Buying a boat on the other side of the world

[boatman61]

Whichever way your thinking I would opt for buying in the Caribe rather than the W coast US.
Theres a much larger selection and every year boats pop up for sail that have sailed from Europe and the owners don't fancy the trip back.
If you want the Pacific its around 6 to 7 days to Colon from say St Martin.. transit the canal which is an experience by itself, stock up on the other side then head for the Marquesas which is 23 days to 50 depending on your luck with winds..
From there island hop to your hearts content though you'll be limited by the season anyway.. then on to Oz.
A watermaker is a must with size of boat and people on board.
If the Caribe.. you'll have the full year and time for all the islands if you plan it right regardless of season.
Just one of the many brokers in the Caribe..
https://bviyachtsales.com/yacht_type...ale-caribbean/

[tekdiver]

Last word from the stranded Wynn,s in Fiji the area is still locked down no travel. So that,s your first issue.
James from Zingaro has been beating around looking for a blue water boat for over two months now most have major flaws and are not cruse ready.
Best of Luck to ya

[inchcailloch]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Why not buy a yacht in Fiji and then cruise down wind from there, finally ending up in Bundaberg Australia?
I don't think buying a yacht in Fiji would be that difficult. There seemed to be plenty of yachts for sale at Vadu point marina last year.

Cheers

Whilst unlike you i cannot speak ftom experience of yacht sales in Fiji but hope tp sail there next year.

1. Cost of flying to Fiji (which might be futile)

2. Cursury look on internet does not show many for sale there

3. Having sailed to Fiji they will have sailed at least the Pacific if not Atlantic also...
What repairs/maintenance will need carrying out?

4 I have spent a season in New Caledonia.....parts extremely expensive if you can obtain them at all. Ie i brought in an autohelm for a colleague for £1200, whereas it would. have cost £3000 there.

5. I needed work done and had to wait 5 weeks for it to be done. I was fortunate and had a good guy but like always heard horror stories. Yes Australia is expensive for labour but NZ is not only excellent workmanship (had standing rigging done along with a majot overhaul, you get the labour and marina fees tax free)

6 Having crossed the Altanic a few times and Pacific once, though not stopping after Tonga till NZ, certainly the leg from sw of Fiji/Tonga was the most challenging of my experience of the Pacific leg

But good luck anyway......and go for it........the most amazing years of my life both in meeting amazing people and unbelievable places. Dont let anyone talk you out of your dreams

[foojin]

Some years ago, 2001 in fact, we purchased a sailboat in Thailand. We did not intend to go there to buy a boat — we lived and worked there and it was time to get a boat.

One thing I learned is that many couples who set off to sail the world abandon their dream in places like Thailand, or sailors get there and realize it’s too wonderful to leave.

One of the most costly things about sailing a boat across oceans is fitting it with gear like liferafts and windvanes and on and on. Many boats that go up for sale in Phuket and nearby Langkawi are completely tricked out, not a penny more needs to be spent.

At least that was the case before 2008, when we sailed home to Canada.

[Captn_Black]

I think that the undertone of the comments here - and my opinion too - is that you can't expect this to go as planned, especially on a limited budget and timescale. No doubt it will be an adventure though, one way or the other.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by boatman61

transit the canal which is an experience by itself, stock up on the other side then head for the Marquesas which is 23 days to 50 depending on your luck with winds..

I think the distances involved are too much for your family in the time frame available.

How fixed on the South Pacific are you? because a change of area could be much more achievable.

Baltic > Norway > Faroes > Scotland > Ireland > Portugal > Canaries, would all be short one week hops and achievable in a year starting in the Spring.

Pete

[Gaia]

I envy you the adventure to start off with a positive comment. However NZ, our favourite btw of all the places we visited, as a starting pt might be a challenge. Nothing wrong with a challenge but with a new to you boat and limited experience by the crew if not you, facing the crossing to the islands, Fiji, etc as your first real sail might not be the wisest thing you have done. If you buy in the islands you can get familiar with the boat while sailing in safer waters at least from the point of view of wx. Crossing from NZ could also be time consuming as you will want to have a good forecast. NZ biggest problem and perhaps one of its biggest assets at the same time is its lying so far south. You will contend with 'high latitude' weather, lows, fronts and the like before you get to the trades. All doable of course especially from the North Island but requiring more of the stuff you will have in short supply; time and experience than sailing in the trades.

