OK I admit it I made a mistake !

[onesea]

It's the arrogant ' I know it all ' condition which gets people into trouble, and we've all seen yachtmasters cock things up, sometimes with serious results, as well as novices.

An enquiring mind and taking the time to read is a pretty good basis I think; I was in my 20's before it dawned on me how much I don't know !

IMHO you can tell people who really know and are often highly qualified and experienced, by what they do not say..

If some one starts saying to me "I know" I tend to leave them to there own mistakes.

When hear people talking about there sailing experience saying I have RYA Day Skipper and then go on to the experience I am already not listening.

When I here I have completed xxxx and the qualification comes second I listen more...

For the OP I think your guides are sensible but keep an open mind, you might be surprised what you decide...

 

[Chrusty 1]

Still looking and still learning, seen lots of boats and spoken to many helpful owners and a few unhelpful owners.

I still haven't seen anything that I want to buy but some things are becoming clear, I will buy something that's ideal for Norfolk and accept that this will be a compromise as far as my longer distance ambitions are concerned and I will buy a bilge keeled boat.

At least for the time being I have ended my flirtation with motor sailors although I would be tempted by a nice bilge keeled LM were they not so expensive.

I have firmed up on size in the 25-28 foot range and I want a new or recent engine. I have also decided to increase my maximum budget to about £15k for something in great condition with a new engine.

I am spending this summer (!!) out on the water a but in my inflatable canoe, the canoe is proving a very useful way of meeting owners and looking at boats in moorings and marinas, far better that trying to do it from the land. I can carry the canoe in my landrover and if I see soemthing interesting I can be on the water in about 15 minutes.

I don't think anybody has mentioned one of these? Good cruising boats, but stay away from marinas, and greedy harbour masters.

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=217709

Might be worth a look?

 

[shaunksb]

I haven't rushed into anything I have been looking for nearly 2 years and I think its unlikely that I will buy this year.

Well don't hang about for too long or you'll be missing out. None of us are getting any younger...



______________________

 

[wotayottie]

I don't think they are prejudices, just opinions, and isn't that what the OP asked for? As for joining a club, well no, I wouldn't recommend that at all, all he will get is club members prejudices ............Ooooops sorry, opinions! Also, no need to buy anything pricey, there is a healthy market down at the lower end of the price range, it's the pricey stuff that that is hanging at the moment. You do have some fairly rarified ideas sometimes Mr, Yottie.

The idea of joining a club Mr Crusty was that the OP would get to sail a range of boats and thus form his own opinions since buying a boat is almost as personal as selecting a wife. Did you chose Mrs Crusty of the basis of recommendations?

As for price then what you are saying about the bottom of the market completely contradicts what another poster on another thread has been saying. It also contradicts my personal experience at my club where there are a number of boats for sale and the only ones that are moving are the decent condition ones of the popular main brands. There are numbers of boats that simply cannot be sold. I even know of one owner at another club of number 16 on the OPs list who ended up taking a saw to the boat because he could not sell it. And marketability matters because the OP is unlikely to keep the first boat he buys for the next 30 years.

 

[Chrusty 1]

The idea of joining a club Mr Crusty was that the OP would get to sail a range of boats and thus form his own opinions since buying a boat is almost as personal as selecting a wife. Did you chose Mrs Crusty of the basis of recommendations?

I most certainly did, and she came with 10 top notch references!!

As for price then what you are saying about the bottom of the market completely contradicts what another poster on another thread has been saying. It also contradicts my personal experience at my club where there are a number of boats for sale and the only ones that are moving are the decent condition ones of the popular main brands. There are numbers of boats that simply cannot be sold. I even know of one owner at another club of number 16 on the OPs list who ended up taking a saw to the boat because he could not sell it. And marketability matters because the OP is unlikely to keep the first boat he buys for the next 30 years.

My comments are based on the fact that I have been watching the market for a long time, I guess I am just a boat site freak. Expensive boats are not shifting as swiftly as boats sub 20k it seems to me. Wooden boats at the lower end of the market are hardly shifting at all. You can't make a sensible judgement on what or what is not selling at just your club. A nicely presented sub 20k boat doesn't seem to hang around long, boats that look like a dogs breakfast are not getting sold because I believe people are just not willing to go and have a look, and why should they, there is a plethora of boats for sale, and it's a buyers market. If you put your boat on the market these days, you had better be prepared to believe that nobody is going to want to clean your last seasons **** up, before they can go sailing in her.

Turnkey boats are selling, sheds are not, seeemples Tcha!

 

[Tranona]

My comments are based on the fact that I have been watching the market for a long time, I guess I am just a boat site freak. Expensive boats are not shifting as swiftly as boats sub 20k it seems to me. Wooden boats at the lower end of the market are hardly shifting at all. You can't make a sensible judgement on what or what is not selling at just your club. A nicely presented sub 20k boat doesn't seem to hang around long, boats that look like a dogs breakfast are not getting sold because I believe people are just not willing to go and have a look, and why should they, there is a plethora of boats for sale, and it's a buyers market. If you put your boat on the market these days, you had better be prepared to believe that nobody is going to want to clean your last seasons **** up, before they can go sailing in her.

Turnkey boats are selling, sheds are not, seeemples Tcha!

Well, the OP should be OK then if he follows wottayottie's advice - he is looking exactly for what you also identify as the type of boat where there is an active market. Good condition £15k 25-28' bilge keelers from well known builders. Not easy to buy because they don't hang around and you have to be quick, but also easy to move on when the time comes.

Don't agree that more expensive boats are not selling. Same rules apply - good boats from popular builders, in good condition at the right price sell. You only have to hang around here for a while listening to why people can't find the boat they want to know why. Always the same. Not cared for, poorly described, over priced. Add in a reluctant seller/ lazy owner/ poor broker and you get a disappointed potential buyer.

 

[Chrusty 1]

Well, the OP should be OK then if he follows wottayottie's advice - he is looking exactly for what you also identify as the type of boat where there is an active market. Good condition £15k 25-28' bilge keelers from well known builders. Not easy to buy because they don't hang around and you have to be quick, but also easy to move on when the time comes.

Don't agree that more expensive boats are not selling. Same rules apply - good boats from popular builders, in good condition at the right price sell. You only have to hang around here for a while listening to why people can't find the boat they want to know why. Always the same. Not cared for, poorly described, over priced. Add in a reluctant seller/ lazy owner/ poor broker and you get a disappointed potential buyer.

What I was pointing out dear Tranny.........Ooooooops sorry didn't realise what I just typed.........No seriously, what I was trying to point out is that the market place is much bigger, with more buying opportunities than would be available in a club. There is nothing wrong per se with looking around the clubs, / yards / marinas, just that the webbynet can save a lot of time, fuel and miles, and a lot more is available out there for a potential buyer to have a squint at.

Another source of research which I think is good, is Yachtnet's archives. I know he pops up on here from time to time, and I don't mind saying that I think his website is excellent, I have no connection, just my opinion. He could also have a few words with John ( the broker fella) he is a regular contributor to these forums, brokers, (at least good ones), do have their fingers on the pulse, and often know of something coming to market, even if they aren't handling it themselves.

There are many ways of going about buying a boat, and they all work with varying degrees of success, for some of the people some of the time, it's up to the OP to do what he thinks suits him.

All the above is of course, just my opinion.