Which liveaboard?

[Lazy Kipper]

We've got the mooring sorted and now need the boat. We are looking for:

1. A boat that's more home than yacht
2. Sail or motor but preferably motor sailer
3. Has a 'proper' cabin, a decent double berth and a single cabin.
4. She may turn into permanent a home but will be home for 15 weeks a year for the next 10 years
5. Between £15,000 and £40,000
6. 35 to 50 feet

We're not after a world girdler - just an honest, safe, roomy boat that will take us to Holland and up the East Coast but is also a home. Should we go wood or will the maintenance drive us nuts? As conversion is no problem, should be go steel? What about ferro? There are any number of wooden MFV's out there but does anyone actually buy them?

Thanks for your help and advice. Simon

[trouville]

Hillyard 12 ton very comfortable goes wellin a blow really manoverable well behaved just a realy great boat,once you have her painted and varnished lifes a pleasure as long as you are a liveaboard and not a weekend sometimes!

[Lazy Kipper]

Nice idea, really really like the 12 ton; but a bit too much of a yacht and not enough of a home. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[trouville]

Otherwis a sailor 40 by camper an nicolson really great solid motor sailor with walk through to aft cabin grp and very solid not to expensive today

Im looking at boats on a small buget if you can spend a million then----

[Tranona]

Sounds like the Holy Grail to me! Think you will recognise it when you see it!

Good Luck

[sarabande]

You may be lucky to find a Colvic Watson for that sort of price.

I can certainly recommend them for being a safe seakindly boat, with masses of space. Not great shakes on the purely sailing side, but anyhting above F2/3, and they keep on going till
the crew gives up.

The great virtue of the enclosed wheelhouse is it doubles as an office, dining room, and workshop, all with marvellous views of the rain outside and other yottoes wearing seventeen layers of waterproofs !


PM me if you want to talk about / visit one.

[Troutbridge]

Unless you enjoy maintenance wood will, as you say, drive you nuts. Steel also is not maintenance-free and looks terrible if neglected, also very heavy for a boat under about 45' so you'd definitely be motoring much more than sailing.What you are describing is a Fisher, a smaller Nauticat or indeed a Colvic Watson, but I feel that all may be out of your budget. You could try converting an MFV, but I think that a) you'd exceed your budget by the time the conversion was done and b) it would be a mammoth task (although it has been successfully done). If you go down the MFV route there are plenty of, well frankly wooden wrecks, around the French fishing ports, where the owners were paid to take the boats out of commission. I believe that there are a number of places in Ireland as well. Good luck.

[charles_reed]

Warrior, early Moody.

[Bajansailor]

How about a Catfisher 28? There is one for sale at http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/EY01758
Although it is a bit outside your price range.

[Lazy Kipper]

Thanks - a great suggestion. It's just on the small side though. The Catfisher is a superb boat and almost fits the bill but would get a bit cramped after a while, did they make a 33? The 28 for sale on b&o.com is overpriced as well - a nice one just sold via Scott Brown for £30,000.