Recommendations on £5k 4berth bilge keel yacht

[haddock60]

I am looking to buy my first yacht and would welcome recommendations on what to buy. Spec is around £5k; 4 berth; bilge keel; coastal cruising out of Plymouth; Not looking for sparkling performance but does need to be capable of sailing up wind!

 

[Jonny_H]

Seamaster 23?

My father had one of these - we sailed from the North West and did a few trips to the Isle of Man and Scotland.

They come with fin, lifting or bilge keels - ours was bilge. Had a pilot berth, double berth forward and the saloon converted to a double. Also had an inboard diesel engine. They are around the £5k mark.

Details here

Jonny

 

[robmcg]

I second the Seamaster Sailor. I know a guy in Scotland who has one and reckons they are pretty good all rounders. There is one for sale in Seakers down in Weymouth if interested.

 

[Guest]

Seamaster - as already suggested ...

Cheaper end of Westerly Pageant pricing ....

Snapdragons of various sizes including 26's .....

If you don't mind wood / ply construction - Eventides etc.

Personally ? The Snapdragons will win no races - but are strong, seagoing jobs ..... Only comment - be careful about engines in them - most were fitted out with Vires or Stuart Turner Petrol jobs ... then later many refitted with Petter Diesels etc.

 

[Dyflin]

Have a look at the Leisure boats, plenty within budget and requirements. The 22/23 has standing headroom inside and is very roomy indeed, plus it sails well, no sprinter but built like a brick outhouse.

Have a look at the for sale section on the excellent owners association site.

 

[doug748]

How about Hurley 24? Produced locally, so still a few about, roomy, prop protected behind good skeg. Probably asking a little above your price but everyone is open to offers. They were sopposed to be an updated 22 but the performance is too stately for that, good reports of their performance at sea though.

 

[Channel Ribs]

[ QUOTE ]
...be careful about engines in them - most were fitted out with Vires ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing wrong with Vires, lovely light weight and resilient motors.

 

[Channel Ribs]

Not so much of a recommendation, but a quick search for Yachts with Bilge Keels for 4-5k in Boats & Outboards brought this lot up:

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/php/b...amp;Submit.y=13

Edit: Link may not have preserved the 'Bilge Keel' part.

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...be careful about engines in them - most were fitted out with Vires ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing wrong with Vires, lovely light weight and resilient motors.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've had 2 boats with Vires ... and yes - they do the job ... but many have duff crankcase seals and still relying on Magneto ignition ...
Many people still sail with petrol inboards ... if in good condition - OK ... but not my choice. Diesel is much safer.

 

[moondancer]

For that budget you should be able to get a Hurley 22 in very good condition. That would be my choice - if you can cope with the slight lack of headroom.

 

[MoodySabre]

Atthe risk of sounding like Tony B - there's three things to look out for:

Reliable engine, reliable engine, reliable engine.

If it isn't then you could double your budget putting in a new one. TLC is cheap by comparison.

 

[jwilson]

I agree the Hurley 22 is one of the nicest little bilge-keel boats there are - pretty, and really good all-round sailing performance, but accommodation cramped compared to Leisures etc. On the other hand at this budget you could go looking for a really tidy, sorted H22, rather than a tired bigger boat. If you don't mind work you could possibly find an old tired Sadler 25 at this budget, and this is also another good bilge-keeler.

My preference is always to buy a really good well looked after boat rather than a fixer-upper. In my opinion you end up spending just as much in the end, but have a lot of work to do as well.

 

[Guest]

Trident
Leisure
etc ......

The Hurley is a nice looking well proprtioned pocket boat ... but it is limited by its accoms. Sooner or later you want to stand up to do your Full English in the morning ! That was why I ended up raiding the piggy-bank for a more headroom boat in lesser condition to my prev. smaller boat ...

 

[TJAGAIN]

halcyon 23 ,just appen to have one for sale. good trailer sailer
mint engine etc etc 5k pm if you want a look

 

[Twister_Ken]

Sonata

There's a Sonata converted to bilge keel on the Sonata Owners site in Beaumaris, at £5K.

Should be a lottafun, and quite habitable. Outboard, which is perfect for a small boat (compared to a dubious inboard).

 

[luddites]

Twin keel version of the Tomahawk 25, built like a tank but with a decent performance including upwind.

You do see them from 6k upwards but you might be lucky with an offer. Many were home completed so price range is wide. But a really good base for a bit of work, and a safe home for your money.

 

[thailand69]

I would make a list of boats that would be acceptable (also have a look on Yachtworld.com to get an idea)............and then not be too fussy about what model you get, instead go for the best one you can find for the money.

 

[bobgoode]

Bilge Hurley 22...and loads of money left over for goodies and even a new outboard

 

[Vanilla]

Westerly Centaur might fit the bill. Not great upwind but a good boat with lots of space inside and big cockpit for her size

 

[BlueSkyNick]

You will do well to find a decent Centaur for 5k - last time I looked (about 5 years ago) they were still averaging over 10k.