Cruising yacht for £3000, suggestions for make and model?

[Blueboatman]

Buy a bilgekeeler
With a decent outboard
And NOT a fixer upper or euphemistically advertised “just a bit of headlining/misfire/rust on the keel/a couple of stitches needed in the sails..”
Thus
1.Mud mooring not marina deep water bleeding the newbie dry on monthly fees

2.No expensive aging diesel to buy parts for
( but of course amateurs balk at being seen wiggling an outboard instead of a proper motor )
And 3 The new sails , outboard , basic electrics and rigging and stuff have been replaced .

You can buy a Corribee for £300 .
Or one for £3000 all done.
the latter is WAAAAY cheaper after one years ownership and you get to go sailing instead of fettling .
It’s a matter of preference , cash and choice of how to spend one’s weekends

 

[Stemar]

You can buy a Corribee for £300 .
Or one for £3000 all done.
the latter is WAAAAY cheaper after one years ownership and you get to go sailing instead of fettling .

An OB is fine if the boat is designed for one, but a boat that's been bodged with an OB because the inboard died isn't a good idea. They can be a nightmare in any sort of sea.

 

[Biggles Wader]

These PBO articles contain some pointers to some boats worth seeking out.
Coming of age: the 1970s yacht designs that have stood the test of time - Practical Boat Owner
Popular classics - 1980s yacht designs that are still making waves today - Practical Boat Owner
Best cruising boats under 30 feet: Is this the ideal size for a yacht?

Not mentioned before but a Pioneer 30 from the 1960's would be close to budget and be a good boat to sail and stay onboard.

The Pioneer 9 (metre) was first built in 1963 and is still a quick boat. The 1970s slightly bigger Pioneer 10 is also worth a look but might be out of budget. Either are very capable coastal or offshore boats.

 

[capnsensible]

Anderson 22. Faster than a speeding bullet.

 

[slawosz]

I think 3k is budget for something around 22-24 feet. I like this channel, the guy is sailing Hurley 22 with the outboard in the well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQitIEqaS_RYlKPGCFlQH7g/videos

I think an outboard, at little budget, is a good option, as diesel maintenance could get expensive (mounts, seals, elbows etc). Although I have seen once not that bad Halcyon 23 for below 1000 GBP with newish Beta. But you never know how the engine was used... 2 stroke outboards have good availability, are cheap, and don't have particular problems. New 4 stroke will run happily for many years. But well is much better for choppy seas - otherwise, the engine could jump out of the water and then drive is much worse.

I really liked my Achilles 24 as a starter boat - quite long, simple, and seaworthy. The engine in the cockpit well was driving the boat well, but it was noisy. Also, very little accommodation. But sailing-wise, it was very good.

 

[mrming]

There’s a tidy looking Achilles 24 on Apollo Duck, in budget. There’s also a decent looking Atlanta Catch 22 and a Hurley 22, under budget. Yachts this size can be very good value as the cost of mooring them puts buyers off. As others have said just make sure to buy on condition.

 

[ianat182]

I'm one those Westerly owners and regretting selling my Westerly Tiger 25 ' Keelboat built in 1973 and arguably in better condition than several other marques for her age and mileage, when sold for £3k in 2018. She was originally used as a Sail Training yacht and had accumulated 7500 miles when bought from that owner in 1984. The old Volvo MD1A was replaced in 2006 for a MD 2010 which also behaved faultlessly when sold. A fine sea boat it had done Scandinavia, France ,Spain.
Faster than the Centaur, but with most of the space and accommodation, and was no slouch in handicap racing and Club racing. Her draft of 4'3" was no problem unless drying - out harbours were used regularly - as at Ryde for example, and learning the ropes practically- and physically using the with fenders and springs kept her hull pretty clear of scrapes
. As a beginner yacht I'd recommend her or the Pageant, and Centaur with their bilge keels and shallower draft . All these yachts, though old , are strongly built and the headlining may need replacing- a fairly straight forward job if tackled ashore and non-chandlery material is checked before starting. My boat cost £75 for the whole job in materials and probably 7 days actually shaping and fitting vinyl covered panels, bringing her up to scratch in 2016.
Good club membership is a plus with several DIY sailors to give free help and advice. the Westerly Owners Association also useful to join.

ianat182

 

[Wansworth]

Anderson 22. Faster than a speeding bullet.

…….surely the speed of light?

 

[wombat88]

Buy locally otherwise transport will kill your budget.

 

[PhillM]

Where is he planning keeping it? In some placesa reasonably priced mooring is much harder to get than the boat.

 

[Greemble]

One or two on here - I'd suggest a 23, rather than the 23SL as the SL models are a lot more expensive.

No fabric headlining to worry about, either.

 

[xyachtdave]

Surprised no one has put a word in for the fastest most seaworthy boat ever built.

Anderson 22

Careful, I think the OP said it would be his friends first boat, that powerful beast could be a handful for the inexperienced!

