Sailing Yacht brand ranking

[Bobc]

Could I recommend that you look at a Starlight 39. It's about on your size and budget, and is very nicely built.

Also, you won't lose any money on it (I know how you city finance people hate to lose your own money)

 

[yacht]

nice comment, but true!
I'm thinking if I buy, 5-10yr old, the major price drop has occurred and the boat is keeping its value for a couple of years and will require little repairs and maintenance. What I don't want to end up with is a endless pit that just requires loads of work all the time, that will be for later in life once I have more time on my hands..

Could I recommend that you look at a Starlight 39. It's about on your size and budget, and is very nicely built.

Also, you won't lose any money on it (I know how you city finance people hate to lose your own money)

 

[Bobc]

nice comment, but true!
I'm thinking if I buy, 5-10yr old, the major price drop has occurred and the boat is keeping its value for a couple of years and will require little repairs and maintenance. What I don't want to end up with is a endless pit that just requires loads of work all the time, that will be for later in life once I have more time on my hands..

Your thinking is about right.

 

[Angele]

I'm thinking if I buy, 5-10yr old, the major price drop has occurred and the boat is keeping its value for a couple of years and will require little repairs and maintenance. What I don't want to end up with is a endless pit that just requires loads of work all the time, that will be for later in life once I have more time on my hands..

I suspect you are correct there on the depreciation point, but equipment repairs and replacement costs do start to edge up at that point as the original equipment starts to fail or wiring starts to suffer the effects of salt corrosion, etc. So, even if you don't want to spend your time on maintenance, there will be things that need fixing. (Of course, if your sailing time is limited, you can always pay someone else to do the work for you). New sails may not be far away, either.

When I read your first post, I assumed you would be someone who wanted to go for the premium end of the market (HR, Malo, etc), even if it meant compromising on size. Your subsequent posts, however, suggest you are really in the "AWB" territory, although maybe looking for something that is just a bit different.

 

[Bobc]

Ok, so on that basis, if I were in your shoes, I would go for one of these.

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/advert.phtml?id=338509

Coming from a MOBO, you'll find a yacht pretty enclosed, so go for a deck saloon.

 

[pvb]

I suspect you are correct there on the depreciation point, but equipment repairs and replacement costs do start to edge up at that point as the original equipment starts to fail or wiring starts to suffer the effects of salt corrosion, etc. So, even if you don't want to spend your time on maintenance, there will be things that need fixing. (Of course, if your sailing time is limited, you can always pay someone else to do the work for you). New sails may not be far away, either.

I'd agree with that. The OP's £120K budget would buy him a nice 2 or 3 year old 40ft-ish Bavaria/Beneteau/Jeanneau which shouldn't require too much maintenance and which would be fairly easy to re-sell if he finds that his needs change.
.

 

[E39mad]

At that price you might - if you're lucky - find a Vancouver 38 pilot house for sale. If you can, and it's in good nick, I don't think you could do better. They are hen's teeth, though - they tend to be kept rather than traded.

Agree V38 Pilot is a great boat - based on the original Vancouver 36. The picture provided is 34 Pilot btw.

 

[duncan99210]

One thing to bear in mind is ease of maintenance. One of the problems of the Nauticat/HR types is that they are often a pig to work on. A friend who has an HR had to replace a split fuel tank recently, which required the wholesale removal of a large part of the galley and the engine. Worth keeping in mind if buying a used boat, which will have maintenance needs.

 

[pvb]

One thing to bear in mind is ease of maintenance. One of the problems of the Nauticat/HR types is that they are often a pig to work on. A friend who has an HR had to replace a split fuel tank recently, which required the wholesale removal of a large part of the galley and the engine. Worth keeping in mind if buying a used boat, which will have maintenance needs.

In fairness, I'd imagine that access to many items is no better in modern mass-production boats, which usually have most systems installed in the hull before putting the deck on.
.

 

[Angele]

In fairness, I'd imagine that access to many items is no better in modern mass-production boats, which usually have most systems installed in the hull before putting the deck on.
.

