What boat for £10k

[14K478]

You have to add into the equation his diffident wife and two small children

That is an argument for better performance, not worse!

There is no more certain way to put people who are not sure if they like boats off sailing than to set off in a bit of a breeze, bounce around in the same hole for hours, and give up.

 

[Mark-1]

I guess I will find out! But I'm looking for a different kind of experience, that's part of the point. And I have enjoyed the little time I have had aboard smaller older boats

I would dispute the idea that if you've sailed an awesome boat you won't be content with a smaller/slower boat. I reckon I've sailed north of 200 classes, some (very) fast, some spacious some spanking new. I've also sailed in some incredible cruising grounds.

I was still happy pottering about in a bilge keel Corribee in the grotty Solent.

People have to take a step or two down all the time. We all get used to it.

Whether or not ownership makes sense if you like chartering is a different question. But chartering with the family in school holiday time is a pricey undertaking, so maybe it's not an option for the OP.

 

[steve yates]

There is nothing quite like owning your own wee ship to go off exploring and have adventures in, be they big or small.
Bugger chartering, thats just a holiday, not much different to two weeks all inclusive in tenerife in August
It’s nice to do and bit of a break, but instantly forgettable once back at work.

Your own boat now, thinking about where you might take it next…. Priceless. ( but fecking expensive )

 

[Wansworth]

There is nothing quite like owning your own wee ship to go off exploring and have adventures in, be they big or small.
Bugger chartering, thats just a holiday, not much different to two weeks all inclusive in tenerife in August
It’s nice to do and bit of a break, but instantly forgettable once back at work.

Your own boat now, thinking about where you might take it next…. Priceless. ( but fecking expensive )

Well ratty summed it up!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The sailing performance of the Centaur is quite good for a 1960’s bilge keeler.
She will bravely attempt to go to windward in a Force 3 and will stop trying in a Force 5.

The Holman, on the other hand, really sails.

That depends on what you’re comparing it to. We don’t really notice if Centaurs are anchored or under way. The Holman would be reeled in, in short order. The sigma though, we might actually have to try. 100% sure it would happen though. Really sailing is a matter of perspective.

 

[ridgy]

I have just had another look at the Sigma 36 and it doesn't look like it has roller reefing headsails which may be a problem for you.

Looks a lot like a furler up front to me.

Anyway, you've all obviously long since forgotten what it's like to be on holiday with two children for a week in the rain. With all the stuff that children require. Just forget anything less than 30 feet.

That sigma is exactly what this fella needs. Plenty of storage space and separate cabins for people to get away from each other plus crossing the channel might even be pleasurable.

And when his wife is confronted by the reality of UK boating he can sell it no problem because it's a fundamentally useful size, unlike a centaur/sadler/other 70s shit box.

 

[potentillaCO32]

That depends on what you’re comparing it to. We don’t really notice if Centaurs are anchored or under way. The Holman would be reeled in, in short order. The sigma though, we might actually have to try. 100% sure it would happen though. Really sailing is a matter of perspective.

Yes but in a really severe gale with his family they would be less likely to be all sitting on an upside down boat waiting for the good guys.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Looks a lot like a furler up front to me.

Anyway, you've all obviously long since forgotten what it's like to be on holiday with two children for a week in the rain. With all the stuff that children require. Just forget anything less than 30 feet.

That sigma is exactly what this fella needs. Plenty of storage space and separate cabins for people to get away from each other plus crossing the channel might even be pleasurable.

And when his wife is confronted by the reality of UK boating he can sell it no problem because it's a fundamentally useful size, unlike a centaur/sadler/other 70s shit box.

I think there is certainly a foil but can't make out whether there is a furling drum or not but if there is it should be a no brainer if it's half decent in other respects.
I used to crew in inshore and JOG racing on a 41 and it was a good boat, and at one time I looked at buying a 33 but they were all knackered inside, I remember one which had very expensive deck gear and sails and really looked the business till you went inside, first thing was the cabin sole at the foot of the companionway steps was cracked and split as people had been jumping down, no bunk cushions the sails ( lots of them and wet) were stored on the berths and forepeak, below one window there was a huge blister filled with water presumably from a leaking window. I doubt the 36 could be as bad but only looking at her will tell if it's worth a survey. She looks OK.

Edit I just had a look at the photos again and I had missed one it has got a furler which should be good news.

 

[samfieldhouse]

There’s a bunch of lovely Cobra 850s for sale at the moment.
Yes I’m biased.
This one is in Beaulieu.
£6k, well equipped, a far better boat than a Centaur (yeah come at me Westerley boyz ) - faster, points, more space and the keel won’t fall off.
This one has an unusual layout, it’s not a factory interior, but it’s been well done.
Having sailed a fin keel Cobra on the south coast for the last 10 years, I have appreciated the upwind capability far more than I’ve wished I could take the mud in Newtown Creek.

ps willing to admit I do have a soft spot for Centaurs.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Yes but in a really severe gale with his family they would be less likely to be all sitting on an upside down boat waiting for the good guys.

