Dufour Arpege 30, 1974. Good for a beginner?

mickywillis

mickywillis

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Have recently been offered a Dufour Arpege of 1974 vintage.As a novice to things involving white flappy things on sticks, are there any pitfalls to avoid when buying? Are these good boats for novices? Any known issues with the particular model (osmosis, grp layup issues, hull weakspots, keel problems, etc)
Any info would be greatfully received. I have seen the boat and she is in good condition. The motor is a Volvo MD2, good oil prssure, but sometimes reluctant to start if its been stood for a while (any problems with this engine, are parts easy to obtain?)
Is there an owners website for the Arpege boats? Or any other resources/useful info I can look at on the web?
At the moment she is on a swinging mooring in Poole harbour. Ideally I'd like her in Portsmouth (or even Southampton) Can anyone give me suggestioins as to sub £1000 pa swinging moorings at either of my 2 requested choices and if so, any contacts to find out more info.
Thanks in advance!!
 
Hi, a friend of mine has one and it was his first boat and he is retired,he bought it 3 years ago and sails it around the Bristol Channel,he loves it,i sometimes sail with him and the boat seems kindly and forgiving,i belive they have a good reputation, as for problems they seem to be well found with no obvious drawbacks,the engine volvo md2 is quite old but i belive fitted as standard when new, it could be used as a haggle point when deciding on what you want to give for the boat, the are good engines but i think spares when available are quite pricey,hope this helps
Chris.
 
Looks like an excellent choice to me. I understand the decks were cored and can delaminate with water ingress. A tricky thing to repair so worth looking at carefully.
 
The arpege is a very sweet-handling boat, with no vices under sail, so ideal for a novice to sticks and rags. They are also quite tough, and many have gone transatlantic. The Arpege owners club is hereArpege owners
 
If such boat is sound and doesn't need a small fortune spent on her to bring her back to an acceptable standard then the boat is a real winner- a really good setup, albeit dated, and liveable too
 
Lovely looking boat - looks classic rather than old as slightly newer boats do. Good interior too, a boat easy to be smitten by. Couple of years ago PBO did an owner's article on one called Allouette, comparing her with 2 other boats - I'll see if I can find out the issue date.
 
Thanks so far for all the guidance. So it looks like theres no real nasties to watch out for?
Keep the info coming, I need to be persuaded!!
Can anyone recommend a "cheap" (does the word cheap exist when used in conjunction with the word "boat"????) deepwater swinging mooring, on the Southcoast, hopefully Chichestr/Portsmouth/Southampton? Does the National Trust offer any sort of deepwater moorings?
Many thanks to all who have replied.
 
Yes decent sailing boat tho a bit dated by modern standards BUT an awful lot cheaper. Sail well, quite quick, few vices, sl quirky layout but actually workable and good for others to stay on board - but no double berths......

All volvo bits are expensive & all diesels like to be worked not laid up so using should help the starting probs.

Go for it - but dont pay too much...

As for moorings the South Coasters will have to help you there - but it wont be a marina!!!!!!
 
Can't help re the boat but you've been getting good advice.

Re a mooring , to start you off

Portsmouth Harbour:

Gosport Boat Yard clicky I guess will charge around £1000 a year for the mooring which includes a ferry service or look at Wicor here

Some of your decision making has to depend on your draught and how you intend to get to your boat i.e. a remote mooring may be cheap but may involve long dinghy trips , dinghy storage and lugging outboards around etc
 
No real nasties to look out for? Another post mentioned cored decks de-laminating. I know of one of these boats that had to have the complete outer fiberglass deck removed - the balsa core replaced with foam and then deck completely re-laminated. A large job in anyones terms. Check the deck for springy patches very carefully.
 
