Looking for a new boat, but feeling stuck..

What some people would realise if they had a brain is that I only recommend Anderson 22's and / or 26's when relevant; you might also have seen that I have spoken highly of the Stag and Dolphin 31, but don't let that spoil your little world...:rolleyes:
 
You could consider a Westerly Merlin.

As others have said, your first boat will not be your final boat - unless you do not take to sailing. The best advice is to buy the best condition boat of a popular design. Enjoy your learning curve, there is plenty to learn and you will make some mistakes, but mistakes will teach you how to do things better next time.

Do not forget to allow for berthing and insurance in your costings. Also remember every chanderlry is temptings and boat shows are even worse.
 
Little Grebe said:
Its been like a breath of fresh air reading that thread without the all too predictable claims being made by you know who... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes dont be mean. He is a national treasure along with dylan and a few others. I have spent too much time in the lounge this evening with some pretty unpleasant comments so i need everyone to be nice to each other in here!!
 
The ability to have a seagoing party, accomodation wise, limits the choice - and dare I say seaworthiness - drastically, if it were just you two and the occasional guests who were a bit tolerant, you wouldn't half open up possibilities of some great boats !

Albin Viggen is just one to spring to mind, yes possibly Anderson 26, Twister, but these are probably not enough of a charter boat format as prescibed.

What do Konsorts go for now ? A good seaworthy spacious boat, solid, not exactly a sailor's joy to helm but a good compromise and should get you anywhere + hold value - depending on engine age, should be sails too but people rarely look at that it seems, suppose at least one can replace them one at a time.

The Fulmar sails very well, even the twin keel, but is still not a French style ' million crew ' type !
 
JollyRodgers said:
Hello all,

I'm looking for a boat (it will be my first boat actually) and I am starting to somewhat lose faith in doing so.

I looked at a Jouet 920 down in Southampton the other week. The boat was a great size inside and I really liked the idea of having 2 cabins and the main table part with the sofas around the side. However, it had unfortunately clearly been neglected and there was a lot of problems with it that would've needed fixing - and a lot of money thrown at it.

Having a look at a Jeanneau Fantasia 27 on Saturday, again in Southampton, but have heard that they are VERY playful in slightly bad weather and a few people said they felt uncomfortable on them with family. Someone also said that entertaining on them would be difficult due to lack of size - although the floor plan looked very similar to the Jouet.

Ideally I will be looking for a sailboat, which will be predominantly used by my girlfriend and I and some other friends or family who decide to join us. I would like to be able to do a couple of weekend breaks with it and would also like it to be sturdy and safe enough to do a very channel crosses, and perhaps a few weekend trips to the Channel Islands. :D

Budget wise, I don't really want to be spending over £15K - as like I say, it will be a first boat. It seems to be really hard to find something that ticks all the boxes, that doesn't need a ton of work on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Fancy an ohlsen 35?
 
Seajet said:
The Stag had very good reviews and has a good reputation, sails well and tough, seaworthy.

Not heard anything about the lift keel version though, would require close scrutiny not least as to ballast position and ratio.

A boat worth looking for if a fin keel is OK would be a Dolphin 31, very good sailer and again seaworthy, like the Stag not that many built also like the Stag no fault of the boat.
Click to expand...

I bet that was a real struggle to avoid mentioning the A22.
We were all very proud of your effort --- & then you went & spoiled it in post 22
Never mind you did try
 
You will always hear bad stories about any boat, human nature. Take your time.

Whatever you buy you will end up spending money, it's unlikely you wil ever find 'the perfect boat' right out of the gate. The trick and part of the fun is finding the right compromise!

A mate of mine sold a moody 33 for the same kind of money you are talking about. An older boat but very seaworthy. There must be a few similar boats in your price bracket and its the right time of year to be looking.
 
JollyRodgers said:
I would like to take friends out quite regularly, so I'd really like it to be comfortable for 4 or so people.
Click to expand...

You need to drop the idea of taking out non-sailors. It isn't going to happen frequently enough or without undue stress - nor will they share your passion for getting wet and/or seasick, or just waiting for the tide - to justify including this in your criteria.

Your girlfriend is your key to future sailing happiness, so include her in going to see your shortlist of good, small (27-30ft) boats within your budget. You will make sailing friends, so when the GF doesn't want to come, you can still sail with a mate, and in due course gain the confidence to also single-hand, which is incredibly satisfying. It also depends on where you intend to keep her: moorings on the Hamble fall into two categories, those up to 32ft and those over. Wherever you are, size will cost more to moor.

I was lucky in so far that I bought as my first boat eight years ago a good, very well-built 27ft heavy long-keeler (a Vancouver 27, not unlike Twister Ken's suggestion of a Twister 28), because it tallied with my 'romance' of a traditional seagoing yacht. Despite its limitations in size (only room for 3 max because much of the interior is given over to stowage and proper galley/chart-table etc and the cockpit is small and safe), I still have this boat. Other people I know have started with an old cheap yacht in the 24-26ft range to just get going and gain experience, and then upgraded to something bigger within a couple of years, but I love the handiness of my own 27 footer.

