http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hermit-park/sail-boats/34ft-vandestadt-sloop-yacht-for-sale/1039869396
Hi, I live in Northern NSW and would like to have a look at this boat to see if it a real bargain. I suppose if it is then it won't last long.
Does anyone up there know anything about it?
I spoke to the seller on the phone who says it only needs an anti foul and routine check over before making a trip.
I would hate to go all that way to find it is a dud, or have squillions spent on it, so if anyone has any info on it I would appreciate some opinions.
Cheers, Charles
Charles,
Nice looking boat. Are the photos recent? There is a resident Van de Stat aficionado on this forum who may offer you a knowledgeable opinion at some stage.
Usual stuff would apply around survey for insurance etc if you are fair dinkum on the purchase. Not sure how insurance companies view cold molded hulls, they are getting increasingly picky on this stuff. No insurance makes life difficult for haul out etc.
Any boat that is setup with 240V systems has increased potential electrolysis issues as I understand it from continual connection to mains. Others may have a more informed view on this.
Good luck
Agree with Fiesta's comments. I had a steel VDS 34 that I never got to actually sail and due to circumstances I had to walk away from it.
The VDS 34 is an excellent design that is very comparable with the S&S 34 in performance but with a whole lot more hull volume and a superb accommodation lay out with a full stand up shower and head in the starboard quarter and a huge double berth in the port quarter and under the cockpit.
If you want a fast family cruiser, the design is ideal.
The 15 hp Yanmar is a great engine and should be quite adequate for this yacht which should have a 4.5 tonne displacement which is 1 tonne lighter than the steel version.
This one was professionally built by Moreton Bay Boat Company and certified as correct to the plans. It has a good sail wardrobe and is listed with all the right other gear.
Sounds like a bargain to me. Cheers Cisco.
Caveat Emptor! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
On the other hand it is priced about 50% lower than it should be for that model boat and if the owner says all it needs is a bottom job then in my book it would have to be worth a look. The cost of the trip to Townsville versus the potential savings if its a good unit .... you do the maths.
It sounded too good to be true but after speaking with the owner I was motivated enough to transfer money to the right account, drive 1,000 klms from Bundaberg to Townsville on Friday, inspect and sail the yacht on Saturday and then write out a cheque for $15,000 to buy it.
I did all but write the cheque.
This boat is not the Van De Stadt 34 design that most of us expect. It is more of a 30 footer. A misrepresentation that annoys me and cost me around $800.
It is a beautiful yacht that sails really well but is NOT a VDS 34. Still a good buy at $16,500.
Hi Cisco
When you google Van De Stat design 221 as shown in the advert photo it lists the LOA as 30 Feet 10 Inches
Regards Don
I'm waiting for a mooring on the Tweed River, could be six months or more before I get to the top of the list.
I would be up there like a shot if I had somewhere to put it now, as 30' is as big as I wanted to go due to ongoing upkeep costs. Bugger!
Anyone have an unused mooring/berth available for a few months?
Cheers, Charles
Select to expand quoteShotchas said..
I'm waiting for a mooring on the Tweed River, could be six months or more before I get to the top of the list.
I would be up there like a shot if I had somewhere to put it now, as 30' is as big as I wanted to go due to ongoing upkeep costs. Bugger!
Anyone have an unused mooring/berth available for a few months?
Cheers, Charles
That is the big rub isn't it?? Easy enough to buy a yacht but then where do you put it once you have it??
Thirty feet is as large as I want to go as well and for the same reasons. This one only has head room under the coach roof and the rest of the interior is much less which means, as the guy told me, it is not really suitable for longer term live aboard. Good for day sailing, weekending, short term holiday cruising and passages.
Moorings are hard to come by in Qld as we have no harbours or lakes. It is all rivers.
Ha...I remember meeting the new (then) owners of this little boat when they pulled into Gladstone Marina (Oct 2010) when we were heading north.
I remember what a pretty little thing she was.
No, no point really...just a pleasant memory.
Select to expand quoteArtemis said..
Ha...I remember meeting the new (then) owners of this little boat when they pulled into Gladstone Marina (Oct 2010) when we were heading north.
I remember what a pretty little thing she was.
No, no point really...just a pleasant memory.
Pretty, yes. Little, also yes. Little being the operative. It is NOT 34 foot long. It is 30' 10". I have seen roomier interiors on 25 foot trailer sailers.
Select to expand quoteArtemis said..
Ha...I remember meeting the new (then) owners of this little boat when they pulled into Gladstone Marina (Oct 2010) when we were heading north.
I remember what a pretty little thing she was.
No, no point really...just a pleasant memory.
Oh what fond memories we build in life and I'll bet those people's look back on such an adventure with passion. People think you need a ship to cruise on but in reality it's the little ones who have the fun. Even though I spent 8 years on a big yacht, iv great times on a 24 cat and 25 ft Roberts cruising the coast.
Condition is more important with a boat than anything else.
I remember seeing this yacht for sale some time back and was sucked in to believing it was a 34. It is actually a lot narrower than the 34 and is more of a daysailer with a roof!
