For a tenth of that you can get a decent yacht that will serve you well for many years and bring you all the joy you would get from a factory-fresh one. Reference
Generally speaking the less you spend the more effort you will need to get it seaworthy and comfortable.
Over this article we will look into all the aspects you need to consider when you go looking to buy a secondhand boat.
New-build boats aren’t all they’re cracked up to be either. Like a decent pair of leather shoes they will often need wearing in, and that’s not always fun.
Getting a used sailboat vs a new
A common myth is that a new yacht will be trouble-free. The fact is that sailboats are incredibly complex machines and not all new-build boats are perfect.
At least two major boatbuilding companies have been hit with scandals in the last few years where the vessels sank just weeks after delivery to the owner. Thankfully no-one died but one of those companies came close to bankruptcy.
We will touch on getting a surveyor later but if you are insistent on buying new, you will still need to get one to look over a new-build boat before delivery.
Their job in these cases is to ensure you have a safe vessel but in the case of secondhand sailboats they can save you thousands of € by pointing out any safety issues.
A secondhand boat by comparison will be:
Much cheaper to buy
Most of its issues will be obvious from the start
Less expensive to maintain (as long as it isn’t a wooden classic!)
Cost less to insure
May be less attractive to waterborne criminals after the boat or its equipment.
There is often more satisfaction to be had in an old boat too, as you maintain and improve it by putting in personal touches to make it suit you.
After a winter’s work on the hard, getting her into the water in Spring and feeling just how sweetly she sails thanks to your work, is a moment of deep satisfaction!
Which boat is right for me?
There are almost as many types of sailboats out there as there are people looking to buy one!
cruisers sailboats that are good for big ocean crossings and others better suited to pottering about the coast between favoured seaside towns.
You won’t find a carbon fibre yacht at the price range we are looking at here, and if you do get ready for your wallet to get a lot thinner!
Osmosis
GRP
Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) is cheap enough that hundreds of thousands if not millions of boats have been built of it over the years.
It is widely regarded as low maintenance but can have an issue where water gets into the ‘sandwich’ called osmosis - think of it as a rotting process.
See a good article explaining what is osmosis.
It is difficult to fix but still easier and cheaper than replacing a rotting wooden hull timber.
Steel
Steel is a low cost material (20% less than wood), the strongest of all the common boat-building materials, but not suitable for small boats (under 30m) due to its limitation of thickness.
You may think steel is easier to maintain than GRP..
It can be if kept well protected with paint and you replace your zinc anodes every year to prevent electrolytic degradation of the hull, keel bolt or screw metal.
Essentially a current will pass between the steel hull and bronze propeller and the softest metal will degrade thanks to the current.
Electric batteries operate in just this way with a reactive metal being placed in an electrolyte (in this case salt water - a brilliant conductor) and the reactive metal ions passing from the positive terminal (the anodes, screw or keel bolts) to the negative terminal (the hull).
Aluminium
Aluminium boats are very light and fast - and as long as well maintained, at least as light as GRP and strong as steel.
The problem is maintenance: They need to be painted and anodes replaced at least every two years as aluminium reacts with salt water just like the steel/bronze/brass problem above.
Leave it ill-maintained and you won’t be forgiven with the metal dis-solving thanks to electrolytic degradation.
Aluminium hulls however are nowhere near as much of a handful as wood - the next on the list!
Read more: used yachts for sale florida
Wood
Wooden boats are a labour of love. If kept in brackish water (where fresh mixes with salt water such as an estuary) or fresh water they will rot. You need to replace a timber at least a metre either side of the rotten patch. Then you need to paint and treat it. Wooden boats, while some of the most beautiful ever built, are a constant nightmare of maintenance and expense. This is why you hardly see new ones on the water today!
Mono or cat?
So how many hulls do you want?
Catamarans are much more spacious, luxurious and faster but don’t sail as close to the wind as.
Look at our article comparing these two categories in depth here: monohull vs catamaran.
The following catamaran is looking for a new owner:
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