You might prefer something lighter and more racy (or at least closer-winded) but go for quality if you can (Sadlers are good, as are many others of the era). And, as others have said, pay a lot of attention to big-ticket items like the engine - which will cost you if needs replacing in a year or so - whereas cosmetic stuff can be easily attended to by yourself at little cost.

Good luck.
 
Daydream believer said:
I bet that was a real struggle to avoid mentioning the A22.
We were all very proud of your effort --- & then you went & spoiled it in post 22
Never mind you did try
Click to expand...

You're a bit like Harry - the 9-year old thug in my son's year at school who gains perverse pleasure by being a manipulative bully.
 
Before looking at your first yacht make sure you have taken care of the logistics of boat ownership. The purchase price can almost be irrelevant. A few questions to ask yourself- Do you have somewhere to keep it, can you afford the annual parking charges,do you have the time to use it,do you have crew to help you sail it? If you answer yes to the above then go for it! The type of boat you choose within the stated budget could almost be decided on the condition of the big ticket items ie engine,rig and sails. Probably any of the old half ton cup clas of boats is within your budget with newish equipment.
 
JollyRodgers said:
Hello all,

I'm looking for a boat (it will be my first boat actually) and I am starting to somewhat lose faith in doing so.

I looked at a Jouet 920 down in Southampton the other week. The boat was a great size inside and I really liked the idea of having 2 cabins and the main table part with the sofas around the side. However, it had unfortunately clearly been neglected and there was a lot of problems with it that would've needed fixing - and a lot of money thrown at it.

Having a look at a Jeanneau Fantasia 27 on Saturday, again in Southampton, but have heard that they are VERY playful in slightly bad weather and a few people said they felt uncomfortable on them with family. Someone also said that entertaining on them would be difficult due to lack of size - although the floor plan looked very similar to the Jouet.

Ideally I will be looking for a sailboat, which will be predominantly used by my girlfriend and I and some other friends or family who decide to join us. I would like to be able to do a couple of weekend breaks with it and would also like it to be sturdy and safe enough to do a very channel crosses, and perhaps a few weekend trips to the Channel Islands. :D

Budget wise, I don't really want to be spending over £15K - as like I say, it will be a first boat. It seems to be really hard to find something that ticks all the boxes, that doesn't need a ton of work on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...

You are looking at boats that are maybe 35 years old. You need to be realistic about what you might get. Or to put it another way, what would you expect in a 35 year old car or bike? In short you are in banger territory which wont stop you having a lot of fun or getting a sound boat but does mean you will have to work at it.

A tip - start looking away from the south coast and you will get far better value. Try the east coast or the bristol channel.
 
birdseye,

that doesn't really apply to smaller - say sub 35' - fin or long keelers, as due to berthing / moorings costs & hassle one has a job shifting such boats in the Solent / South coast area.

I feel a tad unfair to compare boats with cars, as at 35 years old a car is either a steel string vest or a mega-pricey collectors item, while often a 35 year old grp boat is pretty much the same as a 5 year old one if the kit is updated and a little varnish applied; if she's been a sailing school boat or owned by a real philistine it might be different...
 
Twister_Ken said:
Whatever you spend on the boat, you're bound to spend more once you acquire it (unless you get very very lucky). So don't buy at the top of your budget if you haven't allowed another slice to repair/update/add. A major expense can be the engine - which is not covered in the usual pre-purchase survey. Unless you're good with small diesels, get an engineer to give it a once-over before signing a cheque.

I note you say you want to take friends sailing - if it's for more than a day sail then they need to be very good friends if you're going to share a 30 footer. If it's just day sailing then the size doesn't matter so much.
Click to expand...

Solid advice here, thanks for that. Saw a nice boat today, which was 28' Dufour that has around 6ft 2 height. Very spacious and 6 berths. Was originally £18K, but the owner (who moved to austraila) dropped it to £11K to avoid his annual mooring charge coming up soon, and just out of desperation to sell it really. Looks pretty solid tbh and looks to be in very good condition with lots of servicing done on it within the last 12 months. Needs a new genoa though I think, as it looked kind of shredded.

I'm only 22, so it's not like any of them will be demanding their own cabin with private en suite :-)


jac said:
At that price point and size it can generally come down to individual boats rather than models. The original as supplied boat will have been so modified by owners over the last 20 years plus that apart from the basic layout/rig almost everything else could be changed.

My advice would be to buy something popular / well known with good resell demand and in good condition. Assume you will own her for 2-3 years and don't spend huge sums on updating /changing.

You will change your mind about what you want/need with a couple of years experience so having something that you can sell again later without losing too much cash is a good
Click to expand...
Yeah, i've noticed this quite a bit. I guess like with a 30 year old car, much of the things on it will be more recent - definitely so with motorbikes. Definitely don't intend on spending big money for updating it, if it doesn't need it. For example, I wont be dumping £4K on Electronics on a £10K boat to resell it in 2-3 years.

