She needs to dry out !

C

Carl Edwards

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Help. I need your advice.
I have the urge to buy another boat.
I have been floundering in the Med for four years but I am now heading back to home ( North Wales ) waters.

I need a boat that can dry out. Swing or bilge keel. Yes, I would love a Southerly but gold has not yet been struck.
I also need six berths.

Do the plastic fantastics ( Bav, Ben or Jen ) do bilge keelers yet ?


So, here's the shopping list.
Bilge keels
Six berths
Minimum 32 feet.
As close to 20 quid as you can get !

Am I hoping for a little too much ?
 
Welcome to the forum!

The only recent bilge keelers in any volume are those made by Hunter/Legend in the UK, but will not be cheap.

However, most of the major builders in the UK in the 1970s through to 1990's produced bilge keel and sometimes lifting keel versions of their boats. There is a huge choice in the 30-36ft range at prices from about £15k to £60k.

Happy hunting!
 
Sadler 32/34, Hunter Horizon/Channel 32, Westerly Fulmar/Discus/Falcon/Seahawk/Storm, Moody 31/S31/336/34etc, Cobra 1050; all these were made in twin-keeled versions and there are doubtless more that I can't call to mind. If you're buying a twin-keeler to dry-out regularly and to live on in its dried-out state you want one that dries-out level. Most do but some of the ones with sharply swept back keels tend to go down by the bows.
 
Westerly did a bilge keel version of the Storm called the Westerly Ocean. 33 feet long, I think six berths at a squeeze, but I'm afraid to say that sailing it was soul destroying. Force 3, 3 reefs was the rule of thumb and in a force 4-5 you were into storm tactics.
 
JimC said:
Sadler 32/34, Hunter Horizon/Channel 32, Westerly Fulmar/Discus/Falcon/Seahawk/Storm, Moody 31/S31/336/34etc, Cobra 1050; all these were made in twin-keeled versions and there are doubtless more that I can't call to mind. If you're buying a twin-keeler to dry-out regularly and to live on in its dried-out state you want one that dries-out level. Most do but some of the ones with sharply swept back keels tend to go down by the bows.
Click to expand...

Some of these must be as rare as hen's teeth. Very few of either of the Sadlers was made as a bilge keeler. The only Westerly Discus bilge keeler I remember sunk when one of the keels punched right through the hull.
 
Still searching

Gentlemen,
Thanks very much for your swift responses. Brilliant.
Two cabins would do just fine so long as I could convert the dinette into another double for the youngsters or the drunkards.
I reckon the budget will top out at about 50k. What do you think ?

Regarding all your recommendations, I was thinking of an oldish Westerly. My pal & I once owned a Westerly Merlin. We sailed out of Port Dinorwic on the Menia Straights. Super boat at the time, but a little cramped for todays needs. She was called "Rowella" & the last time I saw her, she was heading for a new life in Ireland. Anyone seen her latley ?

I have seen one or two Moody's here & there that might fit the bill too.
I will now research all the boats that have kindly been suggested.

If any of you have any further ideas, they would be most welcome.

Thanks again .
 
vyv_cox said:
Some of these must be as rare as hen's teeth. Very few of either of the Sadlers was made as a bilge keeler. The only Westerly Discus bilge keeler I remember sunk when one of the keels punched right through the hull.
Click to expand...

Agreed comparatively few of the Sadlers were twin keeled but most of the Hunters and many of the Moodys & Westerlys were. There are some twin-keeled Discuses in the N.Wales area where Carl is headed, at least two in Caernarfon last time I was there.
 
We had similar requirements (& also in N Wales) and looked at a few Westerly Tempests which seemed to fit the bill (not sure about sailing manners). A fairly decent one went for less than £35k.

A bilge keeled Storm came up for about the same money, too, but one of the guys from Dickies nabbed it for himself quick-smart. Also looked at Moodys, but couldn't find a 333(?), and the 33? (The one without a walk-through to the aft cabin) looked a bit of a tub. Moody 31 pokey - Moody S31 very nice, but too expensive for us (£50k+). Sadler 32 was a bit too small, couldn't find a 34 of any description.

Would have loved a Southerly 110 or a Parker, but ££££££ :(

In the end we came across a very tidy Hunter Channel 323, which does the job just fine :)

There are a few US Hunter/Legends with bilge keels around, but I've no idea what they're like to own or sail.

0.02p

Andy
 
Budget of £50k takes you into Moody 34/346, 336, Westerly Seahawk and Corsair (possibly). all with more than enough accommodation, but perhaps difficult to find a good one because they are very popular with no modern equivalents.
 
Carl Edwards said:
Help. I need your advice.

I need a boat that can dry out. Swing or bilge keel. Yes, I would love a Southerly but gold has not yet been struck.
I also need six berths.

So, here's the shopping list.
Bilge keels
Six berths
Minimum 32 feet.
As close to 20 quid as you can get !

Am I hoping for a little too much ?
Click to expand...

Here is a Macwester Seaforth for sale. Ticks most of your boxes, very strongly built, ideal for drying out, decent engine. This is a robust Motor Sailer, but it is very different from the modern French boats, and far more robust.

http://www.macwester.org/index.php?...064&previousQuery=4&previousTask=ExecuteQuery
 
I sailed N Wales and IOM for years and I would add a strong vote for a Macwester. We had that and it was excellent, it needs a decent engine, the originals were not powerful enough.

Have you considered a catamaran? I hadn't, until one came alongside needing some assistance. I ended up buying it! It has MUCH more space, dries out perfectly, somewhat faster, and stable. There are decent ones going for £20k.

I would not go back to our old, very nice bilge keeler. The cat has been a wonderful improvement in sailing pleasure.

Good luck

Mike
 
Carl,

Just been through ALL that... exactly the same spec too. Sail from Conwy.

Sadler 32 has a bilge keel version but no aft cabin, so we ditched that idea.

If I'd had the money it would have been a moody 34 or 346 BK

We plumped for a Colvic countess 33 bilge keeler as it has a decent aft cabin (own head too)
Look on boats & outboard there is one for sail in devon way I tthink. We went for a deckhouse version eventually, big accommodation & great for littleis & oldies (kids & grandma are definately part of the scene) but if the littleis had been bigger or the oldie younger I would have stuck with the non deckhouse version.

If you want any more info on what I cam up against with my 2 countessessess (first one burned down in yard fire NOT MY FAULT!!!) or want to know what else I looked at feel free to PM me.

Cheers
SmileyGiley
 
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