Plan B

Plan B is to sell some camera gear and buy this sort of thing

http://chichester.boatshed.com/westerly_centaur-boat-165040.html

tatty but with a well looked after replacement engine

But I prefer plan A - it will be much  more fun....

and I will not have to sell the gear

so I am still looking for that "Old £1500 Centaur

D

 

cockpit

 

This is about Centaur Project, Dylan Winter's Blog, Sailing around Britain. Tags:

38 Responses to “Plan B”

  1. 24 January, 2014 at 9:06 pmoldfatgit says:

    Dylan,

    Stick with Plan A but decide when you must change to Plan B (including enough time to sell your gear). Put that date in your diary and only sell your gear if Plan A has not worked by then.

    Steve

  2. 24 January, 2014 at 9:13 pmSimon says:

    May I suggest sailing Katie L through the Caledonian canal during 2014 while you wait for the Centaur plan to come good. This has three advantages:

    1. I get the Caledonian films sooner
    2. The Centaur outboard plan could open up a whole new chapter for low cost yachting in the UK – it has to be done.
    3. Rennovating a boat/ bringing a knackered one back to life is theorapy.

    Put your wallet away.

  3. 24 January, 2014 at 9:18 pmdylan winter says:

    I cannot do that

    this is the last ever summer that my family can come with me

    after this summer they will be doing real jobs leaving them just two weeks holiday a year

    it is now or never

    and murdering a few cameras is a price worth paying

    Some-one else will have to be the well pioneer

    of course… there is always crowd funding

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdfunding

    but no real idea how that would work with so few sailors keen to see what happens

  4. 24 January, 2014 at 9:30 pmdylan winter says:

    ebay….2 week listing…gone

    sad but quick

    so I have about another 8 weeks to find the boat

  5. 24 January, 2014 at 9:34 pmcraig says:

    With the deadline approaching and the evidence so far, have you considered raising your budget to 2k?

  6. 24 January, 2014 at 9:36 pmdylan winter says:

    if it was the right boat in the right place then yes – kicking myself for not having enough money free when that £1750 one went from southampton just after Christmas – and really sad that I missed the one that went for 1k in the Solent

    but there is a price point at which Plan A ceases to make financial sense

  7. 24 January, 2014 at 10:29 pmSimon says:

    Fair enough. I presume you have considered this one http://www.norfolkboatsales.co.uk/boat/used/264/

  8. 24 January, 2014 at 10:33 pmdylan winter says:

    been watching it… 3.5 too pricey for a boat that needs a new engine

  9. 25 January, 2014 at 12:51 amMark the Skint Sailor says:

    The window for cheap boats will be opening up in the next 6-8 weeks anyhow. One of the natural cycles of boat prices is the inevitable “do I pay another year’s mooring/harbour fee” which comes around in March.

    The window tends to open up mid-February and starts to close towards the end of March by which time most people will have decided to go ahead for another year.

    If I was a betting man, with your contacts Dylan I’d wager you find something mid-February to mid-March time.

  10. 25 January, 2014 at 9:05 amdylan winter says:

    You are in precise alignment with my thoughts – and I really, really hope we are both right. I want the well thing to happen – I had hoped that I could be working on the boat now in the depth of winter and jill could be making that sewing machine wizz like a goodun. So at the moment I am trying to keep the word out via the web to find that boat.

    I think it will be an exciting and challenging thing to do.

    But the well thing is a means to an end (the family adventure) and if the cameras and lenses go to a new homes…. I will not be the first artisan to have sold off a few tools to finance a family adventure.

    I can always hire pro camera gear.

    Buying a better Centaur will be dead easy – there are at least 20 on the market at the moment.

    But Plan B can be put into action very quickly

    any fool can throw 7K at a boat

    Plan A can happen pretty fast – so I have another eight weeks I reckon before I have to flip over and dig deep

    D

  11. 25 January, 2014 at 9:21 amRon says:

    Yep, we all need a prod sometimes to do something we’ve been dithering about.
    So a deadline date in your diary sounds like a good idea.

