neptis
Active Member
Brilliant, that's all good stuff and to be honest I quite like fairly wide ranging opinions to be expressed - I'm learning and will make up my own mind. No idea where I will be based in the longer term, part of my funding is from selling up in London but the East Coast is quite appealing.I do no deny defending Westerly boats, for in their time they were considered to be better constructed than most of the other boats on the market. They generally still command a premium over similar age boats, because of it.
However if you read all of my posts you will also find I have not made any comment neptis should buy a Fulmar or a Westerly. I even commented that many of the more modern boats offer good value for money. Just because I do not have an opinion that "modern boats are far better than old boats", it is wise to educate those new to the sport from those who always spout "buy a new boat like me" (not my words but doug748). With yachts on the secondhand market stretching back over 50 years, it seems that to restrict a newcomer's choice to only boats made in the last decade or so, seems rather restrictive.
I feel sure that neptis never thought his question would result in such a wide ranging discusion and hopefully has learnt a lot about potential answers to the many questions he has not asked but has received answers to increase his confidence in making the important decision of what yacht to buy. He needs to decide the approximate length of boat, the general type of boat e.g. fast cruiser, traditional cruiser, wheelhouse, etc., the general age range and finally exactly how much he wants to spend on buying and how much for post purchase work. Another big decision he has not mentioned is where he plans to keep his boat. The South Coast has plenty of expensive places to berth. As he is based in N London, he should consider the East Coast. Generally marina berths are half the cost of the South Coast. The Orwell has plenty of choice and I love the Medway. The only sound advice that everyone has given is to avoid a fixer upper and to buy a boat that is in top condition as it will save money in the long term