Should I buy a Heavenly Twins impulsively?

[Javiatrix]

Hi all, new member and inexperienced sailor here.

Looking for brutally honest opinions in exchange for a brutally honest question.

We recently had a death in the family, which has resulted in a Heavenly Twins 26 becoming available for sale. I've sailed her myself a handful of times, including a few overnights and the like. Now here's the honest part - I have a real connection to that boat and the previous owner and am worried I'm thinking with my heart over my head. Here are the details - I've agreed to see the boat again for £5k, and there is an estimate of £5k for repairs as follows - canvass top on locker (letting water in), new carpets, new locker tops and all wood (external) replacing.
I used to sail loads as a kid, but my only recent ish experience was on this boat, and not as an invested party, so I don't know the ins and outs of it, and would appreciate any advice on what to look out for to avoid this becoming an immediate money pit.
It's been shallow moored for 2-3 years.

Should I run in the opposite direction or proceed with caution?

Thanks in advance!

 

[scotty123]

Hi all, new member and inexperienced sailor here.

Looking for brutally honest opinions in exchange for a brutally honest question.

We recently had a death in the family, which has resulted in a Heavenly Twins 26 becoming available for sale. I've sailed her myself a handful of times, including a few overnights and the like. Now here's the honest part - I have a real connection to that boat and the previous owner and am worried I'm thinking with my heart over my head. Here are the details - I've agreed to see the boat again for £5k, and there is an estimate of £5k for repairs as follows - canvass top on locker (letting water in), new carpets, new locker tops and all wood (external) replacing.
I used to sail loads as a kid, but my only recent ish experience was on this boat, and not as an invested party, so I don't know the ins and outs of it, and would appreciate any advice on what to look out for to avoid this becoming an immediate money pit.
It's been shallow moored for 2-3 years.

Should I run in the opposite direction or proceed with caution?

Thanks in advance!

As ugly as sin imo, caravans afloat.
Might appeal to some, but why waste £5k?

 

[sarabande]

They had a good reputation, but I'd want to get a surveyor or a trusted forumite to run over it - even at £5k.

Lots of room for the money.

 

[Motor_Sailor]

Whilst you've told us about the emotional hold this boat has on you, you haven't said what you would use her for. Where would you keep her? What do you imagine using her for? Who would use the boat with you? etc

When we understand your ambitions we would better be able to say whether it makes sense to own a boat like that. If she proves to be a suitable design for your intended use, then you need to go with someone with no emotional attachment to it, look at it in depth and have them give you a realistic appraisal of its condition. Then you might be able to say whether the concept and the specifics of this boat make rational sense.

Although they are not everyone's cup of tea, but as a functional family holiday base, kept in the right cruising area, then they have a lot going for them. The adults and kids can have separate areas below deck, there's lots of deck space for dinghies and water toys, and if I had a young family, I can think basing one at a place like Blakeney or even Loch Lomond would be a great holiday option.

 

[pvb]

Welcome to the forums!

You really shouldn't buy a boat impulsively purely because of an emotional connection. From the limited information you've given, and experience of similar posts in the past, it's likely that the boat has been somewhat neglected in recent years. So the estimate of work required to make it safely sailable needs to be done by someone who understands boats, ideally a boatyard or a marine surveyor. Has it got an engine (and does the engine work)? Does it have any navigation or safety equipment? What condition are the sails in? Has the standing rigging been replaced in the last 10 years or so?

If you were to buy it, have you any idea where you might keep it and, more importantly, how much that would cost you? Don't forget the cost of insurance.

 

[duncan99210]

Where is the boat at the moment? I’m sure you could persuade a knowledgable forumite to go over it with you, give you an opinion of the basic soundness of the boat and what work needs doing to bring it into a usable condition.
That said, boats do tend to inspire an emotional response in the most hard headed of us. You need to strike a balance between wanting to keep your connection with the boat versus the impact of your wallet. Can’t help with you with that: only you can really solve that puzzle.

 

[Graham376]

We have a couple of friends with Heavenly Twins and they seem to have covered quite long distances - very slowly They vary a lot, some powered by a single outboard, others by twin hydraulic drives. £5k isn't a lot to spend for a boat, depending on the condition and the work you describe seems mainly DIY stuff. If engine and sails need replacing, then you can add a good few thousand and, have you considered what it costs to berth and insure?

 

[Javiatrix]

Thanks for the replies all.