 

[Iliade]

Worth considering whether your mate would like to trailer sail or go for something heavier (e.g. Centaur.):

Fin keels are for racers at this size/price point and will usually cost more to moor.
Bilge keels allow for more fun in terms of drying out in strange places (Big lumps of iron that are not too put off by a rocky bottom.)
Centreboards allow exploring even shallower water.

Trailer sailers can be dragged home, at least over winter.
Light boats can be 'quickly' towed to interesting places - 50kt cruising speeds are pie in the sky if you cannot tow the boat.
Heavier boats feel more comfortable at sea and aren't necessarily slow.
_______

A Juxtamere Marine Listang T24 (This is a later one with lower aspect keel and a skeg.) was my first boat. Flush deck ideal for sunbathing, sailed fast, but outboard powered, hence very expensive to motor any distance and collected pots & debris like they were going out of fashion. High aspect fin keel so able to sink into soft mud and lean against harbour walls, but no good for drying out elsewhere. Light and fast so stopped by a chop and jumped waves in a big sea. Low headroom but very good layout for comfort. Most however are self finished.

A Centaur (one within budget here) was my next. I bought at what was then a low price as a distress warrant sale. Shortly afterwards the price of them plummeted. When we came to sell she was in commission with a VP 2003 engine fitted, but I had already bought the new boat, so it was a case of selling quickly before the mooring cost outweighed sailing her to a dumping ground and opening the seacocks. I got a couple of grand for her, about the value of the s/h engine I had recently fitted. There have to be loads out there at this sort of money... Some will even have newish engines.

Konsorts are way over budget, but distress or executor's sales may reveal one in need of some TLC.

What about a Strider catamaran?

 

[slawosz]

but outboard powered, hence very expensive to motor any distance and collected pots & debris like they were going out of fashion.

Regarding cost - its true - outboard, especially 2 strokes can consume around 2 liters of petrol per hour. However, they don't suffer from one non-mentioned problem here - the diesel bug. Regarding the collecting pots - I am bit surprised - I always considered an outboard as an advantage in case of entangling in ropes or nets - you have much better access and it's much easier to cut ropes.
The Centaur from the link has an old engine and might require attention. Centaur in good condition can cost 8000 quid. Although it's not unusual that someone is selling a boat much cheaper as they can be a huge liability.

 

[Iliade]

Regarding cost - its true - outboard, especially 2 strokes can consume around 2 liters of petrol per hour. However, they don't suffer from one non-mentioned problem here - the diesel bug. Regarding the collecting pots - I am bit surprised - I always considered an outboard as an advantage in case of entangling in ropes or nets - you have much better access and it's much easier to cut ropes.

24' boat with a 6hp 2T o/b used more like 3 L/h (2.7 from the rule of thumb.) In practice that meant two full tanks to motor home from the IOW when there was no wind.
Halve that for a 4T, halve again for a diesel (very roughly) and red diesel is 'half' the price of petrol, it was a lot less then, plus no expensive 2T oil.

Most debris seems to float at or just below the surface; I found the outboard on the Listang to be perfectly placed to hoover it up. After I fitted an inboard with deeper propeller I don't think I had a single significant issue with prop fouling on that boat. I did get a bundle of junk on the prop of my current boat when rounding Lands End in the dark, but a quick burst of astern was enough to clear that thankfully.

 

[northwind]

Regarding cost - its true - outboard, especially 2 strokes can consume around 2 liters of petrol per hour. However, they don't suffer from one non-mentioned problem here - the diesel bug.

No they suffer from ethernol in fuel instead.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Also, consider a Macwester 26, 27, 28 or 30. Heavy, solid and safe boats, bilge keels and cheap to keep. The original Volvo engines, are reliable and if looked after (always use synthetic oil) would last for many more years. To find a low cost boat, go to nearby boat yards and clubs and offer money to owners who have neglected their boats and will be happy for someone to take them for little money; you may be lucky. This is the beauty of sailing, you can spend a fortune or very very little money depending what you are looking for.

 

[Tiercel]

I would like to make the case for another Anderson design - the Hunter 701. It was our first family boat. Fast, safe, and surprisingly roomy.

 

[onesea]

Time patients cash in hand ability to move quickly.
Search Facebook, EBay, Gumtree you can get lucky with local papers.

consider minumum requirements no hull / keel shape berths? Cooking? Cockpit space, sail layout.

Not model or type or size specific.

bare in mind costs of transport if not local.

look at boats with honest eyes google costs of sails, mattresses, headlining, rigging etc. they all soon mount up.

 

[mjcoon]

... I did get a bundle of junk on the prop of my current boat when rounding Lands End in the dark, but a quick burst of astern was enough to clear that thankfully.

[Of topic...] We thought that would solve our problem when we guessed that was why we had lost speed and got a different sound from the engine. Unfortunately what it actually was, was a loose shaft coupling. So in reverse it pulled the shaft out of the coupling and left no drive at all...