The Decent Oyster

[goeasy123]

'They' say Oysters went bad. What year was the last good ones?

 

[Tranona]

Depends entirely on what you are looking for. Some will say when Rob Humphreys took over completely from the Holman and Pye designs and moved into the 20th century. Others will say there are no "bad" ones as they responded to what customers were asking for and if they did not they would not exist anymore. So past customers mostly prefer earlier types and current customers latest designs - and of course some like Eddie Jordan have bought both types and encouraged their rich friends like Adrian Newey to do the same.

 

[goeasy123]

My main concern is about build quality and design-for-safety, rathar than aesthetics. Is there a cut off point for these attributes? We looked a a few recent models. The cabinet doors fitting was very messy, the teek deck was coming adrift in places and there was a lack of hand holds.

 

[Yngmar]

The 1980s ones were definitely great, although perhaps somewhat laid out for rich people with minions doing the sailing, cooking and cleaning for them rather than the modern concept of a couple doing everything. They sail surprisingly well for their age and are built to last.

 

[Tranona]

There have been many changes in ownership of the brand and actual builders over the years and I guess you will find negative things on just about all models at some point. As an experienced owner and sailor I guess you would have little difficulty in finding things you don't like on any boat you view.

 

[ashtead]

They seem still quite rare in 40ftish sizes so someone still loves them .

 

[Tranona]

They seem still quite rare in 40ftish sizes so someone still loves them .

They are indeed popular boats - all sizes and vintages.

Some will say that things went downhill when Richard Matthews sold out and the new owners changed direction in both design and the way the building process was set up. This was not always an improvement and not helped by a degree of instability plus the odd insolvency!

The specific issues raised in the OP are common to most of the players in the "large" semi-custom yacht building sector, both sail and motor. Build quality, however one defines it can vary according to specific design or when the boat was built (and by whom in the case of Oyster). The larger more open interior spaces of recent times naturally attract criticism from some as lacking handholds or being unsafe as a result. However these boats are built for and by experienced ocean sailors and pretty sure that if they felt they were unsafe more handholds could be added. Most of the boats are not marina queens but do what they are designed to do. The move away from "traditional" interiors using different materials and fittings may well underlie criticism of poor fitting. Teak decks provide challenges for all builders, particularly now that traditional thick old growth wood is no longer available and builders look to provide the look without the means to provide it.

Most Oysters have a hard life and it is not unusual to have major refits after as little as 6-10 years costing huge sums to bring them back to as new with upgraded systems. Anybody buying one of these boats secondhand has to take what is available but maybe make changes to suit their specific requirements. There is more than enough expertise available in the Solent area to help potential buyers make a good choice.

 

[Zing]

'They' say Oysters went bad. What year was the last good ones?

Oysters go bad in a few days. You don’t need to wait even a year.

 

[ashtead]

On a similar theme watched an interesting utube on a kraken 50 the other day by the Atticus utubers . I suspect not many Kracken yachts about either secondhand yet.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

On a similar theme watched an interesting utube on a kraken 50 the other day by the Atticus utubers . I suspect not many Kracken yachts about either secondhand yet.

There's one in Oz

 

[johnalison]

It always amuses me when viewing these mini superyachts to recall the days when an Oyster 26 was in our club. I would love to turn up to an Oyster rally full of 60’ yachts in a 26 and join in the fun. We get a similar thing in our HR group with a fleet of mostly 36-40 when a 29 arrives, but we are decent enough to welcome them and would no doubt do the same for a 26, though I haven’t come across any as members.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

When I used to own a Vancouver Northshore used to do an open day for the members of the clubs of the 3 marques, Southerly, Vancouver and Fisher. There was definitely a pecking order in the order I indicated with the Southerly owners particularly the newer and larger ones, yachts not owners having a distinct air of superiority.

 

[Tranona]

Yes, they were splendid affairs. I attended 2 as a trade guest. Always felt a bit uncomfortable knowing a bit about their financial situation at the time.