Hi new to the forum and need some advice

[JORDANBASSET]

Hi, this is my first post and to would like to introduce myself. Myself and partner Cathy are British and are in a fortunate position to retire in June 2009, I will be 49, we are looking for another adventure.We have explored this site and there are very helpful people on it with plenty of good adice, whiuch is what we hope to draw on.

We are looking to become liveaboarders and are now seriously considering our plans. We are looking to buy a 39-45 foot sailing boat. After much consideration we have decided the Beneteau Oceanis range will give us what we want. That is most of our sailing will be coastal hopping and we like the greater volume provided in the Beneteau boats. I do not want to get into an argument about heavy and light weight boats. I have sailed in more traditional boats and if I was going sailing in the Southern Oceans I would buy one, they are excellent sea kindly boats but they will not the boat for what we want.

I had intended buying in the med but the Pound v Euro exchange rate makes that less attractive, so am seriously looking at the East coast of the U.S. and the Caribbean. My budget will be between $60,000 - $120,000. I am hoping to get some advice on this as looking at the forum there is a lot of experience out there.

We are likely to spend a couple of seasons in the Caribbean and Eastern seaboard after buying the boat but would then intend to take it to the med. I have heard that boats based in the South East and Caribbean tend to be in poorer condition than those in the North East, is that right ?-

I anticipate I would need some work doing to the boat, at the very least sorting out the electrics from 110 volts to 240 volts. Also would probably need to upgrade the boat, especially if I get one for the lower figure and would certainly want solar panels and may be work on replacing rigging etc. What I would appreciate is some suggestions as to trustworthy and good value boat yards that can do the work.

Also As I am likely to buy the boat towards the end of this year I would require a place where I can store it safely without costing too much, any ideas.

I am aware I will need to pay tax on the boat on returning to the U.K. and it will need to be RCD compliant but is there anything lese I need to be aware of – many thanks for any help you can give - Neil

[Southern Star]

Welcome Neil and Cathy! Boats in the Southern USA and the Caribbean tend to have more wear and tear than many boats in the northeast because many boats in the northeast are not sailed year round. In addition, of course, the salt concentration is higher in warmer water and the sun further south tends to be more intense (not to mention more frequent). Fresh water boats (ie, typically the Great Lakes) will generally have the least wear and tear because of the short season and lack of salt.

Converting from 120 to 240 is not really that difficult. On my last boat I had purchased an isolation/step-down transformer that not only isolated my boat from the vagaries of shore power (improper grounds etc., etc.), but also enabled me to step-down from 240 to 120 volt (albeit leaving the cycle unchanged). This set up permits you to hook up to shore power not only in North Americal, but also in those islands that use 240 volt/50 cycle while maintaining 120 volt in the boat. Hence, any 120 volt equipment that the boat comes equipped with could still be used in the UK. The advantage of the islolation part of the transformer, of course, is that it protects your prop-shaft, prop, rudder bearings and thru-hulls from being sacrificed due to other boats on your dock being improperly grounded.

Your budget for the boat seems realistic, as do your plans. Good luck!

Brad

[imagine2frolic]

WELCOME,

When hunting for my boat I used YACHTWORLD.COM for a reference. There are so many boats listed that it gave me a good idea of what is a good deal, and not so good. BEST WISHES in your search, and I believe you are looking in the right place.

I always recommend Heather, and Jerry at Bay Island Yacht in St, Maarten on the Dutch side. They actually made my deal happen when the seller & I were at a standoff on price.

[JORDANBASSET]

Thank you for both your replies, some good info there - Neil and Cathy

[slomotion]

Also, something you might consider is a boat coming out of charter with Moorings, etc. Beneteaus are probably the most common charter brand in the Caribbean. You should be able to find a fair number of them that are 5 or fewer years old and have recently been decommissioned from charter service. I have no experience with this, but a charter boat will typically have had a lot more use (and abuse) than a private yacht of similar vintage. As a result they are also usually priced at a significant discount to comparable private yachts. Also, they have usually been well maintained if for no other reason than the charter company has to do so in order to keep them in service. They are usually not especially well equipped for cruising, usually don't include a dinghy, and usually have the twin aft cabin layout, but in BVI they may already have 220V systems.

