Novice .. H23.5 a good idea and some advice

peptobysmol · Jun 23, 2010

bobbo99 said:
Hello all , very ncie forum...

I am a novice and looking to buy a boat that i can grow in to over the next 2 seasons with some more tuition and guidance from the local RYA team. I see a 23.5 for sale that looks at first glance to be in reasonable condition needs some cleaning up and perhaps some replacement parts/sheets etc but overall not too bad and priced ok.. SO here are my questions in no particular order..

1) Is a 23.5 a good first boat , mostly we are looking at lake sailing at the weekend
2) What costs should i expect to incur above storage at the marine etc
3) I see many 23.5s have rear rails, the one i am looking at does not. what are the merits of these and can you retro fit them?
4) If you had a 1994 version what would you do to it to bring iot up to date/clean up the lines etc for example the sheets don't look to be tided up in any way gathered in nice blocks?

any other advice is very welcome

thanks
rob

First of all let me welcome you to the board!
I would suspect the 23.5 to be a good starting boat. Every boat has their idiosyncracies and a water ballasted boat is no exception. You mention getting training which I would definitely recommend. You might also want to see if you can crew on a variety of different boats as well. I am always looking for people to go out with me. You say that you are going to lake sail on the weekends but don't mention how many are going to be on the boat. If there are 2 people then it will be a great time. 4 close friends can all manage on the 23.5 (all adults) more than that I'd not recommend.
Stern rails are nice to have and not a necessity. They can be outfitted for barbeque grills, biminis and have stern rail seats put on them. They can be added on as an aftermarket item.
The Best advice is to get a survey done by a qualified surveyor. This will help you determine if the boat is a dead duck or one you should buy. Problem is you don't want to have to spend 1/4 of your budget on a boat to find a boat that won't fit the bill. Do this 4 times and your boat budget was spent on finding the Wrong boat 4 times. I'd recommend that you look at alot of boats, befriend a sailor who will help you look at some that are on the hard and see how the are in the water. That way you get a semi-qualified individual who will offer advice on a boat that will "probably" be OK.
Before I'd spend a cold nickle on getting her looking good I'd spend money on getting her to sail well and safely. Become an internet expert on what problems you might encounter with this type of boat and boats in general. As for getting the boat up to speed. A boat that old May need new halyards, mainsheet, jibsheets. Very nice to have all lines let aft.
As for cost, it all depends on where you live. I pay $400 a year for a slip at my lake. I've read where others pay nearly that much a month

. You can do it cheap if you have a dry slip. Keep this in mind though, if your boat is already in the water chances are you'll sail it much more often than if it was in a dry slip.
Good luck,
Brad

jblersch · Jun 23, 2010

Rob,
Welcome! This is my first season back on the lake since my dad sold his Hunter 30 about 12 years ago. I did a lot of research over the winter months on boats that might be good for me and my family - this site and this forum is a great place to start. I had decided that either a 23.5 or a 240 was the boat that was what I was looking for. There's a lot of opinions out there either way on the water ballast boats, but for my smaller inland lake in the middle of Nebraska the water ballast holds her steady just fine. It also makes it lighter to tow, of course, which was a definite plus for me.
I'd suggest 1) do a lot of research and reading 2) look at a lot of ads to compare models. In addition to the classifieds on this site I also frequently looked on Sail Texas (http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats.html - click on "hunter classifieds") or Sailboat Listings (http://www.sailboatlistings.com/sailboats_for_sale/ - click on "search"). 3) Do some traveling to see boats and, if possible, have the owner take you for a sail.
I do like the stern rails and the seats as I have smaller children and it adds a level of security with the lifelines around the cockpit. Plus, the kids love the rail seats. I was considering a 23.5 without stern rails or seats; I talked with the Hunter parts department and you can get them retro-fitted.
My best advice is to definitely be careful - make sure you invest wisely. On the other hand, once you find a boat that you think fits you, go for it. It's a blast.
Good luck,
Jeff

Bill Jones · Jun 24, 2010

I have a 1996 23.5 and it has worked well for my wife and I. The cockpit is huge for a boat that size.

The problem with water ballast is that since the ballast is actually in the boat and not in the centerboard or keel, it makes for a tender sailing boat. That is it heels over quickly. However, I've never heard of one capsizing due to this tendancy. You just have to learn the characteristics of the boat, reef when necessay or sail on the main alone.

We've had ours sine the fall of 1995 and just this year added a bimini. Why I didn't do that 15 years ago, I don't know!

You can do an internet search pretty quickly and get some comparison prices.

Good luck and fair winds,

Bill Jones

Indy23.5 · Jun 24, 2010

I got a 23.5 two years ago as my first sailboat. It has been great! Easy to sail, room for spouse and kids, no problem to trailor.

jblersch · Jun 24, 2010

Overall, the 240 has been an excellent boat for me to get back on the water with. I find it easy to handle, very roomy in the cockpit and the cabin, (we can comfortably put 6 adults plus a couple of kids in the cockpit), and relatively easy to solo sail.

I agree with Bill - the water ballast definitely makes the boat heel a little quicker since the weight isn't down at the bottom of the keel, but you can quickly learn how the boat responds to different wind speeds, when to reef, when to sail with main only or jib only.

Good luck and happy sailing!
Jeff

cephius (Dave) · Jun 25, 2010

The Beneteau "First" line favors performance in the design compromises. That means First boats will have larger rigs then others in the same size range, and accommodations may be cramp and minimalistic compared to boats that favor family safe cruising like the small Hunters.

Not all novice sailors are interested in racing or are ready to handle a performance boat. That said, if the price is right, don't be afraid to consider one. Beneteau makes a good boat. The reason they are the largest manufacture of sailboats is because people buy them.

Drew13440 · Jul 22, 2010

Rob: What to look for depends on the age of the boat, where its lived, etc. Your surveyor will know. My advice (worth what you're paying for it) is to look at the general upkeep of the boat. Is it clean? Organized? All dinged up? Is there rust around the deck fittings? Ask the seller about the "systems" also. Boats are like houses insofar as the mechanicals all have known service lives. Are the sails original? The standing rigging? The electrical wiring? Is the bottom painted? If so, when was it last done? Finally, I would ask the seller for known problems. If your surveyor finds something the seller SHOULD have known, but didn't tell you, what else may he be hiding?

You get the idea. Best of luck to you. I have a 240 that is just a world a fun.