NEWS

Visit any of the major boat shows with a view to placing an order and a budget of around £100,000 to £250,000 will put you in the production-built yacht market, perhaps up to around 40ft at a stretch. It won’t buy you even the smallest Hallberg-Rassy new. But take the same amount into the used market and a lot of options open up if you’re prepared to buy an older yacht.

Buying a yacht for £100,000-£250,000: A tricky price point?

Buying a yacht is not without complications. It can be hard to predict what will need to be spent, even after having a survey done. Balancing purchase budget and a fund for works that are needed is very important.

“The big advantage of buying an older yacht is that you are trading depreciation, which is an upfront cost, for the cost of refit/upgrade, which is a cost that you can manage and decide when and how to spend,” explains broker Alex Grabau.

“As depreciation is often no longer a notable factor with older boats, an owner must also then understand and accept that such costs of refit/upgrade may then become their ‘cost of ownership’ – with not all of it recoverable upon subsequent resale.”

When it comes to saving money, Grabau says it’s clear what almost everyone looks for first.

“The one everyone wants to buy will be the older boat (so little or no depreciation) where an owner has just refitted or upgraded her for a planned adventure which has either been completed quickly (with little wear or degradation to the equipment), or where the plans have been cancelled.

“The owner will almost certainly see a percentage of their refit investment written off, making the boat a fantastic opportunity for a buyer looking to save some money and, perhaps most importantly, time,” he adds.

Get covered

Once purchased, next steps are likely to mean rectifying any serious faults or problems highlighted by the survey. “The only aspects which are going to stop you heading off immediately relate to safety, reliability and, linked to that, the stipulations of your insurer,” adds Grabau.

“This will usually mean inspection – or in some cases replacement – of standing rigging if older than 10 years, replacement of saildrive diaphragms (if fitted) if over seven years old, thorough servicing of mechanical systems, and either servicing, replacement or upgrade of safety equipment.

“Most other refit items can be attended to immediately, or pushed further down the road if budgets don’t immediately allow.”

Marine insurance companies regularly deal with customers about to buy a yacht that they have plans to improve. Understanding whether the yacht is fundamentally safe is the primary concern of an insurance broker, explains Andy Crick, a director at Pantaenius UK.

“When a customer gets in touch about a yacht they want to insure we take a holistic approach; every yacht really is different. As a broker it is important to consider the fundamentals. Is it likely to catch fire? Is it likely to sink? Is the rig likely to come down?

“We regularly insure yachts that have a passage to make to where they are going to have work done, but we need to ensure the yacht is safe for that delivery passage.

“One prospective yacht may need very little work done, having benefitted from a proactive and comprehensive maintenance schedule in prior ownership. Whereas a similar yacht out of the same yard at the time of build may have had a harder life, been cared for less sympathetically over the years and might require extensive work in a number of areas,” says Crick.

What to look for: key considerations by yacht insurance brokers when buying a pre-owned yacht:
■ Type and age of yacht and material of construction
■ Structural integrity of the hull. Has the vessel suffered damage? Have any past repairs been completed properly?
■ Condition of the hull-to-keel joint and age and condition of keel bolts (where relevant)
■ Seacocks and through-hull fittings. What type are they? How old are they? What is their condition? Are all below-the-waterline hoses secure and double clipped?
■ What are the bilge pumping arrangements?
■ Age and condition of stern seals or sail drive seals
■ Rig; type, age, condition, last service, inspection or replacement?
■ Onboard electronics: type and condition of the batteries, condition of the wiring, RCD protection?
■ Onboard gas system (if any), including hoses, pipes, regulator and safe storage of gas bottles. When was the gas system last professionally inspected and serviced?
■ Fire prevention measures and onboard firefighting equipment
■ Condition of the rudder and steering system
■ Main engine and gearbox condition and maintenance
■ Operation of navigation equipment
■ Lifesaving apparatus.

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We did it

Catherine and Will Marks bought their 1995 Contest 46 Paradox. When it came to finding their second yacht, Will and Catherine Marks had experienced enough sailing to shape a list of features that quickly struggled to tally up with their budget.

