First Yacht purchase ....Advice form the Sages please

[ScoobaGurl 0]

So I'm getting closer to taking the plunge and buying my first ever!! Its a big step seen as I'd never been on a yacht till I joined RYC and started to sail in Oct '11.

 

I'm looking at getting an H28 ..... have been advised that for one so new to sailing this is a very forgiving boat and a good one as a first step to learning.

 

Any advice for a first time purchaser?!.......... I'm not looking to spend more than $25k and that seems to be what they're going for approx at the moment.

 

Its frustrating being so completely clueless ........ what are the most important things I should look for.

[Guest]

Speed! Easy maintenance. Great engine with few hours. Great sails and a furler in good condition. Healthy rig. no mouldiness below. I would consider the Raven 26 also. See if you can find something thats cold moulded as I believe these have less maintenance. Have a look at it in the rain and check for leaks in the portholes etc. Of course get it surveyed.

[Guest]

Not necessarily.the fact that she's looking at an H 28 says she's going cruising not racing, so speed takes a back seat to comfort, safety and ease of handling. But too slow kind of kills the pleasure

 

Lots of good choices out there, a quick glance at trade me brought up this - looks clean

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 311286.htm

[Guest]

Well that was not stated as such so I still say go for some speed. A responsive yacht I think is a better learning device that is easier to feel what the trimming has achieved.

[Guest]

Sure, but people who have the H28's don't complain - except for RO

Personally I'd prefer the D28 - here's another

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 703471.htm

And I saw some good looking Townsons, though for a complete newbie maybe better to stick to glass hull and deck (much as I love wood).

[Battgirl 23]

Good for you. Following on from what CO has said it is a good idea to know what you want to do ie race, cruise or a bit of both, local or coastal, shorthanded or fully crewed and whether the speed and comfort of getting there is important. There's usually several different boats to choose from so knowing what you want to do will help narrow the field for you.

[Guest]

Scoobagirl, there is always a lot of negativity here towards H28's. They won't win a round the buoys but they'll get you back from Barrier. They are not good into the wind (it's a full keel thing), but OK on other points of sail. Not good in reverse either but you learn to use the wind and prop walk.

 

The Compass Yachts version (most of the NZ ones) are pretty bullet proof and all the owners I have met really love their yachts. They are easy to learn on and easy to sail on your own, they have good headroom for those under 6' and fairly comfortable berths.

 

Ensure that the engine is good, some of the engines are getting old and repowering is expensive.

 

If you want to have a look at mine (which is not for sale), or maybe even a sail, I'll be happy to oblige.

[203 0]

Not necessarily.the fact that she's looking at an H 28 says she's going cruising not racing, so speed takes a back seat to comfort, safety and ease of handling. But too slow kind of kills the pleasure

 

Lots of good choices out there, a quick glance at trade me brought up this - looks clean

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 311286.htm

 

That is a nice little boat for that amount of cash... Having the inner forestay will help make the rig a little more stronger aswell, although have never sailed on one, we thought about them aswell, nice boats!

[Guest]

Mines a full keel antay and she points well to windward so I suggest its a problem of the h 28's. Looking at the h28 hull is enought to see that its not going to windward well as its got too much hull and not enough keel hanging below. In other words she will be driven sideways or to leeward more than something with more bite. I'm not keen on them for that reason. If a yacht is not good into the wind then I wouldn't want one.

[Battleship 100]

You do need to think about when you re-sell it also, boats are easy to buy but hard to sell.

Boats like the H28 whilst fine in their day are becoming increasing unpopular for the reasons stated great and safe for cruising but chances are you will be looking for something better fairly quickly.

[Farrari 4]

This could be worth looking at - Salthouse Cavalier32 in TGA. A new motor and furling headsail and main. It would be interesting to see what repairs are needed because this is a very cheap boat.

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts-sail-boats/moored-boats/auction-442501074.htm

 

There is nothing wrong with an H28. It will get you wherever you want to go in comfort. They just don't go that well upwind so it means if the wind is to far forward of the beam you need to motor.

 

Or take a look at this if you want something a little quicker. Birdsail 30.

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts-sail-boats/moored-boats/auction-457959028.htm

 

IMHO you need to make a list of what is important to you and go and have a look at lots of boats. Try going out on various different types to get a feel for them. Take someone you trust for advice and remember the asking price can be quite different to the buy price so don't be afraid to look at something a little more expensive. It may save you money in the long run.

 

Ask yourself questions like

 

- What do I want to use the boat for (Crusing only, a bit of club racing eventually or something a little sportier)?

