Go Big or Go Home?

GravyStain said:
Did any of you guys do your coastal theory before doing your practicals? I have time on my hands (can't go anywhere to do practicals yet due to COVID).

Or, indeed , did you even bother as time on the boat is a great teacher anyway, or would I need it for insurance puropses?

Thanks guys.
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I did day skipper in the UK over 2 weekends (I think) as the ICC is usually required for insurance and you wouldnt drive a car without some lessons, same for a boat. Did the practical in Sitges over 1 weekend. Had to cut that short so missed the night driving part. Then took delivery of boat in france and drove it to sitges, then left it there for a few weeks as too windy to take to Mallorca. As for the theory most of it is never used in the med with a motor boat. Having said that I should probably do my night driving at some point.
 
I did ICC with Mendes Marine. Excellent 3 days. the issue is is that theory is one thing then you find yourself at the helm ojn your boat with non one standing next to you. Best advice i can give is. 1. When you get your boat spend some money to have someone with you on the boat for two days to show you around and berth and anchor etc. Anchoring in my view is the hardest thing to get used to especially in the Med where there are usually lots of their boats around. 2. Go slow by what i mean is do everything in slow motion. Not as easy as it sounds especially if others around you start yelling and panicking. Ear plugs very useful!! Personally you can do all the courses you want. Boating in the UK is far harder than the Med as there are no tides to deal with. So if you are off to the Med then do the ICC and get going. No need to do any more other than what i suggested above.

In the spirit of Go big or go home, I just traded up from my S58 to the S65. 4 kids plus SMBO, boyfriends, girlfriends etc. Total waste of money except that if you don’t fly first class then your kids will when you are gone!! Anyway just took delivery in Genoa and now halfway down to home base in Salerno. Interesting ride so far on a boat i am not totally familiar with. I do know of a very well cared for and beautiful S58 that I am sure is likely to be for sale shortly that I can tell you all about plus what you should pay fo it. I love the S58. It is a great boat built for the Med and for a boat of that vintage i am yet to see anything comparable. Best flybridge of any boat and whatever anyone tries to tell you that is where you will live if you are in the Med.
 
Hooligan said:
...I do know of a very well cared for and beautiful S58 that I am sure is likely to be for sale shortly that I can tell you all about plus what you should pay fo it. I love the S58. It is a great boat built for the Med and for a boat of that vintage i am yet to see anything comparable. Best flybridge of any boat and whatever anyone tries to tell you that is where you will live if you are in the Med.
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Now that sounds like it has to be worth a look @GravyStain :)
 
Hooligan said:
I did ICC with Mendes Marine. Excellent 3 days. the issue is is that theory is one thing then you find yourself at the helm ojn your boat with non one standing next to you. Best advice i can give is. 1. When you get your boat spend some money to have someone with you on the boat for two days to show you around and berth and anchor etc. Anchoring in my view is the hardest thing to get used to especially in the Med where there are usually lots of their boats around. 2. Go slow by what i mean is do everything in slow motion. Not as easy as it sounds especially if others around you start yelling and panicking. Ear plugs very useful!! Personally you can do all the courses you want. Boating in the UK is far harder than the Med as there are no tides to deal with. So if you are off to the Med then do the ICC and get going. No need to do any more other than what i suggested above.

In the spirit of Go big or go home, I just traded up from my S58 to the S65. 4 kids plus SMBO, boyfriends, girlfriends etc. Total waste of money except that if you don’t fly first class then your kids will when you are gone!! Anyway just took delivery in Genoa and now halfway down to home base in Salerno. Interesting ride so far on a boat i am not totally familiar with. I do know of a very well cared for and beautiful S58 that I am sure is likely to be for sale shortly that I can tell you all about plus what you should pay fo it. I love the S58. It is a great boat built for the Med and for a boat of that vintage i am yet to see anything comparable. Best flybridge of any boat and whatever anyone tries to tell you that is where you will live if you are in the Med.
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Do tell... It is probably my favorite boat of the era (Edit - along with the Princess 57) PM me if you want to take it off piste so to speak. Mind you, if it's a (relatively) young S58 it will probably be out of my budget.

Is your S65 new? If it is, then I demand a huge reduction on the S58 based on your comparable liquidity compared to mine. :)

But seriously - S65 - What a beauty. Any pics?
 
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A lot of boat with very good accommodation and plenty of outdoor space - a layout that beats many flybridge boats IMHO.

There are plenty of Traders about and I am sure that most are good quality and well built but it is worth being aware that a former forumite, Gludy, bought a new one in around 2005 and had a lot of issues that were well documented on here. A Google search brings up a variety of threads.

