Rather fancy this. Opinions?

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fredrussell

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I've currently got a Super Seal 26. Really love it, and for me (and especially my budget) its the near perfect east coast boat.

But I do hanker after a boat with standing headroom and perhaps a tad more room inside. I saw this boat advertised on a Facebook page and was quite taken with it:

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/boat.phtml?id=525422

I realise it won't dry out upright like my current boat, but I reckon I can live with that. I do rather fancy a boat with an inboard (mine has outboard in well) - but this is less of a thing to me than the ability to stand up inside. There's not a great deal about Limbo 9.9s on the web - but to my uneducated eye this looks like a scaled up version of my Super Seal for similar sort of money.

Any thoughts you lot?
 
A pretty boat! Just make sure that that dark blue hull is in decent condition - dark gelcoat like that tends to age badly and can be very difficult to rejuvenate.
 
maby said:
A pretty boat! Just make sure that that dark blue hull is in decent condition - dark gelcoat like that tends to age badly and can be very difficult to rejuvenate.
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I second that I have recently bought a dark blue boat that has stood for a number of years and it’s a pig to get looking good.
Non the less a nice looking boat that looks well looked after. Don’t know anything about the model
 
I have heard of the boat but that is about it. Very sporty I think, maybe ignore convention and ask in the racing forum, see if anyone has any experience there.

The big windows are not great on a boat like this and don't speak to me about blue hulls :eek: Apart from that I really like the look of it.
 
Are all blue hulls ‘trouble’ then? Or just ones of a certain age? I assume you’re talking about the blue going chalky? This ones had the top sides sprayed recently- should that put a buyer at ease in this respect?
 
fredrussell said:
Are all blue hulls ‘trouble’ then? Or just ones of a certain age? I assume you’re talking about the blue going chalky? This ones had the top sides sprayed recently- should that put a buyer at ease in this respect?
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Not all, but it is a common problem with dark hulls as they age - just take a good look at it before committing. Possibly even take a small quantity of car wax with you and experimentally polish up a small area to see how well it comes up. Ultimately, it comes down to you - it's a pretty boat going at a low price. A bit of matt hull does not impact on the usability of the boat provided it does not bug you too much!
 
ghostlymoron said:
In your position, I would look for a bilge Keeler. Much more mooring options.
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There are very very few bilge-keel boats that won't be really dull sailing after the OPs existing Super Seal. A Sadler 290 might just be OK, but few around and expensive, or an RM - much more expensive. The Limbo - if sound - could be a good step up from the SS26.
 
fredrussell said:
Are all blue hulls ‘trouble’ then? Or just ones of a certain age? I assume you’re talking about the blue going chalky? This ones had the top sides sprayed recently- should that put a buyer at ease in this respect?
Click to expand...


In my experience paintwork can be an 8 - 12ish year cycle depending on the quality of the job and the way it is looked after. If you feel you may keep the boat for a shorter time then no matter. If for a longer time then consider that it might be looking a bit sad around ten years when another re-spray may be on the cards.
On a swinging mooring some form of topside bow protector is a very good investment as are fender aprons when alongside.
In the case of this boat it may be a case of take it or leave It, as finding another would not be easy.
 
maby said:
Not all, but it is a common problem with dark hulls as they age - just take a good look at it before committing. Possibly even take a small quantity of car wax with you and experimentally polish up a small area to see how well it comes up. Ultimately, it comes down to you - it's a pretty boat going at a low price. A bit of matt hull does not impact on the usability of the boat provided it does not bug you too much!
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You still think it's gelcoat - it isn't, it's paint. And done relatively recently.
 
I haven't owned one, but... Limbo 9.9s were fast boats and known for their lively behaviour.

I always fancied one too and used to sail past the one on the moorings past Hardway and froth lightly at the mouth. A tasty and fast boat but not an ocean passage maker. The one in Portsmouth harbour was on a deep water mooring and I'm not sure if i'd want a boat that size drying out every tide, whatever the keel configuration.

