So We Want to Buy a Yacht ? Help !!!!

[kevinbrand]

Thanks for the link celestialsailor. Will be reading their story with much interest.

[Sam Plan B]

And back to the original question, "Can anyone please help us? Should we just keep on trying to look at yachts from the web? Should we take some sailing lessons? Or should we hang around yachtie looking bars and chat to normal types?"

Before you venture beyond the sea bouy some few of the things you need to internalize (so you know it like you know how to ride a bicycle) are the following: piloting (inshore), navigation (off shore), deisel engine mechanics, 12v electrical systems, rigging maintenance and repair, sail maintenance and repair, hull maintenance (including thru-hulls), anchoring in varying conditions, port clearance procedures, the international rules of the road, first aid and crew management (it is not a democracy). If you are not inclined to educate yourself on the above you can buy the boat anyway and proceed to sea. There is nothing to stop you from so doing. Proceed but do not take an EPIRB with you (you will not know what that is anyway) lest you shortly be troubling other people.

[atoll]

yottie hang outs in the area,where you might meet the genuine article,can tell them by the faded clothes they wear and smell of diesel!

The Yacht Haven

Phuket Yacht Clubs: Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC): Sailing Phuket

Jimmy's Lighthouse Bar & Grill, Ao Chalong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

and in langkawi,malaysia

The Pier Restaurant and Bar Langkawi

[youmeandthed]

I'd say the hardest issue to digest when you're in a position like you are is, no one will insure your boat, so you have to mentally prepare for the fact that you may have to just walk away from your boat if you wreck it. A few years of savings down the toilet. When you have nothing to lose as a backpacker and a passenger, risk doesn't phase you. When you own a boat and don't know much about boating you might have to walk away from years of savings or be responsible for the injury or death of someone, in a worse case scenario. This fact alone will force you to learn quickly about everything that pertains to your cruising needs, and take control of the variables you can.

I vote go for it, but putting a timeline on it is a mistake. Take it as it comes, and your life and savings are your responsibility, but try not to kill others.

No matter how much knowledge and experience you have, the biggest risk on the water is an unchecked ego. Look at this Captain on the cruise ship, he was insured. lol

[Connemara]

There are two issues:

-- Is there a boat in that price range that would be suitable for a circumnavigation?
-- Can/should the OP buy such a boat and set off?

For that kind of money, as I think most here would agree, there are lots of possibilities that are more or less suitable, depending -- the key point -- on the knowledge and skills of the sailors.

So that answer to the first is yep.

The answer to the second, IMHO, is no. On the most fundamental level, what if you don't like being at sea? What if either of you get seasick? Or just can't deal with life on a slant?

And that doesn't even begin to touch issues such as navigation, safety, storm tactics, anchoring, provisioning ...

I've been sailing off and on since university (dinghies until the last seven or eight years, I admit) and I wouldn't even think of it. Too much to learn before I'd feel confident or even less than terrified.

Connemara

[boatman61]

If your looking at the under $80k range how about this...
Fortuna 37 Boats for sale Malaysia, Fortuna Used boat sales, Fortuna Sailing Yachts For Sale 37' Fortuna GRP Cutter Sloop - Apollo Duck



This guy may like a haggle.. gotta try... the Keralla area would be perfect for you...
Peterson Serendipity 43 Boats for sale Malaysia, Peterson Used boat sales, Peterson Sailing Yachts For Sale 43' Peterson Serendipity Cutter Slo - Apollo Duck

[Mexdon]

Here is a link to yachts for sale in Phuket. Ther are a few in your price range on page 2 and 3.

YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale


You may find some that you can at least look at while you are there and start to get some ideas and what you get for your money in Asia.

However from my searching for over a year now I have found that yachts in Asia, Australia, Europe and NZ are considerably higher in price than equivalent yachts in USA.

Good luck with your hunting.

[jezboat]

Phuket is a great place to pick up a boat and learn to sail in the sheltered waters to the East of the island. A close friend, in a similar position to you, purchased a sailboat there back in 2004. He learned fast and sailed throughout Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and had the time of his life.
As I recall, the brokers in Phuket were the usual dodgy, used car salesmen, but it is possible to bypass them by walking the docks at The Boat Lagoon, The Yacht Haven and Chalong.
There are plenty of solid cruising boats for sale, because many circumnavigating owners don't want to risk sailing further West towards the Middle East and they have already seen the "highlights" of the South Pacific and South East Asia.
Good luck and go for it! You're in the perfect place to pull it off.

[kevinbrand]

Originally Posted by Sam Plan B

). If you are not inclined to educate yourself on the above you can buy the boat anyway and proceed to sea. There is nothing to stop you from so doing. Proceed but do not take an EPIRB with you (you will not know what that is anyway) lest you shortly be troubling other people.

Sam plan b... Please don't insult our intelligence, of course we know what an EPRIB is! It's another one of those Dremmel dentistry tools that you mentioned on page one of this thread, which by the way, great idea, thanks.....our Calcutta mobile dentistry unit will be up and running in one month time. Have you seen the state of the average Indian's teeth, they're appalling, we could make a fortune! In fact I saw another thread on here about how to make money whilst sailing, I suggest you add that one to it!

Allow me to clear a couple of things up, as I may have caused some misunderstanding. My wife is in her late 30's, I am 40. We are not a pair of naive gap year students. We are both professional, reasonably intelligent people. We have no intention of buying a boat, with zero knowledge and taking off out to sea. As I mentioned on my reply on page two, we intend on spending the next year or two learning everything we need to know about sailing before we go off....that includes getting all the necessary qualifications and sailing experience....we are just so new to this sailing stuff that we have no idea where to start. It is Chinese New Year here in Asia, so all the sailing schools are shut right now, and so we are having to wait until next week for our first sailing lessons. We are just really enthusiastic and keen to get learning, and thought that a forum would be a great place to get a variety of views from people with sailing experience.

