Liveaboard reccomendations

[eddhewett]

Hi everyone,


I am hoping to draw on the wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum to give me some ideas.


Myself and my fiance have been working in the sailing industry a long time and have finally found ourselves in a position where we might be able to get our own boat to live on. We have sailed a variety of boats, know what makes a good boat but also know we couldnt afford our dream boat and with all our experience at sea, have no experience of buying one.

Basically, we have a tall list of what would make the ideal boat for us but realistic ideas of what we might actually be able to afford.


We would be looking for a yacht between 35 and 65ft (perhaps not 65ft with our budget!).
We have about £65,000 available (could push it very slightly for the dream boat) but that would clean us out so preferably it would cost less.



Features we would like:
Large master cabin (preferably aft)

Large Pilot house/deck saloon with seating area
Sheltered cockpit
Heavy/Stiff/Stable/Safe


Features we would like (to enable us to have the option to run trips/courses on the boat) but could easily compromise on:
Extra 4+ berths (as well as our double master cabin)
2nd heads

We aren't the average sailors and have had extensive experience in rough seas and high latitudes. We have grown accustomed to sailing a sturdy vessel that we can trust no matter what is thrown at us and wouldnt consider something light and bendy.



As for materials, we wouldnt consider a wooden boat. Aluminium would be the dream (which we probably cant afford) but steel or a strong fibreglass construction would do. Nothing that bends when you go to windward!


Ideally it would be something we could find in the UK, we could extend our range to Europe for the right boat but travelling further afield to buy a boat seems unlikely.


Finally, we are experienced in maintenance and repairs but are not looking for a project. If a boat needs a little TLC that is fine but we want to move straight aboard, not have the boat in a yard for a year.




So... If anyone has any ideas for makes or models they think we should look out for, places to look or general boat buying advice/pitfalls to avoid then we would love to hear it.


Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to share their knowledge/opinions.


Edd + Charly

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by eddhewett

We would be looking for a yacht between 35 and 65ft (perhaps not 65ft with our budget!).
We have about £65,000 available (could push it very slightly for the dream boat) but that would clean us out so preferably it would cost less.

come on now how can I take this serious

good luck, I'm sure people will post a boat for you

[eddhewett]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

come on now how can I take this serious

Thanks for reading, but which bit makes you hit your head against a wall? Like I said, we have no boat buying experience so which bit did we get wrong?

[sailorboy1]

[QUOTE=eddhewett;2901191]Thanks for reading, but which bit makes you hit your head against a wall?/QUOTE]

pretty much all of it, I see your post as mostly entertainment and it's a sign of my boredom at the moment that I read and posted on it at all

maybe you should do some real research on a boat selling site, bet you would learn 1000 times more doing that than asking the question you asked, and get the info 1000 times faster

notwithstanding that, maybe using the search feature here and reading some of the similar threads

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by eddhewett

,
I am hoping to draw on the wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum to give me some ideas.

Myself and my fiance have been working in the sailing industry a long time and have finally found ourselves in a position where we might be able to get our own boat to live on. We have sailed a variety of boats, know what makes a good boat but also know we couldnt afford our dream boat and with all our experience at sea, have no experience of buying one.

Basically, we have a tall list of what would make the ideal boat for us but realistic ideas of what we might actually be able to afford.

We would be looking for a yacht between 35 and 65ft (perhaps not 65ft with our budget!).
We have about £65,000 available (could push it very slightly for the dream boat) but that would clean us out so preferably it would cost less.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to share their knowledge/opinions.

You should read many of the other liveaboard threads here...

A short version is that before you solve the boat, you possibly need to solve winter. Dock space, winter heat, winter water, winter sanitation pump-outs (think you have to do that in the UK?), etc.

Having a boat is one thing, living aboard in winter in cold climates is another...

And some of that will affect your boat choices...

-Chris

[eddhewett]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

pretty much all of it, I see your post as mostly entertainment and it's a sign of my boredom at the moment that I read and posted on it at all

maybe you should do some real research on a boat selling site, bet you would learn 1000 times more doing that than asking the question you asked, and get the info 1000 times faster

notwithstanding that, maybe using the search feature here and reading some of the similar threads

Dont worry we are searching yacht broker sites and these forums as well as asking. There are plenty of suitable boats in our price range but we havent quite found the perfect boat yet and just want to go in with all the research and advice we can before spending all our money.

Just wanted to hear of any tips folk might have had from previous experience.



You are right about one thing though. So far we have learnt a lot more from our own research then we have from talking to you.


Lets hope the next reader is a little more sympathetic to a fellow sailor.

[a64pilot]

To me from your stable, stiff, heavy statement, it sounds like you want an older design, full keel boat.
Then unless I’m mistaken you will be living in a Marina? Which means there is a whole list of expensive equipment you won’t need, everything from water makers, to generators, SSB, even ground tackle, Radar etc. So finding a boat without all of that will save you lots on the price.
However, what I see as unrealistic is the requirement of 4+ additional staterooms, what in the world for?

[eddhewett]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

To me from your stable, stiff, heavy statement, it sounds like you want an o
However, what I see as unrealistic is the requirement of 4+ additional staterooms, what in the world for?

No just 4 extra berths would be a nice extra as we could run courses aboard or take friends and family out.

Not essential but if anyone had come across a design of yacht which matched this I would love to know.


We found the perfect yacht:


Steel Yacht&nbsp &nbsp £49,500 incl VAT.


but it sold It looks like a one off though. No make/model.



As for the cold. Not a bother. We would probably aim for a marina in the winter and swing mooring in the summer. We have spent seasons aboard yachts in Antarctica amongst other cold places and I can fit appropriate heaters so its nothing new to us.


Its worth considering the extra cost if we have to fit a new heater though... Ill add it to the list.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by eddhewett

We found the perfect yacht:


Steel Yacht&nbsp &nbsp £49,500 incl VAT.


but it sold It looks like a one off though. No make/model.

Probably dodged a bullet there. It looks tender to me, you want something stiff. Better sticking to known designers I suggest.

A PROPER test sail would probably reveal a bit about the characteristics of a one-off, but it is hard to simulate the range of conditions you are likely to experience in the long term.