I'm thinking of buying a yacht.

[Courtnadge1]

I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

I would like to buy a yacht, but due to financial restrictions I will only get one chance to get it right, I am thinking of a cruiser of about 20 foot length with 4/5 births (4 is good, 5 ideal), £5000 is my initial budget.

So my point is a) am I completly mad, b) is this a fair budget.

I have no experience on actually sailing a yacht, though I have been a passenger on many occasions, so I understand that I will need to do several courses before myself and my wife can sail into the big blue yonder.

So do you have any suggestions or advice.

 

[yachtcharisma]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

You're not completely mad! 20' is a good length to start out with - still light enough that a good push will get you out of trouble if a manouvre starts to go wrong! - and £5000 seems a very reasonable budget for that sort of length boat. Corribees, my own boat, for example, tend to change hands for between 3 and £4000. A swinging mooring will probably cost you another £500 per year, insurance perhaps another £100, and maintainance need not be too much at all on that size of boat. Just think through how many extras you'll need to buy that aren't included in the sale. Lifejackets almost certainly won't for example, flares you'll need, is there a log, echosounder, VHF? Dinghy if you're using a swinging mooring? Much cheaper to make sure these are there to start with, or allow enough to buy them after.

Just two things I might mention. You suggest 4 berths good, 5 better. I think you'll have trouble finding a boat of this size with 5 berths at all, and I'd have severe doubts about the wisdom of trying to cram 5 people (adults, at least), into it. If you're doing much more than the odd overnight, I wouldn't really reckon on getting more than two people comfortably into a small four berth boat. Don't forget there's got to be somewhere for them to put their things...

The other point is about experience. Crewing experience plus a course or two is a fair foundation for skippering your own boat, but it is very different when all of a sudden the decisions are yours and yours alone! Its a cliche, but there's a lot to be said for doing a bit of dinghy sailing first, preferably singlehanded so you *have* to to it yourself. I personally think you can learn as much as any dayskipper course can teach you by reading a book and then getting out in something small (topper, mirror etc) and having a go. Dinghies are much more responsive than even a 20' yacht, and you will learn quicker. You could buy something like that for £300-400 and sell it for much the same after you've played with it for a few months.

But whatever route you choose, do go for it, and have fun!

Cheers
Patrick

==================
Sailing a Corribee
vzone.virgin.net/patrick.fox
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[JeremyF]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

You'll never find your first yacht perfect, however hard you try!

Have you checked out the price of mooring, or are you considering a trailer-sailer?
If you need a mooring, then it will take you a bit of time to get something that you can use at all states of the tide - cheapest ones are run by Hardway Marine in Gosport. More expensive, but with water taxi service, are run by Gosport Boat Yard.

PBO is the best source of smaller boats in the £5k price band. Also notices in small yacht clubs and chandlers.

Get to look at at least 6, and get a feel for whats about. At that price you'll find a gem amongst a load of dross. Come back to the forum when you have narrowed your search down a bit, and you'll get some good advice.

Jeremy Flynn

 

[Mirelle]

Where will you keep her?

It makes a lot of difference, also how far from the mooring do you live?

Plenty of good boats - look at lots. Sailing is easy to learn.

 

[martinb]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

I bought my first yacht this year, a 24' Trident for £3800, and only wish I had done it sooner!
My budget was similar to yours and I looked at a few boats before finding the Trident.
The points made about extras you may need to buy are spot on - I made a list of requirements before looking i.e. flares, tender, inflateable, instruments, compass etc, etc, it is suprising how quickly they add up.
I was very fortunate and found a guy who was giving up boat ownership (at 92!) and so the boat came complete down to crockery and tea towels. All I have had to buy is a secondhand VHF, a couple of modern life jackets, some in date flares and charts (I couln't get anyone to correct the 1970 charts that came with thew boat). Even so I have probably now spent the £5k by time you include all the bits and pieces you cannot help yourself from buying at the chandlers.
My boat is four berth but I would not want to regularly sleep 4 on board, there is just not enough room to be comfortable, plus the cockpit gets a bit crowded.

If you are near the Solent I would be happy to take you and your wife out to get a taste of small yacht sailing.

I wish you success with your purchase and happy sailing.

Regards,

Martin

 

[Mirelle]

A very good buy indeed!

The Trident is a nice boat. I seem to trcall that you are in distinguished company in that the great J.D. Sleightholme had one when he was Editor of YM. Is she the deep keel or the centreboard version? Buying from someone retiring from sailing is excellent advice.

 

[martinb]

Re: A very good buy indeed!

Mine is a fin keel.
It would appear that every yachtsman/woman over a certain age has had a Trident, every where I go people people come over and tell me about the Trident they had 20/30 years ago. It is very reasuring that they are so fondly remembered as I knew nothing of the class before buying her, I saw her ashore and liked the look.
One resource I did find useful when looking for a boat was Deytons yachts of yeasteryear, my version is about 13 years old but I found it helpful as adverts tell so little, it also saved me from going to see boats that I know I would not have liked.

Regards,

Martin

 

[Rabbie]

Have a look at ............

.......http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk I'm sure there are a few there would interest you.

 

[duke]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

My suggestion is try to find a Vivacity 650 in good condtion.
I had one some years back and she was a lot of boat for the money.

Mine was a bilge keeler but I think they were also available in fin keel.

I did a lot of research at the time. She is a very seaworthy boat and lots of space inside.

Good luck.

Duke.

 

[Courtnadge1]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

Hi,

It's almost spooky, but I was looking at 2 Vivacity 650's on the web, one in glasson docks (£3500) wich looked pretty good and I can't remember the other location but it looked a bit tatty (£3000), Maybe I will take the time to take a look at one of them.

Thanks for the tip.

Pete.

 

[Courtnadge1]

Re: Where will you keep her?

Hi,

I live about 30 miles from Portsmouth, I have two options a) my mother lives on a farm so plenty of space for storage of a trailer or b) get some moorings more cost but maybe less hastle.

Pete.

 

[Courtnadge1]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

Hi,

That's a very kind offer, if we get some time between work & finishing the house decorating tasks I will contact you and see what could be arranged.

The deal is finish house get boat, tough life being married.

Cheers,
Pete.

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Where will you keep her?

Trailing a cabin boat is very hard work in all respects. Look for a drying mooring and go for a centreplate or bilge keel boat. Drying moorings are much cheaper than deep ones.

 

[Forbsie]

Re: I\'m thinking of buying a yacht.

There is a Vivacity for sale on the Eel Pie Island noticeboard. £3500.

If anyone is interested, I'll get the phone number and post it.

Gordon

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