Anyone got any tips on what to look at when buying a fibreglass yacht on a swing mooring
Do not buy it off a swing mooring without the vessel being slipped, either at the vendor's expence or your's no matter how cheap the vessel is being offered.
That is not an order, just my advice. But then again, they (who are "they") say that advice is only worth what you pay for it.
This one comes for free so it is obviously worth nothing. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Good Luck Sunshine.
if you want to buy the mooring as well as the yacht , get the mooring surveyed as well as the yacht 
I have a slightly different approach , bit ol' school but might help.
Firstly have you found the "lady" your hearts set on?
Inquire how long since she was last slipped , and also some history on the boat.
Are you able to get her out of the water for an inspection/survey? My advice would be to at least inspect under the waterline weither it be via slipping or grab ur mask , a torch and a paint scraper and jump over the side - Basicaly looking for porosity holes in the hull.
Does she take on water?
Like frant and Ramona said - do as much reaserch as possible - speak to people.
Cause at the end of the day its your coin and you want to be armed with facts and knowledge about what your buying.
K
Havent negotiated a price yet still doing research on boat it is the crossfire in my pics. engine seized and insides need a tidy up and some ropes replaced.
will the trailer still suit it as it has a fixed keel and is 26 feet long and how well would it handle the ocean
If you are considering a trailerable yacht, the 23 ft Windrush Wildfire is a yacht that can handle almost anything Huey has to offer.
They are regular Freo to Rotty weekend cruisers in SW 35 kts, some single handers. They only need a single axle trailer too, therefore a lot easier when reversing down a ramp. I towed mine along the highway behind my 4 speed Falcon at 120 kmh no problem.
The link below was at the top of the GGLE search.http://www.trailersailerplace.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3667&sid=65e75d64a0ee3e407a14d9be2ebf80ad
If you're paying full price get a survey.(usually little more than an osmosis check on small grp boats) Surveyors dont inspect motors or rigging.Usually they just tap around and look busy to justify thier outrageous charges. But then they have a disclaimer saying they are not responsible. In fact I think surveyors now call this kind of thing a "pre purchase inspection"...For a big savings bargin you could try a "as is where is" offer. Good luck.
Whiteout on this site has put up pictures of his outboard powered Folkie.
Maybe you should read the first post.The guy is asking a pretty beginner type question, maybe the majority of people that read this post, like me are in a likewise situation. I got my first yacht surveyed by a reputable shipwright that cost 1000. And it helped me a lot.
Not everyone is an expert like you guys. Although at my work the people that make out they are experts are all know it all wankas.I must add that the boat surveyed cost 12 grand and i am very glad i had a survey.I even made money when i sold the yacht because i had a survey.
The boat is sound and a lot of money has been spent on her, The mast however has snapped a few years ago and has been welded, the owner was told that a weld would be "ok" but it is not, Call Whale spars and ask how much a replacement stick will cost before you lay down your cash.
Either way, it doesn't really matter. Subject to different mooring licence conditions in different states and from different authorities (Maritime Safety or Marine Parks).
The location of the mooring would generally determine if one would want to own the mooring and the condition of it would help determine what it's price would be.
If the location has the room and depth to suit your, for instance, 45 ft, 7 ft draught yacht but the tackle itself is suitable only for a 3 tonne 25 footer, then confirmation of the mooring weight type and size and condition of the eye would seem to be a good idea.
If complete replacement of the hardware is required then one could be up for a $2,000 expenditure or more, especially if it is a fore and aft mooring as opposed to a swing mooring.
Also as I said before it depends on the policy of the mooring licence issueing authority. For example, the limited number of moorings in the Burnett River in Bundaberg are licenced by Maritime Safety, Queensland and the licence may not be bought or sold and are subject to usage requirements. Being in a river subject to strong tidal flows, they are fore and aft type moorings which are stand alone as opposed to "daisy chained".
If the mooring is not being used sufficiently, the licence is revoked and offered to the next person on the wait list. The ground tackle is entirely the responsibility of the licence holder. If there is existing tackle it may by sold by the previous licence holder to the new holder. If the new holder does not want that tackle it is the responsibility of the previous holder to have it removed.
It is not quite as simple as "You pays your money and you takes your chances.".
all i did was get the details re moorings from the local authority (nsw at the time).
Also i dont know why all these stories of bad surveys are coming out. mr lees did mine in brisvegas, and he was brilliant. spent hours on it, checked every nook and cranny, and was a reasonable price, with a report about 15 pages long!
the sailing fraternity is fairly close knit and a little bit of a chat to a few locals got the best guys almost every time.
