Liveaboard an International Folkboat 26

[RodrigoLP]

Hi!

I'm from Brazil and six months ago had this crazy idea to liveaboard and travel as much as I can.

My budget is small and I saw some great opportunities of IF26 in Sweden. I'm planning on buying one of those little beauties and bring it back home across the Atlantic. I don't have a time frame as I'll be living, working at the places where I stop and refitting the boat as much as I can during the trip.

My plan is to get one on the beginning of may and start the trip down to Lisbon and then Morocco. Coast hopping as much as I can in order to get the miles and experience I'll need to do the long passages.

My sailing experience is little but I'll work hard during the next 2 months here in the Brazilian summer to get as much miles as I can. I'll also do the Brazilian's coastal and offshore certificates before I leave.

I'll go to Morocco on the 27 January, Casablanca, and do some backpacking there until end the of April and than go to Sweden to buy the boat.

Any advice about buying a boat in Sweden, living and traveling a board are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

 

[25931]

Hi!

I'm from Brazil and six months ago had this crazy idea to liveaboard and travel as much as I can.

My budget is small and I saw some great opportunities of IF26 in Sweden. I'm planning on buying one of those little beauties and bring it back home across the Atlantic. I don't have a time frame as I'll be living, working at the places where I stop and refitting the boat as much as I can during the trip.

My plan is to get one on the beginning of may and start the trip down to Lisbon and then Morocco. Coast hopping as much as I can in order to get the miles and experience I'll need to do the long passages.

My sailing experience is little but I'll work hard during the next 2 months here in the Brazilian summer to get as much miles as I can. I'll also do the Brazilian's coastal and offshore certificates before I leave.

I'll go to Morocco on the 27 January, Casablanca, and do some backpacking there until end the of April and than go to Sweden to buy the boat.

Any advice about buying a boat in Sweden, living and traveling a board are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

I used to own a mahogany clinker FB - beautiful and a first class sea boat, limited space but not bad single handed but that was in northern waters, I wouldn't recommend a wooden boat for warmer climes but but I suppose that you'll be buying grp.
Boa sorte e felicidade.

 

[RodrigoLP]

Obrigado!

Yes, it'll be a GRP one.

 

[V1701]

It might be worth trying to find a similar boat but one that you can stand up inside, e.g. Bowman 26, Nicholson 26 (both 1.8m+ headroom), Albin Vega 27 if you're 1.70m or less. The designs of these and others are based on the older folkboat design and so have similar sailing qualities which usually mean they are better suited than some of the more modern designs of similar size for ocean sailing. This is mainly due to their keel/rudder design. It's why I chose the Bowman 26 that I have and which you can see on my Youtube channel. If you are living on the boat for a long time it really makes a big difference to be able to stand up inside. 26 feet is also a good size to be able to get in to the smaller, less expensive marina berths if you need to as it's just under 8m...

 

[RodrigoLP]

Thanks, I'll take a look at these boats.

 

[doug748]

Any advice about buying a boat....

Thanks in advance!

Lovely boats, they are lighter than the average long keel Folkboat type so sail unusually well and are also very nicely made. Lots of deckspace, big cockpit. As simple, and small, as it gets below deck, cooker on a shelf, heads in a cupboard, superb long bunks.
Sail controls are carried forward of any sprayhood, for racing, so you would want to modify this for a long passage. Most have hank on foresails, again for racing efficiency, a very large main and small genoa means that you could fly a jib and have little need to go forward of the mast at sea.
The outboard can be stored horizontally in the aft locker but chock it up, as any water getting into the locker could ruin it.
The blanking plug for the well needs a block of shaped foam (or similar) behind it to fully exclude water.

If your heart is set on an IF Boat I don't blame you; however there is a Marieholm 26 which shares the same hull but with higher topsides, more headroom, less cockpit and larger cabin - there is also an inboard engine:

The bad news is that I have never seen a cheap one of either sort in the UK......though I don't know the situation in Sweden

 

[RodrigoLP]

Thanks, yeah I think the prices in Sweden are much cheaper.

 

[V1701]

Thanks, yeah I think the prices in Sweden are much cheaper.

The Albin Vega is a Swedish boat, they made about 3500 of them which is a huge number for a sailboat. I had one for 2 years (hence my profile name V1701) & lived on her full time. They've done some remarkable journeys, notably the North West Passage...

 

[RodrigoLP]

Cool, I saw some Vegas too. It's one of my options. It depends on the price and the money I'll have at the time.

Thanks!