Recommend a Boat for Offshore Sailing?

[Spookie]

Hello folks,

First post so might as well introduce myself too! My name is Jimmy and with my partner we're both currently doing the Competent Crew course with the RYA in the UK We're loving every minute of it and before progressing to the next course, would like to get a boat so we can both enjoy sailing more often but also so we can become confident in our abilities.

For the short term, our intentions are just to sail around the South coast of the UK, and once we're more experienced we intend to make regular trips to France and possibly further to places such as the Azores (although that is a bit further in the future).

Unfortunately, we are fairly new to the world of yachts and so we are not sure on what makes one boat more seaworthy than another So perhaps a list of our "needs" would help in suggestions.....

* We require a boat between 25-35 foot as we intend to spend a bit of time aboard (so possibly a week or more on board at a time)

* We would prefer a draft below 1.8m as we would like to traverse the French canals, larger than this and we would not get down them!

* Capable of an Atlantic crossing in the long term, we're thinking "buy right first time and no need to change in the future"

* Fairly easy to sail for novices, and quite forgiving


The budget would be approximately £10,000 sterling, so what do you all recommend?

Thanks, and look forward to learning / sharing knowledge on the forums

[Pete7]

Spookie welcome to CF>

Some light reading,

Atom Voyages | Voyaging Around the World on the Sailboat Atom

and John Vigors book discussed here is worth buying second hand from Amazon.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...oat-36162.html

And a search of yachtworld to give you a flavour of what is available.

(Sail) Boats For Sale United Kingdom

However before you go rushing off to buy a yacht, can I suggest you charter a couple first. Greece would be good and you should be able to pick up some deals if you can move a short notice and be flexible.

Flotilla sailing holidays from Neilson

Closer to home:

Sigma 33 Yacht Charters

In fact do both

Pete

[Skipper Dan]

Spookie,

I started with "Twenty Small Sailboats to take you anywhere". By; John Vigor. You learn a lot about sailboats from that book. Once you read it you are better able to choose a good boat for your application. I just purchased a Pearson Triton 28'. Although there were a few other boats that I liked better, money, played a big part in what I got. I have found that the equipment aboard plays a big part on "The Best Sailboat". It does not take a lot of money, but plenty of time to refurbish a boat paint wise. Buy one that needs a mast or sometimes even sails and your wallet will empty in a hurry. Things I would look for are a good self steering vane, proper water tankage. Head properly installed. A good galley. winches in good order. New standing rigging. Pick any boat and call for a replacement of any of the items and you will see what I mean. The Contessa 32 was on the top of my list, Allied Seawind II, Nicholson 31, Alberg 30, Pearson Triton, Vega 27. I wanted to be able to single hand it so I was limited to smaller boats.

Dan

[skipmac]

Hi Spookie,

Yours is a very common question from new boaters. Use the search function for the forum and you will find many, long and detailed threads discussing this issue. Try searching under terms like: bluewater boats, new boat, newbie first boat, offshore boat.

Also from the home page at the top of the screen, click on "discussion forums" and scroll down the the section labeled "the fleet" and search through discussions in that section. Might also go a little further down and read sections on liveaboards.

Lots of great information already here.

[Spookie]

Thank you for the information, I'll definately take a look at the Sigma charter yachts too once we've got our first course completed - strangely I could not find any "cheaper" charter companies when I first looked, they were all for the 40ft+ yachts!

And again thank you for the suggestions and search words, I'll have a look this afternoon

[Curmudgeon]

I would also look at Greg Nestor's book "Twenty Affordable Sailboats to Take You Anywhere."

But even so, on your budget, you will have to compromise.