For someone looking for an affordable yacht with stunning looks and good performance

[Fr J Hackett]

https://www.berthoninternational.com/yacht-for-sale-specs/dawn-39-stroma-of-findhorn.pdf

I have always liked them but never found one for sale when I was actively looking, I am almost tempted. It looks like there may be a little cosmetic work below decks, it needs a holding tank fitting and the galley could probably do with a bit of a refit but it's perfectly serviceable

 

[Poignard]

Affordable?

A subjective term.

 

[Clancy Moped]

Short of a lot of interior varnish she looks good to go

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Affordable?

A subjective term.

Stretch those short arms into those deep pockets ?

 

[Stemar]

Not affordable for me either, but she is rather lovely. If I were 25 years younger and half a million richer...

 

[Bajansailor]

She is beautiful.
The advert mentions that the hull is also balsa cored, as well as the deck and superstructure (roof).
If this is so, this would worry me a bit, as it is almost 40 years old now.
It would definitely need to have a very thorough survey carried out.

 

[Poignard]

She is beautiful.
The advert mentions that the hull is also balsa cored, as well as the deck and superstructure (roof).
If this is so, this would worry me a bit, as it is almost 40 years old now.
It would definitely need to have a very thorough survey carried out.

As a matter of interest (to me anyway), how do surveyor's go about detecting problems with a balsa core?

 

[westhinder]

What a coincidence, a Dawn 39 features on the cover of the November YM and gets a long and favourable review ?

 

[mjcoon]

As a matter of interest (to me anyway), how do surveyor's go about detecting problems with a balsa core?

I don't know how they do it, but there are domestic devices which detect damp. Some use conduction via contacts which might not be so useful, but a variation of metal detection technology might detect water at a distance. www.moisttech.com/non-contact-moisture-sensor

 

[Bajansailor]

As a matter of interest (to me anyway), how do surveyor's go about detecting problems with a balsa core?

They would use a combination of a moisture meter along with sounding / tapping with a wee hammer.
I have seen a few motor boats here with balsa cored topsides - moisture had got in to the core in many areas (such as in way of bolted on fittings) and the outer fibreglass skin could flex noticeably. If it is this far advanced it is very obvious - but if the outer skin does not flex, yet the moisture meter has high readings (and when tapping you might hear a different note), then that could be a potential problem in the future.
I have also found that balsa cores do not seem to like the tropics - they fare much better generally I think in colder climates.

 

[Mister E]

I'd it is £500k then that is more than the house I live in.
Maybe affordable for some but certainly not me.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I'd it is £500k then that is more than the house I live in.
Maybe affordable for some but certainly not me.

You are looking at a different boat £74K

 

[fredrussell]

Lush.

 

[Clancy Moped]

I don't wish to be rude, but at your time of life isn't that going to be a bit of a handful?

 

[doug748]

https://www.berthoninternational.com/yacht-for-sale-specs/dawn-39-stroma-of-findhorn.pdf

I have always liked them but never found one for sale when I was actively looking, I am almost tempted. It looks like there may be a little cosmetic work below decks, it needs a holding tank fitting and the galley could probably do with a bit of a refit but it's perfectly serviceable

Lovely thing.

I have seen two for sale in the last couple of years or so (Contessa 38's actually) one West Country boat sold on a reduced asking price of £39,000 and looked ok but that was before the price bounce of the last few years. The other was in Athens, last year, asking c45k under UK ownership, it may well not have sold. Neither was in the same sort of condition as Stroma of Findhorn.

I was aboard one this year, the full width rear cabin is very snug but a great place to lock children/grandchildren away. They would love it, but it does waste a deal of space that could arguably have made better storage. I would reinstate the cutter rig plus furlers for sailing into the sunset.

My guess is that the hull was cored only down to the waterline, as the core had to finish somewhere to accommodate the encapsulated ballast; plus below the waterline heavy construction is not so critical on this style of boat. Someone in the Jeremy Rogers camp would know, I imagine Mustang Yachts (?) would follow the Contessa practice.

.

 

[Lightwave395]

As a matter of interest (to me anyway), how do surveyor's go about detecting problems with a balsa core?

Speaking as an owner I have the hull of my 33 year old balsa hull and deck cored boat surveyed every few years - last done Dec 2021, previously 2014 by 2 different surveyors.

As a result there's been a couple of very small areas needed attention (using epoxy foam) but overall she's been pronounced good and the magic question has been if this was a sale survey would you say she was a safe buy, to which the answer has thus far been yes.

Both surveyors commented that as with osmosis horror stories , there will doubtless be neglected and poorly maintained balsa cored boats but there's never been a decent one sunk because of core failure

 

[mjcoon]

You are looking at a different boat £74K

Maybe the £500k reference was to Stemar's comment: "Not affordable for me either, but she is rather lovely. If I were 25 years younger and half a million richer... "
Has anyone noted that she is only 30 feet LWL?

 

[Sandy]

I'm a bit surprised with the current owners choice of anchor and some of the berths look a bit tight for the less flexible gentleman.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Lovely thing.

I have seen two for sale in the last couple of years or so (Contessa 38's actually) one West Country boat sold on a reduced asking price of £39,000 and looked ok but that was before the price bounce of the last few years. The other was in Athens, last year, asking c45k under UK ownership, it may well not have sold. Neither was in the same sort of condition as Stroma of Findhorn.

I was aboard one this year, the full width rear cabin is very snug but a great place to lock children/grandchildren away. They would love it, but it does waste a deal of space that could arguably have made better storage. I would reinstate the cutter rig plus furlers for sailing into the sunset.

My guess is that the hull was cored only down to the waterline, as the core had to finish somewhere to accommodate the encapsulated ballast; plus below the waterline heavy construction is not so critical on this style of boat. Someone in the Jeremy Rogers camp would know, I imagine Mustang Yachts (?) would follow the Contessa practice.

.

The Dawn 39 was a development of the Contessa 38 the extra foot going into the stern but whilst sharing much of the hull but the internal fit out seems much better and the extension of the stern makes for a better (larger) aft cabin as well as giving the yacht a better appearance.

 

[Goldie]

Lovely boats. I spent a week on a Contessa 38 a few years ago and loved her sailing performance, sea-kindliness and looks.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I'm a bit surprised with the current owners choice of anchor and some of the berths look a bit tight for the less flexible gentleman.

Perhaps like thousands of others they have never felt the need or had the experience to make them want to change it.