New boat

[Tranona]

Going back to being a Practical Boat owner. Have just bought an original 1976 wood epoxy sheathed Terry Erskine built Golden Hind 31. Survey on Wednesday but don't expect any problems. Ready to go with newish Beta, good sails and most of the other bits updated except electronics. Owned for 20 years and in regular use. Enough cosmetic and minor bits to do to keep me busy while still able to sail her.

Plan to lay her up for the winter and move to Poole next spring when I shall sell the Bavaria.

Photos to follow, probably after the survey.

 

[coopec]

That's a nice looking yacht.

 

[Tranona]

Mine is not cutter rigged, although it does have the stubby bowsprit/anchor platform and an outer stay to fly a lightweight downwind sail.

 

[coopec]

Mine is not cutter rigged, although it does have the stubby bowsprit/anchor platform and an outer stay to fly a lightweight downwind sail.

I notice it is bilge keel. Surely with the tides you have in the UK that would be an absolute bonus?

The ketch version seems to be very popular?

 

[robmcg]

Lovely looking boats - real pride of ownership stuff. Great choice ?

 

[mrming]

Beautiful boats. My pontoon neighbour has one. They struggle with the amount of varnishing to keep on top of, but you’re an old hand at that Tranona. ?

 

[Tranona]

I notice it is bilge keel. Surely with the tides you have in the UK that would be an absolute bonus?

The ketch version seems to be very popular?

Long keel and bilge plates and under 4" draft. Kept on a swinging mooring now which dries at low water. Mooring costs £600 for the season! However, I have a deep water marina berth, but the harbour and many of the nice anchorages locally are shallow so i shall be able to go places I can't now with a fin keel.

However, the bilge keels are there not primarily to dry out, but to dampen rolling and contribute to ballast (the AVS rises significantly with them on). on my old boat a 26' version of essentially the same design also had bilge plates, but I removed them and lowered the ballast keel which transformed the boat. Interestingly the reputation of the design was based on ocean voyaging and many of the boats built in the 1970s were sold to Americans who then took off on their ventures. By 1980 something like 40 boats had made Atlantic crossings.

Actually the ketch is a dog. The other boat on my list which had a GRP hull and a nicer interior (but a lot more money) was rejected because I could not cope with all that rigging and bowsprit. In fact only 3 were built, and this one has been on and off the market for some time without finding a buyer. yachtsnet.co.uk/boats/s28621/s28621.htm

Not my plans to go ocean sailing, though - just always wanted one having sailed the channel in one in 1980. Problem has been finding one that is of the standard I would be happy with, and this is as close as I think I will get.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Classic design and comes with a good pedigree. Good luck

 

[38mess]

Lovely boat, great choice. I always wanted one of these but had to settle with my lovely little Eventide.

 

[coopec]

......based on ocean voyaging and many of the boats built in the 1970s were sold to Americans who then took off on their ventures. By 1980 something like 40 boats had made Atlantic crossings.

Your statement above has got me going again!

Earlier today I was expressing my disgust at the attitude of the younger generations. They'd rather watch someone else crossing the Atlantic on a YouTube Patreon video. Where would they be without their iPads?

Anyhow your yacht looks great (I've had a look at the specs)

 

[Tranona]

Just a sign of the times. You have to remember than in the 1970s there was nowhere near the choice of boats and gear available today and simple boats like this were the norm. I remember going round London Boat Show in 1979 with Terry and an American buyer buyer speccing up his new boat. big decisions were should he have paraffin cooking or one of these new fangled gas cookers, was a Walker trailing log still the best and so on. I have the original spec sheers and it is amazing how basic the boat was, and how long the "extras" most of which would now be standard.

Different world.

 

[Kelpie]

Your statement above has got me going again!

Earlier today I was expressing my disgust at the attitude of the younger generations. They'd rather watch someone else crossing the Atlantic on a YouTube Patreon video. Where would they be without their iPads?

Anyhow your yacht looks great (I've had a look at the specs)

Speaking as someone who is actually out there cruising full time, I'm pleasantly surprised about how many younger couples and families we have met so far. In contrast to our previous decade of cruising in the UK where we have only ever once met a cruising couple who were younger than us.

(apologies for thread drift!)

 

[jwfrary]

A boat that still looks as good as when It was drawn. Something to be proud of.

She will look after you. I tend to think older boats get a bad rep for not sailing well but it's more often than not knackered or poorly arranged sail plans that let the side down.

How many people actually sail upwind anyway, I look out to sea from my window, 9 boats out of 10 are motor sailing upwind in what I would consider champagne sailing conditions!

Perhaps I'm out of step but I bought a sailing boat to go sailing! - anyway.

Good choice safe sailing!

 

[Tranona]

Speaking as someone who is actually out there cruising full time, I'm pleasantly surprised about how many younger couples and families we have met so far. In contrast to our previous decade of cruising in the UK where we have only ever once met a cruising couple who were younger than us.

(apologies for thread drift!)

