US to Australia in One Year Starting February 2012

[dennisail]

Originally Posted by holmek

Haven't sailed a shoal draft O'Day. But the deep draft version is only 6'8" so not too extreme. The exchange rates are in AUS and SouthAfrica's favour at the moment and with the US economy where it is you can negotiate a great deal, but, having said that, by the time you factor in airfares/preparations/additional gear/provisions and import taxes, you can't really expect to come out on top when you sell back home, ; BUT you would have had a GREAT adventure that money can't buy and (almost) for free.! Oh, and ebay is great for used gear, I bought my windvane and other stuff through ebay, it was shipped across the US-no trubs,- and was waiting for me when I arrived at the boat.

Out of the 5 or so Odays I have seen all have been shoal draft. They are all like $50-80K too. I'm not in it to make a profit. If I come out even I will be more than happy.

[GordMay]

C&C 44'
C&C 44 sailboat on sailboatdata.com

[Surfer Girl]

dennisail, I'm with MarkJ!

We bought an ex Sunsail yacht in Guadeloupe for a great price (a third of the price the same boat was here in Oz), organised Aussie registration, upgraded batteries, added a few solar panels and registered an EPIRB with NOAA and we were ready to go! Our boat already had large capacity water and diesel tankage, auto pilot (try not to use too much, they really drain batteries), 8 man liferaft, GPS, VHF, etc.
Most charter boats are used regularly and maintained by the charter company (although not all). Boats sitting for years decaying are the ones to worry about but as always, buyer beware - get it hauled out, surveyed, buy new batteries or upgrade them, engine thouroughly checked, check sails, standing & running rigging and you're good to go! We bought a handheld VHF, handheld back up GPS, shortwave receiver, solar panels, new outboard for RIB, interfaced my laptop with the GPS with electronic charts (donated by a friend), etc and had this all sorted in 2 weeks for minimal outlay. You can do it cheap, you just have to be smart, wash up in a bucket (sea water wash/fresh water rinse) to conserve drinking water, when on passage use the bucket and chuck it toilet, etc.

Doing Oz in 1 year from the Caribbean (West Indies) is a bit quick. Look at boats for sale on the West Coast USA - then you will have a lot more time. People bag production boats and sure the finish and internal details aren't perfect but they're built strong enough, usually have good quality spars and engines and 1000's have circumnavigated safely. Plus, they will be easier to sell back in Oz.

Right now is a great time to buy OS - the Oz dollar is strong & there's heaps of rich people dumping assets in the US & Europe (i.e. yachts). Once in Oz, you pay GST & duty but you can write off part of the duty and it still works out way cheaper than buying a yacht here - you just have to find the right boat.

Finally, you started off this thread asking people when to sail, what time of year, what about seasons, etc, etc. Do your own home work, buy charts, books, check out Noonsite for latest cruising updates on security issues, harbour fees, etc.

Good luck

[dennisail]

What type of yacht did you end up buying and how much did it cost if I may ask? How did you find your boat? Did you use the net to search for a boat? Trust me I am doing my homework. My time frame is not negotiable as it is work related.

PS. The constant bagging of prod boats seems to be fairly over exaggerated. I mainly see bagging of older boats on CF by the very people accusing others of bagging prod boats. Some people seem to think I hate prod boats just because I like old boats, as if I can only like one type. Its almost as bad as mono vs multi, and I actually like multis too. I am still looking at prod boats. But other than BVI yacht sales and what comes up on yacht world, I cant see much for sale. There was a Bav and a Jen I liked in the BVI, but they are sold.

