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Hi there, 

My 5 year plan is to buy a small keeler. Looking at something like 32 cavalier / 30 chico etc. Hoping for 20-25k and I'd prefer GRP. I want to do short sails to get the family hooked and would probably consider longer shorthanded sails offshore.

I am fairly handy and can do most small maintenance a boat might need including non structural fibreglass, carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. So a fixer upper is probably the way as long as the boat is sound.

I almost fast tracked the plan this week and stopped just short of winning an auction on TradeMe. This made me think about the other costs involved.

I have never owned a yacht and was wondering if someone could give me some ball park figures for a 32ft (ish) keelboat.

The first few things I could think of was:

1. Cost of hauling a boat on the dry

2. Cost of keeping on the hard for a day.

3. Cost of a survey

4. Cost of re rigging in either SS of dyneema (as I understand this is something that needs to get redone from time to time for insurance.)

5. Cost of insurance for a 20-25k boat

6. Delivery from Auckland to Wellington since looks like most boats are up there.

7. Any big things I should consider.

For members that might worry about a complete novice getting in trouble out there:

I did a 4 week "yacht captains" course in Durban 26 years ago. Since then I have sailed (as crew) on and off on various boats from flying dutchman and darts to racing and deliveries on bigger boats up to 63ft. I am also an operational crew member at coastguard NZ. This is not heaps or anything to brag about, I just want to say that I know enough to know what my limitations are ;)

Thanks in advance,

Dawie

 

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I'd recommend having a read through the thread I recently made, I'm in a very similar position to you and there's a wealth of advice in there.

Was it the Chico 30 Auriga you almost bought? I was also watching that auction with great intetest.

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10 minutes ago, Vin said:

I'd recommend having a read through the thread I recently made, I'm in a very similar position to you and there's a wealth of advice in there.

Was it the Chico 30 Auriga you almost bought? I was also watching that auction with great intetest.

Haha yes that was the one :) I love those little boats. 

Thank you I did not realize there were more than one page of replies :D

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2 hours ago, Dawie said:

Any idea of cost for redoing the rigging on a 30ish foot boat? 

Depends how you do it. Cheapest is to take the shrouds off yourself, one at a time if ness, and drop them in to rigger, replace and re tune yourself...

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3 hours ago, Black Panther said:

Always liked those boats. Did a very pleasant tasman crossing on Chubasco.

 

3 hours ago, Black Panther said:

Always liked those boats. Did a very pleasant tasman crossing on Chubasco.

I sailed about 20 years ago when I wanted to learn about sailing, on Chubasco for a day with Mike Kalaguher (the then owner who also wrote a very good book on the Sounds New Years Murders) - felt a very solid boat from memory.  Saw it for sale on Tme not too long ago.

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13 hours ago, Zozza said:

Just out of curiosity, I'd be interested. I did follow that auction with interest

Ok. I will flesh this out when I have more time but the gist of the story is:

  • Auriga was built in the front yard of a family home in Glendowie - bare fibreglass hull built by Keith Eade
  • I became connected after it was launched as my family and their family spent Christmas holidays in the same camping ground in Coromandel
  • After sailing back from Coromandel to Auckland I was invited to join the crew for Wednesday night racing in Bucklands Beach
  • One thing lead to another and the team ended up, over the next few years, sailing the boat to Gisborne, then Suva, Port Vila, Lord Howe Island, Sydney, Hobart, back to Auckland and then to Lautoka
  • In a clear case of nostalgic heart ruling head two of us (the old crew) bought it in the recent auction
  • Immediate plan is to make it yellow - Auriga was always a yellow boat with red antifoul and will be again.
  • Then further tidy-up within reason (Nah ..... 'reason' is not in play I fear)
  • Other than that, some 'then and now' crew photos and a kick-ass party, the future is still being mapped out, but there is life in the old dog yet as they say
  • Incidentally - Auriga, I believe, was the top performing NZ boat in the 1979 Sydney-Hobart race, coming 24th overall on handicap, and then won, on IOR, the 1980 Hobart to Auckland race - we still have the trophy and the suggestion is that it should find a home in the trophy case of the Akarana Yacht Club some time soon

There are big gaps in our knowledge of the boat after about 1983 until now, so if anyone can fill any gaps we would be most grateful

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On 7/02/2022 at 1:58 PM, Dawie said:

I have never owned a yacht and was wondering if someone could give me some ball park figures for a 32ft (ish) keelboat.

The first few things I could think of was:

1. Cost of hauling a boat on the dry

2. Cost of keeping on the hard for a day.

3. Cost of a survey

4. Cost of re rigging in either SS of dyneema (as I understand this is something that needs to get redone from time to time for insurance.)

