Which 50 year old in-shore cruiser?

[Daydream believer]

There are very few about but IMHO and biased opinion a Fairline Fury is a cracking boat. I say this and not even been out on mine. It was/is for sale but so many dreamers and pillocks asking about it, well it mite well stay now i have had a break and relove for it now i been away from faffing with it.

In the year ( around early 70s) and price range there a cracking set out. Good head roon for 25 foot boat. good performance with right engines. Mine is a twin VP AQ130`s. 260hp in total. guzzler but then what would you expect. They come in different engines choices from original spec but being so old whi knows whats out there.

This is mine and a link to original spec. they sell a good one for around £7k to £15k

https://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/documents/Fairline-Fury.pdf


EDIT


MMM when i read it wasnt in the

• Yachting Monthly's Scuttlebutt

What condition are the sails in?

 

[waynes world]

What condition are the sails in?

shite as they disintergrated haha

 

[Daydream believer]

shite as they disintergrated haha

Just another darned project boat then

 

[penfold]

The best boat for this is one that's near you and is in serviceable condition; every other criteria is trivial at this price point.

 

[waynes world]

Just another darned project boat then

arnt they all hahaha, its a boat.

 

[PaulGS]

The forum has definitely moved on, a while ago this thread would have been full of knowing recommendations for the Anderson 22.

There’s a Hurley 24/70 on our pontoon which I’ve always thought is a clean and modern looking boat for its age. Otherwise at this age/price point I’d be looking for the best engine I could find and hope there’s a similarly well maintained boat wrapped around it.

That last sentence is my mantra! The engine is the Get Out of Jail Card - it has to fire up when needed.

 

[Kelpie]

The essential points have been made- you're buying an engine, but also consider the almost equally costly rigging, sails, instruments, and upholstery. A good tender is worth a few hundred too.

If you want to actually get picky (and I suggest you don't) your choices revolve around keel type, whether you want a dinette, and whether you lean towards sailing ability or bigger living spaces.

For just a couple, personally I would go for a simple layout that doesn't try to cram too much in. The Albin Vega is such a boat- just a berth down each side and a small double up front. No separate heads or quarter berths. But there are many other examples of the same layout.

Have fun, or try to (currently writing this just before 7am having been awake for two hours as a storm surge thrashes my boat against the pontoon).

 

[fredrussell]

Just to add another to the list, how about a Jaguar 25 or 27? I once read on here that the Catalina 27 (same boat as Jaguar 27) is the best selling keel boat of all time.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Just to add another to the list, how about a Jaguar 25 or 27? I once read on here that the Catalina 27 (same boat as Jaguar 27) is the best selling keel boat of all time.

The Jaguar 25 is certainly worth a look, my major criticism is that I found it a bit heavy on the helm, but the one I sailed had a sail drive and I’m not sure if this altered it’s sailing characteristics.

 

[doug748]

As a number of others have hinted, I should fix on a general sort of boat and then look at as many local examples as you can. Set your heart (for example) on a white, bilge keel, Sadler 25, with new rigging sails and engine within 50 miles of your chosen base and you will be looking forever.
Search for a reasonably clean, shallow draught boat with up to 10 year old engine and usable rig and sails, in a modern style and something will turn up.

Here is one to look at in an suitable area (as mentioned in the other thread):

Pegasus 800 | 8m | 1979 - Conwy | Boats and Outboards

The price has been reduced but it is probably still too much. 7k might be top end for this class.

Note there are a number of mistakes in the description, it makes you wonder who the hell wrote it. This statement looks unlikely and would need to be clarified:

"This vessel sustained some hull damage during a storm in 1988 and a new hull, deck and mouldings were supplied by Pegasus Yachts."

However the main thing is to look at as many boats as you can manage, as you learn and make contacts all the time. Good luck with the search. As with boys meeting girls, when you see the one you want, you generally know it.

.