    (And there’s me dithering about buying a Drascombe Lugger to go coast hopping and exploring creeks in Dylan style.
    Maybe I need a date in my diary as well.)

    I’m keen to see what happens with PLAN A, but have to say, PLAN B looks better, and more reliable.

  12. 25 January, 2014 at 10:16 amdylan winter says:

    Plan B is not nearly as exciting and will cost a lot more

    I don’t really want to sell the gear…. but I can always buy again in the future if I need to… you cannot buy time back

    this is my last chance to convert my son from a racing laser sailor to a cruising adventure man

    good call on the Drascombe – whenever I go up a creek and see a Drascombe or see one from Google earth then I know there is good sailing to be had

  13. 25 January, 2014 at 11:29 amDavid says:

    With Plan B you will have a boat you can sell after the trip, plan A will result in a boat thats probably unsellable.

  14. 25 January, 2014 at 11:46 amdylan winter says:

    two people have already offered to buy the boat if it gets around to the west coast….

    there are a lot of people out there who like the idea of a Centaur without the financial burden of an inboard

    we are in a marmite situation here

    My fear with Plan B is that I will get up to Orkney, the engine will go zip and my £7,000 investment is suddenly worth £1500

    I will not be able to sell the boat and buy the camera gear back

    with Plan A I have much less skin in the game and I get to keep my gear and my lovely Fujinon lenses

  15. 25 January, 2014 at 3:49 pmBru says:

    Just a thought, can you pop the camera gear with a pawnbrokers for enough money and redeem it when you sell the Centaur?

    Bru (Erbas)

  16. 25 January, 2014 at 5:01 pmdylan winter says:

    I could do – but better just to let them go

    if I get offered work that needs better gear I can always hire it

    it might not come to that of course

  17. 25 January, 2014 at 5:20 pmdylan winter says:

    well spotted – seen that one on Boats and Outboards – it has a steering wheel and cost a lot more

    so that will get in the way of the outboard installation

    I could remove it all – but ….

    curious though

    3K http://leeds.olx.co.uk/westerly-centaur-26-iid-366038936#

    7K http://www.ybw-boatsforsale.com/boat/yacht/sailboat/w/uk/essex/westerly-centaur-26-350656.html

  18. 25 January, 2014 at 9:42 pmRon says:

    Bought a Drascombe Lugger today.
    Three and a half hour drive, one way.
    Now just have to get the money across from England…..

  19. 25 January, 2014 at 9:43 pmRon says:

    Yeah, keep the camera gear.

  20. 25 January, 2014 at 11:04 pmdylan winter says:

    well done Ron, How many boat feet is that you now have…. beware of PNM my friend…. says the man trying to buy a second yacht

  21. 26 January, 2014 at 12:24 pmEuan Mckenzie says:

    How about an alternate plan B – lets call it Plan C

    Perhaps an owner of a boat would be prepared to charter his unused boat for the summer in exchange for a suitable sum.

    If he isn’t using it for all of this year and you can get your cruise in it may be attractive to him to get some cash towards his pride and joy etc. He will also get to see his boat on film which for someone who may be sick or too busy at the moment may seem attractive.

    £1k for a boat that is otherwise sitting in a boatyard costing money may seem a good deal to the right man. You could also throw in a subscription.

    Food for thought.

  22. 26 January, 2014 at 2:29 pmdylan winter says:

    Plan C is a good one – but finding the right owner would be tough – I am not sure I would be that keen on renting Katie L out to a stranger for the summer

    D

  23. 26 January, 2014 at 5:45 pmEuan Mckenzie says:

    how about and exchange for the summer so you both treat each others boat as you would expect your own?

    I guess its a longer shot but if you don’t ask you’ll never find out. All you’re actually trying to do is use one of those boats at the back of the yard that someone is not prepared to sell yet but might like to see it sailed by someone else.

