Suitable Yacht for around Britain

[Willfox]

Hi there,

I am currently researching a suitable used yacht to buy to sail around England. My Mum and Dad will be doing this trip in a couple of years and have around 70 to 90 grand (GBP) to spend. The budget is not too critical for the right boat.

They would like it to be roughly 35 feet, preferably with 2 cabins to maximise comfort. It will need to be easily handled by 2 people so maybe an asymmetric would be preferable. Although comfort is a preference, they are happy to sacrifice interior volume for a capable yacht. I don't think they are that keen on Najad or Rassy style yachts as they feel this is a bit too comfortable.

We had thought about a Beneteau First 35.7? J - 109?

Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated. I thought I would ask on this forum as the community here will have a greater appreciation of good design. Thanks for your help.

Will

 

[Searush]

If they have enough experience to tackle such an enterprise I would expect them to have a good idea of what vessel they wanted. It has been already been done on a RIB, a windsurfer, a kayak & Ellen McArthur did it in a Corribee, Oliver Rolfix did it in a Valiant 18, Paul Heiney & Libby Purves did it in a Cornish Crabber with their family, Timothy Spall did it in a Dutch barge, plus there are many others in other "unsuitable" boats.

Size is not important - it is the ability to plan passages suitable for one's own level of skill & experience that is critical. So any boat they are comfortable with will do, provided they approach the trip with common sense.

 

[Sandy]

I am currently researching a suitable used yacht to buy to sail around England.

It will need to be very light, the Scottish border is almost 100 miles and they will be missing the best bits!

 

[sailorman]

Hi there,

I am currently researching a suitable used yacht to buy to sail around England. My Mum and Dad will be doing this trip in a couple of years and have around 70 to 90 grand (GBP) to spend. The budget is not too critical for the right boat.

They would like it to be roughly 35 feet, preferably with 2 cabins to maximise comfort. It will need to be easily handled by 2 people so maybe an asymmetric would be preferable. Although comfort is a preference, they are happy to sacrifice interior volume for a capable yacht. I don't think they are that keen on Najad or Rassy style yachts as they feel this is a bit too comfortable.

We had thought about a Beneteau First 35.7? J - 109?

Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated. I thought I would ask on this forum as the community here will have a greater appreciation of good design. Thanks for your help.

Will

We had thought about a Beneteau First 35.7? J - 109?


are they to race around

 

[snooks]

I'd prefer something older and more solid and with more internal volume that a 35.7 or J 109, that's not to say they can't do it, but knowing what I do now I'd like to do the trip to and around Scotland in a boat where I can see out of the window.

It doesn't matter how good a boat is at sailing, it can't sail if there's no wind, so prepare to do a lot or motoring

 

[chinita]

What sort of speed do they want to achieve? 7 kts is probably right for trolling.

 

[awol]

What sort of speed do they want to achieve? 7 kts is probably right for trolling.

I've found that anything over 2kts stops all catches except mackerel! Don't be so cynical at this time of goodwill.

I concur totally with Searush's answer to the OP which doesn't really help so how about a boat that the OP wants to sail with his mates once the oldies have done their trip.

 

[Tranona]

Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated. I thought I would ask on this forum as the community here will have a greater appreciation of good design. Thanks for your help.

Will

Welcome to the forum Will. You may discover pretty quickly that there is no simple answer to your question. As has already been mentioned the trip has been done in all kinds of boats, so there is no one type let alone single model which is superior to any other.

There is a huge range of boats in the size/price range you are considering, just about all of which can do the job. So your choice is personal preference of the type of boat you like and the best you can buy for the money you are prepared to spend. Equally the style of cruising will impact on your choice - from a 19 footer (see Dylan Winter's article in PBO this month) to state of the art cruiser racers if you want to do the trip in the shortest possible time.

When you think about it those are really the only criteria most people use to choose a boat, but there are so many opinions of what is the "best" and what is good value that there is a huge variety on the market.

A starting point is to do some research on the subject - there are references in the PBO. There is probably more written about sailing round the UK than any other cruising subject apart maybe from going to the Med.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

We had thought about a Beneteau First 35.7? J - 109?

Good club race boats, poor cruisers. Bit too hard to manage for a short handed crew in bad weather and not exactly comfortable either.

 

[dylanwinter]

Snooks....do you mean

I'd prefer something older and more solid and with more internal volume that a 35.7 or J 109, that's not to say they can't do it, but knowing what I do now I'd like to do the trip to and around Scotland in a boat where I can see out of the window.

