We've been.....

[ToMo]

We\'ve been.....

...looking seriously at catamarans - does this mean we are now to be ostracised?......I know it means that Haydn wont talk to me any more (but he doesn't anyway, other than to call me rude names!) but I suppose the rest of you will light the fires too.
Oh well....
TôMö

 

[hlb]

Re: We\'ve been.....

That should be usefull. You can have a dog kennel in each hull! Not stopped speaking but will have to do it through Shutyerbutt channels. I suppose and ask inelectual questions
about rag boats and bits of string. Course on the positive side. There will always be a spare bit for tieing the dogs up! And SWIMBO can always take up knitting if your not to sure what to do with all the string. Or make new clothes with all that spare cloth.

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[jfm]

Re: We\'ve been.....

That depends...... Motor or sail?

Anyway, looking at them, just looking, preferably from a distance, or in a magazine, is fine. Just dont take things any further

 

[sailbadthesinner]

Re: We\'ve been.....

*whispers*
I tried one last year in the balearics, it was really good
apart from the drifting around your hook at totally different angles to all the monos so you need lots of room.
Getting the girls to cook whilst beating at 9 knots and flying past all and sundry was fun experience. the stove wasn't even gimbled. Fully battened main was heavy.

Harbour charges a bit scary tho'. Do they really throw you in the dog house??




If it Cooks Flys or Floats, Rent it.

 

[wakeup]

Re: We\'ve been.....

I have to confess we went out on one for a day in the Carribean.

It was excellent. Straight and level everywhere we went. Even had two huge outboards that swung down from the back bit to push it along at a good old speed when the wind wasn't strong enough.

Not sure I would want to handle one in UK waters though.

yada yada..<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by wakeup on Thu May 30 17:41:32 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[longjohnsilver]

Re: We\'ve been.....

So I'll ask again, what did you see and and what do you think?

 

[ToMo]

Re: We\'ve been.....

You were promised a detailed PM and that is what you are getting....patience dear boy patience!

 

[lanason]

Re: We\'ve been.....

Don't Dogs chase Cats ????



Adrian

Any jobs going ??

 

[lanason]

Re: We\'ve been.....

Oi !! copy me on the PM --- please

Adrian

Any jobs going ??

 

[david_e]

Re: We\'ve been.....

There are a couple of mean looking Cats that sail out of Holyhead for Ireland everday, do about 30 knots on the mega. Could load it up with as many stinkies as possible and set off for a very long cruise)

 

[hlb]

Re: We\'ve been.....

Looks like I'll have to come down this weekend to sort you out after all. Get that Long John thingy bloke to come as well. Then one of us can hold you down while the other !X*. I'll keep that for a surprise. Go on tell us about it. Dont be shy. Go on???

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[longjohnsilver]

Re: We\'ve been.....

Yeah, yeah that was weeks ago!! Where is it???? ;-))

 

[longjohnsilver]

Lyme Regis....or Alderney

Sorry Haydn, can't join in your thrashing of Tomo, likely to be somewhere else!!

 

[coliholic]

Pack up with the PM\'s been.....

We're all a bit nosey, that's why we come here. So no keeping secrets, let us all know. Then we can all take the p**s out of another raggie

 

[longjohnsilver]

Pinnochio

Don't worry, whatever Tomo sends to me I'll publish (and be damned), just don't tell him!!!

 

[claymore]

Thought you were a dog lover.NM

*

regards
Claymore

 

[coliholic]

Re: Pinnochio

Oh good on yer Longjohn. Mum's the word. Schhh

 

[ToMo]

Rite you lot, you asked for it!

Right guys, SWMBO calling. I am instructed to report about boat search.

Tuesday am, bright and early, with dogs safely tucked away in kennels, off we went on the slowest ever journey from Cornwall to Poole. Caravans, lorries, tractors, you name it. Wished we had a boat!

