Steel boat as a long-term liveaboard (in a warm(er) climate).

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Circumnavigated in a 36' , 11 tonne steel van de Stadt. Still living in her. Cool in the tropics with adequate airflow. My partner ( his choice to get steel) is grinding, chipping, rust spot/patch/area touching up constantly. I don't regret getting steel- especially after an encounter which would have sunk a GRP boat; but if we ever get another boat it will be an oldish, heavily laid up GRP one, still only 36-38' though- a Moody or similar - while he doesn't mind the grind I hate the dirt and disruption- I'd rather be sailing!

Ps good tip about the rust preventer/ topcoat in nail varnish bottles; I'm sure he's nearly finished his bottle of 'Rosy Dawn'?
 
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petehb said:
I doubt that you will find what you are looking for, in fact I doubt that there are many boats that are ready to go certainly not in the 40' range at 75K perhaps a 34 or 36 if someone is selling but they don't grow on trees.
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We're looking in the 36'-40' range.

We have a current shortlist of 4 possible boats.
Was mainly looking for info regarding steel boats.
The wife's favourite is a steel boat (mine is a Spirit 36), but as I said, I have no experience of steel boats.
 
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Tin Tin said:
10 years ago, the wife and I took a year off work and sailed into the sunset.
We crossed the pond to the Caribbean and back.
Upon our return, we kept the boat and continued to sail in local waters (South Coast and later Normandy/Brittany).
If I'm being honest, the boat has gotten too big for us lately (neither of us are spring chickens), but we kept her 'in case the children/grandchildren want to come sailing'. Well, the children have no time/interest and we are still awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild.

I retired last year and the wife will retire next year. What would we do to fill our day? Out of the blue, the wife suggested 'why don't we go sailing again, but this time take our time'. I was pleasantly surprised, it had always been a secret desire to sail into the sunset again, but I thought the love of our life would not be up for it.

Anyway, our current boat is a 46', early 90s AWB. Like I mentioned, she is getting a tad too big for us and some items would need replacing/upgrading if we were to go long-term cruising again. The boat's fine for cruising in local waters when you can pick your window, but rigging would need to be replaced, she could do with a new suit of sails and the electrics could do with an overhaul. Engine's got 4600 hrs on the clock. We have neither the desire/funds to embark upon another project.

A week or so ago, we chatted about our plans with a young French couple who were looking for a boat to liveaboard and eventually go cruising. Long story short: they have offered to buy our boat. Not for as much I would have liked, but we have to be realistic and given the state of the boat and the present market I would have to say that the offer is 'fair'.

For the money we would get, we're looking to buy something in the 36-40' range requiring no (or very little) work.
We both started browsing the usual websites (Yachtworld, Apollo Duck, ... ) and the wife's current favourite is a 39' steel boat.

I have always associated such boats with high latitude cruising. Being allergic to 'cold', I have no desire to go there.
My own experience sailing non-GRP boats is limited to helping a friend move his Ovni from Brest to La Rochelle.

So, anyone have any experience of sailing/living aboard in a warm climate? Caribbean, Mediterranean, ... ?
Do they turn into an oven?
Also, she seems quite heavy - weighing in at 12 tons. Do you find that you're motoring more than sailing?
How about maintenance? What to look out for?

Any reply much appreciated.
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Forget our spats over Belgium. We set off south 3 years ago with our Bene Oceanis 381. It is only really big enough for the two of us doing the cruising in the sun bit. Two aft cabins but one used for storage. It is cool below in 38 deg ambient with the hatches and port lights open. Having spent a winter (the boat that is with us visiting every couple of weeks) in Bruces Yard in Faro and seeing loads of old wrinklies cutting, grinding and welding old steel boats I can testify that they invariably rust from the inside out and seriously too! 5mm steel doesnt last long! I know that some of my friends with steel boats wont like this but think very seriously about steel! Get a cheap flight out to Faro, a short bus ride gets you to the main bus station and five minutes walk gets you to Bruces, go and take a look at some of them there and ask questions. Sandyman of this parish is there. If I was doing it again, an AWB a bit bigger than mine, a Bene 393 or something of that ilk, gives a lot more room. Be aware of the advice given to me years ago by Jack Peate in Gibraltar, better to get one no bigger than 40 ft if doing the Med. They charge in metre bands and a 40 footer falls within the 12 mtre band which is considerably cheaper than a 15mtr band berth.
Stu
 
I am just wondering (or thinking loud) as I have no experience of steel boats; the teak deck under the hot Med sun get's so hot that you cannot step on it. What about steel then? Wouldn't that be the same or even worse?
 
Tin Tin said:
10 years ago, the wife and I took a year off work and sailed into the sunset.
We crossed the pond to the Caribbean and back.
Upon our return, we kept the boat and continued to sail in local waters (South Coast and later Normandy/Brittany).
If I'm being honest, the boat has gotten too big for us lately (neither of us are spring chickens), but we kept her 'in case the children/grandchildren want to come sailing'. Well, the children have no time/interest and we are still awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild.

I retired last year and the wife will retire next year. What would we do to fill our day? Out of the blue, the wife suggested 'why don't we go sailing again, but this time take our time'. I was pleasantly surprised, it had always been a secret desire to sail into the sunset again, but I thought the love of our life would not be up for it.

Anyway, our current boat is a 46', early 90s AWB. Like I mentioned, she is getting a tad too big for us and some items would need replacing/upgrading if we were to go long-term cruising again. The boat's fine for cruising in local waters when you can pick your window, but rigging would need to be replaced, she could do with a new suit of sails and the electrics could do with an overhaul. Engine's got 4600 hrs on the clock. We have neither the desire/funds to embark upon another project.

