Looking for some advice - New yacht

[AngusMcDoon]

You ordered a yacht with a selection of options agreed at the time by the builder. They now say they can't fit them. Cancel and full refund. Call your solicitor.

That's an extreme course of action. It won't leave the boat builder out of pocket, as there's more demand than supply at the moment and prices are going up. They'll sell it on to someone else, maybe even at a higher price. It however would seriously inconvenience the buyer - no boat, and back of any queue for another one. If the buyer wants to go sailing in the next few years, compromises will have to be made. A boat without air-con or teak decks is still a sailable boat. A law suit in this kind of situation is just profit for the lawyers.

 

[Biggles Wader]

ISTM they have done you a favour--------Assuming they are knocking a shedload of money off the build price. You wont need any of those items initially sailing around the Solent learning the ropes then you can make some informed decisions about what you really want to spend all that money on. For me----teak decks no thanks, AC no thanks, gen maybe eventually and the nav gear can be kept very simple to start then installed later for ocean passages when you know what you want. Id concentrate on gaining skills and setting up the boat for single/short handing.

 

[dunedin]

A few years back there were some reports of people ordering factory fit options then finding the factory order was made without the extras, which the local agent then fitted themselves (presumably to increase their profit margins).
Like you, I would prefer major items factory fitted than retrofitted.
Not saying the dealer is pulling a fast one, but I would quietly check with other sources whether these are indeed no longer on the factory options list.
PS. Brand new 51 footer as first boat? That is a very big beast for parking as a novice (and potentially wider than many berths in Norway, the Baltic etc)

 

[Norman_E]

Hi Geem, Thanks for your reply, initially the Solent, then years 2-6 my plan is Norway, back down to La Rochelle, Into the Med, work my way to Greece then Miami, Panama Canal and up to Vancouver by 2034. I may consider selling and buying another boat during this time. It’s 51 foot . Lots of people think I’m crazy and I suppose I am…

You are going to some hot places. You certainly don't want a teak deck. I bought a fairly big boat (jeanneau 45.2) when I was a novice, and it worked out very well for me so I won't criticise your choice of a 51 footer, but why did you not just look for a fairly recent secondhand boat with a good specification. You will lose a lot if you sell a new boat after just a few years.

 

[roaringgirl]

To run AC all night, you'd have to run your generator all night. Given how often things on boats find new and interesting ways to fail, I wouldn't want to do that!

 

[laika]

ISTM they have done you a favour--------

+1. You just don’t know what you want until you’ve owned a boat. And no-one can tell you because we’re all different: None of us think teak decks are a good idea but maybe you will. I had several thousand miles in other people’s boats before I bought one (so hardly a novice) but owning a boat is rather different from just sailing one. My advice? Enjoy your boat without the extras. Get used to it, learn and in the light of how you feel with experience, buy only what you ultimately think you need when you actually need it.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I like teak decks and would have them on a new yacht.

 

[Concerto]

The one extra you have not mentioned is a watermaker. On long cruises this essential as you can not trust the local water is to the same standards we are used to. It is a fairly important commodity and when washing clothes it can use a lot.

 

[jwilson]

I like teak decks and would have them on a new yacht.

As long as you sell it long before the teak decks get tired.... I will never again own a boat with teak decks. Plastic teak - yes though. And in my quite long experience gensets and aircons are troublesome, though lovely when they work.