boat you can get more 'bangs for your buck' elsewhere. Perhaps look outside the 'names' - a one off?, a foreign manufacturer?
 
JumbleDuck said:
And why so many of them are in the wilder areas.
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Also many of different types of boats in wider areas. Scotland has one of the most successful Jeanneau dealers in the country.

Anyway the OP wants a boat for safe cruising in the English Channel. If the only boats capable of that are the ones he is looking at thousands of people have clearly got it wrong. Just pointing out that successful safe cruising in our waters (including the wild parts) is not the sole preserve of old fashioned long keel cruising boats. If it was they would still be made and nobody would buy anything else.
 
amuges said:
Wow! stunning - looks like you have done an amazing job - interestingly, I'm hoping to view a Centurion next week, I know very little about them but the broker I know recommended her based on my requirements.
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I've also got a Centurion - when I bought her the Co32 was also on the list but after looking at both it was a no-brainer. In many ways they are very similar to the Co32, dimensions and rig are very very close and so they share the same sailing characteristics. However to my mind the Centurions are much better built and finished.
 
Some C32 S did suffer from excessive flexing of the port side in way of the saloon table seat structure an saloon bulkheads. One such boat at our marina was affected. The fix was quite logical and seemed to require some glasswork and rebuilding of the joinery work around seats and lockers.
It is relatively easy to see if your boat affected by inspecting the seat locker joinery work and the bulkhead to hull joint.The fractures should be visible if present. Maybe this is what the surveyor saw. It is possible the previous owner had it fixed and if so this could be clearly visible due differences old and new timber.
 
Tranona said:
Also many of different types of boats in wider areas. Scotland has one of the most successful Jeanneau dealers in the country.
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I was being a little tongue in cheek. I do think we see more traditional boats in the wilder areas, but I think that's down to interior more than hull. Modern boats tend to be designed for gracious marina living, and there ain't much call for that north of Ardnamurchan.

I'd recommend him to choose a deck adn cabin layour which suits his proposed use. Keel configuration doesn't matter much.
 
Well thank you everyone, far more information and opinions than I'd dared hope for!

I have read everything and pretty much decided I'm walking away from this one, I'm not a shipwright and I want to go sailing this season - and as someone pointed out, there are a lot of alternative boats.

I'm not sure I 'admitted' to not knowing much about boats - I know the differences between Co32 and Nicholson 32 and have sailed extensively in a Co26 (definitely long keel), various Folkboats, Sigmas, Laser 28's, Beneteaus (First 40 and Oceanic 31) plus many other different boats.... I also know it's not essential to have a long keel boat for Channel sailing - what I am very clear about is that there is a lot about boats that I still don't know (nobody knows everything) so, suggestions of other marques to check have been very gratefully received.

I searched for Albin Ballad on Yoda's suggestion and found an Albin Scampi (very different from my original search but still ticked man of my boxes) - I don't know much about these but having spoken to the owner I'm very interested.

If anyone has experience of the Albin Scampi, I'd be very grateful to hear it.

Thanks again everyone
 
amuges said:
so, suggestions of other marques to check have been very gratefully received.


Thanks again everyone
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Glad you took my comments in the spirit they were intended.

The reality is that just about any cruising boat in the 28-32' size (and many smaller and of course bigger) will safely cruise around the English Channel - that is what they are designed for.

They do however differ in the way they go about it - some like the Scampi are derived from race winning designs so perhaps depend more on very active sailing to get the best out of them (and are often knackered when they get to 30+ years old) to the other end like the suggested Rivals which are more at home in long distance shorthanded sailing in any weather. In between are a whole range of designs which might major on accommodation or ease of sailing, or good motoring performance. In this size range some are very easy to handle singlehanded, and others require active crews.

Perhaps more importantly in the price range you are looking at, boats vary hugely in usable condition, partly reflecting the way they were built and partly the way they are used and maintained. Add to that many are for sale simply because the owners cannot face the work and expense necessary to keep them working effectively. If you want to go sailing, look for ones requiring little or no work. Ambitious to think about getting too much sailing this year, starting from now, as even the simplest purchase takes 4 weeks typically. You should though be able to get some sailing before the winter to make up a list of jobs to do.

JumbleDuck's advice above to major on the accommodation and deck (rig, layout, steering etc) and not worry too much about what is under the water is sound. If you ask for recommendations, you will get (as the many similar threads here show) anything up to 30 or 40 different suggestions, mainly of boats the poster owns or has owned, or lusts after - and all of which (well, nearly) would be fine for what you want.

Boats are a very personal choice - that is why there is so much choice, and rarely are people disappointed with their choice. Look at lots of boats and you will quickly see what you like and don't like and you will be surprised how quickly the right one jumps at you - and it may not have been on your original list!
 
Nice! I found a She 33 in Chichester, looks pretty nice so I might have to go and have a look - thanks for the idea
 
Another Centurion owner here! The Centurion is a Holman & Pye design and very solidly built. There's also a helpful owner's site here: http://centurion32.fr
David Merlot, who was involved in building them in the 70s is still on hand with advice and bits for repairs and restoration. Being French-built, there are some essential items in the Centurion, including a wine cellar...
 
amuges said:
If anyone has experience of the Albin Scampi, I'd be very grateful to hear it.
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No direct experience of the Scampi but I've raced on a few IOR boats. The IOR-rule encouraged distorted hull forms and less ballast with the result that they can be hard work to helm when the wind and seas get up a bit. But with the revivals in recent years can be great fun for round the cans racing.

As a few have already said, there are very few fundamentally bad boats. In reality 'bad' means unsuitable for your purposes. For example, one of the 'worst' boats I've ever sailed was an HR36 which I took out on a F6 beat. Yet they sell for quite a premium and I can fully understand why. We were pretty comfortable going nowhere fast. I'd've been happier going faster.

What I'm trying to say is that your idea of a good boat, and mine, and other posters will vary a lot depending on each one's priorities, so it would be a good idea to think about what your priorities are.

What attracted you to the Co32? Style? AVS? Cult status? Reputation for heavy weather sailing? It wouldn't have been the accommodation and, to be blunt, compared to more modern cruiser racers it wouldn't have been the speed.

When looking at the Scampi I'd suggest you are lowering the spec in the AVS and heather weather offshore sailing categories.
 
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