Perhaps that is because there is a choice of boats that are suitable for families to cruise in at prices that are affordable, plus ocean cruising is no longer the Corinthian activity it once was.

In the 70s the Golden Hind was considered quite a big boat , compared with the Vertues etc that were common for offshore but is really only a 2 person boat. Overwhelmingly the people who bought it were middle aged and mostly retired, a bit like today. For those who could not afford to buy new there was very little choice in the used market.

 

[KompetentKrew]

May I ask what prompted this, @Tranona? I thought you were very happy with your Bav.

 

[DoubleEnder]

mmm Bavaria with brand new main coming up for sale!
why the change of heart? I mean, good luck and fair winds of course but it’s a bit of a 180?

 

[penfold]

Actually the ketch is a dog. The other boat on my list which had a GRP hull and a nicer interior (but a lot more money) was rejected because I could not cope with all that rigging and bowsprit. In fact only 3 were built, and this one has been on and off the market for some time without finding a buyer. yachtsnet.co.uk/boats/s28621/s28621.htm

Not my plans to go ocean sailing, though - just always wanted one having sailed the channel in one in 1980. Problem has been finding one that is of the standard I would be happy with, and this is as close as I think I will get.

Never really understood the attraction of having a bloody mast in the middle of the cockpit; having wooden topsides throwing the mizzen away and moving the mast aft a little would be straightforward enough for a woodbotherer.

 

[Skylark]

Congratulations Mr Tranona on buying a new, to you, both. Being perfectly honest, I can’t understand why anyone would want to trade your Bav for a boat like that (as their only vessel), but, as you have commented on these forums many times, each to their own. Fairs winds.

 

[Laminar Flow]

Long keel and bilge plates and under 4" draft. Kept on a swinging mooring now which dries at low water. Mooring costs £600 for the season! However, I have a deep water marina berth, but the harbour and many of the nice anchorages locally are shallow so i shall be able to go places I can't now with a fin keel.

However, the bilge keels are there not primarily to dry out, but to dampen rolling and contribute to ballast (the AVS rises significantly with them on). on my old boat a 26' version of essentially the same design also had bilge plates, but I removed them and lowered the ballast keel which transformed the boat. Interestingly the reputation of the design was based on ocean voyaging and many of the boats built in the 1970s were sold to Americans who then took off on their ventures. By 1980 something like 40 boats had made Atlantic crossings.

Actually the ketch is a dog. The other boat on my list which had a GRP hull and a nicer interior (but a lot more money) was rejected because I could not cope with all that rigging and bowsprit. In fact only 3 were built, and this one has been on and off the market for some time without finding a buyer. yachtsnet.co.uk/boats/s28621/s28621.htm

Not my plans to go ocean sailing, though - just always wanted one having sailed the channel in one in 1980. Problem has been finding one that is of the standard I would be happy with, and this is as close as I think I will get.

There is a very nice one with a GRP hull in Pontrieux where we keep our boat. I had a long chat with the owner as I used to own a Water Witch by the same designer. I turned out that the gentleman used to build them after acquiring the molds when Erskine closed shop. His had a much taller cutter rig and I believe he increased the ballast to carry it. He claimed it significantly improved her performance and I certainly thought her a very handsome boat and unlike her sister the Water Witch she does have standing headroom.
I would love to hear how yours sails and Congratulations.

 

[Tranona]

Yes, very happy with the Bavaria. When I bought it I was going through a long period of major surgery and I could see roughly 5 years of active life, but not active enough to travel as we planned. So, what the hell spent some of the money on a new boat. As it happens the kidney transplant at the end of 2016 was brilliant and has transformed my life - but travel of the kind I enjoy is probably still not feasible. 6 years later and I am now in better shape than when I bought Symphony and to be honest it is getting a bit boring because I like wooden boats and some of the work. I regret selling Tranona 2 years ago, although she really was too small and too much hard work to keep.

Lockdown blues got me looking for something that would give me another 5 years of pleasure, but still be easy to sail singlehanded, be over 10m to keep my current club berth but not so big as to be unhandy. Choice with that brief AND not a project is small, even though money within reason is not an issue. I first fell in love with GHs when I met Terry in 1979 and toured his yard. He had done a lot of the building on Tranona when he worked for Hartwells and the next year I sailed across the Channel with Mark Urry (who later built 5 GHs after Terry gave up). So the seed was sown. Problem is that most of them have been messed about and the earlier wood ones suffer from neglect and rot, but the mid 70s boats that Terry sheathed with epoxy glass have fared better. I would have gone for a GRP hulled one if one had come up though.

Anyway, looked at a lot on line and couple in the flesh but did not find any I liked except the ketch linked to above, but that rig is really not practical for me. Then this one came up. Spent a morning sitting on her on her mooring with the owner and it just seemed "right". Could have cast off and gone cruising - everything up together, well maintained if a little lacking in electronics. So did the deal.

You only have one go at this as they say, or in my case a "second" go. Just hope the survey goes OK.