Would you buy a sunsail yacht

aitchem

aitchem

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As in the title.
I fancy a Jeanneau, but sometimes see "project" sunsails and am tempted because I can get her in the garden for a year and strip her out and check everything over and spend the "saving" on what I want in there.......................but then...........I have been on school boats....................and.......................seen the bodges.!!
 
It all depends on price you pay and what work needs doing and what needs replacing. You could get a lot of yacht for the money if you have the time and skills to do the work yourself.
I know of 3 people who have bought ex charter yachts and have have been pleased with their purchase.
 
A pal of mine bought a 10 year old ex charter yacht here in the Caribbean for approximately half what a sister ship in the same condition would cost in England - people love to knock the charter companies, especially Sunsail, but they all still have to do regular maintenance on the boats to keep them going.
The only main indicators that my pal's boat was a former charter yacht were the engine hours (5,000 hours in 10 years) and the seat covers down below were a bit worn.
 
Bajansailor said:
A pal of mine bought a 10 year old ex charter yacht here in the Caribbean for approximately half what a sister ship in the same condition would cost in England - people love to knock the charter companies, especially Sunsail, but they all still have to do regular maintenance on the boats to keep them going.
The only main indicators that my pal's boat was a former charter yacht were the engine hours (5,000 hours in 10 years) and the seat covers down below were a bit worn.
Click to expand...

I have bitter experience to the contrary; I crewed on the delivery of an ex-Sunsail boat from Greece to the Solent. Everything other than the engines had been bodged to keep it going; the water systems, the wiring, the inmast furling, the hydraulic steering. Consequently it was a battle to keep the thing seaworthy for the 4 weeks it took to get back.

That said I wouldn't say don't do it. If you do buy one recognize that it will be a project and make sure you go through it with a fine tooth comb; investigate the functionality of all systems, the bottom of lockers, behind panels etc. I think a large proportion of the problems I encountered were due to the new owner trusting the Sunsail base to rectify faults that had been highlighted by the surveyor, rather than just bodging it. They also pinched all the decent warps and left us crappy stiff sunbleached ones. The lesson there is make sure what you get at hand-over is what you viewed beforehand and tallys with the inventory/survey.
 
I second that. You have to be very careful with having the inventory specified. There are many instances of the charter companies swapping the good gear for old worn out stuff, and taking anything off it that might be of use in the charter fleet. I wonder if the 'owners' know what is going on ...... after all they are charged for replacement kit during the charter contract aren't they?

I looked at one boat. The broker's spec included ocean standard life-saving appliances, and the boat ready for cruising. It turned out that the liferaft was 3 years out of certificate, the batteries were dead, no mooring lines, no fenders, bent anchour, etc, etc.. It cost the former owner $10,000 just to get it up to the brokers published spec.
 
I own an ex-charter yacht, although in my case I actually bought it new through a Sunsail type charter management deal.

Can be good buys if you take the necessary precautions as with any other second hand purchase. Personally I would not touch a boat that has been heavily used in northern waters as the wear and tear on equipment is heavy - unless of course there is a big discount to market price.

From my own experience, there is usually little problem with the basic structure of modern boats, it is the equipment (sails, electrics, water systems etc.) that give the most problems and the most potential for bodges to keep them going.

Once boats get older and have been through a few owners, it is probably irrelevant how they started life.
 
Can't speak for all charter fleets, but in my experience Sunsail boats work hard but are looked after. Certainly if you bought one you would want to upspec from the base charter trim, but an out fit like Sunsail or any other reputable charter organisation will be buying boats that are going to be durable and by the time they are released into the private owner area they probably have many more years of life left.
 
I wouldn't marry a former prostitute, and so, I wouldn't buy a former charter boat.

It's ok to marry a woman who was much loved by her previous husband but got divorced for some reason, so I have no problem with used boats. But charter boats have been through the the worst treatment imaginable, troops and troops of indifferent sailors just having their week's holiday and then passing the boat to the next one, with hardly two hours of inspection between. I bought my present boat exactly because I couldn't stand to spend another week on an unloved, abused, beaten-up charter boat, with blown-out sails.
 
Horses for courses and all that.

If it's for the right money, why not? My opinion would be that you would want to go over any prospective boat with a fine tooth comb and get a very good survey done (isn't that what they're for?) so you know you are going into a purchase with your eyes fully open.

Some, as above, wouldn't touch a Charter boat due to the number of different feet that have been onboard, but that said, a privately owned boat that had been used rarely and had maintenance forgotten may be no better buy.

Cutting to the chase, if you use your head it shouldn't be a major problem IMO.
 
We have an ex-sunsail boat.
Bought 3 years ago, after it had done six seasons of charter.
Sails were replaced during season five, chartplotter fitted same season. (we had to buy an new c-map card but could not complain at that) and the life raft was serviced and in date when we bought the boat.

We have had three seasons of trouble free sailing on a boat that cost us less than 2/3 of normal price (closer to half price)

Engine has high hours, but so what?. Better than not being used. Started today on the button first time after being left for six weeks.

People forget that the charter companies need to keep the boats working so that they earn revenue. A dead boat costs more money. A quick fix in the marina is no good if it breaks down two days later out on charter, it will cost them lots more to fix it away from home marina.

End of this season we will have the boat re-upholstered, we allowed for this any way in the longer time plan.

Now for the real Acid Test, what does SWMBO also think?

Well, she is already thinking of what we will do in a couple of years time, she has already suggested that we might upgrade from a 33 fter to 39 fter (or near equivalent) and to buy an excharter boat again.

I must add though that we are based in the Med area, boat use here is slightly different, charters here are for people that want to charter a boat, not corporate day racing sunsail boats in UK.

Tranona already mentioned the plus and minus too, I agree about the norther water bit, hence why we bought a med boat.

Tranona also said that they were on the owner charter management scheme, they got their boat back and were pleased with it. They could have sold it at the end of the scheme, and I (for example) might have been the one to buy it. What I am saying is that the charter companies need to keep the boats up to hand back/resale standard.

Just re-read the OP and "Project" was mentioned.

Not sure what this means, is it a project for the OP of is it a "Project boat" as advertised by Sunsail?

If they are advertising it as a project boat then it might have been a boat that they have stripped to keep the rest of the fleet up and sailing, if that is the case then I would advise caution or offer a rediculously low bid. The only reason to take a boat out of service and strip for spares is that it will cost them more money to put it back in the fleet.
Engine refit, hull damage etc, they NEVER strip down good boats.

Any way just my 2p worth.
 
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