What boat to buy for a drying mooring?

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swampy

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I have recently sold my 21 foot bilge keel boat and am looking for a replacement. Budget is around £15k and first thoughts have been a Jeanneau Sun 2000. These are the requirements: The boat will be kept in the Thames Estuary on a drying mooring, large cockpit to comfortably seat 4 and not require constant shifting from one side to the other by guests. Room below deck is not a priority but suitable to sleep 2 for the odd night. The ability to be competitive in round the cans races is also required. Any advice greatly appreciated.
 
For what you want I think the Jeanneau is a good choice. It would need a well sheltered mooring. When I bought my Hunter I looked at the Sun 2500 but was advised, by a Jeanneau dealer, that it wouldn't be a good idea to keep it on my mooring, which is fairly exposed, as it would not take the punishment of bumping the bottom.
 
A Cornish Shrimper? Lots of character, very easy-to-handle sailplan, huge cockpit. A bit cramped for sleeping, but nice and cosy and better than a small tent! And an easy 2-person job go launch & recover and the start/end of the season.

Mike
 
Snapdragon 890 or a Mirage. The former very strong for bouncing on the mud or the latter to sail a bit better. There's always the ubiquitous Centaur - plenty of those in the Thames Estuary. Looking a bit dated but sail well and plenty of room.
 
If your drying mooring is soft mud a first 211 should fit the bill-
It has a lifting keel but when lifted still has about 70 cm exposed so boat will only sit upright in soft mud.
Great fun boat with a good roomy cockpit and 4 berths (not sure i would want to sleep 4 adults on it though .)Great racing boat as well - I bought one 2nd hand 2 years ago and havent looked back
 
Sun 2000, is a pretty boat with enough room down stairs to sleep up to 4 people (V cosy V berth). Simple centerboard arrangment with Balast plate so IMHO well suited to grounding. Very quick boat for their size, with very roomy cockpit area and genrally a very simple boat. Down side is low head room below (sitting only) tender in a breeze ie needs reefing early upwind. We cruise in company with some freinds on one solent to Salcombe last summer with a family of four children aged 3 and 2 and while basic they still enjoyed the trip with mixed weather.
 
We have an Island Plastic 24 for sale, she is a good steady boat, long keel with bilge keels so she stands upright on a drying out mooring.
 
Have a sail on a Sun 2000 before you buy - they are fairly light and quite high performance boats and respond better to crew sitting on the windward side. From what you say you might be happier with a slower, heavier boat.
 
when I enquired of Benny (same company as Jeanneau) about their lifting keelers they said that their boats were designed as shallow draft and werent really suitable for taking to the ground twice every 24 hrs. I thought it was commendably honest of them since Hanse for example insisted that theirs was OK.

Personally I wouldnt dream of letting a modern GRP hull sit on the mud - the UK has been industrial for so long you never know whats down under the mud, let alone the shopping trollies etc dumped by the chavs last week. We had a cat rub through and sink near here from exactly that problem. No doubt there will be a flood of people saying ""I do that and never have had a problem" to which the answer has to be "yet".

Buy a bilge
 
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