[Surfer Girl]

I used Yacht World. I found my boat listed - 1999 Dufour 43 - in 2002 for what seemed to be a way too cheap price! I had been looking for over a year in Oz, wasteing money driving or flying interstate to look at crappy, over priced older boats (not that there's anything wrong with a sound, well maintained older boat - just that they're far and few between).
I emailed the broker in St Maarten back and forth, said what's wrong with the boat, the price is too cheap, etc. The story was that a large company in France needed to dump 10-12 of their boats in charter with Sunsail for tax reasons. I sussed it out as best I could from here in Oz, and then took the punt to fly over to St Maarten, check the boat out in person, haul her out, get her surveyed, met the manager of the French company and, long story short, it was all hunky dory. What's more, the boat came with a lot of great cruising gear (Bombadier 8 man kife raft, powerful auto pilot, etc).
There was one for sale in Whitsundays for Aust$270,000! I paid US$77,000! Although of course, the exchange rate back then was not as favourable as now - I think, from memory, the electronic transfer ended up being around Aust$137,000 (so sorry, half price - not a third; I was thinking the US dollar price)

I think I was very lucky to find this deal because I haven't seen one since, although I only look about once a year. I think if you have the time and do the research, you can definitely still find bargains. Some of yachts I have seen for sale in the Med are truly tempting... remember, most charter boats are owned by wealtier people doing a tax write-off; with the European financial crisis right now these assets need to be dumped. I wish I could talk my wife into it again but we've got a son doing HSC, a large mortgage and a business....

[dennisail]

Great prices mate. If I find a deal like that on a prod boat I will go for it. The med is just too far away to do leisurely in my 1 year time frame. I have certainly noticed that is where most of the cheap prod boats are. The pretty much leaves the Caribbean. I will do another search on yacht world.

[dennisail]

Is this a bit too trashed?

http://au.yachtworld.com/boats/2005/...Virgin-Islands

[dennisail]

But what I really like is this Sun Odyssey 44 foot (can you tell I like sporty boats yet ). At $130k (neg) it is a bit expensive for a 1992 model, but if you check the specs it is all supposedly near new due to a major refit.



2008 Jeanneau SUN ODYSSEY Offers! Sail New and Used Boats for Sale

[Surfer Girl]

Dennis, the Oceanis 393 looks good for the price but as always you have to suss it out thoroughly - which charter base was she with (some look after their boats better than others), what extra gear does she come with, any repaired damage, etc.

I'm confused about the Sun Odyssey? Is it a '92 model? At the top of the Yacht World list it say's "2008" - a bit of a mis-representation!?! They are definitley a nice yacht.

Are you looking to keep the boat for yourself once back in Oz or sell? Obviously a later build year (the 2005 Beneteau in the 2 examples you posted) will get more re sale. But if you're keeping for yourself, you can be more flexible. If the Jenneau was truly well maintained and totally refurbed and you can negotiate the price down, might be OK. Keep looking...

[Boracay]

The 1992 Jeanneau would look stunning now, but after bashing across the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean its not going to be the same. In a couple of years buyers will consider it a 1992 model. The ex charter Jeanneaus come pre bashed!

The Beneteau 393 looks too good to be true. I'd be calling the broker for a friendly chat. Might need a dodger, backup autopilot and a new forestay...

[Surfer Girl]

BTW, Simpson Bay in Sint Maarten/St Martin is a good place to prepare the boat for passage. Lot's of choices for haul out, plenty of yacht services available and one of the biggest chandlerys in the West Indies - Budget Marine...

[savoir]

Just for the hell of it I wandered over to the Dufour section of Yachtworld to see what was there. This boat is fantastic value for money and because it is ex tax I reckon some serious bargaining could be done. An EU buyer has to be ready to pay 45,000 Euro or thereabouts in VAT while non Euro buyer doesn't care.

2009 Dufour 45 Performance Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

This is one helluvalotta boat at the price too. Note the location dennisail

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...g_id=75837&url=

[Surfer Girl]

2 very nice boats Savoir. Dufour aren't very well known in Australia but they make very good boats...

[savoir]

I reckon getting a near new 45 footer ( assuming the ad is true ) for around 300 US is a steal.

[dennisail]

Nice boats. I'm sure they are on par with Ben Jen & Bav, but as mentioned they are not really sold here so that would impact on resale. Getting a little expensive too