Searching for the Perfect Yacht | A Dangerous Obsession

As times goes on we are getting so close to our goal, even though it feels like it is taking FOREVER!! Far more often than we should we find ourselves searching the web for our potential new home. Boat shopping becomes a bit of an unhealthy obsession as we scourer everything inch of the internet for the perfect yacht at the perfect price. We aren’t quite ready to buy yet but we keep searching, just in case, you know?

It’s really just a form of self-inflicted torture watching boats we like come and go.

 

 

There are sooooo many different models of yachts out there, it can all be a bit overwhelming. If you don’t know what you are looking for, you could very well end up with a complete dud. We are essentially looking for our first home (and obviously spending quite a few of our hard earned pennies on it) so understandably we want it to be the perfect fit. There a few things we have noticed and need to consider as we search for the perfect yacht.

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Older vs Newer

There are some amazing, sturdy cruising yachts out there, but they are also quite advanced in age. Unfortunately, age costs money. Things break on yachts regularly and if you have an older boat there are more elements that are wearing down. This said, we have seen some beautiful older yachts in our search that look very sea worthy and seem to be great value.

Is new always better??

There is no way we can afford a brand new yacht so I guess that is part of the problem solved. A boat from the 2000’s though should be equipped with more advanced equipment and be in generally better shape (on the most part) than it’s 80’s counterpart. On the flip side, we have also heard of poorly constructed more modern production yachts.

These decisions aren’t meant to be easy I guess.

 

 

Bigger vs Smaller

Well this just seems obvious. The bigger the better right?? Boats are money pits. There is no way around it. The bigger the boat, the more expensive it is. Mooring fees, marina fees, maintenance and the size of all the parts. Also, the larger the yacht, the harder it becomes for 2 people to handle. Alright….. get something smaller then! We also want a comfortable place to live and call home so it can’t be too small. So here we go again in our search for the perfect yacht.

Another to and fro decision about the ultimate size for our floating home.

Under 40ft is ideal for us to keep marina and mooring costs down. Yachts over 36ft seem to be the go for comfortable living. Taking this into account we have settled in the 38-40ft range but who knows what else might come up in our searches.

Turns out searching for a yacht can never just be black and white.

 

Production vs Classic

This debate is found on forums all over the internet. The more “traditional” sailors say that production boats are basically just floating apartments and are no good for crossing oceans.

They are still floating though right? I thought that was pretty important.

While searching for a yacht we have found that the classic bluewater cruisers are on average about 25 years old by now. These classic yachts have proven seaworthiness and are simply beautiful. They are solid built vessels but this does compromise a bit of speed. As for crossing oceans, you see and hear of many production yachts (or shall we call them floating apartments) circumnavigating the World with no dramas.

I think it comes down to sailors being competent and able to handle their vessel with ease.

We have seen yachts that are production built and also older classic cruisers that we love! This one is a hard decision. Classic cruisers are sturdy and will get you to your destination safely (albeit a little slower) whereas the production yachts may provide more comfort for living and get you there faster.

 

Buying Here vs Overseas

Out of all these points I think we actually have this one under control.

That said, we have gone back and forth about the best place to buy a yacht many times.

The Australian boat market is expensive compared to a lot of other locations around the World. It is where we live though, so buying one here does make it awfully more convenient. Apparently Australian coastal waters are also some of the most difficult to sail in the World but that’s another kettle of fish all together. For a long while we were considering buying a yacht in the Mediterranean and gradually sailing back to Aus. Great idea in theory as the whole point of this search for a yacht is to travel and explore. This idea however, would mean we would need a much larger kitty of money which we are far to impatient to save for.

Buying in Aus means we can untie the dock lines sooner.

We are super lucky our profession can potentially offer us work all over the country which also means we can leave a little sooner than we expected.

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These have been our main points of consideration so far and if anyone has any words of wisdom feel free to let us know! The best advise we have come across so far is to buy a yacht suited for your main use… It seems obvious I know, but it makes such a lot of sense. We want a comfortable home that can take us on epic adventures so basically a yacht that combines a bit of everything. We think we may have the perfect one in mind, but you never know!

 

 

As for our plans…. Cruise around Australia? Head out to the South Pacific? Circumnavigate the World? Who knows?? Unfortunately it all comes down to money once again. I swear this stuff should be easier to come by! For starters we plan on staying in Australian waters but the rest of the adventure is pending, so watch this space.

 

Until next time.

Xx