A week or so ago, we chatted about our plans with a young French couple who were looking for a boat to liveaboard and eventually go cruising. Long story short: they have offered to buy our boat. Not for as much I would have liked, but we have to be realistic and given the state of the boat and the present market I would have to say that the offer is 'fair'.

For the money we would get, we're looking to buy something in the 36-40' range requiring no (or very little) work.
We both started browsing the usual websites (Yachtworld, Apollo Duck, ... ) and the wife's current favourite is a 39' steel boat.

I have always associated such boats with high latitude cruising. Being allergic to 'cold', I have no desire to go there.
My own experience sailing non-GRP boats is limited to helping a friend move his Ovni from Brest to La Rochelle.

So, anyone have any experience of sailing/living aboard in a warm climate? Caribbean, Mediterranean, ... ?
Do they turn into an oven?
Also, she seems quite heavy - weighing in at 12 tons. Do you find that you're motoring more than sailing?
How about maintenance? What to look out for?

Any reply much appreciated.
Click to expand...

How about this one?

http://www.ancasta.com/boats-for-sa...S72TkhN0nnnn@lENtHo/w98MESOwrIQCBk9kx7@BOUQ==
 
Apart from the language difficulty one picture shows an old Autohelm wheel pilot. Hardly ready for an Atlantic crossing and perhaps indicative of the vintage of the rest of the boat but seems in nice cosmetic condition. A lightly sailed boat but overpriced at 14 years old if it's as old as the engine.
 
I have a Westerly Sealord and while she is what many would regard as a MAB now she would fit the needs of the OP well IMO.

Suggest you take a look at the Sealord and OceanLord yachts for sale. Some will require work, which has to be expected for an older boat, but you may be lucky.
 
cmedsailor said:
I am just wondering (or thinking loud) as I have no experience of steel boats; the teak deck under the hot Med sun get's so hot that you cannot step on it. What about steel then? Wouldn't that be the same or even worse?
Click to expand...

We live in the tropics and have steel decks , they used to be painted with Grey interdeck, very hot to walk on , they are now cream interdeck and i can walk on them with no shoes during the day
 
SailSouth said:
Suggest you take a look at the Sealord and OceanLord yachts for sale. Some will require work, which has to be expected for an older boat, but you may be lucky.
Click to expand...

An Oceanlord is on the shortlist.
Within budget, but by the looks of it, in need of some TLC.
Once the sale of our current boat goes through we might well take a closer look. Just how much ££££ TLC does she need?
 
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>So, anyone have any experience of sailing/living aboard in a warm climate? Caribbean, Mediterranean, ... ? Do they turn into an oven? Also, she seems quite heavy - weighing in at 12 tons. Do you find that you're motoring more than sailing? How about maintenance? What to look out for?

We went long distance in a steel ketch that weighed 12 ton and 15 tons fully loaded with generator water fuel etc. A heavy displacement boat won't surf, turn into wind in a gust or broach thus they are sea kindly. They are no hotter in high temperatures than other boats. We only motored in little or no wind. You will find 20 knots is when the boat will get to just under hull speed. In strong gusts our boat would heel but start to stand up even though gust hadn't finished.

Everything on a long distance boat, except the electronics, will break more than once because everything is made for weekend and holiday sailors. Carry two spares for everything, appropriate tools, exploded diagrams and Nigel Calder's Boat Owners Electrical and Mechanical manual it tells you how to fix everything.

Obviously corrosion is an issue so have an ultrasound test with the survey to check metal thickness. If you do get rust then it needs to be sand blasted to bare metal and then two coats of Zinc rich epoxy. A small sandblaster may do and this keeps the sand: https://www.spraygunsdirect.co.uk/in....XLuMvU3O.dpbs
 
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Sundowner 39 said:
Look in the Caribbean... There are many boats ..well equipped.. At very competitive pricing..
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I agree. You could get a 5 year old Sun Odyssey 36i coming out of sunsail's fleet for around £60K ex VAT. In their caribbean fleet they use the 2 cabin version with the large heads. Well equipped for cruising, and they sail pretty well too.
 
Frogmogman said:
I agree. You could get a 5 year old Sun Odyssey 36i coming out of sunsail's fleet for around £60K ex VAT. In their caribbean fleet they use the 2 cabin version with the large heads. Well equipped for cruising, and they sail pretty well too.
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Buying out there is only sensible if you are starting your adventure there and not coming to the EU. That is why the boats are cheap - they only appeal to very few people as most seem to start from their home country. You can buy a similar boat at similar price in the Med, but of course ex charter boats are not equipped for extended cruising, although most of the hot weather basics will be there. You could easily spend another £10-15k on refits and upgrades.
 
Tranona said:
Buying out there is only sensible if you are starting your adventure there and not coming to the EU.
Click to expand...

This is a serious consideration for us.
We intend to keep the boat after we have completed our Atlantic circuit (at a leisurely pace).
We will most likely settle in France (or possibly Spain) to be near relatives.
So things like VAT status, CE, etc... are important to us.
 
Tin Tin said:
This is a serious consideration for us.
We intend to keep the boat after we have completed our Atlantic circuit (at a leisurely pace).
We will most likely settle in France (or possibly Spain) to be near relatives.
So things like VAT status, CE, etc... are important to us.
Click to expand...

By the time you get back the scene will be different, although suspect there will be little if any change in the EU rules. So, some risk involved, but to me the biggest concern would be actually finding a good value (as opposed to just cheap) boat out there. You could spend a lot of time and money looking at what in many cases will be be peoples' failed dreams that have been sitting unloved in a harsh climate waiting for a buyer... Similar problem in the Med. Few people sell ready to go boats, or even sell willingly so the proportion of frogs to princes is probably higher even than in the UK.
 
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