Concerto
Well-known member
Funnily enough most modern car breakdowns are due to the electronic management sytem or a fault in it. The more complex the car is now, the more likely it will have issues with the electrical system.Yes cars still get puncture, but many no longer carry a spare wheel. Some cars get a blocked catalytic converter that cause them to stop. The engine actually not working is very rare indeed.
I can say I am very happy with my 40 year old Westerly Fulmar. It sails extremely well. I like the layout and am old enough to have used many boats without many of the floating caravan essential items like running hot and cold water, a shower, a fridge, a music system, a television, heating and/or air con, sprayhood. Over the past 6 years I have spent a small fortune on renovating Concerto to a very high standard. It has involved a lot of man hours as well, but compared to to the depreciation I would have suffered compared to what it has cost me. I would have expected a depreciation of about £30,000 on a new boat by now and I will probably only lose about £10,000 if I sold today. This is in direct proportion to what is invested, as Concerto will have cost only a third of the new boat. The other factor is she has become a classic design and in the excellent condition she is now in, very likely to sell quickly for a very good price. The Fulmar is definitely one of the best looking designs that Westerly made.
Returning to the modern design of yachts. The upright stem bow to minimise marina charges is ugly, as for the reverse Dreadnaught bow a very ugly current fashion. To use an anchor means a mini bowsprit has to be added to stop the anchor bashing the bow and negates the snub bow. I dislike hull windows, but with high freeboard for increased headroom you would never be able to see out otherwise, I think they are an extra potential leak point. Wide cockpits are great for lounging about in harbour or at anchor, but they are dangerous in rough weather as there is limited room for bracing (if these boats ever go out in rough conditions). Adding chines to the hull is again a fashion thing, and does not make the hull faster but more likely to be slower than a rounded hull. The cut away forefoot does mean it is much more likely to slam, which slows the boat down. Wide beam gives more internal volume and increases form stability of the hull, which has the allowed the designer to reduce the ballast ratio. Using deeper keels with a bulb again allowed allowed the weight of the keel to be reduced, saving the builder money, but also makes access to shallower harbours more difficult and forward pointed keel bulbs can hook weed. The modern foam cored hull reinforced is having to be strengthened with an egg box internal structure for slotting bulkheads and furniture makes construction very easy for the builder, but problems with delamination of the foam core or the bond with the egg box structure is very possible if the boat runs aground, meaning the boat should be lifted to check for any damage. If damage is found but repairs are very difficult and expensive but could cause the boat to be scrapped if considered an uneconomic repair by insurerers.
Luckily for me my wife suffers badly from motion sickness and does not know or worry about what Concerto has cost to improve or keep.
My priorities from a boat are very different from many other people, thank goodness we are all different. Many of the extras that modern boats have have either been fitted to Concerto or could be fitted if I wanted. The main difference is I still think many of the modern boats look ugly.
I can say I am very happy with my 40 year old Westerly Fulmar. It sails extremely well. I like the layout and am old enough to have used many boats without many of the floating caravan essential items like running hot and cold water, a shower, a fridge, a music system, a television, heating and/or air con, sprayhood. Over the past 6 years I have spent a small fortune on renovating Concerto to a very high standard. It has involved a lot of man hours as well, but compared to to the depreciation I would have suffered compared to what it has cost me. I would have expected a depreciation of about £30,000 on a new boat by now and I will probably only lose about £10,000 if I sold today. This is in direct proportion to what is invested, as Concerto will have cost only a third of the new boat. The other factor is she has become a classic design and in the excellent condition she is now in, very likely to sell quickly for a very good price. The Fulmar is definitely one of the best looking designs that Westerly made.
Returning to the modern design of yachts. The upright stem bow to minimise marina charges is ugly, as for the reverse Dreadnaught bow a very ugly current fashion. To use an anchor means a mini bowsprit has to be added to stop the anchor bashing the bow and negates the snub bow. I dislike hull windows, but with high freeboard for increased headroom you would never be able to see out otherwise, I think they are an extra potential leak point. Wide cockpits are great for lounging about in harbour or at anchor, but they are dangerous in rough weather as there is limited room for bracing (if these boats ever go out in rough conditions). Adding chines to the hull is again a fashion thing, and does not make the hull faster but more likely to be slower than a rounded hull. The cut away forefoot does mean it is much more likely to slam, which slows the boat down. Wide beam gives more internal volume and increases form stability of the hull, which has the allowed the designer to reduce the ballast ratio. Using deeper keels with a bulb again allowed allowed the weight of the keel to be reduced, saving the builder money, but also makes access to shallower harbours more difficult and forward pointed keel bulbs can hook weed. The modern foam cored hull reinforced is having to be strengthened with an egg box internal structure for slotting bulkheads and furniture makes construction very easy for the builder, but problems with delamination of the foam core or the bond with the egg box structure is very possible if the boat runs aground, meaning the boat should be lifted to check for any damage. If damage is found but repairs are very difficult and expensive but could cause the boat to be scrapped if considered an uneconomic repair by insurerers.
Luckily for me my wife suffers badly from motion sickness and does not know or worry about what Concerto has cost to improve or keep.
My priorities from a boat are very different from many other people, thank goodness we are all different. Many of the extras that modern boats have have either been fitted to Concerto or could be fitted if I wanted. The main difference is I still think many of the modern boats look ugly.
