Going from Power to Sail - update!

[fireball]

Frankly, the standard sail spec is way below par for me.
..

I think that goes for most new awb's these days. You almost need to spec the mast!!

Does the OP really want a brand new vessel? There are a load of good nearly new ones on the market - you normally get more for your money and with the inevitable snagging list done

[xyachtdave]

I think that goes for most new awb's these days. You almost need to spec the mast!!

Does the OP really want a brand new vessel? There are a load of good nearly new ones on the market - you normally get more for your money and with the inevitable snagging list done

Spot on.
I'm a bit biased (!) but a secondhand X-37 is available for new 37 ft AWB money.

If you decide it's not for you, maybe your main reason for buying - it's new - has gone.

Might be worth a couple of weekends looking at say a Maxi or X Yacht etc. Depending on who owned it before you, it might have only had a few weekends use.

[Monique]

PLEASE go out in the Hanse again and see :

1 How easy it is to tack

2 how absolutely pants a small self tacking jib can be in every other way.

If you want to spend your life beating, that's the rig to go for but for anything else you want a genoa.

Talk of running with a cruising chute is fantasy, especially for a beginner ... that's spinnaker territory and the wind range and angle of a chute is limited.

Plus the crew has to go onto the foredeck and rig / derig it whether in a sock or not.

To the above, I support Bav 34. You will not be a novice long; what do you do then? You will be bored.

Spinny is never too large either. Except when its out in unsuitable conditions. Go for the sportier setup. You will be glad you did.

[AliM]

One more contribution to the self-tacking jib debate...
Where will you be sailing? If you have to get out of a river or narrow channel, then the wind is always against you (well, it seems that way) so you'll be doing a lot of short-tacking, when the self-tacker is brilliant. If you are straight out to the open sea, then you'll rarely need to tack much (i.e. select your direction so that you don't!) so it loses its advantage. However, the self-tacker will rarely need to be reefed, so its shape is much better when the wind pipes up than the rolled-up genoa.

With a self-tacker you'll be underpowered in <F5 at all other points of sail and running is a pain. So supplement it with a cruising shute/assymmetric/code zero cut so that you can use it for as wide a wind angle as possible. It needs to be controllable from the cockpit (furler/sock). You will only be using it in light winds anyway.

[jordanbasset]

Spot on.
I'm a bit biased (!) but a secondhand X-37 is available for new 37 ft AWB money.

If you decide it's not for you, maybe your main reason for buying - it's new - has gone.

Might be worth a couple of weekends looking at say a Maxi or X Yacht etc. Depending on who owned it before you, it might have only had a few weekends use.

Similar thoughts as me, except I would go for the 2-3 year old Bavaia/Hanse (if you still like those choices) The first owner would have sorted out teething problems you get on most new boats. They almost certainly will have added extra equipment and you will save a few thousand on the cost of a new one for a virtually new boat.

[Ripster]

Similar thoughts as me, except I would go for the 2-3 year old Bavaia/Hanse (if you still like those choices) The first owner would have sorted out teething problems you get on most new boats. They almost certainly will have added extra equipment and you will save a few thousand on the cost of a new one for a virtually new boat.

All sensible advice - granted. We have bought 4 boats previously, so know a little about used boat buying and its pitfalls. If the right one truns up then this may be the way - but at the Mo, the new ones have the edge. We are planning to spend more and more aboard, so the living space needs to be as right as sailing performance and all within budget!

[Ben Jordan]

Hi there :-)

Having done some powerboating and sailing, and working in brokerage previously, I would say perhaps consider a charter on the sort of boat you're looking at buying, and perhaps even consider joining a club and doing some boating on various sailing boats.

If it were me I would look at something like an xyacht or even ovni a year or two old - which means somebody else pays the VAT for you. It also means shoukd you not take to it as you hope you can change boat again with minimal cost.

With regards sails, I'd echo most other people. When I started I was scared of big sails and spinnakers, but after not very long I felt the need, and going bigger is not cheap and can be a bit of a faff if the boat is not setup for sails with big loads - winch size for example on a new boat with a little self-tacking foresail will be hard work on a big genoa.