Second Hand Boat Buyers Conundrum - AWB vs MAB and Seaworthyness

[steve yates]

I was recently in the same boat so to speak, Family and kids (6&8) all be it my budget was 30-40k, and I loved the classic lines of MAB's but the practicalities (and comfort) attained in a MAB is not comparable to a AWB, and i didn't see that until i went and viewed a few AWBs, and for the same money as a MAB I have a modern rig, pretty enclosed cockpit, and a big wheel at the helm which offers two major benefits with kids

Love it, and even as an avid mab lover, I think there you have your answer

Keeps them firmly in the cockpit
doesn't take their legs out when kids "always listen" to their parents and keep out the way Tacks are also safer

you will also find with some modern (cruiser) AWBs the mainsheet is not in the cockpit, some may argue its less effective but not having your kids tangled up in it, and the cockpit clear is great while out sailing and perhaps something a parent of young kids appreciates more.

don't get me wrong I still see a contessa 32 and think - now that's a nice boat, but as soon as im sat around a table (which I haven't had to erect half an hour ago) with comfy sofas and more storage than I can shake a stick at, and equally when at anchor / or marina I can put the kids to bed in their own cabin without having to play Tetris with sofas and folding table beds their beds are already made, there isn't a toilet in the middle of the fore cabin with a grotty curtain, its separate, with a nice shower i can stand up in, and I can stay up just that bit later with some wine while the kids are asleep in their own cabins, I realise how much I love my AWB

seaworthiness... well for the kind of weather you will happily take your kids in there is no contest between the boats, if we're talking about survival conditions, force 10 in the arctic then I wouldn't have took my kids in the first place, and if im honest i would try and avoid those conditions at all costs, but even so both boats would perform well providing it has the right equipment on board, just look at the amount of AWB's joining the ARC.

when I realised the above ^^ and after looking at boats with mouldy bananas in the keel and my other half said with as much enthusiasm as possible "its alright, and if its what you really want" (secretly I knew it was like when we went camping in Scotland with a river running through our tent - that kind of OK, we survived, the kids wet and crying and we had to leave early, but we wouldn't choose to do it again kind of OK) I snapped up a 1 owner 7yr old Bavaria which looks just like it did when it left the factory (credit to previous owner) and my kids can't wait to go sailing now and it takes up most of our weekends.

I can imagine if I bought the MAB id still be fixing it and/or the crew wouldn't be as enthusiastic to come along sailing and stay on it, and also i can tell you in a force 8 i was more than happy with the kids on board recently in my AWB, it handled wonderfully, the kids loved heeling over and all the waves crashing over the bow sat snugly behind the spray hood (and dry!) with the high sides giving them confidence to sit in the cockpit and best of all - the kids still want to come sailing so that's a huge success in my eyes!

Happy crew = happy skipper.

sad crew = lonely skipper

but yeah i chose AWB, do i regret it.... not a chance.

Lol, love it. As an avowed mab lover, even I think this man has hit the nail on the head for your needs and given you your answer good hunting.

 

[steve yates]

Bizarre! Why would anyone do that? It's probably worth a fraction of the ambitious asking price.

and kinda unfinished, unvarnished wood outside, the forecabin looks like an afterthought, but I like the saloon ideas. What do you reckon it is actually worth then?

 

[MountainGoat]

The OP is spending £30k+ and he has a choice of a wide range of early 2000s which I repeat are not "plasticky" but full of real wood - at least if he is looking at Bavarias.

My AWB is a 2007 Sun Odyssey 30i. Plenty of wood on that too.

 

[steveej]

Interesting and amusing thread.

After just getting back from a jolly 4 days to Ireland and back and the Irish sea as it was on Tuesday night, I can confirm that a second hand tired ex race boat is NOT what I am after. The wear and tear and what the owner has been spending this season on replacements not including my trip up the mast at 2am on Wednesday to cut away a brand new A2 that got wrapped around the forestay just confirms to me the boat needs to be lightly used and in the best possible condition.

As I said before, I am in my mid thirties with a full time job, I am not after a blue water cruiser for a circumnavigation. If I want to do that later in life, I will be in a completely different position and buy the right boat for the purpose at that time.

Seen as I am constricted to weekends and holidays and given the young kids (2 and 3 yrs old) which means I will be single handing most of the time, I am looking for a capable and safe coastal cruiser for the south coast and the odd trip / summer holiday to France and the Channel Islands.

Great to hear everyone's opinions. My original opening post was about what my money can buy me in terms of sea worthiness at a budget of 23 to 30k. I.e. is a 30/40 year potentially knackered old boat really any more sea worthy than a modern mass produced boat (although that could also be knackered).