Older Westerly OceanLord

pvb said:
I don't think there were any real changes, the boats were still built in sheds by what someone here once described as "little men with buckets of resin".
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No comment on Westerly or Bavaria build quality of which I have no first hand knowledge but hand layup is a perfectly valid construction method provided done correctly and continues to be used by Rustler, Halberg Rassy and as far as I can see Bavaria (especially given current volumes) to name but a few.
 
pvb said:
I don't think there were any real changes, the boats were still built in sheds by what someone here once described as "little men with buckets of resin".
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I have an elderly Nicholson, moulded, as I think they all were, by Halmatic, who I think are Vosper Thorneycroft.
I look at the insides of the hull and deck mouldings and see what as a life long wooden boat owner I want to call stringers, frames, beams, carlines and lodging and hanging knees. I find this oddly reassuring!
 
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Thank you all for your input. The ability to live onboard is a big appeal of the OceanLord. I am not tied to it though. I have a soft spot for Etap yachts and so a 38 and maybe if I am lucky a 39. Though neither have the aft cabin on the OceanLord
 
Mostly be out in the Clyde estuary then onwards to the inner and outer Hebrides in the summer months. Winter either it will be on land or in the Mediterranean.

Having never sailed on one before, I would be interested in people’s thoughts on that
 
I bought a 1974 Rival 41C for a very good price. Older boats, even from 80s, will cost a lot more than you think to keep going.

My survey was good, not much wrong, but in the first 5 years of ownership I spent quite a bit of time and money sorting out the obvious wear and tear and some not so obvious wear and tear.

If you can’t afford 6 figures for a larger yacht like the Oceanlord, think very seriously about buying it. It will very likely consume a lot more of your cash than you planned.

Regarding hulls. A boat from that time is likely to have high moisture readings. The question is then what to do about it, if anything. I strongly advise that you do your own research on causes of osmosis, aka, hydrolysis, there is lots on the internet. You need to be prepared to sift through a ton of advice, much of it conflicting. The hull is likely to be of minimum concern. I had one oval hole for a rigging mount penetration that needed repaired.

Down below is where the costs mount up. For me the main thing was doing additional work because the work on something would impact other areas e.g. headlining ended up as new LED cabin lights and a new garage for the mast wire penetrations. That in turn required new bulkhead trim that acted as conduit for wire. It goes on.

For a few £10ks you can but lovely, smaller yachts around 30’ that are well sorted and have the room like an older and longer boat.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
I bought a 1974 Rival 41C for a very good price. Older boats, even from 80s, will cost a lot more than you think to keep going.

My survey was good, not much wrong, but in the first 5 years of ownership I spent quite a bit of time and money sorting out the obvious wear and tear and some not so obvious wear and tear.

If you can’t afford 6 figures for a larger yacht like the Oceanlord, think very seriously about buying it. It will very likely consume a lot more of your cash than you planned.

Regarding hulls. A boat from that time is likely to have high moisture readings. The question is then what to do about it, if anything. I strongly advise that you do your own research on causes of osmosis, aka, hydrolysis, there is lots on the internet. You need to be prepared to sift through a ton of advice, much of it conflicting. The hull is likely to be of minimum concern. I had one oval hole for a rigging mount penetration that needed repaired.

Down below is where the costs mount up. For me the main thing was doing additional work because the work on something would impact other areas e.g. headlining ended up as new LED cabin lights and a new garage for the mast wire penetrations. That in turn required new bulkhead trim that acted as conduit for wire. It goes on.

For a few £10ks you can but lovely, smaller yachts around 30’ that are well sorted and have the room like an older and longer boat.
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Funnily enough, I work in lighting and I have a mate who is an upholsterer?
 
Hey that boat in Lefkas looks good, and thankfully has NOT got a teak deck, so one major repair sidestepped. Be aware that older boats for sale in the Med are ( or should be quite a lot cheaper than boats in the UK) , it's where some older larger boats really do go to die. The difficulty of refurbishing a boat in the Med compared to the UK is very significant, as you dont have all your own tools/workshop and there just isn't the choice of parts to buy or tradesmen to use. I'm not sure how much the boat is in £'s, but I guess I wouldn't be prepared to pay more than £40k absolutely top whack for a boat there, and hopefully nearer to £30k.
Also just be aware that boats in the med do deteriorate quickly in the heat and bright sun ( but I do like that nice cover!)
 
laika said:
Per Sea Devil's response, the hulls are unlikely to die any time soon. Everything else is going to be replaced over time by attentive owners. As with any boat you're thinking of buying, if a piece of equipment needs replacing, factor the cost into your offer price. I would doubt there's many oceanlords around with entirely original equipment.