 

[Daydream believer]

Is it a Pegasus that has the ridiculously short berths?
I had a friend who was 6ft & he bought a nice boat, then found that he could not sleep in it, because the berths were 5ft 9 ins

 

[doug748]

Is it a Pegasus that has the ridiculously short berths?
I had a friend who was 6ft & he bought a nice boat, then found that he could not sleep in it, because the berths were 5ft 9 ins

Dunno, but there you go, a lesson in due diligence.

 

[LittleSister]

Just to add another to the list, how about a Jaguar 25 or 27? I once read on here that the Catalina 27 (same boat as Jaguar 27) is the best selling keel boat of all time.

Yes, but in part because it was an American boat - hence much higher potential sales - and then also built under licence in other parts of the world (Spain, UK, etc.), sometimes under different names, rather than because it was somehow head and shoulders above the competition.

I think part of its success in the UK was that it was designed as a modern leisure boat (albeit one designed for fairer climes than ours), at a time when much of the UK industry (and a lot of its customer base) was still somewhat focused on traditional hulls and styles (and hence accommodation) that would suit rusty-tufty sailors looking for a boat that seemed like it'd be fine when they were out in Force 8s. Presumably it was designed to be able to be built cheaply enough to tap into the growing new market for less hair-shirted 'family' sailing, with comfort and convenience given a higher priority.

A Jaguar would probably suit most people in the OP's circumstances fine, as would almost any other production boat from that era that isn't primarily a racing boat.

As others have said, best not to worry about which model at this stage -
(a) see what there actually is available locally in the right sort of condition, then
(b) whether one appeals to the taste of the potential purchaser; then
(c) perhaps check on here for any particular virtues, vices or common issues with that particular model.

 

[Kelpie]

Dunno, but there you go, a lesson in due diligence.

This is a good point. Don't rush your viewing. Lie down in the berths. Open up all the lockers. Sit in various positions around the cockpit.
I much, much prefer unaccompanied viewings where you take all the time you want- right down to measuring up to see if, e.g, you can fit a guitar in that hanging locker.
Viewings with owners are next best because they generally are able to answer all of your questions.
Broker viewings are generally awful. They are in a hurry and don't know anything about the boat.

 

[bitbaltic]

This is a good point. Don't rush your viewing. Lie down in the berths. Open up all the lockers. Sit in various positions around the cockpit.
I much, much prefer unaccompanied viewings where you take all the time you want- right down to measuring up to see if, e.g, you can fit a guitar in that hanging locker.
Viewings with owners are next best because they generally are able to answer all of your questions.
Broker viewings are generally awful. They are in a hurry and don't know anything about the boat.

When I bought my boat I invited the lady broker accompanying me to the viewing to leave me to it. She politely told me they didn’t do unaccompanied viewings. I told her she would be sitting on the coachroof for around four hours, at which point she found better things to do.

 

[WoodyP]

My first cruiser, bought in 2004 is still in my ownership, as I spent a shed load on it did everything l needed and saw no reason to change. I see very few for sale in good condition now but it's a Kingfisher K30s, I replaced the engine early on as I wanted to know that it was going to be reliable.
Slightly bigger than what you want but still easy to single hand or short hand sail.

 

[Stemar]

Is it the K30 that's done the Jester Challenge a time or two?

 

[boomerangben]

Lots of great advice. I think there is one fundamental question that all prospective buyers should ask themselves. How do I want feel using this boat? Do you have a love for tinkering and fetling and enjoy the satisfaction of your own handiwork? Do you want a cozy steady hotel room? Or are you looking for something that exhilarates when you can feel the water around the rudder through the tiller and see the lovely shape of a well set sail? The answer to how you want to feel should determine the boat type imo

 

[WoodyP]

Is it the K30 that's done the Jester Challenge a time or two?

Yes, Greta L was the yacht, skipper Nigel Stillman iirc. Chay Blyth also took Dytiscus the Golden Globe in 1968, but withdrew after reaching S. Africa. Sort of gives you confidence to know that.

 

[scottie]

Unless you are very knowledgeable is this the sort of boat that a survey might just save a lot of tears