Ah, but removing a sheet of marine ply (held down by a handful of screws) to get at, for example, the water/fuel tanks is a lot easier than having to dismantle proper carpentry/cabinet-maker workmanship.

 

[parbuckle]

Rival Bowman 40 might be right up your street.

 

[pvb]

Rival Bowman 40 might be right up your street.

But with a budget of £120K, wouldn't a Bowman 40 be rather old and tired?
.

 

[parbuckle]

But with a budget of £120K, wouldn't a Bowman 40 be rather old and tired?
.

A ten year old French charter boat may look more tired than an eighteen year old Bowman and I have seen them for close to this price.

 

[Angele]

A ten year old French charter boat may look more tired than an eighteen year old Bowman and I have seen them for close to this price.

... but you don't have to go to the ex-charter market to buy a 10 year old 40-footer AWB for under £100k.

 

[parbuckle]

... but you don't have to go to the ex-charter market to buy a 10 year old 40-footer AWB for under £100k.

I agree but when you go down market it is awash with ex charter boats with 10 berths or more, I just think that a lot of the quality boats tend to be in really good condition not only because of discerning owners but also the materials and build quality are superior. I was looking online at advertised Bowmans nearly 20 years old and the condition of most exceptional beautiful teak interiors that could have been built last year.

 

[pvb]

I agree but when you go down market it is awash with ex charter boats with 10 berths or more,

Not sure that accurately describes the UK market. There are a lot of 2- or 3-cabin Ben/Bav/Jen cruisers for sale. The OP doesn't want to spend his precious leisure time on maintenance, so buying the newest boat he can find within his budget would make a lot of sense.

 

[Roberto]

As you say "familiy cruiser, with children", if it's for long-ish cruises definitely look at catamarans.

Not that I would ever buy one I am definitely half-boat-minded , but they usually have a lot, and I mean a lot of appeal for the part of the family more sensitive to comfort (than the pleasures of sailing the wave spray in your hair and all that).

Or on the other hand, never allow the rest of the family to ever pass even a couple of minutes on a cat, just say bleeuuurrr blaaahhh and immediately walk away

 

[parbuckle]

Lots of different recommendations this will run and run .

 

[doris]

OK then... (cat amongst pigeons time...)

In my mind (and I know nothing of the US market or elsewhere and I exclude one-offs)

=1. Swan, Oyster, Amel, Discovery
=2. A whole bunch of Northern European and mostly Scandinavian builders (e.g. Rassy, Sweden Yachts, Malo, Najad, Nauticat, Nordship, Contest and Hans Christian - yes I know they're Dutch and Sirius - German)
=3. Ovni, Southerly, Rustler, Vancouver, Maxi, Wauquiez, X-yachts
=4. Trad Brit boats: Westerly, Moody, Contessa, Starlight, Elizabethan, Sadler, Sigma, Hunter
=5. Dehler, Hanse,
=6. Modern mass produced boats: Bav, Ben, Jen, Catalina, Legend (Hunter in the US), Dufour

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Having had reasonable ammount of experience of a lot of these Marques I disagree with most of this ranking.

Swans; Grotesquely over engineered and mind numbingly unreliable
Najads; seem to have the biggest snagging lists in Christendom when new. Tends to continue.
HR; hull/rudder/keel rig design is now the same as any other quicker cruiser, no longer a genuine blue water boat.
Oyster; all seem v shabby very quickly, and I looked a fair few.
X yachts/Waquiez/Maxi; just premium awbs and nowhere near worth the big premium. Sail well though.
Sigma; brilliant designs but built to aprice not a standard. I should know I have had three.
All of no4; Misty eyed traditionalists living in the past and thinking how good their MGs were.
I could go on but the OP really needs to go and sail lots of them and look at their maintenance schedules, wear and tear, etc then make his own mind up. Just about every forumite will have a different view.

 

[dunedin]

Hey this is getting complex. Sounds like the OP's needs are for fairly recent, low maintenance boat about 40 foot.
And to keep it simple, yes the Hanse 400 you were thinking of may fit that bill fine.
A 20 year old classic design sounds like for somebody else