The idea of a project boat can be enormously appealing. It’s hugely satisfying to give a vessel a new lease of life and it can be a route to a better boat for a restricted budget. There’s also a benefit in terms of ongoing maintenance, repairs and fault-finding if you know every aspect of your vessel intimately.
However, for every successful project there are at least as many that never come to fruition. Before I took her over this had been the case with Minestrone, the Extension 24 Quarter Tonner I renovated in 2008-9 and documented in PBO – even some of the most talented and enthusiastic boatbuilders can get bogged down.
These can represent dashed dreams as well as significant financial losses. A cold, analytical approach is therefore critical when assessing any potential project.
The starting point should always be to look at how you want to use a boat. Will it be day sailing and occasional weekends for a couple of people? Longer holidays for a family? Racing, or long distance cruising? A potential project that's great for one person may well be totally unsuitable for others. Be warned: it's surprisingly easy for the appealing idea of a low-cost boat to cloud your thinking. Trust me on this-I speak from experience.
The total cost of the equipment for an older boat is usually far greater than the market value of a well maintained example. So a project that requires many items to be replaced may not be viable in a financial sense and ideally, you should be looking for a boat that has some relatively new kit. That might be sails-I've seen several abandoned projects with unused new sails-or spars and standing rigging, or a replacement engine.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
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IZIBoat: simple sailing
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Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
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Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers
