novice with a dream

javsar · Post by **javsar** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:56 pm

Hi,
My names Jav and at present my family and I have escaped the UK and are living in sunny Turkey. We still have our place back in Derbyshire and own a lovely place here in Antalya.
However, I have had a dream for a long time but had never got around to doing anything about it. I want to buy,live abroad and sail to all the corners of the world in my own boat. A boat that I have had some part in maintaining, upgrading and generally had put work into. A boat that can handle the oceans and my wife and my little girl.

Now to reality. I am a complete novice, with no experiance whatsoever. Never owned a boat or know of anyone who has owned a boat. Do not know anything about the practical or legal requirements, or the financial for that matter.

I have seen yachts (motor yachts) for sale in the US. There seems to be greater choice their, but I have made no decisions.

Any and all help,advice or pointers would be much appreciated.

All the best,

Jav,Marie & Maya

bobholiday · Post by **bobholiday** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:32 pm

Hi Jav, you have similar aspirations to me - but you're about 1 year behind. I suggest first and foremost you do a sailing course - that's what I did. You'll almost certainly need to pass a theory course also if you intend to get some insurance.

Once you've done that, the mammoth task begins of finding and buying your first boat. For my first, I went for a Westerly Centaur (which is now for sale, I'll come to that in a moment). It's not large enough to sail the oceans of the world, but it's large enough to have two aboard comfortably for a weekend - and has enabled me to grow my experience over the last 12 months.

I'm now upgrading to a larger boat which is capable of living on and easily cruising around the UK. If that goes smoothly, and we enjoy it, we'll take the next step and sell our house, get something serious, and begin a world cruise.

My boat is for sale here:

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F196737/

See the RYA for information on courses. I suggest you go to a sailing centre and do the "Day Skipper" theory and practical exams after a week or so of training. You will also require your VHF operator's licence before you're allowed to use a marine VHF so this is essential also.

Let us know how you get on!

javsar · Post by **javsar** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:34 pm

Hi and thank you for the reply Bobholiday,
I have taken on board your advice and when we go back to the UK next year I will register and do the courses you have recommended. Have already been on the RYA web site. Would really like to know what you did and in which order you did it? What you thought was good or bad etc., did you find it difficult or easy? Also did you do any reading up, are there any books you would recommend.
I think you have gone about things the logical/sensible way. Will probably do the same. However if you had the choice would you have got "something serious" straight away and jumped into the deep end?

Thank

Jav,Marie & Maya

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:35 pm

Hi Jav, and welcome
Coincidentally, I'm just back after a weekend sailing on a Westerly Centaur, they are very nice boats and perfect for learning on (Bob, don't forget to put it on www.sailroom.co.uk too

, no charge obviously ) and this one sailed on the Jester challenge this summer (Plymouth to Azores) before returning to her home berth in the UK which was even further
My suggestion would be to get hold of a good small boat, like a Centaur, or like my own Debutante 21ft, and spend some time sailing with the family to make sure they all enjoy it first. You might find that your dream is anothers nightmare

Best of luck with whatever you end up doing, and hope you find the right boat to get away from it all in, still looking here but hope to find it soon

javsar · Post by **javsar** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 5:17 pm

Thank you for the reply, I totally agree with you and the previous poster. Small boat and get some experience, practice and make all the mistakes on a small scale.

Could you recommend any reading material that would be useful to someone in my position?

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 6:07 pm

You might like to have a chat with Al & Tina of AT Sailing
Link here http://www.atsailing.com/
They are very good, and also very helpful and practical, so they can give you advice direct from the horses mouth (figure of speech

)
But other than that, I tend to go more for the practical rather than the theory, but if you do a search for 'Day Skipper Online' you might find some useful reading material to keep your mind active over the winter

javsar · Post by **javsar** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:21 pm

Thank for the reply will do when I get back to UK. Heres a what if for you and the other posters who have been so kind as to reply to my questions.