So folks, please be nice and don't make assumptions, I am happy to provide you with as much info as I can if you want to help.

Thank you to those of you who have sent really useful replies and links, it is really appreciated.

Great news though! We stepped on our first sailing boat yesterday We were totally upfront about our situation with another broker out here who was happy to spend some time with us. We are going to another marina after New Year to look at a few more boats.....just to show us what you can get for your money out here in Thailand. I do have some boat related questions though, and since we don't have any sailing friends yet, and the schools are shut I did think about posting them here.........?

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by kevinbrand

Sam plan b... Please don't insult our intelligence, of course we know what an EPRIB is! It's another one of those Dremmel dentistry tools that you mentioned on page one of this thread, which by the way, great idea, thanks.....our Calcutta mobile dentistry unit will be up and running in one month time. Have you seen the state of the average Indian's teeth, they're appalling, we could make a fortune! In fact I saw another thread on here about how to make money whilst sailing, I suggest you add that one to it!

Allow me to clear a couple of things up, as I may have caused some misunderstanding. My wife is in her late 30's, I am 40. We are not a pair of naive gap year students. We are both professional, reasonably intelligent people. We have no intention of buying a boat, with zero knowledge and taking off out to sea. As I mentioned on my reply on page two, we intend on spending the next year or two learning everything we need to know about sailing before we go off....that includes getting all the necessary qualifications and sailing experience....we are just so new to this sailing stuff that we have no idea where to start. It is Chinese New Year here in Asia, so all the sailing schools are shut right now, and so we are having to wait until next week for our first sailing lessons. We are just really enthusiastic and keen to get learning, and thought that a forum would be a great place to get a variety of views from people with sailing experience.

So folks, please be nice and don't make assumptions, I am happy to provide you with as much info as I can if you want to help.

Thank you to those of you who have sent really useful replies and links, it is really appreciated.

Great news though! We stepped on our first sailing boat yesterday We were totally upfront about our situation with another broker out here who was happy to spend some time with us. We are going to another marina after New Year to look at a few more boats.....just to show us what you can get for your money out here in Thailand. I do have some boat related questions though, and since we don't have any sailing friends yet, and the schools are shut I did think about posting them here.........?

if you wanted a crash course, you could charter a boat. with zero experience, they'll make you hire a captain for at least the first couple days. Make the captain 'show you the ropes' It's not all that particularly difficult when you are new. you'll learn very quickly things that you like, or don't like about how that boat works.

I would advise against buying an 80k boat without knowing what you want. you could buy a small sailboat and then learn. When you go to brokers, don't tell them anything. Tell them you wanna look at boats for sale, what have they got? If they are A-holes go to the next guy. If there are any boat shows in the area, definitely go to those! You can walk aboard 30 boats in a day, and immediately your likes and dislikes will show themselves.

[atoll]

another great reasource is the hash,quite a few members have boats,ask if "jj " is around if you go along,next meet is on the 28th jan.

Phuket HHH

[FearfulGirl]

Be aware that a lot of the people who give you advice about what you can and can't do are stranded at the dock because these misguided fears haunt them from ever leaving themselves. Jealousy is often at the root of 'sensible advice.' Sorting genuine, helpful guidance from the negative naysayers chatter is tricky. Is it smart to get confident with sailing and navigation? Yes. Do you need 20 years of experience to set sail on an offshore voyage? No. You'll be the master of your own life out there, so once you're at the helm of your ship, you'll know when it feels right to set sail. Since you've spent so long traveling, you've probably learned to listen to your intuition. That'll be an asset on the ocean. It will tell you when it's right to head out into the watery unknown.

We had a Valiant, which was sturdy and strong. She had one aesthetic flaw: teen acne from her blistered fiberglass (osmosis), but she sailed like a dream and she kept us safe for two years on the Pacific. This cosmetic issue allowed us to get a $100K boat for $40K. I met people who'd sailed from NZ to Tonga in a $4000 boat (no toilet, only a bucket). They had the same view as the mega yachts.

When you're buying a boat for a major voyage, you may need to travel around the world to find the right yacht. Only some boats are fit for the ocean, and they all need to be fitted out with equipment for self-sufficiency. You'll need huge water tanks, huge fuel tanks, and lots of room for food supplies. It's best to do your own research on all of this, as there's a lot to learn. You can't rely on a broker to make this choice for you, as they'll have their own interests to take care of.

[Ex-Calif]

You are in the perfect place to get started but getting started to me doesn't mean jumping in without a plan.

Friends of mine took a one week liveaboard coastal cruising course in Phuket. Do this and you have two things. A little experience and knowledge about sailing. A certificate that makes chartering more easier.

The second part is a knowledge of what you want to do and what kinds of boats are suitable. Another friend of mine just bought a 36 foot boat from Sunsail off charter. This boat was turnkey and ready to do what you want to do. He paid around $70k.

The next part is a lot more learning. You are downloading books, that's great. You are reading CF, that's great.

In regards to brokers, there are "high end" brokers in Thailand. Try Alan Giles at boatshed phuket. He is a good guy, just sold a boat to my brother and isn't afraid to deal in cheaper boats.

Once you get a boat, I suggest stay in Phuket, Langkawi areas for at least 6 months. It is a very busy "center" of boating activity. There are lots of maintenance options and chandlery support as well as some very easy and forgiving sailing grounds. Additionally, there are a crap load of destinations and wonderful places to explore as you gain experience and learn what works and what doesn't work.

Good luck!