5. Cost of insurance for a 20-25k boat

6. Delivery from Auckland to Wellington since looks like most boats are up there.

7. Any big things I should consider.

 

Not sure that anyone has directly answered the questions so here goes.

1. Between $200 for an hour on the floating dock and $700 for an out, in and clean somewhere like pier 21. 

2. $20 - $30ish a day depending where.

3. $1000-2000 depending who, where, what covering etc.

4. Been discussed above, around 3k. Depends if just replacing wire or whether the rigging screws need replacing as well.

5. Ballpark $1000/year but varies depending on risk so where you keep it etc 

6. Couple of grand if you can find a friendly delivery crew. Generally done by the day so depends on speed of boat, weather etc. Trucking is worth a look, boat haulage etc do it for surprisingly reasonable prices.

7. Engine, electrics, refrigeration, sail condition, running rigging, deck gear, rot/osmosis... while it can seem tempting to buy something needing work if you have the skills to tidy it up, almost invariably it ends up being more expensive than buying a tidy boat to start with.

 

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On 7/02/2022 at 1:58 PM, Dawie said:

Hi there, 

My 5 year plan is to buy a small keeler. Looking at something like 32 cavalier / 30 chico etc. Hoping for 20-25k and I'd prefer GRP. I want to do short sails to get the family hooked and would probably consider longer shorthanded sails offshore.

I am fairly handy and can do most small maintenance a boat might need including non structural fibreglass, carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. So a fixer upper is probably the way as long as the boat is sound.

I almost fast tracked the plan this week and stopped just short of winning an auction on TradeMe. This made me think about the other costs involved.

I have never owned a yacht and was wondering if someone could give me some ball park figures for a 32ft (ish) keelboat.

The first few things I could think of was:

1. Cost of hauling a boat on the dry

2. Cost of keeping on the hard for a day.

3. Cost of a survey

4. Cost of re rigging in either SS of dyneema (as I understand this is something that needs to get redone from time to time for insurance.)

5. Cost of insurance for a 20-25k boat

6. Delivery from Auckland to Wellington since looks like most boats are up there.

7. Any big things I should consider.

For members that might worry about a complete novice getting in trouble out there:

I did a 4 week "yacht captains" course in Durban 26 years ago. Since then I have sailed (as crew) on and off on various boats from flying dutchman and darts to racing and deliveries on bigger boats up to 63ft. I am also an operational crew member at coastguard NZ. This is not heaps or anything to brag about, I just want to say that I know enough to know what my limitations are ;)

Thanks in advance,

Dawie

 

I'd look for the best yacht you can find in the flavor/size/class you're after, and see what you can buy it for.

One that's had a refit, or is currently racing & well maintained.

If you can't afford that, then buying a "fixer upper" will break you. Saving a bit of labour because you're handy doesn't help much really if any of the big ticket items are a problem. Engine, rig, sails, fridge, electrics..........

It goes on & on, and labour is not the big number in any of those areas.

 

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16 hours ago, Bad Kitty said:

I'd look for the best yacht you can find in the flavor/size/class you're after, and see what you can buy it for.

One that's had a refit, or is currently racing & well maintained.

If you can't afford that, then buying a "fixer upper" will break you. Saving a bit of labour because you're handy doesn't help much really if any of the big ticket items are a problem. Engine, rig, sails, fridge, electrics..........

It goes on & on, and labour is not the big number in any of those areas.

 

Bad Kitty is correct.  A fixer upper will break you in so many ways.  
Triple whatever you think it is going to cost, then add in 10% for the psychologist you will need to see as the refit drags on and on and on.....

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You generally find two types of boat owners.

‘The first and where you should aim for is the type that use their boats all the time whilst fixing small stuff, and the type that never or very rarely use their boats as they are constantly working on them.

Most here fit somewhere between the two

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So true,  theres always the "list"

Check one thing off and it goes the bottom. Eventually things work their way back up the list, some more slowly than others but there is always a list. 

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On 7/03/2022 at 7:59 PM, Jon said:

You generally find two types of boat owners.

‘The first and where you should aim for is the type that use their boats all the time whilst fixing small stuff, and the type that never or very rarely use their boats as they are constantly working on them.

Most here fit somewhere between the two

My boat was brand new in 2019 - it still has a list…nothing major, but a list nonetheless. 
Things like: 

Install Radar, danbuoy, additional electricity generation, crew set of ais beacons, couple small gelcoat chips, stich on some halyard covers, storms’l, plugs for the electric motor  charging, wiring in the espresso machine, building a toolbox/roll, relocating the water maker, replacing that usb charge point that drowned when the water maker shat itself, replacing the zip sliders on two squab covers because I’m an idiot and didn’t learn the first time…

hate to think how the list looks on a boat more than 3y old…

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