Thanks for the advice.


dylanwinter said:
Sounds like a Centaur is what you need

S2290009-300x200.jpg


now down to £9,700 and ready to go - all you need to do is to stop at tescos on the way to the boat

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/sailing-around-britain/harmony-for-sale-10000/

D
Click to expand...
Funnily enough, your video on youtube sailing around Selsey, was what got me looking at buying boats in the first place!

Concerto said:
As others have said, your first boat will not be your final boat - unless you do not take to sailing. The best advice is to buy the best condition boat of a popular design. Enjoy your learning curve, there is plenty to learn and you will make some mistakes, but mistakes will teach you how to do things better next time.

Do not forget to allow for berthing and insurance in your costings. Also remember every chanderlry is temptings and boat shows are even worse.
Click to expand...
Sounds good. Yeah, have already allocated for all of it. To be honest, it doesn't make much difference. If I thought that berthing and insurance would be tight, then I wouldn't even be looking at buying a boat.

I'm eyeing up the Beneateau Cyclades 43.4 and some of the 40-50 foot Dufours for my 2nd boat already :D Would love to have one of those for sailing around the Med in.


Babylon said:
You need to drop the idea of taking out non-sailors. It isn't going to happen frequently enough or without undue stress - nor will they share your passion for getting wet and/or seasick, or just waiting for the tide - to justify including this in your criteria.

Your girlfriend is your key to future sailing happiness, so include her in going to see your shortlist of good, small (27-30ft) boats within your budget. You will make sailing friends, so when the GF doesn't want to come, you can still sail with a mate, and in due course gain the confidence to also single-hand, which is incredibly satisfying. It also depends on where you intend to keep her: moorings on the Hamble fall into two categories, those up to 32ft and those over. Wherever you are, size will cost more to moor.

I was lucky in so far that I bought as my first boat eight years ago a good, very well-built 27ft heavy long-keeler (a Vancouver 27, not unlike Twister Ken's suggestion of a Twister 28), because it tallied with my 'romance' of a traditional seagoing yacht. Despite its limitations in size (only room for 3 max because much of the interior is given over to stowage and proper galley/chart-table etc and the cockpit is small and safe), I still have this boat. Other people I know have started with an old cheap yacht in the 24-26ft range to just get going and gain experience, and then upgraded to something bigger within a couple of years, but I love the handiness of my own 27 footer.

You might prefer something lighter and more racy (or at least closer-winded) but go for quality if you can (Sadlers are good, as are many others of the era). And, as others have said, pay a lot of attention to big-ticket items like the engine - which will cost you if needs replacing in a year or so - whereas cosmetic stuff can be easily attended to by yourself at little cost.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the gf has been with me to see every boat so far. She's really good at noticing problems or issues that I seem to look over. I will probably be looking at Mooring in Chichester Marina tbh. I managed to get a 40% discount on first year's mooring with a certain marina company, so will have to look into that too.

Engine was serviced within the last 12 months, rigging has been checked over too and is fine and one of the sails would need replacing i think.

nathanglasgow said:
Before looking at your first yacht make sure you have taken care of the logistics of boat ownership. The purchase price can almost be irrelevant. A few questions to ask yourself- Do you have somewhere to keep it, can you afford the annual parking charges,do you have the time to use it,do you have crew to help you sail it? If you answer yes to the above then go for it! The type of boat you choose within the stated budget could almost be decided on the condition of the big ticket items ie engine,rig and sails. Probably any of the old half ton cup clas of boats is within your budget with newish equipment.
Click to expand...
Yes, somewhere to store it has been taken care of. It would be worrying if I couldn't afford the berthing but was looking at buying a boat? Yes I should have adequate time to use it and yes I should be able to find crew to come along with me.

birdseye said:
You are looking at boats that are maybe 35 years old. You need to be realistic about what you might get. Or to put it another way, what would you expect in a 35 year old car or bike? In short you are in banger territory which wont stop you having a lot of fun or getting a sound boat but does mean you will have to work at it.

A tip - start looking away from the south coast and you will get far better value. Try the east coast or the bristol channel.
Click to expand...
True, but then I'd have to figure out ways of getting the boat from say Durham to South Coast, which can be costly in itself. It also means I have to travel up there to potentially be disappointed.

I'm by no means expecting a brand new boat. I just know that there are some clean examples out there and I want to be luckily enough to buy one - so that i dont get my pants pulled down when It comes to reselling it in a few years.

Seajet said:
I googled ' Dolphin 31 ' and came up with this, among others; I don't know the boat or owner.

I sailed in company with a Dolphin 31 on holiday once and can vouch she slips along nicely, I've also heard they are good in a blow.

Before treble aft cabins were mandatory at boat shows, so there is a chance she has decent cockpit lockers. :rolleyes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIjBXgbbnQg
Click to expand...

That looks beautiful!
 
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