New sailor looking for boat in Australia/NZ

[Justin_]

Originally Posted by GILow

Oh wow, there’s an itty bitty little Swanson in NZ. How the heck did it get there?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/b...2?bof=3ilfT0vu

The little Swanson that could lol.

[picklesandjesse]

Originally Posted by GILow

Oh wow, there’s an itty bitty little Swanson in NZ. How the heck did it get there?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/b...2?bof=3ilfT0vu

Swansons can go anywhere they like. We anchored next to a 32ft one in Costa Rica that was 5 months from Aust had been to Japan, Alaska and down the west coast. It was heading to Panama then Europe and expected to be there in about another 4 months. They loved long passages..... happy couple. Had them over for dinner and they took off about 9pm. They had anchored about 3pm.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Justin_

The little Swanson that could lol.

I love it.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by picklesandjesse

Swansons can go anywhere they like. We anchored next to a 32ft one in Costa Rica that was 5 months from Aust had been to Japan, Alaska and down the west coast. It was heading to Panama then Europe and expected to be there in about another 4 months. They loved long passages..... happy couple. Had them over for dinner and they took off about 9pm. They had anchored about 3pm.

I think I must have a lazy Swanson.

[Justin_]

Quick update, I’m flying to NZ in a couple of weeks so far I’ve only two boats I’m looking at but hopefully some more pop up in the next few weeks. One of the boats I’m looking at is a Townson Twilight 32, I can’t find much info on them this one has a new engine and looks pretty tidy. Ive read up a little bit and it has been described as a “dancing” yacht and seem to be a quite favourable design.

https://www.marinehub.co.nz/boats-fo...nge=3&offset=2

Also looking at this Ray Beale 31, also can’t find much info on this one so I’m guessing that these boats aren’t the most popular.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/b...9?bof=eFz9Faxy

Anyways, I’m not set on either of these but will definitely have a look at them. What do you think of the Townson? Also I will be looking at the Jack Taylor 38 but I think its a little bit beyond my price range. Cheers guys.

[Buzzman]

If you like the Clansman, as in 'Free Range Sailing' on YT, ther's a nice looking one in Tassie

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sand...000/1271734166

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Buzzman

If you like the Clansman, as in 'Free Range Sailing' on YT, ther's a nice looking one in Tassie

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sand...000/1271734166

$7000 to convert to furling headsail!? That’s a bit rich.

Nice boat tho.

[picklesandjesse]

Originally Posted by Justin_

Anyways, I’m not set on either of these but will definitely have a look at them. What do you think of the Townson? Also I will be looking at the Jack Taylor 38 but I think its a little bit beyond my price range. Cheers guys.

When he sees how much you love the Jack Taylor and promise to stay in touch and take great care of her you'll get a great deal, some owners are like that. Good luck and stay warm and out of the wind.

[Fore and Aft]

Justin I met Ray a few times when we were building a strip plank Beale 47 called Unbelievable in Wellington.Ray designed some sweet sailing yachts that sail well. They are usually pretty roomy for their length. That Townson is pretty old and I think the Beale is a better buy.
Cheers

[Justin_]

Hey everyone, so I’ve been doing a lot of research the last couple of weeks and I was reading up on an Islander 34 and the years, designs etc. and came across something curious. The yacht in particular is advertised as a 1974 however it is a full keel and not a fin keel and after doing a bit of digging it turns out the full keels were long gone when Bob Perry was designing them in the 70’s. As a matter of fact that was a direct quote from Bob Perry himself. The Islander is for sale through a broker.. Is this practice common? I mean some private sellers I get not having all the info but a broker is supposed to be professional, and if a total newbie like myself can find this info so easy I’m surprised a so called professional cant (or neglected to on purpose) I mean that’s quite a big difference in age from the 60’s to the 70’s. Anyway it just goes to show how important due diligence is and not to rush. Cheers for reading.

P.S
I’m not interested in the islander anymore, just curious.

[picklesandjesse]

Lots of brokers haven't a clue. I listed a cold moulded boat with one in Pittwater a few years ago and he had no clue what that was. He was working with a very reputable company. I got him to look it up on his laptop about that construction, which he did. Turned out he got me 20k over my asking price. Hard to figure, strange world.

molded for US people.

[Justin_]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Justin I met Ray a few times when we were building a strip plank Beale 47 called Unbelievable in Wellington.Ray designed some sweet sailing yachts that sail well. They are usually pretty roomy for their length. That Townson is pretty old and I think the Beale is a better buy.
Cheers

Your right, the Beale is looking to be a pretty nice boat, I've been chatting to the owner and it was built by Ray Beale's close friend and only two owners. I'm flying over in a few days to look at this one and the Jack Taylor is not far away, and I also spotted this Keith Dobson in the same area as the Beale. https://taurangaboatsales.co.nz/list...son-32-ty3837/
This one looks in pretty good condition for the price, do you know much about Keith Dobson? I was reading a forum and he seems to have a good reputation. Cheers.

[LivingFree]

Hi Justin

I was in a similar position a few years ago and am happy to share with you my experience and the things I learnt the hard way. You should know that in your price range you are looking at an old boat that will probably require quite a lot of work. Do not be in a hurry and do as much homework as you can before you go and look at the boat. It took me 2 years to find mine and I traveled from Brisbane to Adelaide looking at boats. Most of the boats I looked at were just plain rubbish and a waste of time. I also had 2 boats surveyed before I bought mine and walked away.

Rather than travel all over the country to look at boats, can I suggest that where the boat is far away ask someone on this forum who knows what they are doing to go and have a look at the boat for you. It will save you a lot of time and money.

Get on as many boats as you can. Join the 'find a crew' site and offer to crew for free. Go to your local sailing club and see if you can crew on a boat on race day. I did both and the experience is invaluable.

Do not take anything at face value and ask lots of questions before you go and look at the boat. There are many honest sellers and brokers but there are also many dishonest ones.

In my experience many boat owners are emotionally invested in their boats and it is only once the boat has been on the market for a while with no offers that they get realistic.

Make sure that you get a really good surveyor, they are worth their weight in gold. Ask for recommendations on this forum and contact previous boat owners who used them to see if they missed anything.

We had no previous sailing experience and the learning curve is steep. We have spent 2 years getting our boat ready. Try and do as much as can yourself, there are many good shipwrights out there but there are also many who are useless. The more you can do yourself, the better.

If you want to know more about our experience, you can read all about it on our blog. We have also detailed our expenses.

Just my two cents.

Cheers

[Fore and Aft]

Justin I still like the Beale. Newer design philosophy, newer equipment better yacht all round.
Cheers

[NevilleCat]

Justin be aware that you will either need to get the boat to NZ Cat1 to take it offshore...research that, quite intense...or alternatively you might be able to register it in Aus (if this is where you want to end up) and I imagine it can be done but not sure, as you will have to "import it" and pay the duty and GST so factor that in.
Really you could probably just buy this little Jarkan in Vic...already in the Gippsland Lakes which is a great place to learn and get the boat sorted before popping out to the Bass Strait Islands and Tassie (in summer).