After all those rather negative comments getting a kiwi crew to the islands, preferably the guy or gal you bought the boat from, might be the answer.

Jim SV GAIA ps New Zealanders are wonderful. Just do not underestimate the crossing to the islands.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Gaia

I envy you the adventure to start off with a positive comment. However NZ, our favourite btw of all the places we visited, as a starting pt might be a challenge. Nothing wrong with a challenge but with a new to you boat and limited experience by the crew if not you, facing the crossing to the islands, Fiji, etc as your first real sail might not be the wisest thing you have done. If you buy in the islands you can get familiar with the boat while sailing in safer waters at least from the point of view of wx. Crossing from NZ could also be time consuming as you will want to have a good forecast. NZ biggest problem and perhaps one of its biggest assets at the same time is its lying so far south. You will contend with 'high latitude' weather, lows, fronts and the like before you get to the trades. All doable of course especially from the North Island but requiring more of the stuff you will have in short supply; time and experience than sailing in the trades.

After all those rather negative comments getting a kiwi crew to the islands, preferably the guy or gal you bought the boat from, might be the answer.

Jim SV GAIA ps New Zealanders are wonderful. Just do not underestimate the crossing to the islands.

Yes. I am an experienced sailor, and I want to visit NZ, but I view the challenge of getting there, in my eventual planned route, as second only to passing the Horn in difficulty.

[Jono as 2234]

A couple of things to add. Your trip is very do able with the right Boat and fitout, that's not a Benny First. My last yacht, a Oz design, long keel, mid cockpit 36 ft cutter, did this trip twice. Starting Melbourne to NZ, then up through the islands to PNG then back down the oz coast Inc the Reef. 36 ft too small for your family, but a traditional cruising design is a must imo. Maybe start the circle from n qld, plenty of dreamers boats available, easy access and multiple services, who will steal you blind if you're not vigilant.

[stormalong]

Cruising the Pacific "coconut milk run" in one year is common. You want to be out of the typhoon belt for the southern hemisphere summer. Going through Panama in February and doing the run, ending in New Zealand in December is a common way to go. I've done it twice.

However, a boat is not like a car. You can't just drive it off the lot and go, especially for long ocean passages. You have to know your boat and have confidence in what it can do. There are no mechanics mid ocean so you have to be able to deal with whatever problems arise. You need to know that essential systems are as solid as they can be. The rigging and sails, the electrical, the windvane and/or autopilot must be solid. The rudder and steering system must be bulletproof. Many boats are abandoned when their rudders fail. This is where the time comes in. Any boat you buy, either brand new or 50 years old requires that you go through the process of inspection, outfitting, and most importantly your learning the boat. That takes a year before you depart on your voyage.

[Max Nankervis]

As far as I know, buying a boat outside Australia, and bringing it in - and selling it - will incur tax issues. Big money issues. I'd check on this. Paying the tax may be OK given the exchange rate, but you won't get many Euros to take home after sale.

[JPA Cate]

Hello, Zeiling, welcome to CF.

My creds: have sailed twice from California to French Polynesia via Mexico, and once along the milk run to NZ, back to Tonga, Fiji, and then to Oz. From Oz, sort of stuck in the South Pacific eddy, going out to Vanuatu and New Caledonia, and returning south to get out of the cyclone belt.

Comments: 9 months is a very short time in terms of boats and travels. You are unlikely to find anywhere a boat that is ready to go. You probably need 3 cabins, so probably need a 40 ft. boat, unless the kids are small enough to have all 3 to one cabin.
Agree with Boatie about the watermaker.

You will benefit from a much less ambitious plan than you suggest. It will take time to get it ready to go, it just isn't like buying a car. It will take time to de-register and re-register it. Any problem with the boat could wreck your schedule. And it will take time to sell it.

It is your goals for the sabbatical that should determine how you want to do it. I think something simple, like buying in NZ and then going only to Fiji, New Caledonia, and then selling in Oz could work, if the borders ever open again. Now, all are closed. In any event, selling boats in a timely fashion is not simple, nor quick. It took us about 3 years to sell our previous boat.