Having previously owned a production-built boat, they were determined to buy a yacht that was well built and set up for long term cruising. A little more knowledge, however, had given them a long list of criteria.

“We backed ourselves into a corner with the list we’d come up with.”

An incident while crewing on a Discovery 67 crossing the Atlantic had made a deep impression on the couple a few years before. The video they made of it rescuing a family on a yacht that had lost its rudder now has two million views on YouTube (Monday Never).

“It was an experience we reflected on a lot and certainly had a massive influence on our own decisions afterwards,” explains Will. The couple now have a young child of their own and have been afloat as a family for three years.

“We looked at a lot of boats that met, or were very close to meeting, all of our criteria. Passports, Hylas, Kelly Petersons – I think we looked at over 20 yachts. Eventually we found the Contest – not a particularly well-known yacht in the US, but a boat with a pedigree.

“Finding a quality boat in our price range meant we were often in a bracket where the yacht hadn’t been well looked after, we realised that,” explains Will.

“Our surveyor was great, but he gave us over 110 points to attend to. A handful were urgent. When lockdown hit, we went into the deep end working on the boat. It was then that things emerged the survey couldn’t be expected to pick up, like leaks from deck hatches.”

The couple embarked on a program of works to get the boat how they wanted her. “All in all we invested around $100,000, which we knew we wouldn’t get back, but it put the boat in the right place for what we wanted to do.”

When it came to moving back ashore and selling the yacht earlier this month, Will and Catherine found themselves inundated with offers. “Brokers were quite negative when we made initial enquiries about listing, but we had loads of interest straight away.”

Matt Donald and Paige Grogan have a Contest 40S

Matt and Paige first owned a Contest 40, before trying classic yacht ownership, then deciding to come back to GRP. While they looked at other brands, in the end, they came back to one they were familiar with, choosing a slightly different variant of the Contest 40 they’d owned before.

“We offered well under the asking price knowing she needed work. We then spent a month and a half in Mayflower Marina, Plymouth, renewing the electrics, heating, refrigeration and rigging. The survey was a good guide to what we really needed to do,” explains Matt.

“This Contest actually has slightly less stowage due to how the water tank is fitted, but we think she has a slightly faster turn of speed. We owned an overland truck for a while as well and had sailed our previous Contest to the Caribbean and back.

“By the time we bought her we’d really figured out what we needed in terms of living comfortably afloat. Paige is a freelance graphic designer, so getting the electrics set up to run laptops all day was important.

“The combination of what she offers in terms of space, being good to sail and her build quality is really what made us buy another Contest,” explains Matt.

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We ask top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest yachts of our times. Alan Roberts nominates the Ultim Actual 4

Performance voyaging in a responsive, elegant craft is the dream for most sailors, a dream that Kinetic Catamarans was set up specifically to realise by offering top-quality fast-cruising catamarans with clean lines for those with discerning tastes. Its new all-carbon K6 range aims to push the boundaries of performance cruising in luxury.

The US-based brand builds high-end bespoke multihulls in small series from its own yard in Knysna, South Africa, a facility which has recently undergone a major expansion. Kinetic’s popularity is already proven in its existing KC62 and KC54 models; now it’s shifting gears with the announcement of a new K6 range of maxi-cats, which comprises a 63 and its sistership 67.

Where the 63 is designed to suit owner-operated cruising, with the ability to fit in a 20m berth, the 67 is more suitable for sailing with a professional crew. It should be emphasised that these two new models are individually designed and built to length, rather than one being a stretched or squashed version of the other. That means properly balanced platforms, with the 67 proportionally larger all over, with the key bulkheads moving aft to allocate its additional space proportionately and retain a balanced sail plan.

K6: For sailors who demand more

What sets the K6 range apart? Firstly, there’s the visual appeal: these fresh new Simonis Voogd designs have strikingly clean aesthetics. Then comes their tangible potential afloat: these carbon fibre builds offer thrilling sailing in first-class comfort and control.

