Yet Another Aussie !

[Oz_Avanti]

Hi All

My first post, although have been lurking for quite some time. Great Forum with heaps of quality info.

I live in Canberra which is about 200k from any decent sailing grounds so can't justify actually buying a yacht (yet). My answer to the problem is that I charter about 3 times a year in places like Jervis Bay, Gippsland Lakes, Pittwater. I have sailed boats ranging from Noelex 25, Magnum 8.3, Catalina 28, Bavaria 31 and 42.

Heading to Pittwater in October for a week on a Bavaria 31.

Qualified inshore skipper with aspirations for more!

My partner and I are retiring next year and have plans for sailing in New Zealand (Bay of Islands and Marlborough Sounds) as well as Whitsundays.

I am looking around for a good 34 foot keelboat with a view to buying next year sometime.

All the best to all

George

[hoppy]

Welcome to CF

My uncle used to live in Canberra and kept his boat in Batemans bay. 200km is no excuse, i live more than 2000km from my boat

[Oz_Avanti]

Thanks for the welcome hoppy. There's a story behind your separation of home, current address and boat location :-)

[surfmachine]

Welcome George, buy a S&S 34' ?, great boat, good offshore on the East coast.
Good luck with your boating adventures.
Keith

[Boracay]

Owning a boat is expensive and hard work. My hand is always in my pocket and most of my spare time is spent fixing. I'm sure most other large boat owners are the same.

Boats in Oz are expensive. We're a long way from any mass market and the owners love to hang onto their boats past any reasonable selling window. Marine facilities are getting fewer, tradies are getting more expensive and all other ownership costs feel like they're going through the roof. There may be bargains out there, but they seem to be few and far between.

I can't even imagine what a good 34' boat here costs but assuming $160k and 25% (my rule of thumb for p.a. boat costs) your looking at close to $40k p.a. for ownership.

Since you've apparently really enjoyed chartering why not keep on doing it. You get to enjoy the really nice cruising grounds, the charter companies will really love you, you don't have any of the long boring bits and you get to sail when the weather's good.

Could just about work out cheaper...

[Mr B]

Welcome George,
I just bought a 34 footer, But in cat Style, hahahaha
Im from Melbourne, The Ozzie one.

Brian,

[surfmachine]

Now Boracay, thats a real sensible sugestio mate!
Cheers from Keith

[Unicorn Dreams]

Welcome Aboard Cruisers Forum George

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Oz_Avanti

Thanks for the welcome hoppy. There's a story behind your separation of home, current address and boat location :-)

Yep. Girl moved me to Sweden, money kept me there after she was gone, the money paid for the boat and it is too cold in Sweden so the boat is in Greece and perhaps eventually Melbourne

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Oz_Avanti

Hi All

My first post, although have been lurking for quite some time. Great Forum with heaps of quality info.

I live in Canberra which is about 200k from any decent sailing grounds so can't justify actually buying a yacht (yet). My answer to the problem is that I charter about 3 times a year in places like Jervis Bay, Gippsland Lakes, Pittwater. I have sailed boats ranging from Noelex 25, Magnum 8.3, Catalina 28, Bavaria 31 and 42.

Heading to Pittwater in October for a week on a Bavaria 31.

Qualified inshore skipper with aspirations for more!

My partner and I are retiring next year and have plans for sailing in New Zealand (Bay of Islands and Marlborough Sounds) as well as Whitsundays.

I am looking around for a good 34 foot keelboat with a view to buying next year sometime.

All the best to all

George

G'Day George,

Welcome to CF, mate.

Boracay must have had a bad night... don't let that negativism discourage you. Chartering can be a good vacation, but is doesn't offer much of the real cruising experience... if that is what you want. Those expense figures are a bit on the extreme end of the spectrum, too. If boat ownership was as dire an event as he depicts, why on earth would all of us keep on buying, maintaining and sailing our boats? Yeah, we're all masochists I suppose, but we have a good time beating our collective heads against the wall!

Anyway, you will likely figure out your own pathway out of Canberra, do hang in there and enjoy yourselves.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann

[Oz_Avanti]

Thanks all for the warm welcome.

@Boracay
I fully understand the point you are making. Might cost me $6-8k per year to do some adventurous chartering in many different sailing grounds and it would take about 10 years at this rate to pay for a half-decent yacht. What you suggest is in fact the strategy we have adopted to date. We won't buy a yacht unless we move to somewhere beautiful on the water

@surfmachine

S&S 34s are great. Maybe there's a pretty pink one on the market (I'm pretty sure that's what Jessica sailed in)

[hoppy]

Boracay has a valid point on Aussie pricing it can be stupid and if everyone did a proper cost benefit analaysis about boat ownership no one would ever buy a boat, but that is not what it is about.

In 10 months i have had my boat i have flown down to Greece 7 time of which 4 trips were "maintenance" trips. For me it was just a great excuse to leave Sweden for a break. Personally i would not worry about 200km, heck you could do a day trip to it.

I dont envy you looking in the aussie market as it is quite depressing. 25 or so years ago my father bought a used Columbia 34 for around 80k and recently i saw a 30yo Columbia 34 for around 60k. I bought my 9 year old Jeanneau SO 40 for 100k. Admittedly my boat would be closer to 200k if i was to ship it and pay tge taxes, but even then the C34 pricing still seems insane.

[hoppy]

Actually if you are retiring and therefore have plenty of time to play, i would consider buying a boat in the med and just keep it here. Spend the Aussie winters in the med. For the money you have to pay for an s&s34 you could probably buy the equivelent boat over here an have enough cash left over for 5 or more seasons worth of flights

[surfmachine]

I gave up an the aussie market and bought a lovely factory built aluminium cruising sloop from Germany in Thailand/Langkawi. One third of the price in aussie, if you can find one? I registered it under british SSR, based in Langkawi, enjoying some of the best surf in the world and certainly, the best cruising in the world, in the Andaman sea and Northern Indian Ocean.

All the best from Keith.

[Aussie Sealady]

Having a sailing boat does not have to be expensive.


I have a Top Hat 25 and sail in Sydney Harbour and the Hawkesbury River just north of Sydney.

It cost me $11000 and other than this year when I have had her rerigged, total cost including mooring, slipping, fuel, insurance, maintenance etc is less than $3000 per year.

CHEAP.

You can get a really good Top Hat for about $15,000 to $25,000

They are seaworthy boats. Many have done circumnavignations.

I sail her solo, often.

Mine has an outboard engine, but you can get ones with inboards.
I just prefer the simplicity of an outboard.

Have had 4 people sleep on board.
Can sleep 5 but then no room for junk.

It is possible to sail and not break the bank.