Thanks to all. Boat is for sale for £10K complete with all electronics, tender/outboard, liferaft, Webasto heater, etc in fact the whole kit and caboodle.
As a novice, I'm still slightly nervous of my knowledge with sailboats (have been dinghy sailing over a year now, past Day Skipper Theory and have been out on larger boats only a few times) but have 12 years experience with waterski boats and sportsboats.
Judging from the very positive response forum members have given me regarding the boat, I feel that it would be worthwhile buying her and using her to gain experience. Do you think that forum members on here would possibly offer to assist in my quest to learn more about sailing (to the point of coming out on the new boat with me for a day or two?) or am I going to learn more by studying books and doing more qualifications??
 
PM sent - an Arpege was our second boat and if you live with the layout and micro galley, haggle over the cruddy engine (allow for replacement) then your only worry appears to be what the surveyor finds underneath.
 
If you have been sailing a dinghy, then all the same principals apply to a larger boat, in fact it could be a bit easier, things tend to happen a little slower. With all the years experience with power boats, you (should) know all your col regs, etc.

Get the boat surveyed, she sounds good, don't expect a perfect survey though, that's too much to expect, but if all is reasonable, buy it.

Back to you, sign up and do a day skipper practical course, you will learn loads, have loads of fun and it will build your confidence.

As for mooring, give Chi Harbour Authority a call, get your name down for a mooring. There are usually some in the Emsworth channel, but the Itchenor/Bosham channel is often over subscribed.

Good luck
 
Hi there

Alouette (reviewed in the magazine) was my old boat. I think she is subsequently up for sale again - or will be soon.
The Arpege is a great all rounder. They are fast, pretty and have loads of space below compared to other boats of the era - as you can see in the magazine. They are full of clever ideas for layout and accommodation.

They are very tough boats and as a consequence quite heavy but capable of long distance work as well as coastal cruising.
They keep the sea well too, although in a short chop they can be prone to 'hobby-horseing' due, I think, to their shape.
Check the deck isnt too spongy as the deck (only the deck) is cored with wood between fibreglass. It is fixable however.
Check the bases of the stanchion posts as they are moulded into the deck and can split if given a bash. Once again, not too hard to repair, but you need to be an epoxy queen to do it properly.

All in all was a fave boat amongst friends - managed 6 of us for a week one New Year - but we did all get on quite well!

Would def have another.... infact there is one on ebay and another for sale privately on yachtsnet dot co dot uk - check out the pictures.
PM me if you would like any more info.
 
And finally - Get out there! But do your day skipper practical too. Its a great course and you normally learn loads. The boat that you learn on is likely to be a bit different to the arpege but the theory is still the same.
If you need someone to pop out for a couple of days I could probably manage it from the beginning of Sept. It would be fun for old time's sake. PM me if looks likely. Patrick
 
Thanks for that Foxy. Nice to know that people are willing to help out others less fortunate than themselves - restores your faith in the human race! I'll bare you in mind should all go according to plan and I buy the boat.
Having just spoken to the owner, he had the boat surveyed in 2006 and nothing major showed up, just a few minor issues that he dealt with pretty much straight after the survey. He then conducted a Round Britain circumnavigation and all was well with the boat 2500 miles later. I'll see if I can get a copy of the survey to find out what was recommended.
Any ideas of how much a survey would be? I'm assuming the boat would need to be taken out of the water as well?
Due to the fact that a survey was done in 06 and the price of the boat, do you think a survey would be wise?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Due to the fact that a survey was done in 06 and the price of the boat, do you think a survey would be wise?

[/ QUOTE ] If there is a 2006 survey and you expect to get the boat for £10,000 or less then I think a new survey would be a waste of money. I would ask for an affidavit that the boat hadn't been run aground or dropped onshore since the last survey and leave it at that.

- W
 
Normally when you get a survey, the insurance company will accept it for a number of years afterwards. Might be worth checking that this is the case along with the above idea of an affidavit- could save you a few quid.
No probs about a trip out, am often teaching at weekends, so a bit of notice useful. Also back out to our boat around December, so won't be around after that.
Good luck either way... you'll love it!!
 
Hi all, I've just received the copy of the 2006 survey from the owner. With my limited knowledge, I cannot tell if it is gloom and doom or all systems go? Would anyone care to have a look at it for me please and give me feedback? PM me an email address and I'll forward it to you.
Thanks
 
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