tcm
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I'm looking to buy a sailing boat, but despite the boats for sale having 105,000 boats (or so it says -up a shocking 15,000 from a week ago, perhaps some panic selling going on..) i can't find one.
Perhaps someone here can help?
Here's the spec.
Size: about 50 feet. So, fairly big for uk, but not too incredibly big really for everywhere else. Too small means i can't get loads of junk on board, and that will never do. Too big - much more than 50 feet feet means it gets a teensy bit lonely if in port, cos above 50 feet in lots of marinas you can bog off over there or on the back wall with the weird stuff, rather than mess about with normal people on an ordinary pontoon. ok, we rented a 46 footer once and that was fine, and harumph got overtaken by a jeanneau 52 footer that would be ok too. More than that gets a bit much i think.
Manufacturer: An ordinary one like beneteau or jeanneau. I am bored with the finely crafted blah since they have all got the same engines innem. I sneakily suspect bav would be ok too but I can't be doing with the arguments. Also 2nd hand bavaria ads have things like "for sale by separate negotiation: kedge anchor" which i reckon is a bit tightwaddish really. Volume manufactuers should've got things right though, so a benny or jenny will be fine. The charter co's must know what they're doing, really.
Engines : this is important cos unlike cars, boats use someone else's everything including engine. From mostly heresay the yanmars seem more bulletproof, and the volvos more of a headache if they go wrong.
Rig: Tosspot Rig i.e furling main and furling genoa. Not that slab reefing thanks even tho it's fine - the roller reefing can be varied more and even made all electric heehee. I know this will be a bit slower but I think i'm doing pretty well making the thing go forwards under sail and won't be coaxing extra half knots out of it.
Colour. White hull, not blue. Cos blue shows all the fender brusies which is a bit depressing. Hah, that chops out a few. In fact, loads.
Teak. No, NOT a teak deck thanks. If you are somewhere hot, the deck is hot on your feet. Also it needs cleaning, really, ubnles you are fine about it looking manky, which i'm not. White always looks pretty white esp in a hot place where the light is a bit blinding and hence everything looks quite clean, so less, pointless work. Anyway on plastic boats the teak is just cosmetic and slows the thing down, and i need all the help i can get in that regard. Some boaty salespeople say ooh but no teak is harder to sell later, but sod off, the boat can be cheaper and the owner can put new teak on later. Also the vabnishing stability thingies must be better with no teak.
Newness: I don't mind newness, but huge newness is not esential. OK, newer than say seven years old so it's this century. Brand new means waiting, paying more, and grr paying 6 grand "commissioning" i mean what the heck is that for crissakes esp on top of four grand delivery to get the thing here from france, say.
Location. I want it not *too* far away. ok, well, not on the other side of the atlantic. Uk, western med or atlantic coast is ok. Not caribbean after the last fiasco. Oh, and the boat has to be where it say it is, unlike most boats where you ringem up and ah yes it'll be here in a week oh right so you don't know where it is, really.
ashore/afloat. I am fine with it being ashore. Cos then you can have a good poke about, and *then* put it in the water. Whereas if i like a boat in the water it will have to come to really check it over, of course. Why don't brokers get this and saty ooh yes wait a week we will put it in the water...
Other stuff, electronics. It needs them but they can be put on later. But a generator wd be nice and even aircon possibly. But the sort of people who put this on also have blue flippin hulls and then the asking price is somehow more than the boat costs new. This especially applies to one nerk i spoke to who said he spent over 5grand on the boat every year which sounded quite good, but he was including the sodding berth in the five grand...
VAT. hah, i don't really need the vat paid cos i will sail it away, possibly to the carribee and the lands of vatfree cheapness.
Cheapness. Cheapness is a nice feature, btu not TOO cheap - otherwise the boat dissappears or gets sold in seconds, or at least shortly before you see it but how about this one sir...
Massive defects: No thanks. A trusted friend had one he checked out for me recently which was fine apart from one slightly deflated fender AND the keel had been whacked badly and fixed up but the broker didnt' know much more other than it was probly ok - and this was the reason it was cheap (the keel, not the fender)
Ta
Perhaps someone here can help?
