Valiant 40 ?

[pablothesailor]

Hi, this is my first post (apart from the greeting section) so hope this is the correct place to post this! I am new to sailing but am studying and have had lessons that included Sailing to Northern Africa recently! Myself and a freind who has experience intend to sail from Gibraltar to Tenerife (Novemeber 2011) and then head to the Caribean, well, this is the idea! I am looking for a boat at the moment (it seems to be a brilliant time to buy due to the current world economy?), ive tons of questions for you guys that have done this for years! My research shows that the Valiant 40 is a hugely popular boat (without the blisters), my budget, tops, would be 40,000 euros (sea worthy ready to go), could you please advise in the current market what i could get for this (I would like 38-40 ft with 2 cabins), also what ¨offers¨are being accepted, i.e..if a boat is advertized at $90,000 what are they going for?
Not sure if my next question is for another thread so forgive me if it should not be here...I was wondering how many of you ¨drop Anchor¨, and if weather means you have to pay moorings for a few days, how much does that cost and in a period of one month how many days would you not be able to drop anchor! Many thanks for such a brilliant forum, Best, Pablo.

[Mimsy]

You have excellent taste! Valiant 40s are indeed, fantastic boats. We loved them but sadly could not find one in our price range in decent shape. I will point out that we purchased our boat a year and half ago( so same market conditions) and had a more generous budget than the number you mention.

We ended up buying another Bob Perry design ( the designer of the Valiant) because we were drawn to his boats. If the same is true for you, with your budget I would recommend looking for a Tayana 37. You can find them closer to your budget. Its not a 38, but I think you'd be happy.

Given your budget and desire for a ready to go boat (is there even such a thing?) I think you are going to have to compromise on either the size or the budget.

[arisatx]

Pablo

This should give you an idea of asking price ranges:

yachtworld

Good luck w/your search.

[Mimsy]

And Tayana 37s
Tayana 37 Boats For Sale

[pablothesailor]

Originally Posted by arisatx

Pablo

This should give you an idea of asking price ranges:

yachtworld

Good luck w/your search.

Wow, the Valiant 40 holds its price well, just getting my calculater out, I need the Euro to stengthen against the $ a bit....looks like its just out of reach for me! Another question I have.......how do you buy a boat so far away from home?? Do many people do this, it must work out expensive, flights, etc!! I am based here in Spain, am I better to look here or is it much cheaper to buy a boat in other parts of the world right now? Thank you.

[DeepFrz]

I would advise you look close to home. You can't tell what a boat is like by the ads. You have to see it. Then you should arrange for a survey, etc. Buying a boat away from your locale can be very expensive and frustrating.

[Mimsy]

Tons of boats for sale closer to your home.
What exactly is it about the Valiant 40s that you like? If you can give some insight into some of the charecteristics you are looking for, we might be able to point out some similar candidates closer to your home.

[pablothesailor]

I am looking to travel a great deal from end of 2011 for perhaps 2 years or perhaps a little more. I am looking for a safe, solid boat, i just loved everything I had read about the Valiant 40 as it seemed to tick all the boxes! We intend to sail from the Spanish mainland to Tenerife and then to the Caribean! Once we have had time (we are 2 single guys) to reflect we will decide what we would like to do next! I am fortunate to be able to work from my laptop at the moment and only need to do that 4 hours one day a week! the most important is safety, more than anything, then comfort (we need 2 cabins)...I dont think anything under 37 ft would be up to the ¨multi purpose¨ boat we are looking for?? It has alway been on my list of things to do to visit the Falkland Islands (not sure how much of a challenge it would be to sail to there?) Anyway, thats about the plan, thanks for you interest; best, Pablo.

[atoll]

also you will want to factor in vat and spanish import duty if you ever want to bring a non eu vessel back into the eu.

lots of vat paid eu boats for sale in spain ,uk,france and turkey at very good prices.

though with 40 000 euro probably should be looking in the 30-35 ft range for an equipped blue water cruiser.

[Mimsy]

Ditto to what Atoll said.
I still think a Tayana 37 would tick the boxes for you, just tough to find in the EU.

[pablothesailor]

yes, I looked at the link you kindly sent me, there is a Tanyana in Turkey, but thats a long trek from Here, Idealy I will find something here on the south coast of Spain, a 37 blue water¨ would be great if we can get it for the right price, I am told not to be frightened by the boats age and that there are plenty of really good boats from the late 80¨s that are great value for money!¡Do you guys agree?

[Mimsy]

Yes, there are especially since you are willing to be more realistic about your budget vs. size.
Since you seem to prefer heavier build boats as opposed to newer production boats, you might check this link for boat suggestions.

The Blue Water Cruiser List

Its not only got the list from Johh Neale of Mahnia expeditions, but it also includes the list from Evans Starzinger ( who posts here and is a very well respected long time cruiser who knows what he is talking about).

Have you done much boat shopping yet? It really helps to start crawling around in boats to get a feel for characteristics you want, what you can make do with and what is a deal killer for you.

[atoll]

structuraly nothing wrong with most glass 30 year old boats,though if they have been sitting for more than a few years .generally you will find yourself doing a refit on the electronics,changing the rigging,then leave and getting engine problems.
can easily find your self spending another 20000 euros on a 35-40 footer in refit/repairs especially if you are in a hurry to leave, on what you thought was a cheap yacht.

[boatman61]

Here's a nice one... basic and teak deck needs replacing but just remove seal and paint instead.... be done in a week or two..
Used Sail Boats for Sale - Bluewater Algarve, Portugal
also
Used Sail Boats for Sale - Bluewater Algarve, Portugal

[DeepFrz]

If you are looking for a boat in that size range with 2 cabins for 2 adult men then a canoe stern boat probably wouldn't be a good choice. I think you will find that the aft cabin on a Valiant 40 is pretty small. They are nice boats though.