Consider the ability to cruise shorthanded while matching the wind speed. This is achieved through multiple factors, including the lightweight composite construction, coupled with a powerful but manageable sailplan. For example, Kinetic provide the option for in-boom furling of the square-top mainsail. When you combine this with a hydraulically powered mainsheet lead and traveller, which is kept out of harm’s way on the coachroof, it all adds up to easy push-button sail trimming from the helms.

The K6 platform is also one which can be optimised further still to allow for racing indulgences, for those who occasionally want to really push their craft and see what’s under the hood.

Features born out of experience

Signature Kinetic features are continued in the K6 range, including lifting centreboards to benefit upwind performance, and spacious forward cockpits, which link to an interior helm station. This latter feature allows you to steer from a completely protected position, in close contact with the mast base winches, while being able to check the mainsail shape through the large moonroof stylishly blended into the coachroof’s solar field. For those sailors who really enjoy the hands-on sporty sensation, the K6 also has exterior wheels on the raised side decks.

While daggerboards are an option, Kinetic prefer centreboards as they maintain the clean deck lines and provide a safety fuse in the case of grounding. Once again, these are controlled by push-button, via powered line drivers, and are contained below the floorboards in the hulls.

When at rest, the K6 offers a formidable leisure platform. The new forward cockpit design again creates real appeal, with its removable awning and sunpads designed into the deck, while the aft cockpit is completely free of lines and sail handling systems. Imagine the horizon views from here as you fold the transom down to create a bathing platform terrace on the sea.

A real highlight of the new K6 designs lies in the flexible accommodation spaces, particularly in the owner’s suite, which can take over a whole hull as private space and offer a full office section too. These suites also have their own access out to the aft decks, for that instant morning swim.

Look and feel

September 2025 is the first time Kinetic Catamarans is exhibiting at a boat show in Europe. Be sure to pay them a visit at the Cannes Yachting Festival, from 9-14 September, on Sail booth 024, where you will be able to see their KC54 in person and learn more about this transformational new K6 range.

In the latest from the Ocean Race Europe Leg 3, Biotherm is still defending its perfect streak from Leg 1 and Leg 2.

The race leader arrived in Nice just before dawn on 29 August, with Holcim-PRB following just twenty-seven minutes later. Both foiling IMOCAs averaged over 20 knots of boatspeed as they raced towards the finish line.

In third, Ambrogio Beccaria’s Allagrande Mapei, finishing just 53 minutets after Holcim-PRB.

“We didn’t make all good choices,” said Beccaria. “But we are improving so much as a team. Our boat is not designed to sail in light unstable winds like here, but as soon as we have wind we are flying. We love the boat and we love the team.”

Yoann Richomme’s Team Paprec Arkéa (FRA) – skippered on this leg by Corentin Horeau (FRA) for this leg followed in 4th, despite sustaining damage after a broken halyard sent the J0 headsail into the water.

The rest of the Ocean Race Europe fleet soon finished their 3-day, 680 nautical mile passage. The Mediterranean challenged sailors right up until the end, with unpredictable weather conditions, low pressure fronts, and sudden squalls of up to 70 knots.

“In the light winds it can be more work than in the strong winds,” said Malizia’s Boris Hermann. “We had all conditions – from reefed and small headsails to spinnakers. We used all the sails which is not normally the case on most legs. It was all-the-time full-on action and enjoyable racing. It was so motivating to have our competition in sight all the time.”

“It was an incredible leg,” added Holcim – PRB skipper Rosalin Kuiper. “I have never experienced something like this: so many manoeuvres, all the weather models were different to what we saw on the water. We had to be super flexible and dynamic and we didn’t sleep much – the crew is exhausted.”