[jzk]

When do you plan on making your purchase? Until then, open your mind as there are many boats to choose from in your price range.

[JORDANBASSET]

Hi, probably towards the end of this year with a view to getting any necesary work done prior to June 2009. Would consider another make of boat, just like the Beneteau Oceanis range and would require something that would not be too difficult to become RCD compliant -

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Neil and Cathy,
Welcome aboard!! Good to have you here. There are so many boats available at all kinds of prices that it would be hard to recommend and particular boat but it is good to do some armchair shopping on the internet to see what's available at what price.
Happy Hunting.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Charlie]

Hi Neil and Kathy:

Welcome aboard. I looked at buying a new Beneteau before deciding on buying the boat I have now. There were tax advantages taht did not pan out so we went with what we have. That said the beneteaus are really improving is what I have heard from delivery skippers. The advantage that you have is that you can go charter from Moorings and try out what size boat is good for you. I believe Footloose is a sister company that has older boats. (more than five years) That way you can narrow down on what you want. I agree if you are going to be sailing costal and the carribean there is no reason to get an expensive heavy boat. Welcome to Footloose Sailing Charters - The Right Yachts at the Lowest Cost - Bareboat Sailing Vacations

[jzk]

Now I admit that I haven't done much research into boats in your size range, as I have a larger family, but what about a boat like a Whitbey 42? I think these are going for like 80 grand.

And, don't get me wrong. I have a Beneteau First 47.7, and I love the boat for what we use it for. And, i am pleasently surprised with its overall build quality. Not sure I would want to go cruising in it, however. And, the charter Beneteau's are going to have lots of cabins and heads crammed into a small place. A charter catamaran might make more sense as you can get 4 cabins that are more spread out, but you still might get 4 heads.

Or maybe the Oceanis is the right boat, but there are so many out there, and there are so many deals available right now, that it makes sense to just start flipping through Yachtworld, and then researching the boats that catch your eye.

[JORDANBASSET]

Thanks again for the comments. To help further it may be useful to know some of my decision making reasons. I want a large aft cockpit as I anticipate spending long periods of time there, the ability to stretch out on it would be would be useful, as I am 6'1" there are not my centre cockpits that can provide this. Prefer a large forward cabin as I tend to moor stern to in the med and prefer sleeping compartment away from the harbour wall. Appreciate this reduces privacy in the cockpit.
Would not be adverse to an older yacht and certainly like the room down below in some of the cabins. Like the idea of a catamaran, had not really thought about it but will have alook at some on the internet.
My understanding is the Beneteau Oceanis range is more of a cruiser, the First range being more associated with racing.

Thanks again for all the help Neil and Cathy

[slomotion]

Neil

I agree with your take on the cockpit. When we cruised the Caribbean, that's where we spent most of our awake on-the-boat time, and I consider it to be a critically important feature. You want it to be large, easy to manoeuver around, and comfortable for lounging. It needs to be a fun place in which to hang out and watch the world go by because you spend a fair amount of time doing just that. Kind of the opposite of what you might want for long passages.

[JORDANBASSET]

Thanks Slomotion, makes sense to me

JZK, further to the above about catmarans, although I have some knowledge of mono hulls my experience of catamarans is very limited. Any info you or any one else can give me would be useful. It must be capable of crossing the atlantic at some point in the future, rest of the time it will be coastal hops, apart from that I would welcome your views- Neil

[slomotion]

I have no experience with cruising cats, but most of the ones in charter in the Caribbean were delivered on their own hulls from France or So. Africa - so they are designed and expected to be capable of crossing oceans. The folk lore on cruising catamarans is that they have twice the room, sail twice as fast, and cost twice as much as similar length monohulls. None of these things (except maybe price) is quite true, but the cockpits really are twice as big.

[philip van praag]

neil what part of uk are you ?
we are on the south coast and there are lots of cats you could look over at emsworth.
also would it not be a good idea to see what you could get here and then have a base to compair to when shopping overseas.