First boat leisure 27 (hopefully)

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SharkBait25

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Congratulations, she looks a nice clean boat.

I would not rush to change anything yet as much depends on what the surveyor picks up - I should wait until you get the report before replacing anything. Engine would be my main concern as it is the most expensive thing to put right. A surveyor is unlikely to commit on this - you really need a mechanical engineer to check it out, even though it has low hours.

Tenders depend on your budget but there is usually something like an Avon Redstart advertised on Ebay or Gumtree which are good value and long lasting. You would need a 2.5hp engine for this - again depends on budget but there are still 2 strokes around secondhand that would fit the bill if you are pressed for cash.
 
coveman said:
Congratulations, she looks a nice clean boat.

I would not rush to change anything yet as much depends on what the surveyor picks up - I should wait until you get the report before replacing anything. Engine would be my main concern as it is the most expensive thing to put right. A surveyor is unlikely to commit on this - you really need a mechanical engineer to check it out, even though it has low hours.

Tenders depend on your budget but there is usually something like an Avon Redstart advertised on Ebay or Gumtree which are good value and long lasting. You would need a 2.5hp engine for this - again depends on budget but there are still 2 strokes around secondhand that would fit the bill if you are pressed for cash.
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The surveyor has said he will give the engine a good run and phone me during if he finds anything major. was thinking maybe the chart plotter or radar could do with an upgrade.

With tenders is there a maximum size and HP that will fit on the boat and is it possible to attach it somehow.
 
SharkBait25 said:
The surveyor has said he will give the engine a good run and phone me during if he finds anything major. was thinking maybe the chart plotter or radar could do with an upgrade.

With tenders is there a maximum size and HP that will fit on the boat and is it possible to attach it somehow.
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I wouldn't upgrade those yet, like others have said, wait for the survey as it may pick up things you'll need to spend money on. Outboard size is dependent on the tender and the outboard is usually fitted on transom/bracket.

Lovely boat though, have fun sailing.
 
That does look a nice boat, and sounds like it's been cared for. Good to have a relatively recent engine. Volvo recommend replacing the saildrive seal after 7 years, I think this is a bit arbitrary and haven't heard of one failing dramatically. However, after 16 years it would no doubt be wise to do this. It involves moving the engine forward a bit and is a 2-man job. There are a few useful YouTube videos showing how to do it, and you may want to look at these before starting!

As others have said, get to know the boat for a few months before you decide on upgrading stuff.

Hope the survey goes well.
 
SharkBait25 said:
The surveyor has said he will give the engine a good run and phone me during if he finds anything major. was thinking maybe the chart plotter or radar could do with an upgrade.

With tenders is there a maximum size and HP that will fit on the boat and is it possible to attach it somehow.
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That should indicate any major problem with the engine.

Most likely you will go for an inflatable tender which you can keep on board or tow behind in calm conditions. The outboard could also double as a secondary engine for the yacht. My boat is lighter at only 22' but a 2.5hp engine is adequate in an emergency, providing there is no significant tide. You may be better off with a 3-4hp engine as your boat is larger. Its a balancing act between being large enough for the yacht but not too heavy on the tender! As has been said the outboard would normally be kept on a bracket on the transom or stowed, but you would need an engine bracket fixed to the rear of the transom when in use which is no big deal., or the present owners may use some form of bracket attached to the boarding ladder for this purpose.

Hope the survey goes well.
 
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Don't worry too much about the radar... we never had radar on our first two boats, and anything we have it on the current one, we've only used it once each year since we got the boat.
If the plotter doesn't work then get Navionics on your phone and use a paper chart as your primary nav tool. A fancy new plotter is much lower down the priority list than good ground tackle, for example.

Keep the tender simple... not much stowage on a 27ft boat... I have always used an Avon Redcrest, if I use an outboard it's a 2.5hp 2T... but I do recommend an electric pump to inflate... And get some proper oars, a pair from a Mirror dinghy works well and are far better than the silly paddles trust Avon supply.
 
Thanks for all the replies

really hoping for a good survey. Will be looking at insurance options too. I also need to get a mooring of some kind sorted out.

Going to get a few quotes for the sail drive I’m guessing insurance will probably require it doing too.

cannot wait to get on the boat.
 
Having just sold my fin keel L27 I can confirm there great boats. If your handy with spanners changing the sail drive diaphram isn't that hard I did it in January of recommend changing the back to back shaft seals while your at it
 
Hey guys

So not an awful survey but the main issue is

The skeg has been tested and it shows that it has water inside. The surveyor has said that it needs to be dug out and investigated and either filled or a new skeg made?

will have more details when I get a summary tomrorow and then the full report in days to come.

I’m going to have to get the boat delivered to a hard standing and try and get the repairs done as soon as possible, so we can enjoy a bit of nice weather in the boat.
 
The skeg won't fall off because it's got a bit of water in it. That sounds like a winter job to me. Unless there's actually a problem with the saildrive, I'd content myself with replacing the seal; again, a job for this winter unless it's leaking.

As for the tender, Like others, I'd go for an inflatable that you can roll up on deck for longer trips, but I favour the ones with an inflatable floor. Your feet and bags just stay dryer. As for the engine, if - big if - you can find a secondhand Tohatsu 3.5 HP or a clone, it's the ideal. Light, reliable and plenty of umph. If you're offered one with an NW7 postcode dremelled on the cover, do let me know, mine was stolen and I'd like it back :mad: Fit a suitable bracket on your transom and it'll make a get you home emergency engine.
 
Stemar said:
The skeg won't fall off because it's got a bit of water in it. That sounds like a winter job to me. Unless there's actually a problem with the saildrive, I'd content myself with replacing the seal; again, a job for this winter unless it's leaking.

As for the tender, Like others, I'd go for an inflatable that you can roll up on deck for longer trips, but I favour the ones with an inflatable floor. Your feet and bags just stay dryer. As for the engine, if - big if - you can find a secondhand Tohatsu 3.5 HP or a clone, it's the ideal. Light, reliable and plenty of umph. If you're offered one with an NW7 postcode dremelled on the cover, do let me know, mine was stolen and I'd like it back :mad: Fit a suitable bracket on your transom and it'll make a get you home emergency engine.
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I’ve included some pictures off the skeg. I’m just a little worried because he said he would have to writeit up on the report as an A category thing. Excuse my lack of terminology as I’m quite the layman when it comes to boats.

We quite like the idea of the most powerful outboard for the tender so we have a good aux and also can have some good old fun In a nice powerful tender. How do you leave your tender ashore and not have it stolen?

CA7CE547-EFAC-46EF-90B1-D6D17CBA8CAF.png
 
Hi Sharkbait & congratulations. Join the Leisure owners association. There is loads of info there including rebuilding L27 skeg. You can also help drain the skeg by drilling holes in the base & filling afterwards. I haven't actually done that but I am sure there are people here who have done it & will provide advice..
Dave
 
rosie said:
Hi Sharkbait & congratulations. Join the Leisure owners association. There is loads of info there including rebuilding L27 skeg. You can also help drain the skeg by drilling holes in the base & filling afterwards. I haven't actually done that but I am sure there are people here who have done it & will provide advice..
Dave
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I have joined the forum but I haven’t posted yet. A friend of mine has suggested this. If the water has been absorbed by the Skeg would holes need to be drilled into the top too. I’m not sure if the water will drain to the bottom or not.
 
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