Asmat Khan wrote:Does anyone have a boat in seaworthy condition that they might consider selling?
Maybe. I bought a junk-rigged Benford Dory 28, Badger's little sister. The boat needs some work before I consider it seaworthy and suitable for extended cruising. In order of priority: There is only a single bow roller and neither a locker for the anchor rode, nor a windlass. My current plan is for a pair of Brent Swain style reels and at least two well separated bow rollers. Second, the cockpit lockers are open to the hull. If the boat went aground and lay on its side, the hull would flood through the cockpit lockers before it would float. That strikes me as distinctly suboptimal. Third, I want a split junk sail, fourth, windvane self steering, fifth, a rotating pram hood and sixth, I want to make the rudder more effective.
I bought the boat in the hope of taking a year off for some extended cruising, but now it looks like this will only be possible in four or five years. Meanwhile, I find that a boat five times as heavy as my previous largest boat is bigger than I want. It's certainly big enough for me to live on for a year, but for anything else I want to do it's far too big.
I need to sort out the anchors and cockpit lockers in early summer, when it will again be warm enough in Trondheim to work with epoxy. I may be able to make a split junk sail during winter. You could have a holiday here in late summer, sailing the boat before you decide.