latest thinking

With regards to how we handle the Sun Magic moving forwards....I've got two routes of investigation open.... firstly with Jeanneau themselves to get their opinion on repairability, and subsequent strength etc etc, and with a naval architect to assess what the costs would be for a properly designed repair, with proper engineering calculations of loads, stress points etc etc....If either of these are slightly wobbly at all, then we'll walk. No hesitation. If they both suggest there might be a viable way forward, then we will make an extremely agressive offer for the boat after repair....Thoughts on the offer, should we get that far.....The boat is advertised at £67,500.... calculating the things that we feel need doing over the next year, such as new sails, new instruments etc, we reckon about £12k of costs.... allowing a further 5% of the advertised price for devaluation following the repair, we get to about £15k...., that makes £52k.... so we thought we'd offer £45k, or perhaps a bit less, to see what happens....

viewing

An interesting viewing.....The boat is nearly perfect for us in many many ways.... the layout is ideal, and it is very spacious....
Overall condition is good (with the exception below), but needs a bit of TLC, and a darned good clean....There were some obvious issues that we would need to have factored into the price should we make an offer:
She needs new sails
The cooker has seen better days
slight leak through cable glands at mast foot
Instruments are far from the first flush of youth
Radar, while apparently working, is steam powered
the cockpit table is past its best
The standing rigging looks OK, but is the original 18 year old, and no doubt the insurers will protest
The gas locker doesn't drain overboard... ditto insurers
and general wear and tear.... nothing too serious

She's out of the water, so can't test the engine which is a downside...However.... her one big 'issue'....Someone had previously tipped me off that she suffered a grounding, so I paid particular attention to the keel root and grid.... cracks were present.... I talked to the vendor, and he's had a surveyor look at it, and suggest what seems to be a sensible repair, including grinding the grid back to good glass and repairing, and then adding thick stainless 'boxes' to strengthen for future protection.... the owner is getting this work done, possibly even under his insurance cover....The question is.... should I walk from this boat?.... I talked to the broker, and he implied an aggressive offer might be the order of the day...If this weren't the case, then i'd not hesitate in walking away, but maybe there is a good boat after the repair, at a very appealing price in there.... I need to think this one through properly....

boat viewing

Just back from Barcelona.... lovely weather.... about 20 degrees every day.... tee shirt weather.... unless you are Spanish, and then it was still fur coat and scarf weather!As usual, we visited a few marinas for a nosey around..... some we'd been to before... new this time was Paltja d'Aro... bit of a touristy town, but a nice 'canal style' marina... with lots of berths, and like most places in the med that we've visited, dominated by power boats.... apparently this isn't a cheap marina... a friend who is financially 'very well positioned' moved his boat from Platja d'Aro, as it was a 'bit expensive'!!!Off tommorrow to view this Sun Magic.... god knows how we'd afford it if we like it.... I guess we'll find a way if we want it badly enough!

still waiting

We've had no progress at all on the house front for a while... we live in a small town, although we still call it 'the village' from childhood memories of it being a few hundred people, (we moved away, but gravity brought us back to the area!) of about 5,000 people.... there are only three 4 bedroom houses for sale in the village, and none of them are selling... worrying... the market seems to have stopped dead in its tracks..... we've not even had a viewing for a fortnight now. The good news is that we are in the middle of the price range, and have a good location, a nice layout and decent sized rooms, so its surely only a matter of time... Anyway, enough of my house gloom.... This week, fellow forumite Jim (FullCircle), who is getting married this year, asked me to help him out with something..... which I am thoroughly delighted to accept... They are getting married one side of the river Crouch and then having their reception the other side of the river at Royal Corinthians YC in Burnham... their plan is to cross the river on their boat, standing on the foredeck..... Jim has asked me to be Coxswain for the day, get them across the river, and then get the boat back on its mooring in the morning, after they have departed on honeymoon... also, to decorate the boat appropriately... and generally to get the whole boat bit organised for them.... To say I am chuffed is an understatement...And what a lovely idea... very romantic... Jim has plans for petals strewn on the foredeck... and a perfect reflection of their obvious love of sailing....

what to look for

Besides the usual list of things that you'd check on a 20yr old boat, i'm told particular points to look at on the Sun Magic are the integrity of the skeg/hull bonding, and the bottom bearing on the rudder, as known weak points... I guess that the key general things for a boat of this age will be:Keel root and fixings/bolts - particularly as she draws 2.1m and has been sailed in an area of shallow watersChain platesLeaks in deck and deck hull jointIntegrity of deck sandwich, especially around the mast area and chain platesRigging and sails conditionState of the electrics/wiringEngine/gearbox condition - although she's out of the water, so not easyTeak condition in the cockpit - thankfully sh doesn't have teak decksSteering gearCondition of the winchesOverall hull condition - knocks, scrapes and discolourationI could go on and on, but they seem to be the main things... I guess i'll also take a couple of hundred photos for later inspection.... If anyone knows of any other Sun Magic specific weaknesses, then let me know!

oh.... go on then.

New I wouldn't be able to restrict myself to posting just once a week! We're off to Barcelona to stay with my parents for a few days soon, to get a bit of (slightly) warmer weather, and hopefully a quick run into the mountains for a couple or three days of skiing... I've just arranged a viewing for a boat, a Jeanneau Sun Magic 44 for the day we get back.... its a long way from home, so a full day out, but it does look interesting... well specced, 2 owners from new, and looks, from the pictures to be in good nick.... a few downsides... the standing rigging hasn't been replaced since new (1989) so the insurance company might demand that one, and I may feel that it needs doing for peace of mind anyway, the sails are also originals, so not sure what condition they are in, but probably won't be great, but otherwise, she looks well cared for.... has most of the bits we'd want, although a few bits may need renewing over time such as an elderly radar, no stackpack and no rod kicker... on the positives list are the layout, 3 double cabins, and a seperate bunk bed room, which would make great extra stowage space plus a Perkins Prima engine (which have a good reputation, and also were re-badged with a different gearbox, as the Volvo MD22). The Sun Magic has a good reputation as a seaworthy boat, and the extra length compared to Maggie could have a marked impact on passage times, or the distance we could sensibly expect to make in a day.... it would also be emminently suitable as a 'clearing off and leaving this crumbling country behind' boat.... Not sure how we'd pay for it yet if the house isn't sold.... its advertised at £67,500, and without selling the house, it would mean a hefty chunk of borrowing....but we'll cross that bridge if and when we get there.... so I won't get my hopes up too high... it might not be as good as it looks, or plain and simple, our sums might not stack up.... or they may not be flexible enough on price for it to appeal...

long distance cycling

Been up to Edinburgh to fetch the folding bikes..... very pleased with them, but 720 miles in 1 day is way too much!!!! Off in a couple of weeks to see my parents in Barcelona again, so we can wander around the odd marina or two, and look at boats for a bit! Still no movement on the house....... grrrr..... not even any sign of viewings at the moment which isn't good news... we are taking a look at what other financing options we have, but am 100% commited to not taking on any more debt than we can comfortably afford, so thats only a long shot....