What if you had 100K to invest in a boat? What would you do? Buy something in need of TLC and refit? Buy a boat at auction?

Basically what I would like to know is how you would invest the cash in a boat, use it for 5 years and still get equity out of it in the future. Is it even possible?

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:40 pm

The best joke I've heard on this subject is
How do you make a million pounds from a boat
Start off with two million

It all depends though. My sail boat was very cheap to buy, but a lot of people would have run a mile at the prospect of all the work that needs doing. I'm lucky in that I can turn my hand to most things so didn't need to pay for any labour, and for stuff I can't do I have some good mates who helped out.
If you buy a new car or boat, you lose a lot of value as soon as you take it away, so no, in my opinion, you're never going to get a return on your investment unless you buy one that needs a lot of work so is cheap, and you can do the work yourself. Then when the boat is done it's probably going to be worth more than you paid, but also add up the cost of parts and the headache comes back though

Hope this helps

bobholiday · Post by **bobholiday** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:09 pm

Seems to me having bought two in the last year - that you can get a LOT of kit for your money when buying a used boat.

Often when you look at a particular make/model there's a range of prices - but if you bought the lowest price one which needs everything doing, and use the difference between that and the most expensive in the range to get things done on it, you won't get as much for your money as if you bought the most expensive in the first place.

Eg. Westerly Centaur.

Prices range from about £8k to £13k

£8k one needs:

Hull treatment - £2000+
Sails - £1000
Running + standing rigging - £1500
GPS/DSC VHF/Radar/Warps/Fenders etc etc - £1000+
Tender + Outboard - £800
Keels need doing - £1600
Headlining needs doing £2000

So if you buy for £8k and do it up, you'll end up spending something like £17k to get it absolutely top notch... but you can get a top notch one for £13k - with everything all done.

I guess Dave's right that if you can turn your hand to things yourself then perhaps you can grab an absolute bargain - but take care you know what you're doing, and know the model of boat very well before you take the plunge.

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:19 pm

Oh absolutely agree, I made the mistake of buying mine before I did all the research on it and I'm still having a few problems.
Research is vital for whatever type of boat anyone intends doing up, I'll never make that mistake again
I hope

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:28 am

Found it at last

If you follow this link it takes you to a site where you can find a brochure for loads of boats, well worth a look if you've got any particular one in mind
http://www.yachtbrochures.co.uk/index.htm

javsar · Post by **javsar** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 3:15 pm

Have been looking on ebay.com, loads of boats for sale in the states. Some repo`s others damaged by hurricanes, etc. They seem to offer a good deal for what on the surface seems minor/limited damage. I am no expert boat repairer, but can turn my hand to general DIY, but nothing to mentally taxing.
I have no idea what the true costs of repairing a boat are, have never spoken with a boat yard, hell I have not even sailed yet, but the idea does appeal to me.

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 3:43 pm

Personally I wouldn't touch anything that's hurricane damaged, for one thing, it's very hard to tell how bad the damage is
This one http://www.sailroom.co.uk/Sandhire-26-S ... iondetails is on my site, but not my boat, and I know the owner of Jomo very well so know he's honest, and it sounds like a good one to learn on too
There are other sites out there other than e.bay, such as apollo duck and boats & outboards, so don't limit your searches to one place

javsar · Post by **javsar** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:30 pm

At present until our place in the sun is sold all I do all day is surf the net and look at boats, prices of boats, cost of spare parts for boats and generally dream of owning and sailing to parts unknown.
Will not buy until I have seen the boat in person, with an expert in toe and a survey.

DaveA · Post by **DaveA** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:46 pm

That's the best way to do it, the more you search on the internet, the more information you'll find, and the more knowledge you'll gain. Then you start to learn other things too, like which bit of string does what, and what it's called. Helps when you're on someone elses boat and he shouts to tighten the main sheet. Don't check your bed, that's not the sheet he means

If you can get out on other peoples boats too, that helps, so try and get involved with the sailing community and hope someone asks if you fancy a trip. You get to see more boats that way too.