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
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.
With the deadline approaching and the evidence so far, have you considered raising your budget to 2k?
Fair enough. I presume you have considered this one http://www.norfolkboatsales.co.uk/boat/used/264/
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.
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.
With Plan B you will have a boat you can sell after the trip, plan A will result in a boat thats probably unsellable.
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)
Another one for 3k:
http://leeds.olx.co.uk/westerly-centaur-26-iid-366038936#
Bought a Drascombe Lugger today.
Three and a half hour drive, one way.
Now just have to get the money across from England…..
Yeah, keep the camera gear.
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
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!
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…
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….
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!
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