Suppose two cruising yachts left the same yard in the same year. One still has its original standing rigging. The other has replacement rigging and dated invoices, but its engine hours are unknown. Which would you price higher? A broker needs a few details before the comparison means anything.
How to choose sailboats for ocean crossing?
Choosing a sailboat for an ocean crossing starts with the intended route, season, crew and the boat’s condition. A design category describes design conditions; it does not certify a particular used yacht as ready to cross an ocean.
Understand the design plate
Check the builder’s plate and the declaration for the actual vessel. The European recreational craft framework describes design categories by conditions, including wind and significant wave height. See Annex I of Directive 2013/53/EU. Do not infer the category from hull length or apply EU categories to every boat worldwide.
Inspect for the planned passage
Ask a surveyor about rig and chainplates, steering and emergency steering, keel attachments, openings, fuel system and power generation. Work out water and fuel consumption with a margin. Inspect the means of raising a distress alert as well as ordinary communications.
Test with your actual crew
Practise reefing and recovering a person overboard in suitable conditions with a qualified skipper. Compare protection in the cockpit and watchkeeping positions, usable handholds and safe movement below. Compare sailing yachts from 12 to 15 metres as a starting shortlist, then assess each vessel for your passage.
Questions
Crew Connection
Articles
Best Sailboats for Single-Handed Cruising: 5 Yachts Worth Considering
Single-handed sailing is a unique form of cruising. Without a crew, every task becomes your responsibility, from handling sails and…
Polish Yacht Registration: What Owners Should Check with REJA24
Buying or selling a yacht on the Polish register? Start with its current registration document, the hull identifier and the…
Selling a Used Catamaran: How to Compare the Market
Are used catamarans becoming harder to sell? A change in the asking price of one charter catamaran does not establish…
What determines a used sailboat’s price?
Why can two sailboats of the same model have different asking prices? Compare build year, VAT paperwork, refit invoices, equipment…
Yacht Fire Safety: What to Do if a Fire Starts on Board
If there is a fire on board now, alert everyone, get people clear of smoke, put on lifejackets and call…
Excellent article. Very informative.