Liveaboard Sail Boat for £10k?

[Mino]

Hi all.

I'm looking for a sail boat between 7 -9 metres with a budget of (unfortunately) only £10,000, on which I will be full-timing.

Any suggestions/recommendations as to a particular brand/model to look out for, things to look for when viewing (this is my first time buying used and at this price) etc. appreciated.

 

[Tranona]

You do not ay where you are nor where you want to keep your boat. You should be aware that living on a boat in the UK is extremely difficult, both finding somewhere to moor and coping with out weather in a boat that small.

As to the boat there are just so many and none of them are designed for living on full time, but some are potentially better than others in terms of usable accommodation. Draw up a list of features you want and assess what is on offer within your budget. If you want a boat that is capable of being sailed regularly then it is important to buy one that has good sails and engine. For living on then domestic facilities such as cooking, fridge, water, heating and stowage are important. Getting "good" in all of these areas in a 40 year old boat is extremely difficult so you need to think through where you can compromise.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Mino]

@ Tranona Thanks for the advice and wishes. I'll be UK based and am currently looking at liveaboard friendly marinas. Flexible as to location as I work remotely.

 

[ashtead]

Might one assume space is more important than sailing ? If you are just looking for something to live on afloat with space to swing a cat than a mobo might offer more but assuming you want a sail or two I would have thought a cheap old westerly given numbers built would be the most readily available . I would also have thought an old Fisher type might have more space or other vessels of the Fisher style . If you had a bilge or lifting keel might give you more berthing options. Personally I would not spend a winter on a westerly centaur or suchlike . Another question might be where ‘if you need to work while living aboard? You could of course find a river boat which might give more space - I gather a number of liveabords on the Thames for example .

 

[Mino]

Might one assume space is more important than sailing ? If you are just looking for something to live on afloat with space to swing a cat than a mobo might offer more but assuming you want a sail or two I would have thought a cheap old westerly given numbers built would be the most readily available . I would also have thought an old Fisher type might have more space or other vessels of the Fisher style . If you had a bilge or lifting keel might give you more berthing options. Personally I would not spend a winter on a westerly centaur or suchlike . Another question might be where ‘if you need to work while living aboard? You could of course find a river boat which might give more space - I gather a number of liveabords on the Thames for example .

Yes, space is more important and I have considered a mobo, but at that price (judging only from adverts and their photos so far), they seem to be older and more decrepit looking than the sailboats. Bilge keel would actually be a preference. Family had one when I was growing up. Very slow but useful in shallow anchorages. Not keen on riverboats. Want something that I can take to sea.

 

[Tranona]

@ Tranona Thanks for the advice and wishes. I'll be UK based and am currently looking at liveaboard friendly marinas. Flexible as to location as I work remotely.

I think you will find that Milford Haven marinas allow liveaboards and maybe others in the more "fringy" parts of the country. It is perhaps best to find the marinas that will accept you first as that will give you confidence that you can actually do what you want to do then look for a suitable boat locally. Moving a boat of this type and value any distance is a mugs game - I paid £2500 to move a 10m boat from Milford Haven to Poole. Even sailing for example from the Solent where there is more choice of boats to Wales is hard work, time consuming and costly. You need to spend as much on the boat as you can.

I agree with the advice that Westerlys are high on the list, particularly the Longbow and Konsort as well as Moody 29 and Mirage 28 all of which can be had for under £10k. However there are lots of lesser known designs that might be suitable but with older designs of pure sailing boats you usually need to go over 9m to get decent living accommodation. I have a 31' Golden Hind that makes a very comfortable liveaboard but a decent one is outside your budget, although when I was looking I did consider one of the early ones that was sold for around £7k and had been used for some time as a liveaboard. Unfortunately the owner's "improvements" rather spoiled the boat for any other purpose!

 

[Clancy Moped]

@Mino how tall are you? You don't want to spend days with stoop.

