Before You buy a Yacht

I am choosing a Yacht to buy.

This is a big subject. I have been in the industry for almost 30 years. I have acquired lots of knowledge that I am happy to pass on to you. You will make your own decision about what Yacht to buy. I hope the information helps you make the right decision before you buy a Yacht.

Having sailed in many parts of the world, I am a very experienced sailor. I have never crossed an ocean under sail and do not wish to do so.

Before You Buy A Yacht

Ask yourself this question. What sort of sailing am I going to do? You could ask how long a piece of string is, or I haven’t decided yet.

If you are at that point in an adventure to get into boating, this is an excellent place for me to make my first statement.  Let’s start with one of my golden rules.

Never buy a boat that you cannot sell quickly (unless doing so is part of a master plan). See my post, “yachts that sell fast”.

A lucky few, who do not need to count the cost of a yacht, may buy a classic yacht, spending thousands, even millions restoring it and perhaps reconstructing a classic yacht using ultra-modern techniques.  I understand that mindset. Sorry, this blog is incomplete for you, but I can chat about such a project.

For the rest of us, a balance of hard-earned cash and a desire to buy the biggest Yacht within a budget will likely be a primary consideration when buying a yacht. In the following posts, I will explain the advantages of different yachts in simple terms. I aim to help you avoid buying the wrong Yacht.

Hull shapes

Long keel 

Ask a schoolboy to draw the shape of a yacht out of the water. He will probably produce a drawing of a Classic Long Keel Yacht. They have a beautiful shape, solid and solid, but they are expensive to produce.

An adequately proportioned long keel yacht is a dream to sail in a straight line. She will be a wet ride as she cuts through the waves. Occasionally, in the short sea, she will take a wave the length of her deck. Set the sails correctly, though, and you are unlikely ever to feel worried about the wind and sea power. A long keel yacht is designed to go in a straight line for hundreds of miles; she will do this very well—practically a go-anywhere time,e yacht. If you are considering a liveaboard, this type of yacht shape should be on your radar.

Disadvantages of a long keel

Not the best keel shape if you are thinking of sailing in confined waters. You might need to back the jib in light winds to speed up a tack. This is fun at first but becomes tiresome as an everyday routine. If you miss the tack in confined waters and are in a rocky place or on a falling tide, then you might get into trouble. As a comparison, a modern fin keel yacht will tack effortlessly with virtually no wind, provided she is moving in the water.

I remember my many attempts to tackle the Menai Strait in North Wales on our first proper Yacht (my first boating love). She was a long keel ketch called Kuan Yin. I could quickly write a book based on the pleasure she gave my family and me. We had many adventures in the Irish Sea for several years. Only our inexperience occasionally puts us in danger. Kuan Yin never let us down.  I would love to know how she is now, almost twenty-five years after I sold her (I still feel the pain).

Long Keel Summary,

If you buy a long keel yacht, You will have a tricky boat to sail. A long keel hull shape will appeal to an individual who wants to live aboard or sail in all weather. She will provide you with a strong and stable platform. Unfortunately, a long keel yacht is slow compared to a modern fin and skeg or fin and spade hull shape yacht. Indeed, a long keel yacht is not easy to sail single-handedly. Perhaps not the best-suited Yacht for a small marina where you might need to reverse into a berth. A long keel yacht will not go backwards in a straight line.

Fin and Rudder Skeg

A superb balance between a lightweight fin and a long keel. An encapsulated fin keel combines the strength of a long keel, offering rudder protection if combined with a skeg. Generally, if a rudder, this Yacht is most likely considered a globetrotter skeg design and includes an encapsulated fin keel, this Yachtthe wet ride you get with a long keel yacht, as she will not be as heavy. She will not be designed to sit on the surface; therefore is unlikely to slam when in short seas.

Disadvantages of a fin and skeg

Expensive to build and generally not as fast as a fin and spade rudder hull shape through the water.

Fin and Skeg Summary (encapsulated fin-keel).

Some of the best globetrotting yachts are designed around the Fin and Skeg profile. Amel is only one of the fantastic yacht manufacturers that comes to mind when thinking about superb sailing yachts. Quite simplyIf type of Yacht will circumnavigate the globe many times without stopping for a breath!

Fin Keel Yacht with Spade Rudder

Thousands of Fin and Spade Rudder Yachts came off a boat production line in the last twenty years. With no sign of slowing production, this configuration makes a high-speed yacht compared to conventional hull shapes. Most fin and spade rudder yachts have a bolted-on keel. A bolt-on configuration is comparatively cheap to produce, and it’s fair to say this has revolutionised yachting over the last twenty-five years.

The computer-aided hull design also helps acquire a more incredible downwind speed. Hull shapes have evolved in recent years, resulting in much wider cockpits. The simple yet brilliant idea of installing a twin helm has further enabled the shape of a modern yacht to change over the years. A widening hull stern makes a yacht much more buoyant, making it an even faster boat. Conventional racing yachts generally go for a fin and spade keel set-up.

Disadvantages of a bolted-on keel

Severe damage to a hull can happen if an underwater collision between a bolted-on keel and a solid object occurs. You might get away with no damage if you get a can gradually sloping sandbank, but if you hit a rock at some speed, you run the risk of risk Yacht. Fin keel yachts cross the oceans without problems, but accidents have happened where objects have been struck far out to sea, causing severe problems. An underwater collision can seriously damage any yacht.