40ft Container Yacht

[cirrus_stream]

We are looking to purchase a yacht to sail around the Ascension island for day sail teaching, perhaps beyond to Saint Helena on occasion.

Appreciate this is how long is a piece of string question. Need suggestions on a boat model which is tough as old boots, common in that is will be easy to get spare sails and parts. Boat will need to be easily hauled on and off pier head for maintenance and of course fit into 40ft container dimensions below in imperial and metric.

Any ideas? I was thinking of the Jaguar 27 as seems common. Budget is between 5-10K.

length = 39ft 4ins - 11.98m
width = 7ft 6ins - 2.28m
height = 7ft 5ins - 2.26m

Any ideas welcome - Happy nearly New year everyone

[RDW]

If you are talking about a shipping container to be able to ship the boat long distances, you should look at the cost of decommissioning and recommissioning the boat and shipping. From what I know it would be more than your budget for the whole boat.
RDW

[Kevin84]

I would strongly recommend against trying to ship your boat in a container. I've worked in that industry for years and those boxes are handled ROUGH. You'd be better off either buying a boat locally or shipping it as outsized freight. More expensive, but it'll get taken care of better. And as RDW pointed out, the shipping costs and cost to decommission and recommission her will easily double your budget for your purchase price.

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[Jim Cate]

IIRC, Bob Perry designed a yacht specifically to fit into a container, and it was built and used as designed. Way above your proposed budget, but it demonstrates the principle.

He's a pretty good guy, and would probably send you some of the details if you asked him... or you could do some internet research yourself.

Most any trailer boat will fit into a container, possibly with the trailer attached, and that would ease the commissioning expenses greatly. Further I doubt that handling of the containers would be much rougher than trailering at speed on bad roads, something that is a normal occurrence in the life of a trailersailor.

So, IMO your project is completely feasible except for the budget. Where have you heard that before?

Good luck with it, mate

Jim

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Further I doubt that handling of the containers would be much rougher than trailering at speed on bad roads, something that is a normal occurrence in the life of a trailersailor.

Jim

Jim, it's not just the way a chassis rides going down the road. Those boxes are SLAMMED onto the chassis, on and off the ship, and when they stack them in the port. I've seen boxes with huge holes in them from being dropped onto something or having something swing into them. It's just something to consider. My father used to run a moving company that would get shipments in from overseas. Usually military personal on their way home. We opened up one container to find a minivan twisted 90 degrees inside it. The steamship line had to cut the box apart to get it out. Granted that's an extreme example, but it is something that can happen. Particularly if you don't secure the cargo correctly. To the OP, if you decide to go this route, make sure whoever loads the boat into the container knows how to secure it.

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[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Jim, it's not just the way a chassis rides going down the road. Those boxes are SLAMMED onto the chassis, on and off the ship, and when they stack them in the port. I've seen boxes with huge holes in them from being dropped onto something or having something swing into them. It's just something to consider. My father used to run a moving company that would get shipments in from overseas. Usually military personal on their way home. We opened up one container to find a minivan twisted 90 degrees inside it. The steamship line had to cut the box apart to get it out. Granted that's an extreme example, but it is something that can happen. Particularly if you don't secure the cargo correctly. To the OP, if you decide to go this route, make sure whoever loads the boat into the container knows how to secure it.

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Hmmm, Kevin, that's pretty rude! The things that the shipping agents don't tell you...

I guess that your experience would do little to encourage this chap, but I do remember that when Perry was writing about his "yot in a box" he said that the owner had successfully shipped it several times.

Thanks for the heads up, though.

Jim

[olaf hart]

If you contact Bob, don't mention cruisers forum.
It's a sensitive subject, he was banned.
Not CF's finest hour.

[Stumble]

I have shipped a few boats by container and never had a problem. I wouldn't say there couldn't be, but the risks are pretty minor, and shipping insurance is pretty easy to get.

There are a number of boats that are specifically designed to ship via container, and if it was really important to me I would probably go this route. But I wouldn't consider a mono-hull. Taking the keel off is both tricky and could be expensive if you don't have the right equipment and crew. I would recommend looking at something like a Corsair 36 demountable. I think it ships in two containers, but is a pretty slick system.

Last year I shipped a Corsair 750 via standard 40' container (the boat is designed to have two to a container), and other than some customs issues it only took us about four hours to put the boat back together.

[zoombats]

There is a builder of a very fine sailboat specifically designed to fit in a container. The sailboat from Chris Bowman's "Malabar Boat Works" out of Perth is a very nicely designed classic craft above the waterline and all business below. I don't think the boat would even come close to your budget that you are suggesting.

[skipmac]

I ship cargo in containers all over the world. Nothing extremely fragile but certainly breakable and haven't lost a shipment yet. Properly packed I think a boat would ship just fine.

Problem would be cost. Just the shipping cost of the container could be $2000 or more and it could cost another couple grand or so to get the boat packed.

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I ship cargo in containers all over the world. Nothing extremely fragile but certainly breakable and haven't lost a shipment yet. Properly packed I think a boat would ship just fine.

Problem would be cost. Just the shipping cost of the container could be $2000 or more and it could cost another couple grand or so to get the boat packed.

Skipmac, I think that's the point I was trying to make. That it has to be properly secured. Shipping a sailboat in a container is not exactly common for most companies. The odds of them not properly securing it is what worries me. A company that does that regularly I think would be fine. Otherwise I'd worry about it.

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[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Skipmac, I think that's the point I was trying to make. That it has to be properly secured. Shipping a sailboat in a container is not exactly common for most companies. The odds of them not properly securing it is what worries me. A company that does that regularly I think would be fine. Otherwise I'd worry about it.

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Absolutely. Proper loading of the boat would be critical. Probably need a custom cradle built and added bracing to keep it from flopping around inside. Done right it would be a reasonable risk. A half baked job might get you delivery of container full of splinters.

[boatman61]

Westerly Centaur.. 26ft, bilge keel, sleeps 5/6, sails well.. can pick one up on E-Bay if your lucky.
Shipping is gonna hammer your budget..
Where's your nearest country..? If SA.. search their sites for a suitable boat.
Was gonna add something silly.. but deleted it..

[Stumble]

The boats I have dealt with shipping typically went in on their own trailer, or you have to build a custom cradle. If you plan on doing it regularly keeping the cradle is pretty important since building them gets expensive.

[cirrus_stream]

Was intending to try and get the boat in on road trailer (then height would probably only allow the anchor through the door) slings / packing - now becoming absurdly expensive prospect.

Starting to think a couple of much smaller boats in 40ft container might be better, perhaps a couple of hunter Europas on respective road trailers might be better to get us started and on the water.

I think finding a friendly sailing person in Cape Town will be crucial to help out with sourcing and oversee packing - any contacts anyone? There dont seem to be many smaller yachts on the Internet through Apolloduck, maybe people use something else over there?