I bought a slightly tired example of a popular 80s classic for just over 50% of the price of a “good” one.
I paid for essential work in the yard it was in (and did a deal to store it cheap until I could sail it back). That amounted to new seacocks, batteries, fitting AIS, and a basic check of engine and rig.
The deal was done in the winter and it took till end of April to get a weather window to bring her home, a sail of around 30 hours.
Since then I’ve paid someone to remove the knackered old treadmaster non slip (replaced with Kiwigrip), and renovate the small amount of teak on deck. The interior had been refurbished already and was in nice condition with good upholstery.
I was lucky enough to get relatively new sails and electronics, but the engine proved to have a lot of “deferred maintenance” which culminated in us pulling it this month for a full refurb (and a blast / respray while we’re at it). The original mild steel fuel tank had also rusted through and will be replaced by a modern plastic one with the luxury of a fuel gauge, no less.
By the time I’ve done the engine project the total expenditure on the boat will equal the cost of a “good” one.
It’s our family boat and we’ve used it without interruption so although there has been work ongoing it hasn’t stopped us sailing.
This is my second “fixer upper” yacht, and the first one with an inboard engine, so that has been the main learning curve.
The positive of buying cheap and correcting the various issues is I now know the boat really well, having gone through most of it’s main systems. The negative is mostly the amount of admin it all creates - I have a young family and work full time so I don’t have a ton of spare time.
What I would say is, if you do fork out for a “good” one, make sure it really is good. The worst case scenario would be to pay more and still have a ton of systems to replace or improve.
Hope this helps!
For some of us part of the pleasure of owning a boat is making continuous improvements. I enjoy the process of dreaming, sketching, planning, sourcing and making bits to make the boat suit my needs.
That is why I bought my Golden Hind. My previous boat was a Bavaria 33 which I bought new - and in some ways the best part of the owning experience was the search to decide what to buy and the process of deciding on the spec as I was lucky in that it was built to order. The 4 week commissioning (it was Coppercoated which takes time) and the 3 trips a week to the Hamble were also good. The reason I bought new and "perfect" was because I thought I would only have 3-4 years more active life. Circumstances change, but there is a limit to what you can do with a modern boat apart from sailing as nothing breaks or goes obsolete. The only thing I spent time and money on was improving sails. And of course did a lot of sailing.
Neither are particularly good characterisations. The Bavaria was NOT a floating Campervan but a very capable coastal and offshore cruiser that most importantly was easy to handle on my own. Beautifully made in a modern machine way. Nothing broke in the 6 years I had it except for the Garmin electronics (minor) and Lewmar windlass (burnt out motor. Golden Hind is just a bigger version of the Eventide 26 I owned for nearly 40 years. Bit of a rough and ready ugly duckling by "real" classic boat standards but very satisfying to own and refurbish because none of it is real craftsman stuff so tolerant of my less than perfect workmanship.
Excellent summary of reality
For some reason sailors assume that the only bits of an old boat that wear out are the engine, rigging and sails. In reality everything wears and boats in that era werent as well built as they are today. The cost is very low but then add in the many things you might have to replace and you can easily end up with an expensive old banger. So tread carefully and use a good, as opposed the cheap, surveyor.
Especially that last paragraph
Ah, but judging by your “floating camper van” comment, amongst others, re Bavarias on another current thread, you would seem to be a bit biased against modern mass production boats. A heavy hull might well resist the results of running into buoys but it makes the boat heavier and slower on many points of sail. Correct me if I’m wrong but you yourself have described your boat as a motor-sailer in the past. I’m sure there are some that would rather have a modern comparatively lighter boat for the same length that will zing along a bit and be a bit more close winded, and just put up with the inconvenience of having to sail around large metallic floating objects.
Ouch. Still he now has a lovely boat. As you say he could of mitigated some of that.My mates composite Twister was a sound and well kept boat, lovingly looked after, Very well organised, Interior spotless, nicely painted and with fresh clean upholstery. Came with a windvane and charcoal heater and a yanmar engine. He paid £10k for her, owner had got too old to sail her bit lived by the yard she was kept in, (ardfern) so kept her fettled.
She hadn’t moved for 4 years. In the 5 or 6 years he has had her, he has spent around another 25k, reengined, new electronics suite, new batteries and cabling etc. including £12k in replacing damp woodwork in the cockpit lockers! He hasn’t replaced the sails or standing rigging yet, and hasn’t got round to solar panels, so there probably will be more spending to come.
He doesnt care, its his first and only boat and he wants her just right, and will be happy if he gets 10-15 years out of her, he’s two years away from his pension.
She was by no stretch of the imagination a project boat, and he could have mitigated some of that cost, but its a salutary lesson to me that boats are always more expensive than you think
My mates composite Twister was a sound and well kept boat, lovingly looked after, Very well organised, Interior spotless, nicely painted and with fresh clean upholstery. Came with a windvane and charcoal heater and a yanmar engine. He paid £10k for her, owner had got too old to sail her bit lived by the yard she was kept in, (ardfern) so kept her fettled.
She hadn’t moved for 4 years. In the 5 or 6 years he has had her, he has spent around another 25k, reengined, new electronics suite, new batteries and cabling etc. including £12k in replacing damp woodwork in the cockpit lockers! He hasn’t replaced the sails or standing rigging yet, and hasn’t got round to solar panels, so there probably will be more spending to come.
He doesnt care, its his first and only boat and he wants her just right, and will be happy if he gets 10-15 years out of her, he’s two years away from his pension.
She was by no stretch of the imagination a project boat, and he could have mitigated some of that cost, but its a salutary lesson to me that boats are always more expensive than you think