Someone above wrote, " I have spent a season in New Caledonia.....parts extremely expensive if you can obtain them at all. Ie i brought in an autohelm for a colleague for £1200, whereas it would. have cost £3000 there." Our experience has been that if it is for export (will go away when the boat moves on), one can arrange, through the Douane, to import it tax free. One must make the arrangements beforehand, you will have forms to fill out. If the item has already been imported, like available from a business establishment, the tax is unavoidable, and it is 100%.

The trip from NZ to Tonga is on the wind, as is the one to Fiji. We didn't have any problem with them, but we have always selected boats that went well to weather, and we had years of experience sailing together by the time we arrived in NZ the first time. I'm sorry, but I really keep feeling you're biting off a too big chunk, especially with children who may get seasick, or simply need more managing in an unfamiliar environment. I feel concerned, you're underestimating the effects of a huge change on them.

You'll really have to budget time to get the boat ready, [sad reality is that someone else's ready to cruise boat may not be suitable for your family] and to sell her. Therefore, you really aren't going to have 9 months to play. You might do better, for getting a taste of things, to charter in whichever venues you want to visit, and also do land travel there. Australia and New Caledonia both have large charter fleets.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but a much simpler plan will serve you best, I really think. If you can sell yourself on exploring Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, spending your sailing time all in Australia would be a lot easier on all of you. Sometimes, in the past, people cut a deal with a yacht broker to buy the boat back at the end of your 9 months. It makes the boat cost more, but then the broker sells it for you and it's his worry if it doesn't sell in a timely fashion. This is going to be expensive however you decide to do it, by charter and car hire, or by buying and re-selling. Boats are depreciating assets, unless you make your living fixing up boats for sale and know how to do all that.

Ann

[Dsanduril]

I’ll offer this to the OP without calling it a recommendation.

We are from California. We found the boat we wanted in NZ. We bought the boat there (from a Swiss couple that had sailed it from Italy). We found the process of buying there simple, the trades and equipment readily available, and the prices reasonable.

We flew to our new home in December and spent a month getting the boat ready. We then spent a very pleasant summer cruising around NZ, learning the boat and finding the flaws. We ended up in Christchurch in March and left from there for the Australs, then up to the Tuamotus, then the Milk Run through Cooks, Tonga, Fiji, etc.

We went back to NZ in October, then across to Oz in December. We could just as easily have done Fiji-New Cal-Oz but had reasons to want to pass through NZ.

So, in short, a one year tour of the South Pacific on that kind of itinerary is quite possible. I would not, however, suggest that it is the easiest route. Boatie’s suggestion of a Caribbean purchase followed by the Milk Run is likely the simplest to me (although the purchase logistics themselves may be slightly more complicated). The California option is also fairly simple, although it is an easier sail (and shorter) to leave California direct for the Marquesas - but then you miss Mexico and Central America.

In the end any of them are feasible so I would look at all of them and let the possibilities you find steer you.

One caveat, beware of taxes, especially if you are thinking of selling the boat at the end of your adventure.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

I’ll offer this to the OP without calling it a recommendation.

We are from California. We found the boat we wanted in NZ. We bought the boat there (from a Swiss couple that had sailed it from Italy). We found the process of buying there simple, the trades and equipment readily available, and the prices reasonable.

Yes, as someone who spends a lot of time online looking for the most economical chandeliery, NZ and AUS often turn up as the best results before shipping.

[robert sailor]

Personally because your wife and family would be very new to sailing I would avoid a Pacific crossing. It gets you to the Marquesas or Hawaii but you've still got a long way to go after that.Why spend a good chunk of your cruising time doing passages?
New Zealand is a great place to visit, weather is mild but not tropical heat and humidity. Kiwis are sailing freaks, probably the best per capita in the world. Lots to see and do in NZ.
You would also enjoy your time in Tonga. You could put your kids in school there for a semester if you liked. You can easily visit Fiji as well..pretty easy to burn up 9-12 months.

We have sailed through that neck of the woods but had alot more time on our hands. I think if you tried to cover too many miles passage making your wife and kids might introduce you to the modern version of mutiny .

Another option might be to buy the boat in wherever land and you and a couple of your good buddies sail it down there and your wife and kids fly down and meet you there.

As far as boat choice..nothing wrong with any of the newer high value boats like Beneteau, Jeaneau, Bavaria your only going for 9 plus months and they make a good coastal cruiser thats very appealing to locals as well as being relatively easy to sell in either NZ or Australia. As another sailor mentioned gin yourself up on local taxes as it can be an awakening experience.