Can anyone tell me what this boat is?

[fursoc]

Hi, I am in the process of buying a boat and this one has come up on the radar. Does anyone recognise it? Would you say it is seaworthy?

Just for reference, I am interested in a boat to liveaboard with my family of 4 to sail south pacific and south east asia from Aus. My preference for boat characteristics is safety, comfort then speed.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cair...ono/1141811559


Thanks
Graham

[seahag]

Just glancing at the pics it looks great for your purposes. As for seaworthiness you'll need to check it thoroughly but as a design it seems rock solid- if the steel is good and the rigging sound you can take this boat many places others could not go to. I don't know the boat but it's typical of steel to say "it's a Bruce Roberts 47" or whoever designed it...
One thing that would concern me is investing time and money into a purchase where the owner repeatedly says "reluctant sale" and much loved, etc... does this person really want her sold? And if so, is it realistically priced? I would be wary of a seller pulling out of a deal with change of heart being that attached to the boat.

[ozskipper]

Long keel means it will track reasonably well.
Ketch/yawl means easier sail handling (at the expense of some performance)
But, yes its a traditional old cruising design that will be a safe design in a blow or a bump of the bottom.

When/if you decide to inspect it, remember that steel boats rust from the inside out. So look inside for signs of sever rust. Its its been well protected it should be fine.

When/if you decide to buy it. Get a marine surveyor who has done a lot of steel boats rather than a guy who knows about plastic boats.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Long keel means it will track reasonably well.
Ketch/yawl means easier sail handling (at the expense of some performance)
But, yes its a traditional old cruising design that will be a safe design in a blow or a bump of the bottom.

When/if you decide to inspect it, remember that steel boats rust from the inside out. So look inside for signs of sever rust. Its its been well protected it should be fine.

When/if you decide to buy it. Get a marine surveyor who has done a lot of steel boats rather than a guy who knows about plastic boats.

This is such good advice that I just want you to re-read it, fursoc. Remember, they are asking what they hope to get. Check out comparable boats' selling prices, if you can, and do beware of the dreaded rust! Tell the surveyor you're extremely concerned about rust that is difficult to see.

It will not be a fast boat, it would be interested to know from the owner what his average days' runs have been, and if it has ever gone to sea, to foreign destinations, where it's easier to get real average days' runs.

Ann

[svseachange]

It looks typical of a Roberts design.

As a steel boat owner I second the advice you have already been given. If you have not owned a steel boat before you must find a steel boat owner to look at the boat for you before you proceed to purchase.

Regarding the boat on gumtree you need to get behind the lovely interior to look for any signs of rust. The boat looks older. I would be very hesitant to purchase a steel boat more than 20 years old unless it was immaculately maintained.

Steel boats are dirt cheap here in Australia and could be the right solution for a hard working family that wants to get into cruising inexpensively. Hard working. If you are not used to manual labour do not buy a steel boat. On the other hand if you are a hard working welder then you should definitely buy a steel boat.

Safety. Steel is not necessarily safer. The last two ocean rescues off Australia involved steel boats. Safety involves a lot of compromises. Ability to go to weather and speed for instance.

That said we have a 20 year old steel boat in excellent condition. It was dirt cheap. We are very happy with it. But we do work hard to keep it in excellent shape. For us the low cost of a big steel boat means more cruising.

[haiqu]

That's too old for the money, and isn't on the AMSA registry. I'd keep looking.

[KP44]

I would be cautious about any steel hull offered at bargain price. This is a yawl rig (mizzen abaft the rudder), which has not been popular for several decades. Steel is great but needs constant maintenance.

[TKDSailor]

Make sure you have the hull audiogaged to find any areas that are getting thin from rust that may not be visible. In the states, it will cost you $1 per point. You will probably spend a few hours with the tech that can do this; we had ours done and ended up cutting out 3'x4' sections of the hull and welding new sections in there. If the hull is sound, and you can work on interior stuff, go for it.

[Kudawudashuda]

[QUOTE=TKDSailor;2360643]"Make sure you have the hull audiogaged to find any areas that are getting thin from rust that may not be visible. In the states, it will cost you $1 per point".
I bought a cheap thickness meter on ebay and it gave better results than the surveyor's unit. Sounds like the boat could be a good purchase, but any steel not accessible for inspection due to the fitout you should feel welcome to access with more drastic intervention than a screw driver.

[thruska]

Read the ad, ted slater design, call cathy and have all manner of questions scripted before the call. Scrutinize the photos, compare others , check reviews.
Pay attention to other posters comments.
Except its not a bruce roberts, the ad reads ted slater.
The rest is up to you., what you want/need.
It looks like the boats in the right place for what you want to do . But we dont know where you are i, and anythings feasible with unlimited funds.
Caution . I had a boat with a plank missing below the waterline which i was reluctant to sell, lol.
Good luck.

[Fore and Aft]

I surveyed a 12 meter Reinke steel yacht just last week. The yacht was launched in 2007 and had sailed out from Germany so she was well equipped. That yacht sold for $60,000.
The first thing about this yacht is the Bedford Diesel engine, good luck with that. It's probably fine, but if you are going cruising the ease of finding parts is always something to think about.
As for surveying her properly, it's virtually impossible to examine all the interior steel surfaces. I always do the most looking around the toilet and galley areas where there has likely been water. Then the engine room, built in tanks are any bodies guess on their insides. Short of ripping all the interior apart you just have to make a judgement call. Be careful of removing to many interior panels without the owner present. I have fallen into that trap (sometimes even with floorboards) where you struggle to put the panels back because you do not know that you have to wiggle your left toe before the bloody thing falls back into place!
It's a buyers market so happy shopping.
Cheers