Buying a second hand boat and what to look for, Dr Jeff Callander

Equally helpful for a non-member buying their first cruising boat, or for members wondering if they need to trade up to a bigger boat for living on board, or swap to a smaller yacht or a motor cruiser.

Jeff and Sally sold their boat at the beginning of 2020 thinking they would soon have their next. The last boat, a Dragonfly 920, they had had for over 10 years but it was time to slow down and get something a bit more comfortable (we were used to cruising at 15 kts). However, it turned out it would be a year before finding the boat they wanted which, due to the British rush to the water, that was no mean feat. But once they had set their mind on what they wanted, the task of purchasing was daunting but they got their boat - a Moody 38CC. Not only had it been more than 10 years since their last purchase, they were moving into a class of of boat that had much more to understand and deal with. From 2 tonnes to 13 tonnes, outboard engine to inboard, simple electrics and instrumentation to complex, and all a bit older to boot. As such the purchase was a learning curve, one which they wish to pass on the learnings to others - not from a surveyors point of view but that of a purchaser. Jeff and Sally will tell you about their journey, highs and lows, what to look out for and hopefully help others when they undergo the same process!

The broadcast will be approximately one hour with a talk of about 40 minutes followed by a 20 minute Q&A session.