downsizing what 25ft ish fin keeled boat

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mbay

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I've recently sold my 31ft long keeled boat and I'm looking to downsize.

Various reasons for the sale but the main one being the work and cost of updating and looking after a bigger boat.

So I've up to 10k to spend on a fin keeled boat around 25ft (ish)LOA, one boat i was quite keen on was the Sadler 25 (it appears to tick all my boxes) and for that many beer tokens i should get a really good one orginal gel coat, re engined etc etc. However these boats hold a premium price and are hard to come by unless I'm prepered to travel have it transported back or sail it back myself (i'm based in NE England).

So my question is what other boats would you consider around this lenth? that you have sailed on but do not own yourself, I say this because I've read this type of thread before and a lot of replys although well meant are very bias.

Thank you
 
mbay said:
I've recently sold my 31ft long keeled boat and I'm looking to downsize.

Various reasons for the sale but the main one being the work and cost of updating and looking after a bigger boat.

So I've up to 10k to spend on a fin keeled boat around 25ft (ish)LOA, one boat i was quite keen on was the Sadler 25 (it appears to tick all my boxes) and for that many beer tokens i should get a really good one orginal gel coat, re engined etc etc. However these boats hold a premium price and are hard to come by unless I'm prepered to travel have it transported back or sail it back myself (i'm based in NE England).

So my question is what other boats would you consider around this lenth? that you have sailed on but do not own yourself, I say this because I've read this type of thread before and a lot of replys although well meant are very bias.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Oyster 26
Hunter Delta ( lift keel )
 
mbay said:
I've recently sold my 31ft long keeled boat and I'm looking to downsize.

Various reasons for the sale but the main one being the work and cost of updating and looking after a bigger boat.

So I've up to 10k to spend on a fin keeled boat around 25ft (ish)LOA, one boat i was quite keen on was the Sadler 25 (it appears to tick all my boxes) and for that many beer tokens i should get a really good one orginal gel coat, re engined etc etc. However these boats hold a premium price and are hard to come by unless I'm prepered to travel have it transported back or sail it back myself (i'm based in NE England).

So my question is what other boats would you consider around this lenth? that you have sailed on but do not own yourself, I say this because I've read this type of thread before and a lot of replys although well meant are very bias.

Thank you
Click to expand...


stick with the sadler 25 very good boat, had one for 12 years and it went like stink
too!
There are a few for sale in cornwall, but do hold there price.
 
Last edited:
Maybe consider a Trapper 500- or would that be too big?

(and now that I've said that, can I please suggest a Vega?? A lot of boat for well under your budget, cheap to run, blah blah.)
 
thanks so far, i had not considered the Oyster 26 good call Sailorman. I've viewed a couple of Hustlers but thet were a bit tatty for 10k I'm not doing in need of some tlc :rolleyes:
 
Bide your time. Stick with the Sadler 25. One will come along at the right price. I acquired one last year (no you can't have it) and it was well within your budget with a nearly new Yanmar 1GM10 too.

There are a great deal of good things said about them and so far I have found them to be true
 
Depending on exact design details, it drops you down into road trailer territory.

e.g. the Vega squeezes onto a legal road trailer that can be towed by a Discovery. But thus far I have chickened out of launching or recovering without a crane. Still, it saves storage costs.

Many 25ft boats would be trailable in the proper sense of the word.
 
I'd say seriously, go back to your thinking of a Sadler design !

I don't have one, so am not biased that way, but a Sadler 25 - or 26 if lucky - would be a good bet, real sailors' boats.

Which brings me to the Frigate 27, a David Sadler design, actually 26', a good boat but watch out for the build quality; I knew someone who fitted one out from a kit, it developed osmosis just from the wet carpet on the hull cradle before it was even launched !

One thing to bear in mind is that relatively small fin keelers have to be virtually given away in the Solent area, as the mooring / berthing fees are almost as high as much larger boats.
 
she31 said:
Dear OP, What I am interested in is not what type of boat you are going to downsize to, but your rationale when it comes to budget.
How much do you hope to save in yearly / seasonal running costs?
Is there that much difference between a 25-31 footer? Isnt most of the cost mooring / marina charges where the fees are not that much difference?
Anyway, would be interested to know your thoughts...
Click to expand...

The boat I've just sold was an Elizabethan 31 A cracking sailing boat we loved it tough as auld boots, but we could not afford to bring her up to standard so she had to go which was my main reason for selling. She was not the easiest boat to single hand either having hanked on sails and no lines led aft.

A smaller boat even by only 5ft LOA is a lot cheaper to run when it comes to replacing worn out parts it is also a lot less work especially when the dreaded antifouling comes round and of course is easier to sail short handed.

with a budget of upto 10k anything 30+ ft is proberly going to be a bit tatty and in need of some TLC a phrase you see often on boat ads and something i could do without.
 
Seajet the frigate 27 is an option, I'd also read about build quality problems, kind of off putting....... even more so when you hear they can catch the pox from a claggy carpet.
 
A Sewaolf 26 might be worth a look.

very wide beams for loads of room but not a huge amount of headroom.

very easy to sail being extremely well balanced, fast when lightly loaded, had 6kts out of ours, upwind this weekend.

You should get a nice example for 10k!
 
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