First Sailboat Purchase Looming - Friendly Advice Appreciated!

[johnphilip]

As you title your post "First Sailboat purchase" I assume the boat is in the in the USA? Indeed a long voyage to your UK marina.

 

[ylop]

As you title your post "First Sailboat purchase" I assume the boat is in the in the USA? Indeed a long voyage to your UK marina.

No language moves on - and being a smartarse about it isn’t particuarly welcoming to the sport or the forum. The popularity of YouTube, TikTok etc means globalisation of language is almost inevitable.

 

[johnalison]

As you title your post "First Sailboat purchase" I assume the boat is in the in the USA? Indeed a long voyage to your UK marina.

You may have overlooked the fact that the young, whose education comes via Netflix and Disney, see us as part of the US. The prospective boat will doubtless have a ‘bathroom’.

 

[ashtead]

I looked at brokers site for the Bavaria -while I don’t know the earlier 35s as different to to the 1999 34s my only thoughts for what they add
1 teak decks on Bav are quite thin so careful inspection not just of wood but mastic filler - we had only teak seats but it was the black filler which caused issues and needed re caulking;
2 the bunk cushions look original so again I would replace which might be a few £k
3 no obvious chart plotter in front of helm? Maybe under sprayhood ?
4 change the prop to a 3 bladder version folder etc ideally with ambassador cutter for are those lobster pots down there or guarding the French coasts from unwary visitors;
I think the general view is these generation 35 might be slightly more solid than the 34s which followed in terms of internal fit out etc

Certainly worth a look though based on one owner history and such like . Interesting the mast was replaced though so just wonder why ? Clearly usual Volvo engine stuff ,saildrive seal replacement etc but get an independent engineer if you want advice and want to avoid high Golden plated charges. Good luck with ongoing searches.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

You may have overlooked the fact that the young, whose education comes via Netflix and Disney, see us as part of the US. The prospective boat will doubtless have a ‘bathroom’.

That language isn’t new to our shores. I had a friend who had a 50ft sailing boat. He did’t like to brag to non sailors, so if it came up in the conversation and he got asked the inevitable ‘how big?’, he’d reply ‘oh, 4 beds, 2 baths’.

 

[ashtead]

It’s a shame we don’t see more comments on availability of baths on boats - it’s a feature which is sadly neglected I feel and maybe needs a separate thread.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

It’s a shame we don’t see more comments on availability of baths on boats - it’s a feature which is sadly neglected I feel and maybe needs a separate thread.

I’m considering having a black marble one let into the foredeck.

 

[reyes]

I’m not sure how the market is right now, but generally spring is the worst time to buy as people are excited about a new season ahead and willing to pay a slight premium, whereas when autumn approached owners are grudging another years winter storage and keen to offload!

Some people obsess with trying to get a good deal and are convinced they should never pay asking price. I shared a finger pontoon with a guy who sold up and the buyer squeezed him on price as much as he could. As a consequence he sold the dinghy, outboard, various spare sails and engine parts, life jackets, tools etc on eBay. The following weekend the new owner was there excited by his new purchase but grumbling about how much he’d had to spend on all the extras just so he could use it!

My gut feel is that Bav is about the right price. You might negotiate a little (if Tranona is wrong and it is still available) but I would suggest viewing boats with the expectation of paying advertised price rather than “if I could get it for…” the art of pricing boats is not that precise - +/-10% is easily the difference between personal tastes. In fact, when you find the right boat you’ll just know and the actual number is less relevant.

Nicely said, and heard!

I know that boat well - but pretty sure it has been sold. It was a one owner from new and he operated it as aa sailing school for many years and always kept it up to date. It had a few adventures on the way and about 5 years ago had a complete new rig. Sadly he died 2 ears ago - heart attack while out sailing on his own and his son cleaned it up. it was in Poole Yacht Club, but disappeared last summer, which is why I think it has been sold. The son was keen to settle his dads's estate. If it were available it would be a good buy. The asking price is reasonable.

You're spot on.

As you title your post "First Sailboat purchase" I assume the boat is in the in the USA? Indeed a long voyage to your UK marina.

You know what they say about assuming don't you John?

Thanks for the considered and valuable feedback guys, john's feedback notwithstanding, of course ;-)

 

[johnalison]

I’m considering having a black marble one let into the foredeck.

We use to shut off the cockpit drains and let the children bath in the cockpit.

 

[Tranona]

I looked at brokers site for the Bavaria -while I don’t know the earlier 35s as different to to the 1999 34s my only thoughts for what they add
1 teak decks on Bav are quite thin so careful inspection not just of wood but mastic filler - we had only teak seats but it was the black filler which caused issues and needed re caulking;
2 the bunk cushions look original so again I would replace which might be a few £k
3 no obvious chart plotter in front of helm? Maybe under sprayhood ?
4 change the prop to a 3 bladder version folder etc ideally with ambassador cutter for are those lobster pots down there or guarding the French coasts from unwary visitors;
I think the general view is these generation 35 might be slightly more solid than the 34s which followed in terms of internal fit out etc

Certainly worth a look though based on one owner history and such like . Interesting the mast was replaced though so just wonder why ? Clearly usual Volvo engine stuff ,saildrive seal replacement etc but get an independent engineer if you want advice and want to avoid high Golden plated charges. Good luck with ongoing searches.

