The big question
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:01 am
I am sure we have all had our heads turned by the Bavaria, but a quick glance at prices is a refreshing splash of sea spray.
Having said that, my mind turned to the possibility of moving on from my Sabre. Jeaneau, Moody or Sadler appeared to be possibilities, but a quick look at prices, for used boats, reveal a £15-20K asking price.
This led me to question what I would get for my money, for one of these boats built in say, the 80's to 90's and on preliminary investigation, not very much more. Performance appears similar and internal lay outs do not improve for those decades, excepting you go for something about 33'.
So why change I ask, when I have refurbished most of the upholstery and running gear and recently modified her for singlehanded cockpit reefing, added heating and copper coated the hull.
Well there are several niggling things I really do not like very much about the Sabre;
1) The heads are a bit small, the step down from the passageway is a pain. I have wondered about, levelling the floor with a lift out grating, but this would of course reduce head room. Has anybody done this and if so how did it work for you?
2) The jib winches are in the wrong place compared to modern boats. When you are working single handed, in a seaway, with the cockpit being so wide, I always feel there is a chance I can get pitched over the side. (I always wear a safety line) I would love to move or modify them, but it has me scratching my head. Thoughts from anybody facing the same problem appreciated?
3) The fore cabin is cosy, but getting out of it in the middle of the night to attend a call of nature (see1) is difficult. I am thinking about fitting some grabrails to help lever myself in and out. Properly located, it might also help with item 1. Anybody else done this and where did you fit them?
4) She rounds up in strong winds as the rudder appears to small to allow her to be pressed. Now, this is a great safety feature, but a tad annoying (yes I know, it is not a dinghy, but there are times she feels like one!) I doubt there is a fix for this, or perhaps I have not got the rig properly balanced, so I thought I would ask!
Apart from that, I am reasonably happy and I am beginning to take the view that ironing out these kinks, might be the best way forward. It would also leave a lot of cash in the kitty for a new suit of sails, which is probably a better way forward.
If anybody has any input, apart from that is telling me to 'suck it up', I would be most pleased to hear from you.
Best
Chris
Having said that, my mind turned to the possibility of moving on from my Sabre. Jeaneau, Moody or Sadler appeared to be possibilities, but a quick look at prices, for used boats, reveal a £15-20K asking price.
This led me to question what I would get for my money, for one of these boats built in say, the 80's to 90's and on preliminary investigation, not very much more. Performance appears similar and internal lay outs do not improve for those decades, excepting you go for something about 33'.
So why change I ask, when I have refurbished most of the upholstery and running gear and recently modified her for singlehanded cockpit reefing, added heating and copper coated the hull.
Well there are several niggling things I really do not like very much about the Sabre;
1) The heads are a bit small, the step down from the passageway is a pain. I have wondered about, levelling the floor with a lift out grating, but this would of course reduce head room. Has anybody done this and if so how did it work for you?
2) The jib winches are in the wrong place compared to modern boats. When you are working single handed, in a seaway, with the cockpit being so wide, I always feel there is a chance I can get pitched over the side. (I always wear a safety line) I would love to move or modify them, but it has me scratching my head. Thoughts from anybody facing the same problem appreciated?
3) The fore cabin is cosy, but getting out of it in the middle of the night to attend a call of nature (see1) is difficult. I am thinking about fitting some grabrails to help lever myself in and out. Properly located, it might also help with item 1. Anybody else done this and where did you fit them?
4) She rounds up in strong winds as the rudder appears to small to allow her to be pressed. Now, this is a great safety feature, but a tad annoying (yes I know, it is not a dinghy, but there are times she feels like one!) I doubt there is a fix for this, or perhaps I have not got the rig properly balanced, so I thought I would ask!
Apart from that, I am reasonably happy and I am beginning to take the view that ironing out these kinks, might be the best way forward. It would also leave a lot of cash in the kitty for a new suit of sails, which is probably a better way forward.
If anybody has any input, apart from that is telling me to 'suck it up', I would be most pleased to hear from you.
Best
Chris