What Cruising Boats NOT to buy - Episode 104 - Lady K Sailing

We talk about what's with older boats honestly, and what's right about newer production sailboats

[stephenburnage]

Looked at dozens, if not hundreds, of cruising boats for sale. What put me off nearly all of them was: (i) they all needed at least one to two years of serious work to get ready for offshore cruising; (ii) met too many want-to-be crusiers that never got away and were slowly aging. Ended up going offshore in my existing boat (a 1970s 34ft production boat, which you could buy for peanuts), as it was 100% ready; reliable and i knew every inch of it. Now 5 years into a circumnavigation and dont regret my decision for one minute. Moreover, it is surprising, once you get off the beaten track, just how many of the full time cruisers are in older, smaller boats. The old adage: Go small, Go simply, Go now makes a lot of sense to me.

[thomateish]

In my opinion, this is the most informative, honest and smart sailing channel we can find on YouTube at the moment !
Keep up the great work !
Fair winds captain

[drchill]

Negative on the dinghy davits. If it's blowing hard enough that you can't tow the dinghy, or in a serious following sea, the waves will rip the dinghy right off and take chunks of your transom with it. Tow your dinghy on short hops. Put her on deck for passages. Spend your davit money on an arch with good solar or beefing up your fridge. And btw, I used to have a Beneteau 500. Fine, comfy family boat at anchor, which is where you mostly are, but not always sea kindly.

[yacht]

My Hanse 371 pretty much fills all the requirements. I am 73 and still sail (and race) single-handed.

[rickczainski]

nice tribute to Larry. A hero to many of us.

[zapperguy]

Thank you for not sugar coating things and delivering great incite on what not to do.

[captsmilinjac]

Great boat picks! I really wanted a Catalina 42 and then seriously considered the Beneteau Oceanis 45 when I thought about upping the stakes. But I wanted my wife to come along too so now I have a catamaran and avoided a divorce. 😂

[Seafariireland]

For me, a boat of shallow draft that will either sit on her own bottom such as a bilger, a centre board/lifting keel or a shallow long keel that will “sit” using a pair of beach legs is my first rule. It just makes cruising so much more independent than always having deep anchorages and marina facilities and greatly increases mooring/hiding possibilities! More videos on boat design/layout/equipment etc would be interesting. For those of us not yet on “the trip”, your experience and opinions are of great interest in formulating our own plans. Thanks and fair sailing, Ray.

[jaymarlin]

What an absolutely delightful and honest discussion..! Thank you for taking the chance.
Fair winds. Cheers !

[walkaboutii]

Have you ever been in a big sea in a Beneteau Frist?? Talk about banging!! Try Halberg Rassy, Island Packet, Amel etc. maybe not as fast as a First but much more comfortable in a sea any larger than 2-3 and actually in a big sea these boats will actually be faster than a Beneteau First, particularly to windward. I've seen people freaking out in their Beneteau's and other similar boats. (you know the brands) when they get caught out in 30knts. I have been in 45-55 knots for 2 and a half days between New Zealand and Tahiti in my Halberg Rassy and felt safe and comfortable.

[prank-o-mat]

Just beware of production quality when it comes to production boats. They were mostly designed to suit the charter market, so that means a life span of 7 - 10 years before the problems begin. Everything on them has been optimized, weight wise and number of people on them wise. I have seen a lot of boats where it’s not possible to close the doors anymore. Sailed too hard for the structure!

Next important thing as I believe is the Hull shape and the keel form and function, a flat bath tub sort of Hull will bang on short waves rather than cutting them and a long racer shaped keel is likely to cause problems because of the high forces applied to the joints. It doesn’t happen on a daily basis but they absolutely have fallen off before so have a close look at structural integrity! No groundings should have ever occurred.

Sauldrives can be a pain, they require oil changes and you have to lift the boat out for it. Not possible to do it in the water. Shaft drive is easier here. Also the large seal can be a problem, if it gets old that’s sort of a time bomb you are sitting on. Beware of timely maintenance and replacement!

