which boat to buy

[ssteve]

i am new to yachting only done it for 3 weeks in the med now i want to buy my own.i whould like some ideas on which 1 to buy ,i want to sail around parts of scotland then head to the med, i have about £20,000 to £30,000 any ideas?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[poter]

Welcome Steve,

Your question is a bit premature but for that amount of Dosh you can get some great sailing yachts & you will get lots of different answers, IMHO you want to be looking at someting that will hold its resale value secondhand & aroung 26' to 30' max. as you will probably not get it right the first time, I still have'nt & I am on my 4th........

However for safety & not to damper your enthusiasm, get on a RYA course first, Competent crew or Day skipper & then if you can, get into a local sailing club, no they are not all Blazers & Plumbs! get on as many boats as you can & see what you would be happy with.

Couple of important questions to ask: Are you single handing? Do you want new or second hand? Where will you keep her?

Get youself as many books as you can afford on sailing & immerse youself in the sport: Complete Sailing Manual by Steve Sleight is a great first book, (You can find it on the ybw book shop)
Also start getting the mags & having a look at what is available boat wise.

I am sure some of our Scotish contingent will give you advice on the areas to sail.

Good luck & welcome to the Forum

GFI

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[FullCircle]

Welcome Steve,
try trawling through the posts of the last 3 or 4 months, as this question comes up a lot.
You will soon work out that what works in Scotland may not be quite as good in the Med.
My first Commodore, on learning of my 10000 mile search for a boat, said " Boat you want won't be more'n fifteen mile from here Boy". He was right. Best place to look for a boat is usually the waters it has been sailed in all of its life.
Go somewhere like Kip Marina and gaze around the large quantity of boats until your neck tendons snap.

Best of luck.....


Jim

<hr width=100% size=1>Second Chance - First Love. 2nd Hand Wind Instruments for sale anyone?

 

[david_e]

Contessa 32 - get a good one for that money, can't go wrong.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Birdseye]

"i am new to yachting only done it for 3 weeks in the med now i want to buy my own"

You are a sheep for the shearing (sheering?) with this background. When you go to buy, you will not really know what you are looking at, and a head full of well meaning but often conflicting advice will only make matters worse. The best thing you can do is to sit on your wallet for as long as you can, and scrounge rides in every boat you see. Join clubs and sail with them. Sail in winter in the UK as well - balmy summer days in the Med gives a very biased view of what sailing typically involves.

Boats are easy to buy, and more difficult to sell, and they are also very personal. One mans good traditional boat (Twister, Contessa, Nich etc) is another mans slow sailing old banger. Anothers roomy cruiser (Beneteau, Moody) is someone's floating caravan.

Buy in haste, repent at leisure. Yes, I know its not whyat you want to hear, but it is sound advice.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[graham]

I have to agree with birdseye on this one.The most suitable boat for you depends on a lot of factors,

Almost invariably newcomers to the game end up with an unsuitable boat.

The most important thing about your first boat is that it is easy to sell again,It can take years to sell even a perfectly sound boat .

I would recommend a completely standard grp yacht which has a strong owners association.These tend to be firstly good boats,which is why the owners association has flourished and secondly they will be easier to sell again if you find another boat would be more suitable.

Even better advise is to join a club and sail on a variety of boats for the first season,owners are usually happy to take you.Dont just put up a noticeboard crewing add but go to the club bar and talk to members for advise.

Good Luck Graham



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Little_Russel]

A Twister, a SCOD, Contessa 26 or similar. If you are going to do long distances off-shore go for something long keeled and heavy.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sail the Se7en seas...

 

[jimi]

A boat is a very personal thing and everybody has there own particular set of likes/dislikes etc. If I were you I'd be looking for as many crewing opportunities as possible to learn about sailing and boats. Really only after experiencing a few for yourself would you be in a position to judge what is best for you.

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[tcm]

Re: get a big one

Hm, you say you have 20-30 k. But what would you have if you sold your house as well eh? The sort of person who has 20 or 30k lying about might easily have a house worth say 3-400 k, which would just about stretch to a new beneteau 57 at 400k +vat including airconditioning and the all-important icemaker. The right colour is navy blue, and don't bother with the cutter rig. Buiying a nice big boat like this will also mean that you can stay at anchor for ages, thereby saving loads of money. True, you won't have a house any more, but who cares?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[grahama]

Re: get a big one

would you really spend all your money on a tub from over the water, I wouldn't. Smaller HR, or other quality maker maybe!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Twister_Ken]

got a big one

He's got a big tub from over the water, made of cold-moulded spaghetti and powered by twin Ferrari diesels. Designed by Leonardo di Asti Spumante, it looks like a ski boat on steroids. With attitude. And a table tennis saloon.

TCM is no shrinking HR violet.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[tcm]

Re: got a big one

well, anyway, aside friom the choice of boat, I think we've established that this is the sensible way to go.

Er, isn't an HR from over the water anyway?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[robp]

OR;

Get yourself one of the popular little classics such as a Corribee, Vertue or of the ilk, for a lot less to start. You'll then have something that you won't lose on and will move on again easily. You can then make all the mistakes you need to and at the same time learn what you might like to move up to. What the others say though is true too, join a club and offer to crew for anyone.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Re: get a big one

Im getting a Bendytoy 57 ,so I have to agree that this is the best advice tcm has ever given on this forum.The reason HR are so expensive is that larger, about £10 a pint and a bottle of scotch about £60. bloody old fashioned over priced tubs .
cheers bob t

<hr width=100% size=1>boss1