Go and take a look. Your gut feel (and surveyor report) will know if it is right for you. Certainly it'll have a whole lot more room than your Super Seal (although they are a good boat too).
 
Take Farecla compound with you, not wax.
I've owned a now 28 year old dark blue boat for 12 years and finally got her Awlgripped two years ago as the gel had a number of chips, cracks, war wounds and other marks and deserved a nice new paint job. With deference to the various criticisms of Oyster yacht building on this forum her gel coat must have been an inch thick as for 10 years I used to religiously machine compound her followed by Farecla wax after which she looked lovely, with the effect tailing off as the summer wore on. Now she just gets washed and waxed which takes a couple of hours total and any light scuffs come out easily with T-cut.
I've owned white boats, a cream boat, a grey boat (the worst colour I think) and a dark blue boat and IMHO nothing looks as good as a highly polished dark blue hull if you have the money, or in my case the time, to nurture it !
 
fredrussel,

they were built by Zygal Boats at Whitstable, designer Andrew Stewart had first come up with the very sporty ( also lift keel ) Limbo 6.6 ( always known as 21' to eyeryone I know ) for them, which sold moderately well, enough to keep them going and expand with the 9.9 in the 1980's.

The Limbo 9.9 could be said to be a little more cruisery than the 6.6, but still expect a relatively light ballast ratio and big rig.

As you're used to a Super Seal, presuming you get on with that boat's characteristics I'd think you'd like the Limbo.

Not known for over-building their boats so have a good look around, and as you already have a lift keeler you'll know an inspection of the lowered plate and if possible lifting assembly would a very good idea.

The 6.6 has a swing plate, pretty sure but not certain the 9.9 is the same, so the pivot pin and hole in the plate, also lift wire point, would be definite things to check, along with the classic question for any seller of a lift keeler ' how do you store her in winter to maintain the keel ? '
 
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we looked and considered buying a 9.9 about five years ago.
She was for sale at Erith YC on the Thames.

Initially we thought she ticked a lot of our boxes especially as she is very fast and I liked the idea of the dagger board with a bulb.
However on viewing it was apparent that build quality was not high on their priority list.
Internally the one we looked at looked like it was almost a home build quality.
Lots of space to store stuff though once you had stored it, it would be a devils own job to retrieve it.
Inside lockers the hull glass was rough and dirty as it had not been gel washed.
Tabbing around bulkheads was poor and badly finished.
Everything felt light, the deck, the fittings, the chain plates, everything felt like it should have been on a slightly smaller boat.
I researched and talked to the previous owners and tracked down two other owners and the general consensus was, she's lively.
Reef early, don't invite nervous passengers as she can be quite erratic in winds above 20knts.
Whilst trips from Ramsgate to France were easy and fast anything more than 10 hours was not relaxing unless winds below 12knts.
In a chop, under engine, she would stop very easily which is probably to do with her light weight.

I still like to sail one though, in club races I reckon you could win a few things but I doubt the Mrs would want to come along.
 
Thanks Seajet, appreciate the info. I think the keel on the 9.9 raises vertically though - at least the pics I’ve seen would suggest that. There’s a bulb at bottom of keel. They draw 80cms with keel up, compared to 40cms of my Superseal. That said, Drying out flat is not the be all and end all to me, and obviously you will need little persuading of that!

Javelin- cheers for that, very useful indeed. I’m starting to thinking sticking with current boat might be best for now. I’ve got a bit of a thing about lift keelers, but would like a bit more room. I’d love a Parker 31, but they’re not cheap, and the Parker 275 is not a great deal bigger inside than mine by all accounts.
 
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fredrussell,

well a vertical lift keel is a lot better in various ways as we know :) - I was perhaps trying to be too polite, not having actually been aboard one; but knowing Zygal's rep' let's say Javelin's description does not surprise me at all !
 
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