Also the layout inside may look good and can host a lot of People but in weather and waves... will you be able to walk from stern to bow inside without flying around as soon as the next wave hits the boat? Waves can lift the boat by meters within seconds and YES you will go flying unless there is a good and sturdy rail you can hold on to.

Look at the beds. Would you Sleep well in them at a 20 degree angle? Galley: would you be able to stay safe and cook there in weather?

How will the boat work short handed? Rigg stable, all lines where they belong? Steering system sturdy? Cables require a lot of power for the autopilot, the lack of feel from a hydraulic steering system and its occasional maintenance needs are downsides but when it comes to autopilots, they work BEST with hydraulics because they just need less power and work more reliable.

Many more aspects to think about. IMHO it’s true that the older racer cruiser boats are not the best choice for liveaboard and cruising but production boats also have some huge disadvantages, esp when it comes to structural integrity and unsuitable layouts for life at sea (at anchor they are great!).

for me it’s the best idea to look for a sturdy, handmade quality boat that was designed for bad weather and cruising, modest long keel and good old classic wooden seaworthy Lay-out inside. For example swedish boats. Or danish ones.

Most important: Go sailing on the boat you are interested in before you buy it no matter how good the offer is. Have a close at everything, take a professional surveyor with you and make sure you don’t buy junk.

Fair winds!

[ALSmith-zzyy]

I knew Larry Pardy hadn't been well lately but had not heard he passed away. Thanks for the update. I attended an offshore sailing seminar with Lin and Larry back in the mid 90's in Vancouver. It was a wonderful experience.

[jeffbarnes]

We are lucky enough to have bought a Catalina 42 named Marley's Ghost a couple of years ago. It is a very special Catalina 42 to us, since it was Gerry Douglas''s family boat for many years. Sails beautifully. 8.5 to 8.8 knots on a good breeze and rock solid. I totally agree with all the comments you've made. We have in-boom furling and at 60 years old, not having to manhandle the sail is fantastic. I will add that on a larger boat and older cruisers, an electric winch for the main is also almost a must. If you are ever in SoCal, you are invited to sail with us. Catalina island is a great get away. Looking forward to the HaHa next year. Our first time .

[fannyandersson]

One important thing when you get older is that you want to be able to stand up straight inside the boat... And you want a boat that is beautiful by your own preferences

[josemmontes]

Thanks for a great video, there is so much info on what to look for on a sailboat, knowing what not to buy is also very important.
So sorry to hear about Larry Pardey, met him and Lin at a boat show many years ago, very nice man, he took the time to chat with me for a few minutes, RIP Larry...

[jepomer]

Your advice matches well with what we thought through.

We just purchased a Catalina 310. Sailed a Capri 22 for the past decade. Very much enjoyed the Capri. But the mid-cockpit traveler banged up my short wife's shins and she sailed less after breaking her ankle a few years ago.

Now retired approaching 70, we want to comfortably cruise mostly shorter destinations. Walk out transom, roller furling main, and creature comforts similar to our 24' Winnebago match our needs for the next decades. The boat's size will be more than enough for now, yet won't grow too large to handle as was "mature".

Most importantly, as we were doing the deep cleaning after taking possession, my wife said, "I really like this boat!" I am currently upgrading the electronics to current standards. But beyond that, it has needed very little. The price was good to allow investing in the new electronics.

For those days I want to have more "excitement", we still have out O'Day 19.

[maurenemorgan]

We altered our 40' Finisterre IV's V-berths with a queen berth similar to yours for our circumnavigation. My 6'5" partner and I slept comfortably for ten years. Glad to hear you pass on the idea.

[ammoalamo]

Half about work-arounds for this boat, a third about advantages of Beneteau 42-ish boats, then back to why not to buy an IOR rules boat or older boats with limited space compared to $100k+ production boats. The best info comes after the halfway point, and it is useful commentary, so many thanks and a thumbs up to Lady K Sailing.

[jbermiup]

We did two years, one at a time with a few in between, on a CS36T. My conclusions about boats was pretty much spot on with yours. You are right on the money concerning the equipment you should consider essential. Thanks for a great video!

[jarrodanderson]

I am shopping for my 1st sailboat and I learned a great deal from this channel. Thank you! Subscribed