RECUSANT2
regular
Reged: 04/04/2006
Posts: 598
|
|
Hi Folks,
I'm new here so please bear with me. My family and I are planning one of those 'sell the lot and B***er off' adventures. We're new to sailing so we won't be departing just yet.......
When the time comes we'll need the right vessel to take us where ever we want to go.
A round-the-world trip is invisaged however we'll not be planning on doing it in a hurry so we need a boat that'll provide comfortable accomodation as a live aboard with a plan similar to a Gulet but with the sort of safety and performance of something like a pilot cutter. Most of the cutters I've seen here in the UK have a tighter plan however, more suited to sports sailing/shorter holidaying.
There's likely to be an adult crew of two and two small children (also need space for visiting Mother-in-law!  ) so I was thinking of a gaffer for ease of use.
We're on a second hand and probably wooden hulled budget of around £50,000. Would I be correct in assuming that Gulets and similar boats from that end of the Med are not good sailers and are perhaps not suited to rougher seas?
Can anyone recommend a good seaworthy yet comfortable type of boat that would fit our budget?
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Jon
--------------------
Somewhere in Texas......................................A village is getting it's idiot back.
|
Mirelle
regular
Reged: 30/11/2002
Posts: 4515
|
|
Yes, you would be dead right about that.
Pilot cutters in good nick cost sums of money beyond the dreams of avarice, and the gear on a big gaffer may be heavy for the Mother-in-Law.
There are actually loads and loads of suitable boats - chat to a few brokers and see what they come up with.
I would be looking for something unfashionable, as they generally represent better value for money. Twenty and thirty years ago the received wisdom on blue water boats suggested bermuda rigged ketches for ease of sail handling; due to their less than astounding speed these have fallen from favour but are still perfectly good boats.
There is a Maurice Griffiths design called a Good Hope - not a gaff cutter but commonly a bermuda ketch - which is probably as good as anything in your price bracket and which has a very solid track record. Centre cockpit, lots of room. Another smaller MG boat (but surprisingly roomy) called the Golden Hind has a very good track record for pottering round the block in, too.
|
Petervdb
regular
Reged: 01/01/2005
Posts: 32
Loc: southampton, UK
|
|
I am of course biased, but have you looked at a Hillyard? 12 tonner or above would probably suit you. There are some around cutter rigged if you wanted that. Mine is ketch rigged and is a very comfortable, safe and stable 2nd home (I don't live aboard.......yet). There are a few for sale on the Hillyard Owners Association site here:
http://www.hillyardyachts.com/home.htm
rgds
|
Mirelle
regular
Reged: 30/11/2002
Posts: 4515
|
|
Good idea.
|
mogy
regular
Reged: 08/05/2003
Posts: 1524
Loc: SPAIN,Galicia
|
|
Sign up for a sailing course;a week end with all the family and get some idea of what it all about,the skipper will give you lots of advice and you can ask questions,personally if you are not a handy man steer clear of oldish big wooden boats!
|
Mirelle
regular
Reged: 30/11/2002
Posts: 4515
|
|
Oh, no; biggish old wooden boats are fine.
The previous owners of mine had never sailed at all, not so much as a dinghy, when, 55 years ago, after being towed into Dover from off Sandettie aboard their mobo with two dead engines, they decided that sticks and string was the thing.
They managed quite well...sold her 33 years later.
Much depends upon the boat and the care she has had, but big old wooden boats are the best bargains around.
|
Uisteach
regular
Reged: 16/09/2004
Posts: 117
|
|
Another possibility is to have a look at what is available in the US. Prices tend to be better than in the UK and there are traditional boats readily available that you hardly ever see for sale on the UK side of the Atlantic. Some to consider are Hans Christian, Tayana (37s), Bristol Channel Cutters (though too small for you, probably), and Shannon. The following broker always has some interesting boats listed:
http://roguewaveyachtsales.com/roguewave/roguewave_9.html
There are others, but a quick look there would give you some indication of price and specification.
The Hans Christian owners association has a great deal of info on the HC range of boats:
http://www.hanschristian.org/index.shtml
In terms of seaworthiness and comfort, when we were looking for our next boat we found the following web site very useful:
http://image-ination.com/sailcalc.html
It's helpful to use it to play around with boat data, because in practice you want seaworthiness, comfort and 140 miles a day, while at the same time carrying two or three tons of gear, personal effects and food/water/fuel. (Of course these data are only basic and general indications of a boats characteristics, but results do tend to relate positively to a given boats reputation, and, anyway, it can be fun.)
|
Mirelle
regular
Reged: 30/11/2002
Posts: 4515
|
|
These brokers who specialise in nice wooden boats. Some friends bought a real gem through them last year.
|
mogy
regular
Reged: 08/05/2003
Posts: 1524
Loc: SPAIN,Galicia
|
|
mirelle.Surely you would agree that the owner of a large wooden sailing boat (old) would be best preparedto undertake repairs,unless he was buying a classic maintained in A1 condition,old hillyards need looking after,moreso on rtw,no? None of this is relevant if owner has bottomless wallet!!!!!
|
RECUSANT2
regular
Reged: 04/04/2006
Posts: 598
|
|
Hi Folks,
Thanks very much for the replies! I would prefer something old and wooden and I am a little bit handy, though not with boats (yet!). I'm ok on woodwork, steelwork and (very usefull) painting!
We have indeed signed up for sailing weekends and hope to have completed our day skippers by the end of this year (fingers crossed). We intend to do the skipper course on a wooden schooner in the Algarve in October so that should give us an idea!
I talked to a couple of people in Turkey last year vis a vis Gulets and they said that they needed re-hulling every ten years or so, I thought at the time that that didn't sound good! What sort of maintainance should I be prepared to undertake to keep a wooden hulled boat in good shape?
Thanks again for your helpful replies!
Cheers,
Jon.
--------------------
Somewhere in Texas......................................A village is getting it's idiot back.
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
