Hello all
Getting in to sailing a bigger keel boat has always been on the agenda. Unfortunately the funding has not 
I am now in a position where I can do this and would like some advice from all you experienced yachties.
I live around the Mosman Park area so preferably the clubs along the northern side of the river. I have not had any keel boat experience, however I sailed dinghies as a kid and have been windsurfing and kiting for years (no racing) Looking to get in to a yacht that I can cruise and race on the river, eventually progressing on to some ocean racing. Started looking at yachts (S&S 22/34's, Viking 30's, Cole 32's etc etc) Then got on to the bigger boats S80 and S97's, Farr 40's, BW's etc etc. I know nothing about these yachts and don't want to make the wrong choice. Is getting in to a big boat with very little experience totally wrong? Do I start on something smaller and work my way up? Does buying a yacht get you in to a club and pen, and are the club/racing communities open to newcomers etc etc? If I buy a bigger yacht how hard/easy is it to find crew?
Lots of questions I know, however any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Regards
Hey,
Looking at the yact size first, it really depends on what you want to do. Something like an S97 is a nice size for the river, can race offshore and easy to drop the mast and cruise to Rotto with the Mrs.
The problem with a boat like an S97 is that they are raced pretty hard and well so you might get disheartened being beaten by a long way by the seasoned S97 crews.
With the older designs you have listed they are going to a bit cheaper for their size but they will have alot less room than a newer design and those masthead boats have pretty big headsails so alot of winching.
On the larger end of the scale, I have always been a fan of these http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/sailing-boats/farr-1104/107606
On the smaller and racier end www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/sailing-boats/mount-gay-30/86884
As far as clubs, when I left Perth 8 months ago pens were pretty hard to come by but that may be changing. South of Perth YC are a club that has plenty of pens and usually give preference to yachts that get raced often. They also have nice fleets racing.
My fav club is East Freo but getting a pen there can be difficult but if you wanted somewhere to go sailing on someone else's boat while you a learning and looking the guys there are hard to beat.
Either way I would recommend getting out there and doing as much sailing as you can before you buy. The winter and Valmadre series at Fremantle Sailing Club is coming up soon and is a great series to get out on the ocean and always guys looking for crew at both ends of the fleet.
Hope that helps
For competitive keel boat racing you can't go past S80s. Few around for sale too I think.
S80 are a great boat. Sailed one for nearly 10 years. They handle really well compared to other boats of that size. You need 4-5 people to race them hard but we could get very good results with just 2 of us as long as it didnt get over 15 knots.
Farr 40 are a whole nother level of sailing. They are fast and built for power. To race these hard you need at least 6 people on board that know what they are doing. Price wise you wont get much change from 150k for one thats in good condition. S80 should only cost you around 30k for a top boat. In saying that though you can buy not so good ones for under 20k.
Crew is always a big issue with boats. Its a hard thing but when at a club you will always find that those that can really sail will already be on a boat as regular crew. It can be really worth getting into some of the dinghy sailors ears to see who want to come play with the big boys.
A late comment: Royal Freshwater Bay is your nearest club and is a great place to sail out of (I'm likely to be biased as I'm a member), quite a few of my friends have joined and are enjoying it.
I would spend the winter season sailing on a few boats which will allow you to come to conclusions about what sort of sailign you wish to do and which boat to do it on.
You didnt say whether you had family who would want to do Rottnest or whether you have a ready racing crew and what your budget is.
I started with a Farr 9.2 and can recommend them and the S97 as a boat that races well, has a good class association, can do Rottnest, get to Geographe Bay and doesnt cost the earth
River racing S80 - cheap and very lively.
Ocean going I'd want a bit more weight for a comfortable ride, best bang for buck there would be the UFO 34 I reckon.
Hi Tony, I've only just joined the forum. I'm Commodore at Claremont Yacht Club...so I'll state my bias up front. We have pens available...and dedicted to yachts.
If I was in your shoes...I'd start with something smaller. The boats I'd look at are those with good associations. they are very helpful and make sailing more enjoyable. Think about: Spacesailer 22, Spacesailer 27, S80 (as suggested), M27 are all good boats with good associations.
As some have pointed out...if you want to race offshore, I'd get something bigger like an S97, Whiting 32, UFO 34 etc. However, if you just want to cruise offshore...I'd look at those boats first mentioned. Get out there and kick some tyres. All clubs have winter race series...so you should be able to crew and check out some different boats.
Good luck...