Here's the spec.
Size: about 50 feet. So, fairly big for uk, but not too incredibly big really for everywhere else. Too small means i can't get loads of junk on board, and that will never do. Too big - much more than 50 feet feet means it gets a teensy bit lonely if in port, cos above 50 feet in lots of marinas you can bog off over there or on the back wall with the weird stuff, rather than mess about with normal people on an ordinary pontoon. ok, we rented a 46 footer once and that was fine, and harumph got overtaken by a jeanneau 52 footer that would be ok too. More than that gets a bit much i think.
Manufacturer: An ordinary one like beneteau or jeanneau. I am bored with the finely crafted blah since they have all got the same engines innem. I sneakily suspect bav would be ok too but I can't be doing with the arguments. Also 2nd hand bavaria ads have things like "for sale by separate negotiation: kedge anchor" which i reckon is a bit tightwaddish really. Volume manufactuers should've got things right though, so a benny or jenny will be fine. The charter co's must know what they're doing, really.
Engines : this is important cos unlike cars, boats use someone else's everything including engine. From mostly heresay the yanmars seem more bulletproof, and the volvos more of a headache if they go wrong.
Rig: Tosspot Rig i.e furling main and furling genoa. Not that slab reefing thanks even tho it's fine - the roller reefing can be varied more and even made all electric heehee. I know this will be a bit slower but I think i'm doing pretty well making the thing go forwards under sail and won't be coaxing extra half knots out of it.
Colour. White hull, not blue. Cos blue shows all the fender brusies which is a bit depressing. Hah, that chops out a few. In fact, loads.
Teak. No, NOT a teak deck thanks. If you are somewhere hot, the deck is hot on your feet. Also it needs cleaning, really, ubnles you are fine about it looking manky, which i'm not. White always looks pretty white esp in a hot place where the light is a bit blinding and hence everything looks quite clean, so less, pointless work. Anyway on plastic boats the teak is just cosmetic and slows the thing down, and i need all the help i can get in that regard. Some boaty salespeople say ooh but no teak is harder to sell later, but sod off, the boat can be cheaper and the owner can put new teak on later. Also the vabnishing stability thingies must be better with no teak.
Newness: I don't mind newness, but huge newness is not esential. OK, newer than say seven years old so it's this century. Brand new means waiting, paying more, and grr paying 6 grand "commissioning" i mean what the heck is that for crissakes esp on top of four grand delivery to get the thing here from france, say.
Location. I want it not *too* far away. ok, well, not on the other side of the atlantic. Uk, western med or atlantic coast is ok. Not caribbean after the last fiasco. Oh, and the boat has to be where it say it is, unlike most boats where you ringem up and ah yes it'll be here in a week oh right so you don't know where it is, really.
ashore/afloat. I am fine with it being ashore. Cos then you can have a good poke about, and *then* put it in the water. Whereas if i like a boat in the water it will have to come to really check it over, of course. Why don't brokers get this and saty ooh yes wait a week we will put it in the water...
Other stuff, electronics. It needs them but they can be put on later. But a generator wd be nice and even aircon possibly. But the sort of people who put this on also have blue flippin hulls and then the asking price is somehow more than the boat costs new. This especially applies to one nerk i spoke to who said he spent over 5grand on the boat every year which sounded quite good, but he was including the sodding berth in the five grand...
VAT. hah, i don't really need the vat paid cos i will sail it away, possibly to the carribee and the lands of vatfree cheapness.
Cheapness. Cheapness is a nice feature, btu not TOO cheap - otherwise the boat dissappears or gets sold in seconds, or at least shortly before you see it but how about this one sir...
Massive defects: No thanks. A trusted friend had one he checked out for me recently which was fine apart from one slightly deflated fender AND the keel had been whacked badly and fixed up but the broker didnt' know much more other than it was probly ok - and this was the reason it was cheap (the keel, not the fender)
Ta
...