- How many people do you want it to sleep?

- How long do you want to go away on it for? This will influence size, headroom, fridge/freezer, water/fuel tank size etc.

- How many crew (if any) are you expecting. Do you need/want to sail it single handed?

- How far do you want to sail the yacht - Harbour, Barrier, BOI, Round NZ, Offshore?

- What is your maintenance budget? - Wooden boats generally cost more to maintain or at least you have to get on top of maintenace issues faster otherwise they can bite hard. An older diesel can be really expensive to fix or maintain if not reliable.

 

Also remember the bigger the boat the harder it is to manouver but the more comfortable it is in rougher conditions. Our first keeler was a Tracker. While this was comfortable and really safe it was a real pig to manouver in reverse. This mean all sorts of headaches getting in and out of the mariner berth but anchoring was the worst. The boat would only ever go in one direction in reverse until you were doing 4-5 knots or so and this caused all sorts of jitters for the family when anchoring in tight conditions.

[Guest]

Another point. If you just want this yacht to learn to sail and think you will move onto something else later then maybe best to buy something that moves when marketed. I can't point to any that fit this but yachts can become something like an anchor stopping you from moving on to another that you've spotted and would like. In other words "take your time ".

[Guest]

Bbay - what's yours?

[Guest]

You do need to think about when you re-sell it also, boats are easy to buy but hard to sell.

Boats like the H28 whilst fine in their day are becoming increasing unpopular for the reasons stated great and safe for cruising but chances are you will be looking for something better fairly quickly.

 

It seems to me that most owners keep their H28's. Those that sell tend to trade up in size or because they move out of yachting.

 

To me they seem very affordable to maintain and use. It just the marina *#@**.

[Guest]

The Cav looks good, but no double berth - you planning on going solo?

[Grinna 2]

I'm not sure that makes sense Bbay. I don't think there is a perfect boat and it really doesn't matter what you buy, when you come to sell it, it won't bring in as much as you've spent on it in terms of money, time, effort, etc.

 

Short answer is, there is no perfect boat and the most sensible advice is "don't buy one". But, that's not a lot of fun, now is it?

 

There's nothing inherently wrong with H28s (though do look out for ones with steel punchings as ballast and salt water leaks into the steel). They're not the quickest boats out there, but they're safe and reliable and they'll get you there (eventually). The H28s are starting to get on a bit now, so make sure you have a good surveyor check it out (excellent advice for ANY boat). Bbay obviously doesn't like them, but hey everyone's different and likes different things.

 

I have a soft spot for Davidson 28s, but there are many other similar sized boats out there. By all means take a good look at H28s, but don't ignore other similar sized boats. Look at lots of them .... the more the better. Look at so many boats you're sick of it ... and then look some more. By that stage, you'll be looking past the pretty and giving the systems and set up a close inspection. You'll know a good one from a bad and you'll be better informed about what you like and what you don't. Take someone with you who knows more about boats than you do and ask them lots of questions .... but don't listen to them when they tell you what you want ... it's invariably what they THINK you want (or need).

 

Or you could just buy Atom Ant .... she's an awesome little boat (and she's red, so she's fast!!)

[OYSTR 1]

From a newbie who's had his boat (on the water) for less than 6 months:

 

1. Find someone who knows boats to help you look at prospectives and sniff out problems. Narrow down the potentials before committing to a survey

 

2. Controls back to the cockpit, makes life easier

 

3. Furling genoa, makes life easier

 

4. An engine you can trust with you life

 

Beyond this it's as many extras and their quality you can get for the price eg. Good main and genoa, auto pilot, cooler, log, plotter, boom tent etc etc etc

[Guest]

Ummmmmmmmmmmmm you guys remember a posting about wanting to go back to Pitcan Island, H28 go cat1 and more than oneh as done it

[Guest]

Ummmmmmmmmmmmm you guys remember a posting about wanting to go back to Pitcan Island, H28 go cat1 and more than oneh as done it

 

 

Don't know of any that went to Pitcairn, but some have circumnavigated.

[Guest]

Here she is Anttay. 32 foot 11' 3" beam 5'6" draft. Cutter rigged and really goes well to windward. This is a copy of an Atkin's "Thistle". Last sunday beating into port from Young Nicks Head into 15 knots of norwester hard on and she's doing 6 to 6.2 knots. Only thing about these is they are too hard to maneuvre in the harbour, especially in a breeze oh and as they are so beamy makes for interesting times in a short steep sea on a reach. Very stiff craft.

Yes Grinna I just meant to say go slow because once committed its hard to backtrack.