Valiant 18

[Dan the man]

had a sea wych. Good boat fro diy restoration because it was built for home finish, so lots of mouldings and basic wood trim. Sails ok, but awful down wind in a relative seaway, poor directional stability. But good ina blow, I had loads of fun in it.

Valiant looks ok from a distance. Pirate 17 is very nice, also the prelude.

little hunters are good.

 

[Lakesailor]

Preludes sail very well. I look after one for an older gentleman and it's a cracking boat for lakesailing. Maybe a bit dinghy-like for off-shore voyages?

 

[arthurbeer]

The prelude info iv got so far is...

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA3642
Bilge keel 4 berth fiberglass sailing cruiser with trailer. Including Honda 75 four stroke outboard. Full suit of sails.

"The boat is down on the River Dart, the trailer is here in Somerset. I towed her with a Discovery and found no problem even up and down some of Devon’s 1 in 5 hills as long as I drive sensibly.
The boat has been on the beach all winter so need a scrub up and a touch of oil to the grab rails. I had intended to do this in a couple of weeks time.
The sails are mostly ok but not suitable for racing. The genoa has a rip in it and the spinnaker boom has snapped. The outboard could do with a service although it was serviced last year. As far as I am aware every thing else is ok. The price reflects that she is not as new and has been used for fun with my family and thoroughly enjoyed. She sails like a yacht but handles like a dinghy."

Cost is £1750...
Looking on the prelude forum, the boat appears to have a nice amount of internal space, for its size.
Iv sent another email, one of the pics showed a small tender, so finding out if this is included, guesssing that would also make it more a more inviting price?

Hoping to go round the yards sunday afternoon or monday lunch, to look at costs of keeping the boat in a yard, have been informed the cost for living aboard onsite is £30 a week, seems quite resonable to me, thats one yard anyway

 

[gondalier]

Hi all i have recently bought a Valiant 18 nice little day sailer, however the previous owner has lost the crank Handel for the roller reefing boom, i know slab reefing is better but there is no reefing points on the sail.
dose any one know where to find a new crank Handel?
is there an owners club for Valiant?
look forward to any replies any tips and comments on Valiant welcome to.
Thanks

 

[contessaman]

Lol, Iv got a chainsaw thanks

Thanks for the advice, will keep my eyes and ears open for boats, planning to go on a recky around falmouth boatyards this weekend and see what else is available. I wont ask what other boats are suitable, seen the long threads of suggestions and it all seems very subjective. My main problem other than money... is transport and storage, was thinking about maybe living on the boat through the summer and autum to save money, but my corsa, bless it isnt likley to pull a ton, so would either need a new vehicle or a mooring in the water.

Is there something in particular that a begginer should think about, any rigging and sail setups or hull designs. Id like something easy to sail and preferebly a boat that could go to the scilly isles for a week during the summer.

hi there,

Firstly welcome to the world of boat ownership.

were you thinking of such a small boat so that you may trail it to various locations, or is it strictly budget orientated?

I used to sail a small yacht with my grandfather it was a 'caprice' 18 foot and was a good little boat.

It seems to me that yachts of this (18 to 22 foot) size were a lot more poupular in the 70s than say today. To that end, I have a little book called 'boat world guide to sailing cruisers' circa 1975. It has a page on the valliant. a photo, description and vital statistics.

can scan and email if you like? PM me with your email address if you want that.

The book also has info on many other similar sized craft. You might do well to find a copy of amazon marketplace or similar.

I have noted that some are 'proper' yachts with a decent ballast ratio of around 40 %. whilst some are dinghies with a lid and a lightly ballasted centreboard.

the hurley 18 is probably the best small cruiser in that size range. But its fin keel which may not suit your moorings arrangments.

The valliant has diplacement of 1800 lbs and ballast 800 according to my book. Seems decent.

refering to my opening statment on boat size, I only ask as if you intend to keep the thing on a mooring, I can only advise to get the biggest boat possible. It might not be as expensive as you think. Something like the triple keel westerly 25 can be picked up for peanuts especially if your not afraid of a little cosmetic work.

I say get the biggest boat possible, because most guys ( I include and chastise myself in this statement) buy a boat, spend a lot of time and money getting the boat 'just right' and realise they want a bigger one. sell boat. buy bigger one. repeat. its an expensive cycle. Im trying to sell my 34 footer now and will probably never recoup the money spent on it.

why the bigger boat? simply put weather that can have you fearing for your life in a little boat makes for an exciting days sailing in the bigger boat.

the only flipside is if you want to trail it and use it in sheltered waters then small (and a lifting keel) is probably beautiful...

good luck!

 

[Lakesailor]

dose any one know where to find a new crank Handel?

One of these?

Simple enough to make. All it needs is a square end. Some people put a square bit into a battery drill and do it the easy way.

​

 

[gondalier]

One of these?

Simple enough to make. All it needs is a square end. Some people put a square bit into a battery drill and do it the easy way.

​

Hi Yes one of those will do nicely.
I don't have a battery drill never found one that the battery hasn't let me down when i needed it!
Can you tell me where i can find one so as to keep every thing as it should be on my boat, if not the size of the square would be helpful.
Are all roller booms the same dimension as the Handel you showed.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Lakesailor]

Haven't the faintest idea what size it is as I sold the boat a couple of years ago.
I would think it's a bit smaller than a door handle shaft. You'll have to measure it.

Just try poking things in that hole until they stick.