I'm gonna buy a Fulmar tomorrow. Should I?

[dankilb]

If only there was a 36-38 foot boat that would do Scotland, Baltic, Med and Caribbean! ?

= Typhoon
…will just take some waiting, watching, and saving up!

(There’s one on our new pontoon so I’ve been reacquainting myself with what will surely always be the ‘best’ performance Westerly - and should be for as much as +50% what our 41’ AWB might fetch)

 

[Daydream believer]

I'm in Edinburgh. Boatless. There's a Fulmar on sale at Largs.

Sold my Parker 275 a few years ago pre divorce.
I was gonna save up for my forever boat which will be a 40 foot AWB for med and Caribbean. But..... I might be dead by the time I sell my business in 5-6 years time. So I'm thinking I should get on with it and switch in 6 years.
So..... I have been to St Kilda and Lewis etc on my mate boat but not Orkney, Shetland etc and possibly Norway, Baltic.
So for 5 years starting on Clyde then further afield, for skint post divorce person, tell me not to pay 24k for a 1987 Fulmar...... (actually my income is fine, just no capital)
Boats seem to be selling in a week......

Personally If one has a business & does not have the capital to buy the boat outright then do not buy it. I know from 50 years of business that things can turn sour in no time & having bills round one's neck are the last thing one needs. If one's business is doing well then you will get the capital quickly enough. If you cannot get it quickly, then you possibly cannot afford to own a boat if things go tits up for a while. - Of course it depends on what business you have.
New cars & new boats & all the trappings are not for small business owners until they have cash to spare & then some. A lesson my father taught me years ago & it stood me in good stead. So forget the "go for it" brigade. It is easy for the armchair sailors who do not have to settle the bills. Put the nose to the grind stone & earn the cash first. Then get the decent boat, not some old dog that needs loads of time consuming work.
It feels much better in the end.

 

[roblpm]

Personally If one has a business & does not have the capital to buy the boat outright then do not buy it. I know from 50 years of business that things can turn sour in no time & having bills round one's neck are the last thing one needs. If one's business is doing well then you will get the capital quickly enough. If you cannot get it quickly, then you possibly cannot afford to own a boat if things go tits up for a while. - Of course it depends on what business you have.
New cars & new boats & all the trappings are not for small business owners until they have cash to spare & then some. A lesson my father taught me years ago & it stood me in good stead. So forget the "go for it" brigade. It is easy for the armchair sailors who do not have to settle the bills. Put the nose to the grind stone & earn the cash first. Then get the decent boat, not some old dog that needs loads of time consuming work.
It feels much better in the end.

Aha.... Thanks for the concern. Actually I do have the capital really. Its just in the wrong places post divorce. However you are right not to stretch. Its a balance. The business is getting sold in about 6 years due to the age of my business partner. The nature of our business is that it will sell in a week so while there are no guarantees I will pretty definitely get the boat at that point and go sailing. The question is what to do in the interim......

 

[Pete7]

Aha.... Thanks for the concern. Actually I do have the capital really. Its just in the wrong places post divorce. However you are right not to stretch. Its a balance. The business is getting sold in about 6 years due to the age of my business partner. The nature of our business is that it will sell in a week so while there are no guarantees I will pretty definitely get the boat at that point and go sailing. The question is what to do in the interim......

Surely a yacht like the Fulmar if you buy one in good condition and maintain it will sell just as well in 5 or 6 years time. Meantime, you get a sensible sized yacht that will take you anywhere without costing a packet to keep and have a great time enjoying a nice sporty sailing yacht.

 

[Daydream believer]

Aha.... Thanks for the concern. Actually I do have the capital really. Its just in the wrong places post divorce. However you are right not to stretch. Its a balance. The business is getting sold in about 6 years due to the age of my business partner. The nature of our business is that it will sell in a week so while there are no guarantees I will pretty definitely get the boat at that point and go sailing. The question is what to do in the interim......

Perhaps I should not have commented- Apologies if out of order

 

[mrming]

Surely a yacht like the Fulmar if you buy one in good condition and maintain it will sell just as well in 5 or 6 years time. Meantime, you get a sensible sized yacht that will take you anywhere without costing a packet to keep and have a great time enjoying a nice sporty sailing yacht.

If the market stays as healthy as it is right now the OP should have no trouble selling the boat in the unlikely event they need to. As someone who is still working, a Fulmar paid for with cash is a risk I can afford to take (and did take) whereas a new AWB on finance would keep me awake at night.

