Ok Rob,
here's a perspective of someone who has purchased an ex
Lagoon 410 charter boat from Sunsail here in Australia. Number 1, forget about the question about setting up a charter boat to go
water sailing">blue
water sailing. In my opinion its exactly the same question as if what do I need to go
blue water sailing in any sailboat.
Having cruised the
east coast of Australia a few time in quite extreme conditions it is my opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong with a well found ex charter boat for your needs provided it was originally designed for that purpose. Our Lagoon is designed for
blue water passages and is certified from the factory to that effect. We have met so many people on ex charter boats doing major
blue water crossings very safely and comfortably.
The upgrades we have done to make her suitable for
offshore work are
1)
Liferaft
2)
AIS
3) Uprgrade of auto pilot, plotter and
VHF radio (not really required just a personal choice)
4)
Solar system and upgraded house
batteries.
5)minimise
electrical consumption by changing all lights to LED and changing over
electrical items to more efficient systems. (once again not really required just my personal choice)
6) Upgrade sun and
weather protection ( I consider that essential given that comfort reduces fatigue
7) Upgraded
refrigeration to a more efficient
cooling and
power saving unit given that we operate in tropical climates most of our time.
8)
Radar and
water maker will be installed if we go international. ( We currently have 1000 litres of water if required which lasts us a minimum of 6 weeks with care so being coastal water is not really an issue for us.
9) Installed new
safety lines ( Wichards ) and new
safety tethers
10) While we have sufficient
fuel capacity for coastal trips I would upgrade our
fuel capacity quite considerable. Currently I have 100 litres per tank per
motor and 80 litres in containers. I would like at least 250 litres per motor and 100 litres in Jerry cans. Ample based on our fuel
consumption and plans.
11) I have had to put in a large amount of spares including a) a big range of stainless nuts, bolts, screws, washers etc. b) a cross section of electrical joiners, connectors, wire, solders, heat shrink, electrical tape, cable ties etc. c) A good assortment of tools (battery drills and multi tools). I prefer items can be used for multiple purposes. Of course we keep a large range of filters for
oil, fuel and pulley belts.
12) We upgraded our gas supply for
cooking to ensure we can always heat and cook our
food.
13) While the
anchor was sufficient for the boat we upgraded to High holding
power anchor replaced the old rope and chain
rode with all 100 metres of chain and have never regretted that upgrade.
We have done other upgrades but these are for our personal comfort and really do not relate to making the boat any more blue water ready. I do love our boat as there are plenty of handholds (yes it does get rough on catamarans and while they do sail flatter they still buck like any boat in a rough seaway)
These are the things that I would expect that you would have to do too the vast majority of yachts to go blue water sailing regardless if they are ex charter or privately owned. Obviously a boat may already be kitted out for such a journey which put you miles in front.
At the end of the day you have to be satisfied that your boat is blue water ready. Talk to the experienced people who have been out there and done it.
Work out what relates to you and use other peoples experiences to get a
head start. As always safety is always number 1 priority. Sunshine is our third ex charter boat. We have now owned Sunshine for two years and we love her and trust her in all conditions.
In reality I am only writing what suites us. People more learned and smarter than than me have written great
books on this very subject. Like most things
research on this site and other places will ensure you have the greatest possible information to make your decisions on. Hope this if is some assistance.
Greg and Sue
SV Sunshine
Currently Cruising Great Sandy Straights,
Queensland, Australia