It wouldn’t put me off, not least because it is likely that any issues arising from the build are likely to have been addressed and I think that is a lot of boat that takes some beating but, as with any used purchase, it is wise to undertake due diligence.
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Hi Scala,

Nope...nothing, nada, zip, de rien...still watching all the aquaholic stuff, and all the others :)

COVID is stopping the lot at the mo...

I HAVE been back down the rabbit hole of fractionals though - 12 weeks on a squaddie 58 per annum (in Cala D'or) 25% ownership for £100,000 with £8k per year costs. Still is value for money with a 5 year old son who is tied to school for a good few years.

I had a long chat with a chap called Simon Maunder who owns "yacht-share" over the christmas break and they do have a very clever service on many of the fractionals whereby all clothing / personal items are removed from the boat and stored including custom bedding / laundry etc...The boat is then furnished with your stuff, right down to a half opened Corn Flake packet and the dregs of the bottle of Whitley Neal and placed where you left it, giving the perfect illusion of it being 'your' boat.

Obviously there are compromises, but in the case of this Squaddie, there are no other owners with children, they are either retired or have no inclination to have rug rats (and I must say with my son at home 24/7 at the moment I can't blame them ) :)

In the short term this will suit my needs perfectly as I get the chance to spread my wings and become a (slightly) old hand at the whole Mobo malarkey. In a couple of years I may well then sell the share and buy my own boat. Cala D'or is a nice option as there is the whole of the island to discover, but I'm disheartened by some of the comments on here regarding Majorca's governance in regards their view on tourism etc...

What are your thoughts - Do you think it's a goer - or do you think the whole fractional thing is still to much of a compromise?

Oh, also, I haven't written off a Villa in Spain (pool, close to transpot hubs etc..) and a smaller boat in the marina.

Scala, may I ask what boat you have?
 
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GravyStain said:
Hi Scala,

Nope...nothing, nada, zip, de rien...still watching all the aquaholic stuff, and all the others :)

COVID is stopping the lot at the mo...

I HAVE been back down the rabbit hole of fractionals though - 12 weeks on a squaddie 58 per annum (in Cala D'or) 25% ownership for £100,000 with £8k per year costs. Still is value for money with a 5 year old son who is tied to school for a good few years.

I had a long chat with a chap called Simon Maunder who owns "yacht-share" over the christmas break and they do have a very clever service on many of the fractionals whereby all clothing / personal items are removed from the boat and stored including custom bedding / laundry etc...The boat is then furnished with your stuff, right down to a half opened Corn Flake packet and the dregs of the bottle of Whitley Neal and placed where you left it, giving the perfect illusion of it being 'your' boat.

Obviously there are compromises, but in the case of this Squaddie, there are no other owners with children, they are either retired or have no inclination to have rug rats (and I must say with my son at home 24/7 at the moment I can't blame them ) :)

In the short term this will suit my needs perfectly as I get the chance to spread my wings and become a (slightly) old hand at the whole Mobo malarkey. In a couple of years I may well then sell the share and buy my own boat. Cala D'or is a nice option as there is the whole of the island to discover, but I'm disheartened by some of the comments on here regarding Majorca's governance in regards their view on tourism etc...

What are your thoughts - Do you think it's a goer - or do you think the whole fractional thing is still to much of a compromise?

Oh, also, I haven't written off a Villa in Spain (pool, close to transpot hubs etc..) and a smaller boat in the marina.

Scala, may I ask what boat you have?
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With a child, you are restricted to school holidays, while the others are not. But does that mean that they are willing to give you priority?
 
Bouba - You're a type 1 boater, i.e. maison et bateau...

What boat do you have. Do you get out on it a lot (forgetting the last year of course)? have you found the compromise in size acceptable, as you have a land base as well?
 
GravyStain said:
Hmmm.... That I don't know at present. Good point.
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And also, shareholders change and although the current ones don't have kids, future ones could. FWIW I have 2 kids, currently 6 & 10, and since we've had the boat in the Med (2017) every trip has been in the school holidays except for the few maintenance trips I make out there solo each year. Another point, are you able to work from the boat, if so that could maximise your time there during the school holidays. We usually manage 10 weeks a year on board.
 
markc said:
And also, shareholders change and although the current ones don't have kids, future ones could. FWIW I have 2 kids, currently 6 & 10, and since we've had the boat in the Med (2017) every trip has been in the school holidays except for the few maintenance trips I make out there solo each year. Another point, are you able to work from the boat, if so that could maximise your time there during the school holidays. We usually manage 10 weeks a year on board.
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Hi Marc, yes, I can work manage the business from the boat to a certain degree and would look to do longer or multiple trips during summer hols.

COVID has made the future a tad uncertain at the moment though, and whilst I don't have clients dropping like flies, people are becoming very cautious and looking towards cost savings and driving down cost which puts my business in the firing line...

I take on board your point ref owner shares changing hands.
 
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