 

[Mino]

I think you will find that Milford Haven marinas allow liveaboards and maybe others in the more "fringy" parts of the country. It is perhaps best to find the marinas that will accept you first as that will give you confidence that you can actually do what you want to do then look for a suitable boat locally. Moving a boat of this type and value any distance is a mugs game - I paid £2500 to move a 10m boat from Milford Haven to Poole. Even sailing for example from the Solent where there is more choice of boats to Wales is hard work, time consuming and costly. You need to spend as much on the boat as you can.

I agree with the advice that Westerlys are high on the list, particularly the Longbow and Konsort as well as Moody 29 and Mirage 28 all of which can be had for under £10k. However there are lots of lesser known designs that might be suitable but with older designs of pure sailing boats you usually need to go over 9m to get decent living accommodation. I have a 31' Golden Hind that makes a very comfortable liveaboard but a decent one is outside your budget, although when I was looking I did consider one of the early ones that was sold for around £7k and had been used for some time as a liveaboard. Unfortunately the owner's "improvements" rather spoiled the boat for any other purpose!

Yes, Milford Haven is currently my first choice purely from the information I've gathered so far.

Good point re. the moving the boat and that has been a bone of contention: look locally to marina with less choice, or spend a week and £££ sailing it over but possibly have something more preferable to my needs and wants.

The Golden Hind is a very pretty yacht. Quite partial to those. If I had another £5k ...

 

[Mino]

@Mino how tall are you? You don't want to spend days with stoop.

Good point, but I'll be fine re. headroom.

 

[V1701]

Milford Haven is great, very friendly. Bear in mind you'll pay Council tax at the lowest band, work on about £1k as a single person. If you do want to sail age & condition of engine, sails, standing rigging is more important obviously but you won't sail as much as you think you will anyway. Bunk cushions are expensive if needing replacement.
You might just for £10k get a modernish (late '70's/'80's) late 20's/30-odd footer with a double aft cabin, buy a double foam mattress, cut it to size with a bread knife or electric carving knife, resew it's cover and you'll have a far better nights sleep than trying to sleep in a forepeak with 4 separate cushions and an infil, e.g. Electric blanket and dessicant dehumidifier make a huge difference to comfort aboard.
I'd suggest a boat with fibreglass headlining rather than vinyl, even better the likes of Sadlers and Etaps which have double skinned hulls, you'll find condensation less of an issue with such. I've had several boats of this size (Dufour 29 (1978), Jeanneau 28 (1989)) and been quite happy living on them, did 2 years on an Albin Vega, that was too small really.
Good luck, it suits some people more than others, I've lived aboard 12 years working FT in UK, might move to Milford when I am able to no longer work...

 

[Mino]

Milford Haven is great, very friendly. Bear in mind you'll pay Council tax at the lowest band, work on about £1k as a single person. If you do want to sail age & condition of engine, sails, standing rigging is more important obviously but you won't sail as much as you think you will anyway. Bunk cushions are expensive if needing replacement.
You might just for £10k get a modernish (late '70's/'80's) late 20's/30-odd footer with a double aft cabin, buy a double foam mattress, cut it to size with a bread knife or electric carving knife, resew it's cover and you'll have a far better nights sleep than trying to sleep in a forepeak with 4 separate cushions and an infil, e.g. Electric blanket and dessicant dehumidifier make a huge difference to comfort aboard.
I'd suggest a boat with fibreglass headlining rather than vinyl, even better the likes of Sadlers and Etaps which have double skinned hulls, you'll find condensation less of an issue with such. I've had several boats of this size (Dufour 29 (1978), Jeanneau 28 (1989)) and been quite happy living on them, did 2 years on an Albin Vega, that was too small really.
Good luck, it suits some people more than others, I've lived aboard 12 years working FT in UK, might move to Milford when I am able to no longer work...

Good to know re. Milford Haven and thanks for the tips. Had forgotten about electric blankets and have been reading up on dehumidifiers and thinking about an electric radiator for heating.

Have been increasingly leaning towards Sadlers. I remember they had a good reputation when I was growing up, but didn’t know they were double skinned. Seems like you get quite a lot of boat for your money.