 

[[2574]]

The question is what to do in the interim......

“ Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
Pink Floyd
DSOM

The thing to do in the interim is not to fritter away time thinking about what is to come .......
Me!

 

[Blueboatman]

Perhaps I should not have commented- Apologies if out of order

I think you offer wise words
Indeed the one thing us older codgers clearly can offer here is how to juggle seemingly conflicting financial pressures and head/heart resolution without selling our dreams short.

The equation of time is the big unknown and aren’t we all too aware of that .

 

[roblpm]

Perhaps I should not have commented- Apologies if out of order

Not at all! All opinions (well most) are welcome! ?

 

[roblpm]

If the market stays as healthy as it is right now the OP should have no trouble selling the boat in the unlikely event they need to. As someone who is still working, a Fulmar paid for with cash is a risk I can afford to take (and did take) whereas a new AWB on finance would keep me awake at night.

Aha. Though running a business is all about watching the bank balance. So tbh another finance agreement wouldn't really bother me! It's all about the balance sheet total......

 

[Concerto]

Having run my own business, eventually that and family commitments, made keeping a boat not a sensible option. However after closing my business, I bought my Fulmar. Concerto was tired and needed some tlc, but I have tried to bring her back to as close to new condition with some upgrades and new items. Some things were for my benefit, others just because I wanted to do them even though there were cheaper options I could have taken. For sailing over the next 5 to 6 years, a Fulmar will be a delight to own. So, if you have the capital and income to own a yacht, then definitely go for it -you will not regret it.

With regard to the Fulmar on Facebook, she has been well looked after and should be considered. Every time I go for a sail, I pass her on her mooring and she never looks grubby. I have once spoken to the owner but have never been onboard so I cannot comment on the interior condition. If you decide to come down to view, I would be happy to assist and you would be welcome to view Concerto as well (but she is not for sale).

If you send me a Private Message with your email and phone number, I will recipricate. If you send me details of any Fulmar you are considering, I will let you have comments specific to each one. So far I have now helped 6 people buy Fulmars (including 2 in France), to ensure they bought the best one for them.

 

[laika]

The equation of time is the big unknown

You’re right. I ordered the 2022 nautical almanac from Amazon a few days ago and it’s not going to be delivered for weeks!

 

[Blueboatman]

You’re right. I ordered the 2022 nautical almanac from Amazon a few days ago and it’s not going to be delivered for weeks!

Shelf lives eh ?

 

[dunedin]

You’re right. I ordered the 2022 nautical almanac from Amazon a few days ago and it’s not going to be delivered for weeks!

Which one are you going for? Amazon is showing me the CA and Reeds almanacs available for delivery tomorrow

 

[laika]

Which one are you going for? Amazon is showing me the CA and Reeds almanacs available for delivery tomorrow

Reeds arrived this morning, but for the equation of time this is my usual reference:
2022 Nautical Almanac: Amazon.co.uk: Uk Hydrographic: 9781951116460: Books

 

[steve yates]

If you can afford the fulmar without using debt, buy it now and go sailing. If you cannot, buy a smaller cheaper one and go sailing. Whatever you do, go sailing, thinking you can wait six years is wasting time.

 

[James W]

As a sage old Yorkshireman once advised me when I was pondering a move to London from sleepy Suffolk, "JFD"! I was young and not accustomed to the acronym, so asked him what he meant, "Just f***ing do it" was the reply. I have followed this advice for the last 30 years or so without too much drama, but beware, I have been known to buy a boat, or two, and occasionally at the same time!!

There's also a Fulmar next to me on the hard at the moment and they are very pretty boats.........and that's from someone who used to own a Storm (should never have sold that one).

 

[James W]

Talking of Storms......https://burtonwaters.co.uk/boats/westerly-storm-33-8153840/

 

[awol]

If the "Sailor of the Year 2021" is a suitable model to emulate, you still have 20 years to go before you need a boat. Sailing has overtaken bowls as a past-time for the aged if the denizens of these fora are any guide!

 

[Stemar]

If the "Sailor of the Year 2021" is a suitable model to emulate, you still have 20 years to go before you need a boat. Sailing has overtaken bowls as a past-time for the aged if the denizens of these fora are any guide!

Unfortunately, for every sailor who's still going at 90, there are dozens who don't make it past 70 or, worse, are still alive, but not alive enough to do what they want.

I'm still going, but it's only thanks to the skill of the surgeons at Southampton General. I'm firmly in the carpe diem camp.