Has anyone actually sailed on an Oyster?

Good to see that there is a diversity of opinion.... Lots of good technical discussion, and then I think... They do look very pretty... Not quite the justification for a purchase. Hey ho, i must now see if I can scrape the piggy bank but I am still not sure..

Thanks for the feedback,
 
Sailed on a 37 footer in the 79 Fastnet and lived to tell the tale. Boat was about 3 months old and the only damage we suffered was a lost clevis pin in the mainsheet system ( we took the main down a tied the boom into the cockpit.

Also sailed on a 35 footer, I think, which had an aft cabin. Looked pretty horrible.

The new ones look fab, but I think I am with tcm on this one, buy second hand and save a bundle! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I remember now, the one I crewed in was a 406.
Simple improvements would be more handholds, in the saloon and especially when clambering over the cockpit coaming.
 
Well we went tot he Oyster brokerage day a few weeks back and were well impressed, trouble was the one i liked was way over budget. And 56 ft is a little large too... Still some of the smaller ones might b epossible if I do a bit of SKI ing... There is a consistent theme here though, mostly folk think they are pretty good yachts!

BTW (Piglets dream) you're hired :-)

cheers
 
I've sailed a friend's 406 which was very comfortable both at sea and tied up.

Saw a 52 (I think) in Cascais last week - looked a bit tacky .....

nickhopwood_DSC00111.JPG
 
Lived on a 1988 406 Deck Saloon for 8 years. Cost £100,000 including substantial DIY refit in 1997. Easily sailed with 2 aboard, easy motion of 10 ton boat. Self steered to windward with lashed helm (but didn’t do backwards!). 1,000 litres of water and 500 litres of fuel made long periods away from facilities easy. Excellent rear saloon with standing room, lots of stowage. Bright main saloon (deck saloon windows gave good views). Robust rigging (12mm). Fin keel performance, with keel just long enough to enable drying out against a harbour wall. Additional loo forward for visitors cabin.

Cons. Design for maintenance weak. Engine access appalling (built in!). Chain saw needed to dismantle galley to remove it. Galley modified to be dismantle-able and this gave greatly improved access for servicing. Many seacocks difficult to reach. Access points for ducts for pipes and wires very difficult to reach - needing lots of dismantling. Some tacky fittings: Hellas rotating lights fall apart after 2 years, waterline skin fittings had gate valves. All replaced.

Sold in Greece to UK buyer (with engine rebuild needed) 2005 for £97,000. I still sail her occasionally, and love every minute of it. Quite the most comfortable boat I’ve lived aboard and sailed in, even though rectifying the maintenance shortcomings was a bore.

There's a small pic of her on my webiste, moored off Monevassia, in Greece.
 
Sailed a 60 one afternoon having sailed a Swan 65 in the morning. The Oyster was 20 years younger and very comfortable. Impressive. The Swan however was a real delight to sail and to me was a much better 'sailors' boat. If money wasn't an issue I would go for the Swan.

Yoda
 
We own an old one, Mariner 35 (actually about 38 foot long) and have been impressed with build quality, and after sales service from Oyster. Our boat is over 20 years old but Oyster still support with advice, spares etc. We are taking ours on alittle trip this year and feel very confident in the boat having previously taken it over to West Coast of Ireland and around the English Channel. If I was looking bigger I would look at an Oyster, the slightly older models seem to be quite good value IMHO.

The owners lounge at SIBS and LIBS is also worth a visit.
 
I circumnavigated (5 years) in a 45 and still have her. We did parts of five rallies, so have been able to compare notes with owners of other makes.

Points in favour
Design, and advice on speccing extras - if you are going Blue Water sailing, Oyster have more experience than almost anyone and have learnt what designs work. Still the only make with the forward facing windows in the deck saloon that open, I think. These are a godsend in a tradewind anchorage.
Build quality - we arrived in Bermuda once after a rough 5 days crossing the gulf stream. Many of the other boats in our rally had serious problems - leaks, rigging failures etc. We got a better idea of what we had paid for then.
Warranty (if new). I had about £20K's worth, including some when we were 4 years old. Halberg Rassy are much pickier and once you hit the year, you are on your own.
Resale value: Better than most
After sales: Brilliant (at a price)
Pretty quick, if not quite in the Swan league though Swans are only about 2/3 the volume, length for length, so nothing like as comfortable as a liveaboard.

Points against
Cost (of course) I can't help thinking there are machines that do what the legion of time-served carpenters do at Landamores and Windboats and for a fraction of the cost.
Usually a wait for a new boat
Whilst the basic boat is put together like a tank, some of the extras aren't done so well. I get the impression things have got better on this count in recent years.

Other comments
I'm sure some Oysters are bought with bonuses but quite a few others go to repeat buyers. I have met plenty of owners on their third or fourth Oyster - all well used. Having said that, there are a surprising number of Oysters that don't seem to go out of the Solent. Mind you, there are plenty of Range Rovers (probably the most similar car marque) in Knightsbridge.
 
The older oyster racing boats aren't quite the same thing are they? I have a Lightwave 395, a bit modified with heavier keel, and its been great, easy to sail two up, comfortable fast and fun for racing. Makes most other boats under £100k seem claustrophobic. Now for sale due to lack of time (and upgrade to RS400!). Have also sailed on an Oyster 80, but that was a sail training version!
 
Interesting, I am really not hearing much negative comment here, apart from the price :-)

Thanks everyone, there was more response than I anticipated... The combined experience is impressive...
 
[ QUOTE ]
And the difficulty of maintenance!

[/ QUOTE ]

Certainly true on some models I've looked at where the engine is shoe-horned into a box under the companionway. Particularly the 435. But not always the case. We have very good all-round access with removable side panels so can get at everything very easily
 
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