One of the first J&J designs and generally heavier than the later 34 and 36 at about 5400kgs. The interior is more solid, before the assembly line methods and sealant guns came in. It is almost the same as my 2001 37 - in fact when the two were moored in adjacent berths in about 2012 it was difficult to tell the difference, let alone where the nominal 2' was lost. I think the hull length of the 35 is actually closer to 37' and my 37 was actually 37'8" when it was measured by the club!

The rig was replaced following an accident, and the pulpit plus stem head fitting was done at the same time. The decks are (I think) Flexiteek, laid quite recently. You are right about the propeller (and cutter) but it does not need a 3 blade. We did a lot of testing of propellers on my 37 and the simple Flexofold 2 blade was the best overall. No measurable gain with a 3 blade. A big plus on this boat is the stern gantry which is very well made and not too overwhelming. Slight downside is the shallow keel which shows up trying to go to wind in heavier weather, but in normal lighter use you would not be able to tell it does not have 2m deep keel.

 

[Dellquay13]

It’s a shame we don’t see more comments on availability of baths on boats - it’s a feature which is sadly neglected I feel and maybe needs a separate thread.

There’s a few older boats in my local yard that look like they may sail like a bathtub, if indeed they didn’t actually start out being laid up as sanitary ware

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We use to shut off the cockpit drains and let the children bath in the cockpit.

Ours were made to swim behind.

 

[mrming]

It’s a shame we don’t see more comments on availability of baths on boats - it’s a feature which is sadly neglected I feel and maybe needs a separate thread.

In terms of production cruisers, the one I can think of is the Beneteau Oceanis 44 CC. It has a small “sit in” style tub.

 

[johnphilip]

No language moves on - and being a smartarse about it isn’t particuarly welcoming to the sport or the forum. The popularity of YouTube, TikTok etc means globalisation of language is almost inevitable.

Not allowed a little humour here? That's rather sad. As is the Americanising of English.

 

[ylop]

Not allowed a little humour here? That's rather sad. As is the Americanising of English.

There’s plenty of space for humour, there’s even whole threads for the purpose in the lounge. You can make a post seem slightly more like it was made in jest simply by adding an emoji ;-) but probably you disapprove of those too. I don’t use the word sailboat myself but in this context, if someone not knew to boats but buying their first sailing cruising yacht it was probably actually a convenient choice of word to communicate with, which is the purpose of language.

 

[johnphilip]

There’s plenty of space for humour, there’s even whole threads for the purpose in the lounge. You can make a post seem slightly more like it was made in jest simply by adding an emoji ;-) but probably you disapprove of those too. I don’t use the word sailboat myself but in this context, if someone not knew to boats but buying their first sailing cruising yacht it was probably actually a convenient choice of word to communicate with, which is the purpose of language.

Yes headmaster, sorry Sir.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

There’s plenty of space for humour, there’s even whole threads for the purpose in the lounge. You can make a post seem slightly more like it was made in jest simply by adding an emoji ;-) but probably you disapprove of those too. I don’t use the word sailboat myself but in this context, if someone not knew to boats but buying their first sailing cruising yacht it was probably actually a convenient choice of word to communicate with, which is the purpose of language.

It’s the official term for mine, as, according to the NYYC, and the RYS, it is ‘not a yacht’.

 

[flaming]

It’s the official term for mine, as, according to the NYYC, and the RYS, it is ‘not a yacht’.

Well obviously not... Where would you put the staff?

 

[mrming]

Spotted this (no connection) which seems to offer a lot of value in the c. £40k budget area @reyes

 

[reyes]

Spotted this (no connection) which seems to offer a lot of value in the c. £40k budget area @reyes

Thanks for the tag! They do look nice those Dehlers...

As it happens, I'm torn between a couple of boats:

Boat Details – Origin Yachts
2001 – Bavaria 32 Cruiser With A Volvo Penta MD2020 19hp Engine | Parker Adams Boat Sales

The first (Bavaria 35): shallow keel (I'm on east coast of England), bit older, less recent upgrades but still good. I've called out the shallow keel here in case that becomes a factor based on:

The second (Bavaria 32) so a little under 33ft, has a long keel (1.75m), but is in tidier condition (I've viewed both) and very recent upgrades in so many areas.

My aims are to do some Faroe Island visits, English channel crossings, and perhaps (but for future) North Sea adventures. For those that have read earlier parts of this, I also like the idea of being able to single hand.

ANY thoughts would be great. I could quite happily pull the trigger on either (though the 35 needs saildrive seal sorting).

So close to a purhcase!