Snapdragon 747 - Newbie questions

K

KaraMel

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Hi all, I have today viewed a Snapdragon 747 yacht that interests me. I sail, but this is a first as a purchase/ owner. It has no inboard but a new outboard. It looks ok to me as it floats and I intend stripping the insides and refurbing to our needs and taste.

I would really appreciate someone help in viewing the details in the link and offering advice based on the info and photos. Its an ebay sale at £1500 but its from my town and local yacht club.

Also any questions I should be asking and maybe answers I should be expecting.

Many thanks in advance.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/254021840961

K
 
I had a 26'Snappie. Built locally designed to dry out and therefore strongly constructed.
Ask to see the last survey.
It would be tempting at that price to forego a survey but try and find a more experienced boat owner to crawl over it with you. The bits that are difficult to assess in the water are the state of the seacock fastenings (a previous owner had put brass bolts in the bronze seacocks and they were almost eaten away). You could ask a rigger to have a look at the rigging - the owners "OK" may not be adequate.
The outboard is adequate to push you along but not to fight a strong current. It will of course be cheaper and easier to maintain.
The cooker looks like a Flavell -not sure there are parts available.
The loo may work but a complete new one is £100 or so.
I'm not convince that is the correct Genoa -it looks too short.
A good starter boat that you can't lose much money on. Good luck.
 
Two problems I had with mine.
1: rudder delaminated, had to be rebuilt
2: toilet pan loose due to cracked fibreglass on base again had to rebuild
3: fitted a bearing on top of rudder to reduce play
Boats are built like brick toilets, they don't sail to windward ;)
 
I sailed on a Snapdragon 29 and it was a very good family boat. There was an article in PBO a while ago that named the 747 as the best of them, too! Don't expect to get your money back - old boats are not in fashion at the moment, but good sails and a good motor has to be a good start.
 
A new outboard is a bonus, you are right to stay away from inboards in cheap boats. If the sails and rigging are ok you can’t go far wrong. Do the windows leak? Doing the interior of a boat is a pain but from the outside she looks ok and you can sail her with the interior in a mess. Good luck and have fun!

If it all goes pear shaped you can sell the motor and get some of your money back!
 
I have a Snapdragon 26, the ancestor of the 747. There are differences, but it's basically the same boat.

The most serious problem I had was corrosion of the rudder tube, which was a length of copper tube. I had play in the bottom bearing of the rudder - the fix was to cut off the tail of the skeg completely and make a new bearing housing from stainless steel and glass everything in, but there are other ways - see the Snapdragon Owners Association website mentioned above. When I went to refit the rudder, it wouldn't go back and I discovered that the rudder tube had fractured near the waterline. An abandoned windsurfer mast had a length that was the perfect diameter and 10 years on, all the repairs are fine. IIRC, there's an article about that on the website. The club is friendly and quite active on the east coast, well worth the tenner a year subscription.

That apart, they're built like a tank and go to windward about the same - she's best treated as a motorsailer, but will surprise plenty bigger boats on a run. Mine loves sailing goose winged (genoa one side, main the other). They'll also cope with far rougher seas than you will. I got caught mid-channel in a solid force 7 and it was uncomfortable, but I never felt in any danger.

6HP will push her along fine in normal conditions, but I wouldn't expect to make a lot of progress against a strong wind and rough sea - not necessarily a big issue in the East Coast rivers.

The forepeak is one of the best I've used - really good for a boat of that size.

The windows aren't original. That means they may not leak...

Ask when the standing rigging was last replaced. While that isn't a boat that will overstress things much, insurers get sniffy about rigging over about 15 years old.

To sum up, if you're reasonably handy, you could do a lot worse than something like that. Take someone with a good practical knowledge of boats along when you go to look, I wouldn't worry about a survey, the cost is too big a proportion of the price. You can get 3rd party insurance that won't ask for it.

If you do buy her, feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I don't guarantee the quality of my advice, but it may help!
 
Hi Karamel, I actually viewed that Mid December. Have you purchased this and if so, will you be posting pics after internal refit? Would love to see before and after as I have purchased a 747 and planning the same.
Hope all goes well.
Mark
 
I owned a 747 for eight years and have fond memories of her. Very sturdy and safe. I bought her knowing she wouldn't frighten the children. I found that she went to windward about as well as a Westerly Centaur. Mine had a 6hp Renault diesel which coped adequately and I took her across the Channel from Southampton more than once. Look after her and she will look after you.
 
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