 

[Tranona]

This looks attractive although given the amount of recent expenditure on kit there has to be a question as to why it is so cheap! theyachtmarket.com/en/boat-for-sale/2431746/

Downside of the double skin construction is that it does reduce space inside a boat that is already small for a 29' compared with say a Konsort but is more modern in many ways and this one has a replacement engine.

 

[pandos]

Might be worth your while visiting boatyards local to the marina, or an easy sail from it,

In every yard I'll bet there is a boat that would suit with an owner who through inertia or otherwise does not advertise it for sale but would be delighted to be shut of it, especially to someone who they perceive would use it and enjoy it...

 

[Mino]

This looks attractive although given the amount of recent expenditure on kit there has to be a question as to why it is so cheap! theyachtmarket.com/en/boat-for-sale/2431746/

Downside of the double skin construction is that it does reduce space inside a boat that is already small for a 29' compared with say a Konsort but is more modern in many ways and this one has a replacement engine.

Yes, was looking at this advert earlier. What exactly is the "refurbishment required" I find myself wondering? Having said that, looks tatty outside compared to the cabin and they could have antifouled it! ? So that's presumably part of the "refurbishment" and hence the price? There's a nice looking one here, but a little over budget and a bit out of the way. Sadler 26 | 8m | 1988 - Isle of Wight | Boats and Outboards

 

[Mino]

Might be worth your while visiting boatyards local to the marina, or an easy sail from it,

In every yard I'll bet there is a boat that would suit with an owner who through inertia or otherwise does not advertise it for sale but would be delighted to be shut of it, especially to someone who they perceive would use it and enjoy it...

Now that's a good idea.?

 

[Channel Sailor]

How about one of these.., Colvic Sailer 26 for sale UK, Colvic boats for sale, Colvic used boat sales, Colvic Sailing Yachts For Sale 1985 Colvic Sailer 26 - Apollo Duck

cheaper marina berthing fees at this size.

 

[Tranona]

Yes, was looking at this advert earlier. What exactly is the "refurbishment required" I find myself wondering? Having said that, looks tatty outside compared to the cabin and they could have antifouled it! ? So that's presumably part of the "refurbishment" and hence the price? There's a nice looking one here, but a little over budget and a bit out of the way. Sadler 26 | 8m | 1988 - Isle of Wight | Boats and Outboards

26 is relatively tiny in size, partly because of the design of the hull and partly because of the loss of volume from the double skin construction.

BTW the double skin is not trouble free and particularly on the 29 the bond can break between the foam and the GRP skins mainly on the flat bow sections. Very expensive to repair and it may well be the reason why that boat is so cheap. Just seems strange that the owners spent as much as the asking price on all the new gear last year. There is a story there!

 

[Tranona]

How about one of these.., Colvic Sailer 26 for sale UK, Colvic boats for sale, Colvic used boat sales, Colvic Sailing Yachts For Sale 1985 Colvic Sailer 26 - Apollo Duck

cheaper marina berthing fees at this size.

Good example of a less well known design that offers better value than popular brands like Westerlys. Most were home completed but this one looks well set up for liveaboard.

 

[Sandy]

Had forgotten about electric blankets and have been reading up on dehumidifiers and thinking about an electric radiator for heating.

Electricity is going to be expensive. Take a look at Sleeping Cab heaters, they run on diesel and very cheap to run.

 

[Mino]

26 is relatively tiny in size, partly because of the design of the hull and partly because of the loss of volume from the double skin construction.

BTW the double skin is not trouble free and particularly on the 29 the bond can break between the foam and the GRP skins mainly on the flat bow sections. Very expensive to repair and it may well be the reason why that boat is so cheap. Just seems strange that the owners spent as much as the asking price on all the new gear last year. There is a story there!

Yes. We had a 26 foot bilge keel when I was growing up and it was definitely snug. That extra three feet makes a quite a difference in the cabin.
Agreed re. that advert - seems rather iffy.

Excellent point re. the double skin. One of those potential issues that seems so obvious after someone has pointed it out!