Feelings on this boat (kp44)

[jpwales90]

Thanks so much for your quick replys. msponer thanks for the rough guide.

I definatly want to be sailing asap, we've been saving for 3 years for this and i'd hate to see another few in a boat yard.

We've been on a couple of different boats the Formosa 46, KP46 and KP 44 are definate favorites.

We are a young couple based in australia. When all this began we planned to buy a boat in the USA and bring her back (our dollar was very valuble back then). Now i'm not so sure hopefully a good boat presents itself in the western pacific.

anyways keep an eye out for us. Jesse

[Basil]

Hi if this helps, I am currently refitting a Norseman 447 in Satun Thailand, labour is cheap and materials are of good quality and are inexpensive , Parts are hard to get for specialty items and may have to be sources from Aust , NZ or the USA, this means freight (eg a $38 part for oil filter landed cost $98), off setting this is the cost of living and accommodation.
The wood working skills of the local trades men are second to none , after 3 months I will be sad to leave the area,

[Basil]

I should add if you don't want a hands on approach them Phuket is a good place to go , but you will pay a lot more for labour and accommodation etc
Try goggling PSS Boat Yard Satun, its well worth a look

[roverhi]

Jack Kelly collaborated with Dough Peterson on the KP44. They later made some detail changes to the original designs that people feel are quite valuable and thus worth more money. Not familiar with the changes that they made but believe it was primarily in the interior.

KP's and the Formosa's usually have had or have fuel and water tank issues. The tanks are under the floors and require major surgery of the interior to get at and fix. Be sure that the tanks have been changed on KP that you buy or get the price down to justify the time and expense of doing it. A good KP44 will sell for around a $100K. Poor condition ones have sold for half that. If I had the time and the inclination, would go for a cheap boat and rehab it.

Hopefully GJordan will check in. He owned and cruised a KP so is very knowledgable about the boats.

Don't know labor costs in Asia but if it's cheaper than the Western World, would be an opportunity to get into an excellent finished product at less money than buying a decent one in the States and doing the inevitable upgrades and repairs that always seem to be part of boat ownership. Having said that, rehabs always take more time and money than originally planned. If you are working full time with local help, should be easily doable in less than a year even if it involves major overhaul. Might be fun to live in a foreign country while this is going on. Just be sure it is not in some back water where parts and knowledgable don't exist. Thailand seems to have a number of yards that do quality work so would probably be my first choice of where to do the rehab. Helps that I love Thai Food.

Built a Westsail power away kit boat. Launched in a year. Left for SoPac a year later as we cruised SoCal while doing the little finish things at a leisurely pace. That was me working full time on the boat with some help for finish carpentry like doors and drawers. Wife helped a bit but mostly by working to pay the Chandlery bills.

[american]

I've just finished watching this excellent series of videos by a cruising Brit couple who did a complete refit of a 44' Oyster in Satun, Thailand:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...TMzYYwKVtDanCr

Take a look at that and ask yourself if it leaves you feeling excited by the possibilities of improving on a boat you know & love - or scared at the prospect of being sucked into a can of infinite worms.

I've owned a boat over in Phuket for a while now (bought on Phuket), sailed her enough to know what things are OK as-is, and what things I'd like improved on. With that knowledge in hand I actually felt excited watching the work being done in those videos. I also know the videos would have looked like horror movies to me just 2 years ago

As is mentioned above, labor in the area is cheap and of high quality. Not the worst place to buy a project boat, but you better know what you want and why you want it before you get started. Jobs have a tendency to "drift" if you are unable to sell your ideas with conviction.

Lots of good boats to be had for cheap in the region around SE Asia. Check out Phuket & Langkawi. Reach out to brokers on those islands, make some in-person visits, and start making ridiculously low offers. Boats in the region - good ones - can be had for 1/2 the asking price or less. It's a buyer's market, especially on this side of the world. Lots of people get over to SE Asia and then don't want to go further West for fear of navigating The Cape or getting through the Red Sea area. Arr, pirates!

Good luck in your search.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by jpwales90

Thanks so much for your quick replys. msponer thanks for the rough guide.

I definatly want to be sailing asap, we've been saving for 3 years for this and i'd hate to see another few in a boat yard.

We've been on a couple of different boats the Formosa 46, KP46 and KP 44 are definate favorites.

We are a young couple based in australia. When all this began we planned to buy a boat in the USA and bring her back (our dollar was very valuble back then). Now i'm not so sure hopefully a good boat presents itself in the western pacific.


anyways keep an eye out for us. Jesse

My friend has a KP44 and loves it. I was in contact with Oddly Enough's owners a few years back. She is pretty rough. A lot of miles on her. My friend knows of the boat also. If you want his contact info, private message me.

[Basil]

Re the English couple refitting in Thailand, that was Esper (Jamie and Liz ), same yard as I mentioned, its a life changing cultural experience, check out their web site

[SanJuan]

Does anyone know off oddly enough ever sold? I had several discussions with the owner and after speaking and looking at detailed pics with a friend who is a professional in the yacht industry thkught she was good value.

One thing is that a lot of her history is known as the po wrote article that were published in print so you can know the materials and workmanship for the rerig and some other things.

[libspero]

Originally Posted by SanJuan

Does anyone know off oddly enough ever sold?

I know the OP now has a KP44 called Sprout (see YouTube channel “adventures of sprout”). I’m not sure if this was the same one renamed?

[JPA Cate]

jpwales,

Without looking at the boat very carefully, like a surveyor would do, I don't think we can really tell you too much.

The Petersens were built different places, some of the layups better than others; some of them have had problems with iron tanks that you have to dissamble the interiors to access. Some are still out cruising and have been well maintained.

As to work in Thailand. Our friends who did a refit on their Westsail 32 there found that work happened when the man in the couple was working alongside the workmen, and not so much when he did not. So, you could be looking at a much longer time out of the water than what you could be there for. That could, in turn, make the price higher.

You gave us a list to look at that the owner gave you. He at best can only tell you about what he knows about, and that is limited by his knowledge. That's assuming he is totally honest. There can be failures of honesty, too. We know nothing about the seller, whatsoever. Caveat emptor.

Don't know where you're from. You could find it too hot to work out in the sun all day long there. I found it pretty warm.

I really think that you may be biting off too much for your first boat. Something smaller to learn on, close to wherever you live. Learn about being at sea, learn about boat maintenance. If possible, sail on OPBs (other people's boats), learn what you like, what works.

It's not like buying a used car; the car won't sink and kill you unless you do something egregiously stupid: a rotten hose can sink you in a boat, and a few other things, too.

You really, imho, should sail enough that you learn to respect the sea from your own experience, not just reading what people write, and certainly not by looking at vlogs, where usually cruising is glamorized. It is not all mai tais in the sunset. Sometimes it is fixing the head in a seaway, 'cause a fish got sucked up into the pump, for instance. Or it's replacing a fan belt on a lee shore, where the tide is falling, when you want to access the lagoon behind the sand spit, and the wind has quit and the tide is setting you onto the shore. Yes, you can anchor, if you must. But it is the range of odd stuff that can un-plan your day that has to be coped with.

I realize you have to start somewhere, but locally to your home area, coastally, is the most logical beginning, so I would recommend walking away from this boat, and go through the process of learning on something smaller, 25-30 feet, then trade up, if you find that you like it and still want to cruise. After all, it's the world's slowest and most expensive way to travel 4th class!

Ann