Thinking of buying a sportsboat...advice needed!
Discussion
Right then here's the deal. In my teenage years I did loads of big boat sailing, all cruising, and in my 20s and 30s I've been racing dinghies, Cherubs and Fireballs. To be honest the Cherub more than satisfies the speed kick (and the new boat I'm building will be faster) and by the looks of things I can sell the fairly nice white Winder Fireball I have and take the plunge with a small keelboat. So I have a few questions:
1- I'm based in Rugby (about as far from the sea as possible!) but Bristol and South Coast are not too far away. What is the going rate for moorings these days? Marina is obviously going to be far too much, what sort of money can you pick up a swinging mooring for these days? Are there any other costs apart form insuarance, maintenance etc? Harbour dues for example?
2- Which boat? The ideal boat would be fast enough to keep me entertained on a breezy day, and ideally enjoy some class racing. Sleeping on board with 4 crew would be good, plus perhaps the option of having a week or weekend away with the other half in some degree of basic comfort. I know that some of the racing classes have no real accomodation at all down below to save weight, but either limited creature comforts or perhaps the ability to have a temporary chart table/sink/basic cooker would be a good thing. It would need electrics too. Budget would be £6500 maximum. I was thinking either J24, Jaguar 21, Sonata or Hunter 707. Have I missed anything?
3- Launching etc...having a look on some class websites, many classes seem to be dry sailed, and this presumably adds to the cost of sailing, or presumably you need to be prepared to be at the back of the fleet with a weedy bottom? I have a Land Rover Discovery as a second car which can presumably do some launching duties, is this feasible a couple of times a year, and can you get the mast up on your own with a few helpers?
Be grateful for any advice!
1- I'm based in Rugby (about as far from the sea as possible!) but Bristol and South Coast are not too far away. What is the going rate for moorings these days? Marina is obviously going to be far too much, what sort of money can you pick up a swinging mooring for these days? Are there any other costs apart form insuarance, maintenance etc? Harbour dues for example?
2- Which boat? The ideal boat would be fast enough to keep me entertained on a breezy day, and ideally enjoy some class racing. Sleeping on board with 4 crew would be good, plus perhaps the option of having a week or weekend away with the other half in some degree of basic comfort. I know that some of the racing classes have no real accomodation at all down below to save weight, but either limited creature comforts or perhaps the ability to have a temporary chart table/sink/basic cooker would be a good thing. It would need electrics too. Budget would be £6500 maximum. I was thinking either J24, Jaguar 21, Sonata or Hunter 707. Have I missed anything?
3- Launching etc...having a look on some class websites, many classes seem to be dry sailed, and this presumably adds to the cost of sailing, or presumably you need to be prepared to be at the back of the fleet with a weedy bottom? I have a Land Rover Discovery as a second car which can presumably do some launching duties, is this feasible a couple of times a year, and can you get the mast up on your own with a few helpers?
Be grateful for any advice!
Have you thought about (some might be out of your price bracket):
Melges 24
JOD 24
J80
X79
Beneteau First Class 8
Beneteau First Class 10
Tripp 26
Laser SB3
Cork 1720
Older 1/4 tonner that you refurb (de bump, non runnered rig etc)
Hunter Impala
Mustang 30
In the list you gave, personally, I would look at either the J24 or Hunter 707. Sonatas are good boats, but getting on a bit now so may not be as stiff as they were...
At the end of the day, I suggest you go & speak with the sailing clubs nearest you who run keel boat races & find out what the best fleet is. You would be more than a little pissed if you bought, say, a 707 if the club has a fantastic class of 20 / 30 Laser SB3's that race each week but you ended up having to race against Westerly Fulmars or something.
With respect to river moorings, they vary vastly. The guy I race for in Lymington keeps his on the river for about £300 a year...