First we saw a Southerly 100. Having seen lost of photos etc we had high hopes but it turned out smaller and more cramped than expected and oddly lacking basics like any hanging lockers. (Remember, we want to live on board)
Next we went to see a Finnsailer 35 It was a proper motor sailer wth a 85hp Perkins (not Volvo!). Must have been a lovely boat once (in 1972 to be precise) and if we had lots of time and patience the interior culd be re-stored. Unfortunately we are lacking both so that was out.
Save us from yacht brokers. What an experience. You see and maybe buy boats despite of them. How do they ever make a living, they don't seem to want to talk to you, see you, sell you anything, don't know anything and give you the strong feeling that they just want to be left alone. The most frustrating lot I have ever met.
we stumbled across another went in and finally saw a busy brokerage and a bit of professionalism. We asked to see some motor sailers, they showed us details of two interesting boats. The first one was in their yard, out of the water, a Voyager 38. More a sailing boat with a motor than a motor sailer, but we climbed up and had the surprise of the day. Inside it was fabulously spacious with 6'-7' (yes, 7 foot) headroom, separate shower compartment and two heads, lovely. Equipped with loads of goodies. Unfortunately only one helm position - outside yup it was a sailing boat!
Next they took us across Poole to a marina to see another boat, but they had no keys and the marine office was closed. So we crawled over over this and tried to peep through windows. What we saw was too fantastic to believe so we insisted that we wanted to come back the next day and see the interior. Arrangements were duly made and we went off.
The excitments of the day were washed down with some wine at dinner and after an early rise we drove on to Emsworths nr Portsmouth. We were warned about roadworks on the M27 so we got up at the crack of dawn and then ended up arriving at the marina 1.5 hrs before the brokers opened. This was a multihull brokerage (here we are, the dreaded cats). Now this is supposed to be one of (if not the one) the UKs leading cat broker etc etc. Well, it is a portacabin and a chap who talks the hindleg off a donkey, has never sailed on a cat - but they had lots of boats. The Prout 33 was a huge disappointment, I felt claustrophobic after 10 seconds and ToMo had cabin fever after 1 minute. We did however like a Catalan 900, 9m x 4.3m, clean decks, great cockpit with bathing platform (ie lots of space for dogs), very nice saloon, bit narrow but well equipped galley, triple fore cabin (or one single and one double), superb helm positions both in cockpit and inside. Loads of cavernous storage space in cockpit. A definite possible.
Hoped to get back home in time to collect dogs from kennel so were racing back to Poole to see the boat we could not see the day before. Here we were again, having fun with the brokers. Phoned the as agreed, nope, answerphone only.Left message. 20 miles form Poole phoned again, new guy, has no idea what I am talking about. Will call back. 10 miles from Poole, ToMo tearing his hair out, I phone again. Now they know what i am talking about but they still haven't got the keys, marina office closed for lunch, they are busy, one is out to lunch, another on the phone. I told them that we are unlikely to buy a 50k boat without seeing it. Decided to head in to Poole anyway. Stopped for lunch at a pub and thought that we stepped back to a 1950s town pub. Surreal, I was looking for the film crew but could not see any. Off to the marina, ToMo told the broker what we thought of them (professionalism, phew), and within minutes they found the time to show us the boat. Well, I am in love with it, ToMo thinks it is to good to be true (he is probbaly right). A Colvic Countess 37 hull (1985), fitted out by somebody else for the owner (by 1990), like a luxury home. The kitchen (would not insult it by calling it a galley) is a dream, double bedroom en-suite, plus two double cabins, plus heads and shower, small storage cabin cum workshop, a living room with built in stereo/CD, everything in the most beautiful oak, finished to perfection. I want to move in - now. ToMo is worried about lots of small things, like the whole thing maybe leaning over far too much for comfort, like too much weight above water line, like no storage space for fenders, like new rigging required. He has a bad feeling about it and we both wonder why somebody would sell it for 50K if nothing is wrong with it. I am mourning my dream kitchen!
Here we are, that is your lot. Tomorrow we will see another Catalac 900, in Totnes. Will let you know about it, if you still want to know.
Bye guys

 

[longjohnsilver]

That\'s more like it!

All sounds very familiar, dealing with brokers that is. I phoned one last week and asked him to email details of a boat, still waiting to receive them.

As for the 50's pub, suspect we're all too young to remember what one looks like, good job Tomo's around to tell us! <G>

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Rite you lot, you asked for it!

Right Martin and SWMBO, you cannot buy a cat, that's that! Bad enough having a sailing boat, but a cat!! OK, the voyager, 50k is a LOT of money! All the things you were looking at are cosmetic, check how much ballast she has, then you can worry about how much she will lean over, new rigging is cheap if you do it yourself, and even the dogs could manage that! Dog's are amazing animals, they will adapt to the space, claim a bit for themselves and thats it, so don't worry about that. You are moving from a house, so you are going to need a 9 cubic yard skip, to dump all the crap you've been storing, not using, storing! Go for something biggish, 38 is ok, 48 would be better! Monohull, think of the mooring charges! Motor sailers come in all kinds of guises, sailing boats with big engines, to motor boats with steadying sails, don't listen to Haydn, ask him if he liked Englander, then tell him to gob it! You don't have to go for any material in particular, but steel is nice, fibreglass OK, if sound and wood if sound, but be careful. Right PM me if you want to chat! But remember NO CATS!!!!!! They are wonderful, but a handfull and expensive to moor, they need an engine in each hull, forget outboards and central outdrives, hydraulic motors in each hull and a central engine is a good idea, but rare.