  24. 26 January, 2014 at 6:18 pmdylan winter says:

    but I want to cut a hole in it. I have been offered one with a bust engine… but the bloke wanted me to make sure that I had consulted a qualified marine architect, that it would be comprehensively insured, that I would deliver it back to Essex and that I would promise that I would undertake to fill in the hole in at the end

    all entirely reasonable

  25. 26 January, 2014 at 8:18 pmwarren mangan says:

    I vote for plan B NOW!
    The plan B boat if you could get something like that with a new engine (2006) go for it.
    But it is to far away .
    what can you find near Scotland?
    Your fears about crab/lobster pots and old engines troubles etc is nuts. 99% of all the boats out there have inboards and don’t get caught up on crab pots.
    get the boat soon, get it sorted and get going.
    A family trip like this will be something you will remember forever , don’t miss the opportunity…….
    Remember a wreck with no or busted engine is going to need all sorts of work done to it.
    the boat with the replaced engine must have been decent enough to replace the engine so its got to be good…..go for it
    Shame about the camera gear but compared
    to the trip you have planned its nothing.

    look at the time line without rose colored glasses!
    New engine well…1 month start to finish.
    all the other fixing assuming you find good sails etc 1 month
    moving from some south coast hole to Scotland a month
    thats
    march,april ,may
    june start trip
    july orkney
    aug back

    or march get on working boat
    April move to Scotland
    may, june july aug in scotland

    I like plan B
    Warren

  26. 27 January, 2014 at 3:37 amGary says:

    How about all the nice viewers send our favourite sailor the price of a DVD right now and help out our Dylan. Just think without Dylan what would you be doing instead of enjoying his superb sailing videos. I can tell you that between my wife and I this is the web site we visit the most.
    I am putting mine tomorrow.
    From Canada!

  27. 27 January, 2014 at 9:44 amdylan winter says:

    Last year I sold around 400 DVDs – my best year ever

    I make about £10 on each one after repro, jiffy bags, postage, VAT.

    To do the 2K Centaur with a hole is 200 DVDs

    to buy the 7K Centaur with a decent engine is 700 DVDs

    that is pretty much impossible

  28. 27 January, 2014 at 12:03 pmRon says:

    Ha, yes, too many feet.
    But think I’ve found someone, a boatbuilder, to take on the wooden boat from me.
    So that reduces the whole thing a lot.
    And I don’t want to get into counting inflatable dinghy feet as well…

  29. 27 January, 2014 at 12:11 pmRon says:

    Crowd funding.
    All get a share of whatever you get for the Centaur afterwards, plus some DVDs to make up any difference.
    And, of course, the fun of watching all your blog posts….

  30. 27 January, 2014 at 12:36 pmJ. Peter Haliburton says:

    If only 1000 people subscribed, there would be no work for Dylan, while raising a nice chunk of cash for the voyage.
    http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/subscribe/

  31. 27 January, 2014 at 12:50 pmdylan winter says:

    bless you

    of course the downside is that we would never find out if the well idea will work

    “To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… ‘cruising’ it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.” -Sterling Hayden

  32. 27 January, 2014 at 1:03 pmJ. Peter Haliburton says:

    OK, we don’t want him to be too comfortable, so only 500 people subscribe! :-)

  33. 27 January, 2014 at 1:47 pmdylan winter says:

    “thats the way to do it”
    Mr Punch 1910

    kjh

  34. 31 January, 2014 at 11:46 pmPeggy Estes says:

    Crowd funding might still be an option, especially if you find a boat with price just barely out of reach. I’d hate to see you sell your photo equipment. Don’t know who suggested cf-ing but you can count me in if it comes to that. I really want to see “the well” thing happen so I hope you don’t have to give in to an inboard!

  35. 1 February, 2014 at 12:24 amdylan winter says:

    wow…. you are the first person to admit to being a geniune, lay the money down on the table, wellist

    go dude (or dudette)

    D

  36. 6 February, 2014 at 10:29 pmkev says:

    Hi, I would be happy to pay in advance for the next three or four DVD sets to get Dylan going, any one else up for it ? Kev

  37. 6 February, 2014 at 10:41 pmdylan winter says:

    cheers Kev,

    I have a bigger – albeit older – boat now…..at least for this year

    and it appears to have a decent inboard….so plans for the next phase are falling into place

    but everything the disks earn goes into the project

    but I am horribly debt averse – I put it down to my East-end upbringing and fear of the tallyman

    D

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