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Boat Wanted


tonz76

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Hi all,

 

I'm very new to sailing and looking to buy my first boat. I'm looking for something that's easy to sail and safe for coastal sailing. I have heard that the Variant, Tracker 7.7, Farr 727 & Raven would all be good starters. I have a small budget so no good looking at the super yachts!! & I definitely don't want a trailer sailer

 

Any thoughts, helpful info or recommendations would be very much appreciated.

 

Cheers :thumbup:

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Hey there any idea on your budget? All those are great boats. The variant is the cheapest of that lot then I'd say the farr 727 then the trackers and ravens pretty evenly priced at almost double the price of a variant or 727.

 

Racing the 727 prob the best but in saying that the ravens and trackers have good fleets and good racing in Auckland and Wellington.

 

The raven will be the roomiest with the biggest cockpit, the tracker will do everything well. The farr will race well and cruise tightly but will be a little more lively than the others and the vairent will be the cheapest to own.

 

Have you had a look at reactor25s and cavalier26s. Plenty of excellent choices enjoy the search :D

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Hi thanks for the reply yeah should have said low budget under $10,000 which might not get me a lot or anything decent :( I have read about the reactors but haven't seen any within my budget someone said they are quite cramped though

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Buy a Farr 727 the fleet is now getting back together and growing strong. There are currently three on trade me at the moment. Dire straits would be a good option for you as its in your price range. Great small boat for racing and cruising.

 

Join the fleet of 727's

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Buy a Farr 727 the fleet is now getting back together and growing strong. There are currently three on trade me at the moment. Dire straits would be a good option for you as its in your price range. Great small boat for racing and cruising.

 

Join the fleet of 727's

 

Yeah I have seen the listing for Dire Straits looked ok but no internal photos though have asked a few questions just waiting on a reply as there is no contact no

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They are all good boats all having good and bad points ,, one,that might be worth a look as well if a good one comes up is Townson 28 they go cheap sometimes.

yeah trade me has 2 townson 28 listings at $74000 & $39000 bit too pricey but they look great :D

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It really depends what you want to do on your boat. If you just want to learn to sail and are more interested in racing then as mentioned above a 727 is probably a good starting point, or maybe a pied piper.

 

If you want to go cruising around the coast, something with a bit more room and that are a bit less flighty so are easier to learn on, then I'd go with a raven or a tracker.

 

I just had a quick look at what's on trademe under 10k and my pick would be this:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 167783.htm

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It really depends what you want to do on your boat. If you just want to learn to sail and are more interested in racing then as mentioned above a 727 is probably a good starting point, or maybe a pied piper.

 

If you want to go cruising around the coast, something with a bit more room and that are a bit less flighty so are easier to learn on, then I'd go with a raven or a tracker.

 

I just had a quick look at what's on trademe under 10k and my pick would be this:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 167783.htm

 

I think at the moment just something to learn on and hopefully go cruising around the coast. May be going to look at a raven on the weekend but that tracker doesn't look bad

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I know this is at the top of your price range (if not a bit over) but you ought to take a look at this. There is a lot of boat for your money (it was listed in the mid $20K range 2 - 3 years ago).

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts/keeler/auction-636393221.htm

 

The problem with the cheaper end of the range is that you end up spending a lot of time and money on maintenance and upgrades that generally can't be recovered. You will need to budget for maintenance in any case and may find that over time the maintenance costs will quickly overrun the capital costs.

 

You need to be aware that this is not a GRP boat but don't let that put you off.

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I know this is at the top of your price range (if not a bit over) but you ought to take a look at this. There is a lot of boat for your money (it was listed in the mid $20K range 2 - 3 years ago).

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts/keeler/auction-636393221.htm

 

The problem with the cheaper end of the range is that you end up spending a lot of time and money on maintenance and upgrades that generally can't be recovered. You will need to budget for maintenance in any case and may find that over time the maintenance costs will quickly overrun the capital costs.

 

You need to be aware that this is not a GRP boat but don't let that put you off.

 

I have spotted that listing and agree it is a lot of boat for the money but I just couldn't stretch to that price at this time but would definitely make an offer if they would drop it within my budget :wink: I know you're right that buying at the cheaper end of the market could be more costly in the long run so hopefully I will find something half decent but will definitely try to budget in maintenance costs

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A tidy boat, and looks to have had a birthday, but its still a pretty old boat! And will perform a lot slower than alot of other boats suggested here, Things like the inboard motor are good when looked after but getting old they can cost alot more money to look after than an outboard motor.

 

I would go for a Tracker or a 727 over that boat... Newer, perform better, and outboards are less drama and easier replaced (Old deisels are a pain!)

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I would go for a Tracker or a 727 over that boat... Newer

 

Most 727s, at least, are of a very similar vintage -- 30-35 years old. Which isn't to say you shouldn't get one!

 

I don't know anything about the salthouse 25 design, but I have to say that she looks good value if she's really had a recent and thorough refit.

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If you can view the boat out of the drink thats defianatly a bonus a lot of those older Yachts have the pox,,,,, some to the point where you really need to get them looked at by a professional which can mean another expense you do,nt want.

 

Just wait until the "RIGHT" boat comes along you have to really love it because then you will forget what its costing you,...........try standing in a cold shower while ripping up $100 notes to see if boat ownership is really for you.

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If you can view the boat out of the drink thats defianatly a bonus a lot of those older Yachts have the pox,,,,, some to the point where you really need to get them looked at by a professional which can mean another expense you do,nt want.

 

Just wait until the "RIGHT" boat comes along you have to really love it because then you will forget what its costing you,...........try standing in a cold shower while ripping up $100 notes to see if boat ownership is really for you.

 

Yep I know I wont rush it and I have heard that expression before :lol: . Have decided to sign up to the summer series to gain a little experience :)

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The Salthouse is like a small Cav 32. Solid little boats, but in that size Ravens, Reactors, Trackers were more popular.

 

Don't overlook the Harmonic 24 either, you should be able to get a decent Mk1 (flush deck) or Mk 2 (Box cabin) within your budget.

 

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 787758.htm

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 141758.htm

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The Salthouse is like a small Cav 32. Solid little boats, but in that size Ravens, Reactors, Trackers were more popular.

 

Don't overlook the Harmonic 24 either, you should be able to get a decent Mk1 (flush deck) or Mk 2 (Box cabin) within your budget.

 

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 787758.htm

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 141758.htm

 

I have looked at both of those listings and considered them but they both have suffered from osmosis or blistering especially the second listing which states it had an osmosis job in 2005. Now I'm no expert but have been advised to stay away anything like that even though the 2nd listing looks a good buy at that price.

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This might be worth a look

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 728156.htm

 

Of course you are right to be cautious. I'd want to know what they mean by 'osmosis job' and what level of repair work was done. It seems a bit of a lottery really, I remember the family Raven 26 and then Lotus 9.2 both required some non-extensive blister repairs in the early/mid 80s, when they weren't that old. Then I had a Harmonic throughout the 1990s that never had a single blister in that time.

 

Some good info here http://www.mike-menzies-marine.co.nz/new_page_3.htm

 

It would be interesting to find out if there are any production boats from that era that don't get blisters. For instance Bill Endeans book (and I cannot vouch for the veracity of this) suggests that Reactors don't get it so much because, unusually for those days, they were laid up with surfacing tissue under the gel coat. Maybe someone who knows can enlighten.

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Yep I think buying any boat of that era you have to expect a couple of blisters or repair work on blisters to have been done Ravens are certainly not except I,ve seen some really bad ones.

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