oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
Sandpiper 19 (sort of a late Sailfish 19) in 1985. Just about trailable but way too light and could be stopped dead by any chop once I moved her to the Bristol Channel
What was the first boat you bought with your own cash?
- Thread starter Wansworth
- Start date
johnmcc
Member
17ft Lysander gunter rigged 2-berth sailing cruiser, amateur built in ply on hardwood frames. Bought for £400 on a trailer from a bloke in Horley, Surrey in 1976. Worked on it for months replacing rotten wood, then launched at Easter 1977 in Newhaven, Sussex. Enjoyed that boat more than any subsequent ones although it's the smallest. Here's a pic of it in Bembridge I.O.W in August 1977.
grandpaboat
Well-Known Member
Did you know that Chay Blyth didn't know how to sail when he set off in the 1968 Golden Globe round the world race. OK he had rowed across the Atlantic.
dombuckley
Well-Known Member
Another GP14 here.Interesting, Heron's and GP14's seem to figure here a lot
1983, aged 17, I was beginning to find sailing with the sea cadets a little restrictive, and wanted to get into dinghy cruising. A friend of a friend was selling their 25-year old GP: this was Aquila (GP2167) originally built from a Bell's kit in 1958, and long past her racing best. Still had the original wooden mast and two sets of sails, one of which was the original cotton sails (small jib and reefing points in the main, ideal forcruising.
Fitted her out for cruising, and had a couple of glorious long summer cruises , including hopping over to the continent and up to the Frisian islands in 1985. By this time i was working full-time, so sailing became more of a weekend affair, with no opportunity for a long summer break. I started getting involved more with the local sailing club and caught the racing bug. The trusty GP was refitted for racing, and we slowly hauled ourselves up through the fleet, usually being in the top three in most races.
In 1987, we went to the the Nationals, crewed by my Dad. We came last. In fact, we managed to get lapped in a three lap race.
At the end of the year, lightening and refitting began in earnest: the GP was stripped out, re-decked, new alloy mast and (nearly-new) sails. Suddenly we became the boat to beat at the club - we won every prize in the GP14 fleet that year. Went to the Nationals: first race, we rounded the first windward mark in the top ten. Friends we'd made the previous year were astounded, but not for long, as the newer boats were so much faster downwind, especially in higher winds.
Went on like that for a few years: doing well locally, and getting a little bit of limelight further afield, but not really a threat to anyone. Our racing swansong was the 1994 Worlds. During this, the GP14 association started running a cruising week in tandem with the racers, and for a few years we participated in that instead. However, there were limitations to cruising a 40year old GP14 two sometimes three-up, and so I bit the bullet and bought a bigger boat.
Aquila came with us when we moved to Norfolk, and initially went back to club racing, this time at Hickling Broad. But the arrival of children meant that I could only really sail single-handed, so back to cruising she went, pottering around the Broads. A few years have passed now, and No1 son is really into sailing, so we may yet get back into racing again.
The old girl is 62 years old now, and about to receive her third deck. Most of the hull is sound and original, except for some professional repairs to racing damage (ironically, these are showing signs of softness, so will also need to be replaced. Luckily, she is at home, and it looks like I may get time to work on her this year.
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Yes, but a bit of difference to having no boat experience at all and building a 35/40 ft cat to RTW. Shane, of Shrimpy fame had lived on a small mobo and been in boats with the army, so a good head start on setting off, his big learn was navigating 'on the job'.
Mister E
Well-Known Member
A Westerly Pageant having only sailed a Topper some years before, used to do a lot of Kayaking.
The wife was not that keen but the real killer was the dog did not cope or like it that much.
So a Catalac 8 Meter was bought with a nice big cockpit deck, now covered with fake grass so she does not slide around and can play with a ball.
Happy dog thus a happy with.
Ps the dog loves going on the boat.
The wife was not that keen but the real killer was the dog did not cope or like it that much.
So a Catalac 8 Meter was bought with a nice big cockpit deck, now covered with fake grass so she does not slide around and can play with a ball.
Happy dog thus a happy with.
Ps the dog loves going on the boat.
chewi
Well-Known Member
At the ripe old age of 12 I bought a mrblehead model racing yacht.
4 ft long with 8ft rig and it went down the lake faster than my legs took me.
In my exuberance I once took a short cut across the lake. that didn't end well.
It would point at 15 degrees to the wind., but they were used as prototypes for Americas cup.
When I bought a small cruiser thet 15 degrees becamee 45 degrees!!
4 ft long with 8ft rig and it went down the lake faster than my legs took me.
In my exuberance I once took a short cut across the lake. that didn't end well.
It would point at 15 degrees to the wind., but they were used as prototypes for Americas cup.
When I bought a small cruiser thet 15 degrees becamee 45 degrees!!
johnphilip
Well-Known Member
R
eferring to earlier posts, yes there are people who buy boats for you, parents. Like several others here I enjoyed a great boating childhood, the whole family sailed. Dad bought first an old Cadet No. 1075 which we had to re-skin for my eldest brother to sail, Next a Bell Woodworking kit to make the next brother Cadet No. 2496. My turn was another kit, A Yachting World Utility Pram, again plywood with a lugsail which I loved until the brothers moved on from Cadets and I took one on. All this in the 1960s.
eferring to earlier posts, yes there are people who buy boats for you, parents. Like several others here I enjoyed a great boating childhood, the whole family sailed. Dad bought first an old Cadet No. 1075 which we had to re-skin for my eldest brother to sail, Next a Bell Woodworking kit to make the next brother Cadet No. 2496. My turn was another kit, A Yachting World Utility Pram, again plywood with a lugsail which I loved until the brothers moved on from Cadets and I took one on. All this in the 1960s.
johnphilip
Well-Known Member
The First boat bought with our own dosh, a 19' 3" Prelude, pictures when I have scanned them.
Crisby
Well-Known Member
Ours was a Fletcher Faro with a 75hp Mercury smoke generator, called Electric Blue when we bought her in the late 90s we quickly renamed her ‘Lunar Sea’ which we thought was hilarious at the time!
We soon saw sense though and replaced it with a Hunter Horizon 27
Chris
We soon saw sense though and replaced it with a Hunter Horizon 27
Chris