Dry sailing generally is a little more expensive than river moorings, but a lot cheaper than marinas
General costs to be aware of:
Insurance
Race entry fees
Safety equipment (generally a one off cost if the kit is required)
Sails. Suggest a new #1 & #3 every couple of years & a new main every 3 / 4 years if the boat is being raced averagely. Prices vary hugely. If you want to be very competitive, you will be looking at North 3DL's / Quantum etc & may want to replace more often (I raced for a guy once who replaced his full wardrobe of sails (main, code1, code2, #3, 3 kites) every 42 racing hours - we were quick, but it cost him mucho £££££££!!!
General repairs. Budget on maybe splitting the kite once or twice a year (we split ours 3 times at Cowes last week!!!). Depending on the size of the rip, patching can go from a few quid up to several hundred £
Anti-fouling. If kept in the water, it will need this. It is pretty expensive. Approx £100 will cover a 25 ft boat & needs to be done every year. Before any big regatta, get the boat hoisted & give the bottom a good clean (only £50 / £75 or so). If kept in the water, you will also need to replace the anode every year. Only a hundred quid or so, but worth remembering, otherwise you will have no prop etc left!
Electrics. Most boats will have them on, but you will need GPS (maybe not if you always race around the same cans), VHF, Speed, Depth, TWA / AWA as a minimum to give your trimmers a chance!
Crew beers. Can make any of the costs above pale into insignificance.....
Melges 24
JOD 24
J80
X79
Beneteau First Class 8
Beneteau First Class 10
Tripp 26
Laser SB3
Cork 1720
Older 1/4 tonner that you refurb (de bump, non runnered rig etc)
Hunter Impala
Mustang 30
In the list you gave, personally, I would look at either the J24 or Hunter 707. Sonatas are good boats, but getting on a bit now so may not be as stiff as they were...
At the end of the day, I suggest you go & speak with the sailing clubs nearest you who run keel boat races & find out what the best fleet is. You would be more than a little pissed if you bought, say, a 707 if the club has a fantastic class of 20 / 30 Laser SB3's that race each week but you ended up having to race against Westerly Fulmars or something.
With respect to river moorings, they vary vastly. The guy I race for in Lymington keeps his on the river for about £300 a year...
Dry sailing generally is a little more expensive than river moorings, but a lot cheaper than marinas
General costs to be aware of:
Insurance
Race entry fees
Safety equipment (generally a one off cost if the kit is required)
Sails. Suggest a new #1 & #3 every couple of years & a new main every 3 / 4 years if the boat is being raced averagely. Prices vary hugely. If you want to be very competitive, you will be looking at North 3DL's / Quantum etc & may want to replace more often (I raced for a guy once who replaced his full wardrobe of sails (main, code1, code2, #3, 3 kites) every 42 racing hours - we were quick, but it cost him mucho £££££££!!!
General repairs. Budget on maybe splitting the kite once or twice a year (we split ours 3 times at Cowes last week!!!). Depending on the size of the rip, patching can go from a few quid up to several hundred £
Anti-fouling. If kept in the water, it will need this. It is pretty expensive. Approx £100 will cover a 25 ft boat & needs to be done every year. Before any big regatta, get the boat hoisted & give the bottom a good clean (only £50 / £75 or so). If kept in the water, you will also need to replace the anode every year. Only a hundred quid or so, but worth remembering, otherwise you will have no prop etc left!
Electrics. Most boats will have them on, but you will need GPS (maybe not if you always race around the same cans), VHF, Speed, Depth, TWA / AWA as a minimum to give your trimmers a chance!
Crew beers. Can make any of the costs above pale into insignificance.....
Edited by Schmalex on Saturday 18th August 09:38
Edited by Schmalex on Saturday 18th August 20:55
Edited by Schmalex on Wednesday 29th August 22:04
Hard-Drive said:
Excellent, great advice, thanks. I think in hindsight any racing would be on a less serious basis, I'll keep that side to skiffs!
Where did your friend get a mooring for £300?
Lymington river. However, you have to be resident within a 5 mile radius of the river, or something....Where did your friend get a mooring for £300?
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