It's IoM based at the moment, but I'd likely base it at Gosport going forward, using it for Solent and occasional cross channel sailing, with longer trips when time allows. It's a relatively slow vessel, a wave slammer, an unwieldy thing, but I'm never in a rush to get places. It's not so much the mission statement but the financial burden that concerns me.
I know the sails were 'done' prior to the previous owner's passing - I'm not sure if that means replaced or refurbished. We bust a genoa last time we took it out together, so that will have been replaced. All safety and electrical equipment was serviceable last time I was aboard, but I'll be checking it when I go to see it this time.
If the estimates are correct, it does seem a fair price - similar boats in excellent condition seem to be going for the £20-25k range currently, and the low price is to see the boat go to somebody (me) who will enjoy it as it was before.
I don't suspect there will be many on here who are on the IoM - would it be worth calling the boat yard in the harbour it's moored at to ask if somebody could spare half an hour of their time to have a look with me? What would be a fair price to offer them?
Thanks again for the replies so far, really appreciate the input!

 

[boatmike]

Never buy anything impulsively but as a past multihull freak I think you have recognised the limitations of the boat and at £5K you cant go wrong really. Key things are 1. Does the engine workOK ? 2. Is the inside habitable and dry? 3. Do the mast and spars look OK? You should probably budget for new sails and standing and running rigging (the latter to satisfy insurers), but if you spend £10-£15K on it you will still get your money back because, as you say good ones sell for £20-£25K.

 

[pvb]

It's IoM based at the moment, but I'd likely base it at Gosport going forward,

How much will that cost? Have you checked?

 

[pvb]

Never buy anything impulsively but as a past multihull freak I think you have recognised the limitations of the boat and at £5K you cant go wrong really. Key things are 1. Does the engine workOK ? 2. Is the inside habitable and dry? 3. Do the mast and spars look OK? You should probably budget for new sails and standing and running rigging (the latter to satisfy insurers), but if you spend £10-£15K on it you will still get your money back because, as you say good ones sell for £20-£25K.

That's the asking price....

 

[fredrussell]

My mate had one and I sailed a fair bit on it. He went round the U.K. in it but by the time the trip was over he considered it a motor sailer. Not good to windward at all. The central nacelle(?) caused a terrible slapping noise from waves whilst at anchor unless it was absolutely flat calm. He may well be along later with the low down.

 

[Jamie Dundee]

Whereabouts on the island is the boat?

 

[Trident]

Multihull World regularly sell these from £15-30K depending on age, condition and model (there were two evolutions I believe)

I had one briefly and traded up very quickly to a 35 foot cat (as I was sailing down to the Med and decided it was way too small) but they have crossed oceans and for day sailers they are roomy and fun if not quick. Even at £5K its worth getting a basic survey - it will cost you £300-400 a month to keep in the solent at a marina, less on a mooring, so if its a lemon that builds up quite quickly for something you can't use or are having to repair. If it just needs TLC and some updates then its a good price and if you think you will use it and enjoy it enough to justify the ongoing costs of mooring and maintenance they why not?

 

[prv]

Don‘t really know the boat so can’t comment on the main asking price. Five grand seems a lot for some locker lids, carpet, and trim, though.

On the other hand you will easily spend that and more on other stuff you don’t know about yet, so it’s swings and roundabouts I guess ?.

Second the advice to look hard about where you’ll keep it. On the central south coast that’s an enormous part of the financial reckoning for a relatively cheap boat.

Pete

 

[William_H]

The real question OP needs an answer to is does he want to become a boat owner. To be a successful boat owner you have to love it and use it. All boats cost a lot to keep in fine fettle and as said cost a lot to just keep. None of these are problems if you get the use out of it. Certainly it sounds like this would be a bargain in itself. However so many boats are not used and so are just a financial burden, So much so that I would say do not become a boat owner. ol'will

 

[Javiatrix]

Thanks everyone, that's a lot of priceless information and my ignorance has already been exposed - I had no idea mooring in that neck of the woods was so expensive! I'm Midlands based, however, so there are plenty of 'equidistant' alternatives to investigate.
Hi Jamie, she is moored in Ramsey at the moment as she has been for a few years now - I'm heading over for the day on Saturday to have a gander.
It does seem the crass old adage I came across in aviation still holds true - if it flies, floats or ****s, rent it!
A lot to think about from the sound of things, and I've got some good questions to ask when I head over now...

 

[Jamie Dundee]

Hi Jamie, she is moored in Ramsey at the moment as she has been for a few years now - I'm heading over for the day on Saturday to have a gander.

Other end of the island from me. I was wondering as there has been a cat on the hard in Port Erin for at least the last three years, slowly deteriorating, which I wouldn’t recommend buying.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Other end of the island from me. I was wondering as there has been a cat on the hard in Port Erin for at least the last three years, slowly deteriorating, which I wouldn’t recommend buying.

That's a Catalac that sank on one of the moorings.

 

[Jamie Dundee]

That's a Catalac that sank on one of the moorings.

Just another of the ‘project’ boats on the island then