It doesn't matter how good a boat is at sailing, it can't sail if there's no wind, so prepare to do a lot or motoring

Snooks - do you mean a boat with an inside steering position

I think that would be a god thing to have.

I also think that a boat that can take the ground would be essential for enjoying the journey

and a really good dink


Dylan

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Your choice of the boat will be determined by a number of issues such as:

* level of experience
* how fast or slow or comfortable would want to do the round Britain trip?
* what happens after the trip? boat kept in UK or Med? blue water trips across the Atlantic? If the boat is used for the north sea and Baltic, then you are looking for a different kind of yacht designs suitable for northern areas unlike Bens and Jans which are mainly for the Med
* Mid cockpit? covered cockpit? why monohull?
* Using Marinas for stop overs or anchoring a lot hence looking for bilge keel?
* Is resalable value critical?

Choosing a yacht is great fun and what an opportunity!!

 

[oldharry]

I suggest that if you have to ask what boat, then whatever you buy, you probably wont complete the trip.

For me, a solid chunky motorsailor with wheelhouse and a hefty engine would be essential for such a trip - bit then I am nearly 70, and not in the best of health any more. 20 years ago, that would have been the last boat I would look at, wanting something with more sailing ability, and therefore less acommodation.

Rasseys etc 'too comfortable? But excellent sailing boats, so whats wrong with being able to relax properly between passages? Its going to be hard work at times, and starting each leg well rested will make the trip that much more enjoyable. Or are they really looking for an endurance test - something that will test their skills and stamina to the limits and probably beyond? Will they want to 'potter' round some of the more remote corners, exploring the incredible variety of creeks and estuaries our island offers? If so they need something shoal draft preferably bilge or lifting keel - but then sailing performance may be more limited.

If they have to ask, then they need to find all this out before they go, otherwise their dream is at serious risk of turning rapidly in to a nightmare - and a nightmare that could cost them dearly - and in a worst case scenario, their lives.

But dont let that stop them. Go for it, but go for it with yours and their eyes open!

 

[E39mad]

Starlight 35
MG 346
X362

All good sailing yachts that are fairly well built.

 

[bobgoode]

I would suggest the most suitable is the one they already have! If they don't have one then buy one that leaves a load of money in the bank and get everything well sorted and tested at sea before you start.
Roger Oliver did it twice in a refurbed Sadler 25.
Ken Endean has covered it umpteen times in a Sabre 27...now 40 years old. (I purchased my first boat shortly after he started writing about his refit of London Apprentice in PBO in the 80's)

 

[A1Sailor]

...a suitable used yacht to buy to sail around England. My Mum and Dad will be doing this trip in a couple of years and have around 70 to 90 grand (GBP) to spend. The budget is not too critical for the right boat. They would like it to be roughly 35 feet. It will need to be easily handled by 2 people
Will

How much sailing have your Mum & Dad done Will? Are they aged 40 or 80?
What I really mean is are we looking at an experienced cruising yachtsman & yachtswoman who are physically fit and in good health? What kind of yachts have they sailed in together before?
Depending on the answers a 35 foot yacht might be considered too big, and something a few feet smaller more appropriate.

 

[Seven Spades]

This is a very strange post. HR and Najad are very capable yachts and as such are ideal for a circumnavigation I can't see any point in going any further.

 

[clyst]

Why doesn't mum and dad ask the questions ?? Very strange

 

[flaming]

Good to see the forum's general mistrust of anything weighing less than a Thames Barge and designed in my lifetime is alive and well!

If I was doing this trip I'd be thinking along similar lines. Frankly you don't need any more living space for 2 people than a cruiser racer gives, and the ability to make useful progress in less than 10knots - and to go to windward in more than 20 - will be welcome on such a trip. Plus you'll enjoy the sailing more!

I'd also be looking at boats like the Dufour 34, Elans of various vintages and Dehlers.

I'd probably not pick the J109 for such a trip though, the pole intrudes on the forecabin and the OD racing is holding the prices well above similar boats - which is of no value to you, and it's possible that the class will have dwindled before you come to sell, so you'll lose that premium.

 

[Bav34]

This is a very strange post. HR and Najad are very capable yachts and as such are ideal for a circumnavigation I can't see any point in going any further.

Trolling has already been mentioned

 

[clyst]

Trolling has already been mentioned

Are you really suggesting this ONE post wonder is a troll ?