Liveaboard?

[Sybarite]

Thinking more and more about a life style change. The thought trend goes as follows :
need to keep capital in property which (theoretically) appreciates,
need much bigger boat for a minimum of comfort
what big boats are relatively cheap - on the face of it?

Looking at some Moody's around the 1980 vintage; 38' - 42' come in a price range of about £45 - £55k. Apart from the notorious skeg problem what are the other +'s and -'s? What other alternatives ? (In France possibly an Amel Sharki 40' or a Bénéteau Evasion 37)

Criteria in no special order : mainly coastal cruising but Trans Atlantic on the cards.

Safety
Comfort
Retention of value
Sailing ability
Likely maintenance problems or costs
Insurance issues
Fixed cuddy or deck saloon would be a plus - not always headed for the tropics!

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.?


John


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[boatless]

No on deck protection, but I'd consider a First 38 or 42. Raced a 38 years ago, goes v. well in a big waves. Pretty tough boats too. Not sure about pox resistance.

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.

 

[Aardee]

How many crew??

<hr width=100% size=1>"I am a bear of very little brain and long words bother me..."

 

[Tiger Rag]

I don't know much about the other boats you mentioned but when I was cruising as a liveaboard on my parent's yacht we spent many months in the company of a french couple and their young (9?) son who were living on an Evasion 37. With very few additions and alterations (air con, modified cabins, wind geny etc) they had an extremely comfortable and competent yacht, they crossed the Atlantic with us with no problems at all. It would definitely be high on my list of good value/ usable yachts. Hope this helps.

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[Talbot]

Prabably the biggest boat/cheapest option is to go ferro. But you need to get a very good survey by someone who understands them, and also omne that was professionally built.

These boats suffer from the stigma caused by the many poorly completed amateur built versions, however if you find a good one, you will get a very nice boat for a fraction of the money that a plastic one will cost. It should hold its value cause it will already have suffered massive depreciation/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Sybarite]

I take your point. The problem is not perhaps one loss of value itself as simply finding anyone at all who will want to buy one. A concrete hull is supposed to get better as it gets older but unfortunately as you say the stigma is there. The other question is one of the fitting out. On reasonably large scale production boats they have time to iron out the problems. On the one-offs it's a question of the individual's skill. Even professionally built there was never large scale production.

John



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[Sybarite]

Basically 3 but expecting lots of short stay visitors - not necessarily all at once.

John

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[Sybarite]

http://costadelsol.boatshed.com/viewboat.php?boat=2502

The publicity says that it has more space and sails better than a Nauticat 38 but at half the cost.

I saw a beautifully kept example in Brest last summer owned by a retired couple which set me thinking. They had a lot of extras including a molded scoop.

The features I like :

Inside and outside steering positions.
2 large double cabins plus the saloon.
Discrete wheelhouse neatly incorporated into the lines.
Good size for light crew.

John




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[penfold]

Sun Legende 41
or the greek facsimile
Olympic Sea 42

You should be able to get the former for about £50k and the latter maybe £40k
good sailing boats for sure, but no decksaloon

Nicolson 38s are pretty good sailors despite appearances and have a doghouse thingy for the helm

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>What we are dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law....

 

[Sybarite]

I like sailing this sort of boat but not on a liveaboard basis. It's nice to be able to sit and look out at what's going on around you. Especially when I would be likely to be spending more time in port than at sea. This is a general cruising reality.

Another idea would be something like a Fisher 46 which has a version with 4 large double en-suite cabins outside of the saloon and deckhouse. This would give charter potential.

Dream on John...

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[Mirelle]

er, don't really know, but the Amels seem to have a good name amongst long term cruisers.



<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Becky]

We have just been through the same thought process, and have now bought our boat. To be honest, it isn't as easy as one would think. Firstly we went through the many choices available, and were obviously attracted to older boats on the basis that they should have been treated for osmosis, had replacement engines and rigging, and we could be the major beneficiaries of these changes. But things didn't quite work out like that! The design of old boats is, well frankly just old. Loos were horrid, the layout not so good, and the interiors very tired. We were looking at boats with some sailing ability, but with the bias towards being heavy and having good sea-keeping qualities. Finally we found a Moody 37, which is a model not produced for more than 2 years before being upgraded to the 376- same layout but a sugar scoop on the stern. The layout is excellent and she seems very nice inside. But reality begins to sink in when you consider what you are planning for the boat. We will need to renew the rigging before our proposed trip, possibly the sails. We have to replace at least two hatches, all the instruments, possibly the upholstery, and a major service on the engine wouldn't go amiss. Then there is all the stuff necessary for blue-water cruising. Such as a water maker, loads of spares and tools, sail repair materials etc., etc. On top of this is the replacement of original features such as the cooker, shower pumps, fridge, halliards and sheets, maybe the windows, all the deck hatches, blocks on the deck; and loads of other things. It gets extremely expensive, but when your life may depend on it, you have to pay up. So, think hard, do your sums and just go for it!!

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[Mudplugger]

John, having reached the age of almost maturity, like you have given the matter much thought and priorities reached are exceeding similar, Sold last boat, having had her for 15 years, with the intention of a slightly newer replacement in the 35-40' bracket, had a look at a number of options, none of which conformed to spec, and all of which were grossly overpriced @ 70-90k....decided to go for steel hull & deck option (Van de Stadt 40)based upon the renewal factor....so best of luck with your search, and I might be on the water again in'06.There is a nice Croft 39 @ Ipswich asking 55k, might be worth a look. Regards Tony W.

<hr width=100% size=1>Tony W.

 

[TonyD]

The Evasion looks a nice boat, but a couple of things I noticed:
-Water capacity 150 litres - you would probably want twice this unless you have a water maker
-Your insurers will want the standing rigging changed in a couple of years from now
-The sails (1988) may well be pretty shapeless by now

No problem with any of these as long as you plan for the expense!

TonyD

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[Sybarite]

Wrote a long reply to this and when posting got "I.... E.... has run into a problem and must close" This for about the fifth time in the last few days. More viruses ( viri for the purists ? ) I fear.

will try again. Many thanks for all the info. Very useful.

John



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[Sybarite]

In France they are often called the Rolls Royce of boats in terms of construction quality. They are also considered unsinkable (although not officially so) because of their water-tight bulkheads.

The Sharki has a very effective cuddy for wind and sun protection and a late version has a lot of the features now included on the Super Maramu.

Design is controversial; you either love them or you hate them. Owners naturally swear by them. The convenience on board, especially when you are out of sight of land and fashion considerations, is really well thought out and top quality materials are used. eg The yard manager actually goes to Gabon to select the individual trees from which the inside furniture is made. They are felled and then left to dry/mature for 4 to 5 years before being used; half of that time in Gabon and half in France.

John




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[BrianJ]

John,
My choice is a 44' or better still 48' van de stadt centre cockpit... love 'em.
BrianJ

<hr width=100% size=1>BrianJ

 

[Sybarite]

I met recently an experienced cruising couple who, for some time, had just been tootling around Britain. They advised staying under 40' because there are many little ports in out of the way places which simply cannot cope with anything bigger.

Boating though is an eternal compromise. I like Van de Stadt designs and the Victory 40 would be in there for consideration. Or a Trintella 44a if money were no object.

John

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