First ever yacht

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Sarahm919

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I'm looking for my first yacht, I'm looking to spend at least 6 months of each year living aboard her but this may change in the future to full time live aboard.
I've been offered a Cutlass 27, but cannot find any information about them online. Are these a good seaworthy boat? What do I need to look for when looking at her, potential faults etc.
she has a windvane fitted, radar and tiller pilot. I'm planning on taking her round to the Mediterranean but in future would like it have a go at a transat when I have more experience.
Anyone out there who can help, any advice greatly appreciated
 
Although I have no direct experience of the Cutlass, I have always admired them and I would think they are the best of the Folkboat-derived designs of the '70s. I have seen them sailing in boisterous conditions and they looked happy there.

A small boat may have trouble providing enough battery reserve to run things like radar and autopilot, so you would need to think carefully about this before going any great distance.
 
Would be considered too small for conventional liveaboard. That's not to say you couldn't live on her (occasional forumite Nathan used to live in a Corribee!) but you'd need to realise that you're taking on something of a challenge by doing so.

May also very well be worth taking the Cutlass to get used to owning a boat, then in future you will be better equipped to sell her and buy the "right" boat. Hardly anyone manages to get it right first time :)

Pete
 
Not intending to run autopilot and radar all the time unless the engine is on. It has two batteries so shouldn't be too bad. And has a windvane steering system fitted plus a solar panel power shouldn't be too bad for distance work
 
I'm 5'9" so yes it may be a slight problem.
The autopilot may not get used as it has a self steering wind vane thing. It has two batteries and a solar panel fitted so power shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as I'm not overdoing it.
Once into the med I'm planning on only day sailing mostly as want to see places
 
Boat has a good reputation for its type. However, woefully short of room for living aboard unless you are of the extreme camping persuasion. Poor choice for the Med - at least for living on. You need to realise that there is very little "sailing" in the Med. At least 50% of the time on the move you will be motoring, and you are likely to spend 80-90% of your total time at anchor or moored to a quay/marina where a tiny cockpit and a windvane on the back are a PITA.

On the other hand if your objective is long distance sailing in open oceans at low cost then there is much to recommend a boat like a Cutlass - but you will take a long time getting anywhere!

Difficult to say what to look for when buying one. They vary enormously in quality of fitout as many were home finished and most will have had multiple owners all of whom will have added or changed things over the years. Asking prices are in the loose change range but remember that anything that needs doing or replacing is at today's costs. A simple thing like new sails will be as much as you pay for the boat, and a new engine more than the boat is worth. Tread carefully.
 
The Cutlass might very well be a bit tight for living aboard for 6 months a year.

Great sailing boats though, always fancied one myself!
 
I am sure that a Cutlass would prove to be very seaworthy and comfortable on a long Atlantic passage. But as others have said above, not the ideal sort of boat for pottering about in the Med.........

OldBilbo (who is a regular poster on these Forums) has a Cutlass.

Here is a copy of a catalogue I obtained from her builders Marine Construction Ltd back in 1976.
The basic cost of a new boat then was GBP 8,333 excluding VAT (which was 25% around then or soon afterwards?)
Everything has gone up about 10 times I think since then, so she would be over GBP 80k in today's money.
And as for the extras - imagine paying GBP 650 for a depth sounder or GBP 720 for a speed log today...... they dont even mention VHF radios, as these were VERY expensive even then.

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The main question is how much do you wish to spend and what reserve you have for fitting out/upgrading/renewing?
 
A few points;
To some extent it depends on your age - if young and enthusiastic then anything is possible and privations can be fun.
The boat looks great and seaworthy but I would choose a smaller cockpit for a transat or long ocean sails.
The article says some were home built - worth trying to find out if your was as it could either be very good or a bit botched.
 
A few points;
To some extent it depends on your age - if young and enthusiastic then anything is possible and privations can be fun.
The boat looks great and seaworthy but I would choose a smaller cockpit for a transat or long ocean passages.
The article says some were home built - worth trying to find out if your was as it could either be very good or a bit botched.
 
Ok, thanks for all the comments, I think I'm going to pass up on the offer on this yacht.
It's about the right size but from what everyone has said and what I've seen it's not going to be big enough inside. I'm not the youngest and like a bit of comfort these days.
I'm not planning on using the donkey unless absolutely necessary as using the sails is much quieter and cheaper.
Anyone recommend a yacht in the 27-32 foot range, needs room down below to live in, decent cockpit for sitting out in the evenings and can be sailed single handed.
 
