Cons of buying a boat that has previously circumnavigated vs same coastal use inly

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Contrary viewpoint warning

. . . . . . .

I have much sympathy with Kenomac's POV.

ROW's can be hard miles on a boat, causing fundamental issues in places you may not see. We know various RTW boats where the bulkheads were loose, or the hull to deck joint weeping, or stress cracks in the mast, etc and in each case, the problems were pretty hard to spot (had been papered/painted over to some degree). "Refits" mentioned on sale are often more cosmetic than the subsequent buyer would have preferred.

Fundamentally with a 17 year old boat - ROW or not, 'refit' or not, I personally would feel the need to do a pretty significant strip back, examination and reinstallation in any case. You need to know the boat and be sure of its basic structures and have things installed in a way that you understand and know.

I personally would pretty much always go with the lower milage boat, unless I had much more knowledge that I do here about the high mileage one (like having been at the yard while it was being 'refit'). Fundamentally, you are taking a somewhat greater risk with the high milage boat.

But ofc, either boat might have been run around multiple times with the owner not telling you, and you cant know the keel bolts are about to fall off, without dropping the keel. . . that's just boats

[Don C L]

Well, imo, boats don't know mileage, unless you are talking about engine hours, and even then it can be deceiving because diesels love to be run. They know sun damage and salt damage to sails, I'll grant that of course. When I said "love" I meant a boat that is maintained and upgraded well. A boat that has seen a lot of mileage probably has someone aboard who has been taking care of things as they pop up before they become bigger problems later, most likely. I have a good ol' friend who has a Freya 39. He sailed it from CA all over the Pacific for a few years and then back to SF. It is beautiful and better than new. There is a Freya 39 here locally that rarely goes out, well, I actually have never seen it go out. It is sitting rusting and rotting, with low mileage. Now, granted, my buddy did not circumnavigate, but I use it as an example of how it may not be as simple as mileage.

[Cheechako]

Well to some extent boats do know mileage. But I agree the analogy is not direct for sure. As far as things like sails, engines, generators, autopilots are concerned anyway. A boat that sat seldom used will have near new sails. The hardware and mast will not have been drenched in salt water for years which really take it's toll on mast, rigging, stancions, windlasses and chainplates etc . So it's a question of what the "refit" involved.
An often used diesel will likely be good. A seldom one will have some minor issues though. One used for a circumnavigation may well be very used.
One of the worst cars (mechanically) I ever bought was very low miles for it's year. One of the best was sold as having a lot of freeway miles. The diesels that last a long time are the ones used continuously or a very lot.
I guess it comes down to what the boats currently need in reality... Just electronics? Sails? tanks? engines?

[robert sailor]

Sailboats may not know miles but they do know cycles and offshore sailing is tough on any boat much less a marginally built one. Sitting at a dock corroding is another way a boat costs you money. If I was looking again I'd try and find a boat with a pedigree that had recent rigging,sails,engine and electronics and was well kept. I know even with that going for me id still be writing cheques but thats the game.

[ddjudge]

If you haven't yet bought the boat, we have a Shannon 43 (cutter-rigged) that is for sale (not advertised currently) and located in North Carolina. It would be a fabulous boat for circumnavigation, with some upgrades to the electronics.

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Don C L

A boat that sits in a marina rots and rusts just as fast as one being sailed. Go with the one most loved.

A lovely comment!

Re the engine hours: how do you really assess the quality of an engine without taking it apart? I guess they degrade over time also when not being used.

[double u]

can contribute about conversion of coastal/weekend/rarely used boat to passagemaker (cause that's what we are currently busy, corr. extremely!!! busy, doing:
you'll find things as seized sheaves in the boom & mast but depending on the amount of maintenance that was done (or in the case of your "coaster" omitted), most systems will have little hours. Of course the boat will lack all the usual "circumnavigation-junk" as oversized anchors, solar panels, .....
having sold a double circumnavigator ourselves (albeit 19 years ago) I can attest that it had everything necessary for a circumnavigation (then!, no digital stuff!) as huge kerosene stove, solarpanels, windvane,...BUT: the stuff had a minimum of one circumnavigation behind it as the last real comprehensive refit (new perspex, ...) was before the last circumnavigation. so if the refit on your circumnavigator was AFTER it's last trip: thats the one to go for, if it was before , he decision is not so easy, although things like hatchlenses decay, never mind what the boat does, sit or sail.