I have a MK 1 oceanlord, so exactly what you're talking about.
* There's probably plenty of well-maintained 2003Ts still going strong. Mine was DOA. Replacement factored into purchase price. I now have a modern yanmar I expect to still be going strong in 20 years' time
* My insurance co. asked for a rig replacement when I bought the boat. That was just a cost to be factored in
* The sails on a 10 year old boat are as likely to need replacing as the ones on a 30 years old boat
* I'm still using the original instruments but bridged into a more modern data network. I changed the original green screen plotter for a more modern one and added AIS
* I had the headlining replaced in 2013. Done professionally. ~£4k iirc? Hopefully will last another decade

The hull of my boat still looks lovely. The gelcoat on the topsides is thinning and I've been considering getting it professionally painted. Headlining on a boat that age will be a nightmare unless it's been done. Again, if it hasn't, factor it in. Anything is fixable. The cockpit teak needs replacing and that's on my to-do list for this summer.

The original owner of my boat clearly didn't skimp on cost: I will take the top-of-the-range 1991 harken stuff over budget modern stuff any day.

Top tip: Don't buy a wreck because it's cheap. Pay more for something someone has carefully maintained. The difference will rarely be enough to bring the wreck up to the standard of the well-maintained boat.

I've been looking at new boats in the same length category at boat shows over the past few years and I can honestly say that I'd be looking at north of half a million for anything comparable-but-better. I would only really replace my boat with something substantially different.

With the scraggy westerly red stripe replaced by a nice silver one, a freshly buffed hull and my nice new sprayhood my oceanlord aces the row-away test. In fact I often get "It's a westerly? really? It looks much more modern than that..."
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Hi
Thank you for the information.

Out of interest how much was the replacement rig and what year was that done?
 
Rafiki said:
I'm not sure how much the boat is in £'s, but I guess I wouldn't be prepared to pay more than £40k absolutely top whack for a boat there, and hopefully nearer to £30k.
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The listing says £49500, which seems a lot to me for a 30 year old Westerly. That sort of money could buy a same-sized production boat of half the age.
 
I wouldn't fixate on one make or model, that just restricts your choice. There are plenty of older fibreglass boats around, as others have said look for a well maintained one that's been upgraded - engine, sails, standing rigging, instruments, bunk cushions/interior - they all need time and money to sort out...
 
pvb said:
The listing says £49500, which seems a lot to me for a 30 year old Westerly.
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Are you basing that on a knowledge of the market for oceanlords or on a personal dislike for the brand based on the experience of various earlier yachts in the westerly range you referred to?

For the OP...I note that a 5 min video yachting monthly did on the oceanlord is on youtube:

 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Down below is where the costs mount up. For me the main thing was doing additional work because the work on something would impact other areas e.g. headlining ended up as new LED cabin lights and a new garage for the mast wire penetrations. That in turn required new bulkhead trim that acted as conduit for wire. It goes on.

For a few £10ks you can but lovely, smaller yachts around 30’ that are well sorted and have the room like an older and longer boat.
Click to expand...

I will have time to do work in the boat and I am quite handy. What I want be in need of is a huge bill to replace the mast one year, followed by sugunificant hull repairs the year after. I have a friend who is an upholsterer who could sort out seating and I expect the headlining also, should those need done.

Basically, I want to downsize, buy a house mortgage free, that will generate enough income as an AirBnB to let me live in a boat and do a lot of sailing. Obviously keep some cash back for emergencies.

One of the appeals of the OceanLord is the size of the cabin space.
 
laika said:
Are you basing that on a knowledge of the market for oceanlords or on a personal dislike for the brand based on the experience of various earlier yachts in the westerly range you referred to?
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Neither, I just think that asking prices for older Westerly yachts tend to be, shall we say, rather optimistic. 50 grand will buy a well-equipped Ben/Jen/Bav around 10-15 years younger.
 
laika said:
Are you basing that on a knowledge of the market for oceanlords or on a personal dislike for the brand based on the experience of various earlier yachts in the westerly range you referred to?

For the OP...I note that a 5 min video yachting monthly did on the oceanlord is on youtube:

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Looks good.

With luck Tinto will be back to reveal his innermost thoughts on the matter. It's not unknown for this type of discussion to be set off and for the OP to fold his tents.
 
pvb said:
Neither, I just think that asking prices for older Westerly yachts tend to be, shall we say, rather optimistic. 50 grand will buy a well-equipped Ben/Jen/Bav around 10-15 years younger.
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Surely that's an indication of how well Westerlies hold their price and how quickly those nasty AWBs lose their value ?















:):):):):):)
 
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