Sarahm919 said:
Ok, thanks for all the comments, I think I'm going to pass up on the offer on this yacht.
It's about the right size but from what everyone has said and what I've seen it's not going to be big enough inside. I'm not the youngest and like a bit of comfort these days.
I'm not planning on using the donkey unless absolutely necessary as using the sails is much quieter and cheaper.
Anyone recommend a yacht in the 27-32 foot range, needs room down below to live in, decent cockpit for sitting out in the evenings and can be sailed single handed.
Click to expand...
There is just such a huge choice it is impossible to make suggestions other than people will suggest their own boats or ones they hanker after and you could easily end up with a list of 50 or more possibles.

You really need to think through exactly what you want to do with the boat. As already indicated there is a big difference between long distance ocean sailing and cruising in the Med. Although you say you want to sail everywhere, you will not get very far in the Med unless you have a good strong engine. So your priorities change depending on usage, and therefore potential boats change.

Many boats in the 30' size range and upwards are suitable for long distance cruising and liveaboard, but there is a huge variation in types to suit different preferences. If you like the Cutlass type boats then there are many bigger boats of a similar style - Nicholsons, Halmatics, Elizabethans, Vancouvers, Halcyons etc etc, but most are old because that style of boat has not been built in any numbers since the 1980's. Then there are more modern interpretations of the theme, such as Sadler and Contessa 32s, or the IOR inspired cruiser racers of the 1980's. Some of the later Westerlys, Sadlers and Moodys in that size range also worth looking at. All of these types of boats have been used by others for long term cruising. However, if relaxing drifting around in the Med is your aim then a modern French or German boat is perhaps more suitable.

Budget is often a key factor. How much you have to spend, including the almost inevitable refit determines what you are able to buy. The key issue is condition rather than the individual design as it is perhaps more important to get a "together" boat than an imperfect example of a more "desirable" boat. If you have not owned a boat before, it is probably sensible to buy a simple, popular model of boat in reasonable condition, spend a couple of years sailing it to get a fix on what you like and don't like, then look for your optimum boat based on a new level of knowledge and experience.
 
A week cruising aboard a boat that size can be a challenge, but offset by the joys of sailing and the odd night in a B&b. To my mind a live aboard will need more comforts. Standing headroom, room to stow gear for themselves and occasional guest. Separate cabins heads shower hot water, a heater, a fridge, spare water and eletrical capacity and so on. 32ft might be a minimum entry size fit comfortable live aboard. Even for one determined man alone.

Living on a twenty something footer is for the brave, committed, determined, perhaps foolish, hardy and don't mind long term discomfort and inconvenience. But that's just my opinion. Certainly it 'can be done' but would it be fun?

Cold and damp in the uk, a sweat box in summer med? Unlikely to have air con.

27ft great learning boat, or around the cans or longer racing, but live aboard... ...seriously! You'd have to be a bit cracked.
 
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The med will be in the UK winter not summer, I'm planning to spend the summer in the UK.
I still don't understand why you can't sail in the Med is there an abject aversion to using sails? There is wind there surely and using the donkey to move a sailing yacht around seems daft it would be easier to buy a gin palace and have done with it.
Been looking at a couple of Beneteau Oceanis 320's that I can afford so this may be a better option and seems like they are a lot more modern and roomier inside. For running costs I ideally want to stay under 10m
 
If it's for the Mediterranean you have to have a holding tank or you will be heavily fined if caught. Shoehorning a holding tank into a boat like the Cutlass will most probably be difficult and expensive.
 
Sarahm919 said:
The med will be in the UK winter not summer, I'm planning to spend the summer in the UK.
I still don't understand why you can't sail in the Med is there an abject aversion to using sails? There is wind there surely and using the donkey to move a sailing yacht around seems daft it would be easier to buy a gin palace and have done with it.
Been looking at a couple of Beneteau Oceanis 320's that I can afford so this may be a better option and seems like they are a lot more modern and roomier inside. For running costs I ideally want to stay under 10m
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I think the point about sailing in the Med is the scarcity of useful wind.It can be dead calm for much of the time so you go nowhere,then it blows up to a gale for a while so sailing is difficult or impossible,then it gets calm again.There are certain places where you get land and sea breezes,but generelly the engine is very useful if you want to go anywhere.
As for living aboard for more than a few days I would insist on standing headroom in the main cabin.The rest can be altered to suit-----
 
Ok guys, it's clear I'm not getting any real advice from this thread beyond what I already know.
There is wind in the med I've sailed there a few times summer and winter along with plenty of others. I'm considering this thread dead and be monitoring it anymore unless anyone can come up with a decent suggestion.
Thanks bye
 
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