Firstly, I sold the Austral 20 in August 2019. I advertised it at $7500K, below its purchase price of $9000. The price generated several inquiries, and the new owner was one of the first. I am glad because I had some inquiries in the interim that I did not like. To me, a trailer-sailer is a trailer-sailer, and its chief attribute is its ability to sit on a trailer, out of the water, until needed, for long periods if necessary. You can also drag it to distant places at road-legal speeds rather than plodding up the coast at 6 knots, although I never got to take it on tour. So, when one couple asked if they could buy it and dispose of the trailer, I thought it would be wasted on them. The couple's plan was to leave it in one of the shallow, coastal lagoons up the coast where a retractable keel would be an advantage. Having spent considerable time and effort repairing the swing-keel, I could only imagine the mischief it would get up to, if it were to be left in the water for long periods of time, including the growth of undesirable organisms and rust inside the keelbox.
It was not long before I took the soon-to-be new owner for a test sail. Everything worked as planned, until the MPPT started to emit smoke in the middle of Moreton Bay. First came out white smoke and then black. The isolation switch then failed to isolate, and the smoke kept coming. I said, rather sheepishly but truthfully, "It's never done that before", whilst simultaneously unscrewing the battery terminals and calculating the costs of a replacement, including parts and labour. Graciously, the new owner accepted a $300 discount, rather than the offer of my dubious repair-work. He also took on the lease of the hard-stand at WMYC. I am pleased to say that the boat has not burnt to the ground (it would have been burnt to the water-line, had the other couple got it) and the new owner has taken it off on occasion, hopefully seaward rather than landward.
I then bought my new boat, "Bolero", a Cavalier 28, built in 1983. It was recommended by one of the members at WMYC as a nicely kept boat. The previous owner had to sell because of health issues, but he had sailed it regularly and kept it in good running order. It was a private sale, and we agreed on a price of $20,000, which is a below the advertised prices for other, similar boats. I commissioned a professional survey by Barry Colson (about $650) , which involved a half-slip (bout $350) and a few hours of poking, prodding, tapping and shinging torches into unreachable corners.
Having gone through it, I have to recommend this approach as a good way to buy a used boat. It's different from buying a car. When you buy a car, you might get on the internet, read the reviews, weigh up pros, cons and costs, decide on a model, then search for the best deal from a number of brokers or agents. Its an approach that does not work well with boats, because every one is different. Even if you decide that an Austral 20 or Cavalier 28 is the boat for you, you will find that there are good examples and bad examples, depending on how they have been treated. Many will be inter-state or international, so you would have to commit to a considerable journey just to eyeball the thing. The only way to find out about a boat, is to talk to the previous owners, or people who know the boat's history. The knowledge of the folks at the clubs is so valuable, because many of them know many of the other boats in the club, or in other clubs. The knowledge of the club members is is anecdotal and biased and this is where you need the service of a professional surveyor. My surveyor gave Bolero a good bill of health, and had good things to say about the build-quality, including some reassuring comments about the saddle-bolts used to keep the keel attached to the hull. It seems many modern production boats use only a single-line of bolts to save costs, which could be weaker than the saddle-bolts used in the Cavalier 28. Cheeki Rafiki lost its keel, killing all aboard, and I cannot imagine much worse that can happen at sea.
Buying a used boat within the context of a club or community has further advantages. Soon after purchase, the batteries went flat and would not start the engine, despite prolonged charging from the mains. The previous owner, and another gentleman from the club, fixed up the electrics for free, although I had to buy two new batteries (one starter battery and one house battery) for about $400. The battery merchant offered a 10% discount to club members.
Most importantly, Bolero was sail-able as soon as it was purchased. If there was one piece of advice I'd offer to people seeking their first (or second) boat, it is that they should look for condition, rather than size or make. A boat in good condition means you can sail it straightaway, rather than spending weeks or months fixing stuff before taking it out. There will always be something to fix but, hopefully, it will not be enough to stop you going to sea.
No comments:
Post a Comment