We’ve managed wind at 55kn in a trailerable tri. Came home right side up. A wooden boat sank in the Needles fairway while we ran with it.

 

[potentillaCO32]

We’ve managed wind at 55kn in a trailerable tri. Came home right side up. A wooden boat sank in the Needles fairway while we ran with it.

probably terado worms

 

[Chiara’s slave]

probably terado worms

Dangerous things, true. But just overwhelmed by the conditions. Cockpit filled, companionway flooded, sank. According to survivors. The ones who died were understandably quiet.

 

[DoubleEnder]

I have owned small old cheap GRP yachts and had a lot of fun when the kids were small. I had a brutally downmarket Snapdragon that was brilliant. I have sailed on some quite big (to me) GRP yachts, some older, some brand new, up to about 60 feet but most 35 to 45 feet. The usual stuff.
I also owned a very good wooden boat for 17 years. Maintenance was a bit heavier than for a GRP equivalent (34 feet) but not massively different.

I was then boatless for a few years before getting back. For all the usual reasons I wanted a smaller boat and looked at lots and lots of GRP (because I was being sensible) yachts 23 to 27 feet. Some were in very good condition with new engines, sails, upholstery etc. and cheap, though they are even cheaper now, 2 years later.

I couldn’t face it. Small old GRP boats didn’t do it for me. I guess even big new GRP boats don’t …….
I bought a 25 ft Dallimore design, built in Maldon of teak, oak and bronze for a sensible discerning and solvent first owner. She is perfect for day sails and weekends, which is all I plan to do.

A good wooden boat has class. Old wooden boats might have both class and patina. When your gaze rests on a bulkhead, a locker door, or even the cockpit sole, your eyes feel happy. It’s good material, and even on the shiniest, newest 6 figure GRP yachts with mood lighting and zoned central heating and great swathes of electronics I never felt that. They do go faster, but so does just about any other form of transport.

Get the Sterling. You’ll have enough room for the family and she will both look great and sail in a way that makes you and everyone who can see her feel happy. When you look at her you’ll feel proud. She seems to have good history. Of course have a survey, but this is a piece of craftsmanship that would cost a quarter of a million to build today. It is the difference between a suit from the high street that has been ‘altered to fit’ and a suit that was cut and sewn for you. I’ve had both. No comparison

 

[Wansworth]

I have owned small old cheap GRP yachts and had a lot of fun when the kids were small. I had a brutally downmarket Snapdragon that was brilliant. I have sailed on some quite big (to me) GRP yachts, some older, some brand new, up to about 60 feet but most 35 to 45 feet. The usual stuff.
I also owned a very good wooden boat for 17 years. Maintenance was a bit heavier than for a GRP equivalent (34 feet) but not massively different.

I was then boatless for a few years before getting back. For all the usual reasons I wanted a smaller boat and looked at lots and lots of GRP (because I was being sensible) yachts 23 to 27 feet. Some were in very good condition with new engines, sails, upholstery etc. and cheap, though they are even cheaper now, 2 years later.

I couldn’t face it. Small old GRP boats didn’t do it for me. I guess even big new GRP boats don’t …….
I bought a 25 ft Dallimore design, built in Maldon of teak, oak and bronze for a sensible discerning and solvent first owner. She is perfect for day sails and weekends, which is all I plan to do.

A good wooden boat has class. Old wooden boats might have both class and patina. When your gaze rests on a bulkhead, a locker door, or even the cockpit sole, your eyes feel happy. It’s good material, and even on the shiniest, newest 6 figure GRP yachts with mood lighting and zoned central heating and great swathes of electronics I never felt that. They do go faster, but so does just about any other form of transport.

Get the Sterling. You’ll have enough room for the family and she will both look great and sail in a way that makes you and everyone who can see her feel happy. When you look at her you’ll feel proud. She seems to have good history. Of course have a survey, but this is a piece of craftsmanship that would cost a quarter of a million to build today. It is the difference between a suit from the high street that has been ‘altered to fit’ and a suit that was cut and sewn for you. I’ve had both. No comparison

My first seagoing yacht was fifteen foot,a GRP Macwester hull that I built a deck and cabin on……later I met people who had wooden boats who sort of bequeathed a feeling to their wooden boats and I can see that but my little Macwester had that feeling for me it’s building a relationship with your boat that is the thing……my new boat is a Dufour 24 and now after almost a year we are getting to create this feeling.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

My first seagoing yacht was fifteen foot,a GRP Macwester hull that I built a deck and cabin on……later I met people who had wooden boats who sort of bequeathed a feeling to their wooden boats and I can see that but my little Macwester had that feeling for me it’s building a relationship with your boat that is the thing……my new boat is a Dufour 24 and now after almost a year we are getting to create this feeling.

It’s knowing your boat’s little ways, and sometimes the way you work with the crew too. I d9n’t think it has to be wooden for that. Though the amount of time you spend head down in the bilge, or wielding your varnish brush might speed it up. It’s the hundreds of race starts that have brought us and our XOD close.