Ocean Race Leg 3 at a glance

• Uncertainty over Mediterranean conditions, long nights of light airs and frequent sail changes along the Spanish coast
• Neck-and-neck race between Biotherm and Holcim-PRB before Biotherm regained the lead
• Unstable forecasts prompt a race course adjustment away from Ille de Giraglia to a virtual waypoint
• Team Amaala, trailing behind the fleet, is hit with gusts surpassing 70 knots

Leaderboard

1. Biotherm (Skipper: Paul Meilhat)
2. Team Holcim-PRB (Skipper: Rosalin Kuiper)
3. Allagrande Mapei Racing (Skipper: Ambrogio Beccaria)
4. Paprec Arkéa Team (Skipper: Corentin Horeau)
5. Team Malizia (Skiper: Boris Hermann)
6. Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive (Skipper Scott Shawyer)
7. (Still to finish) Team Amaala (Skipper: Alan Roura)

The start of Ocean Race Europe Leg 3

The fleet left Cartagena on the afternoon of 26 August in 12-17 knots of fresh north-easterly. Crews sailed upwind, braiding a neat line of tacks up the Spanish coastline.

Biotherm was again first through the scoring gate at Cabo de Palos, making the most of the ideal conditions and confirming their as-yet untarnished score.

All teams reported feeling unsettled by the incoming low pressure and the general meteorological instability of the Mediterranean.

Paul Meilhat of Biotherm commented before setting off, “There is low pressure on the way. We don’t really know what will happen but it will change the timings a lot – so we don’t really know what the course will be.”

“It’s going to be super challenging,” said Team Holcim-PRB’s Rosalin Kuiper. “We will prepare for every scenario and we will see when we are out there.”

Boris Hermann, who replaced Leg 2 skipper Will Harris onboard Malizia, says “The centre of that low might coincide with our biggest obstacle – which is the beautiful island of Mallorca. We might sneak very close past the northern coast of Mallorca, but other scenarios yield different routes. There will be surprises up until the end.”

Biotherm also made some crew changes for the Ocean Race Europe Leg 3, replacing Jack Boutel with fellow frenchman and Vendee Globe alum Benjamin Ferré.

First night of Ocean Race Europe Leg 3

Heading into the night, teams had to chose between preserving an ideal heading with less wind, or chasing stronger breezes offshore.

“It’s been breeze versus angle pretty much the whole night,” explained Team Malizia’s Cole Brauer. “You get a nicer angle going into the shore, but less breeze, so you kind of have to play both sides to find a little happy middle ground.”

The upwind conditions came with an intense workload for crews, demanding frequent tacks and constant trimming.

Italian sailor Ambrogio Beccaria of Allagrande Mapei was unfazed by the unpredictable conditions.

“I love Mediterranean sailing,” he commented. “I was born here and it is what made me love the sea. I hope she loves me too, but sometimes it is a difficult relationship and it is hard to understand what she wants.”

His team was considering several possible routing options. “We need to use our instincts,” he said of deciding tactics. “We like that.”

Biotherm and Holcim-PRB race neck-to-neck

The pace picked up after a long night of light, humid airs. Holcim-PRB’s Carolijn Brouwer described the conditions as: “Hot, sticky, sweaty – but fun.”

“I don’t know how many times we changed headsail – maybe five or six times – so it is a lot of work for the crew,” said Mielhat.

The middle of the second day saw 16 knots of northerly breeze, and Biotherm and Holcim-PRB locked in a close battle for first place. In some points, the two contenders were separated by just a half mile. Team Paprec Arkéa, closely followed by the rest of the fleet, fell another 12 miles behind.

Biotherm pulled ahead after a close battle, but the leading team never rested on its laurels.

Biotherm sailor Sam Goodchild (GBR) commented, “All night we felt like they were going quicker than us behind us and we were going into lighter winds – so we felt like they were catching up. The forecast was saying that we were going to park in front of Nice for a few hours to wait for the wind. All of that was not for relaxing.”

“The only moment we felt ‘we have got this’ was about half a mile from the finish line, when we could see wind between us and the finish.”

Holcim – PRB helmsman Franck Cammas commented, “We fought against Biotherm from the beginning to the end. Even two hours before the finish we hoped to overtake them. The battle is very nice. It’s what we love in The Ocean Race: to fight against the very best crew in the world and to be able to see them all the time.”

Brutal last day of the Ocean Race Europe Leg 3

Stronger winds arrived as the fleet approached the French coast, close to the island of Poquerolles.

In light of the meteorological instability, Race Control issued a course amendment that shifted the final turning mark of Leg 3 from the Ile De La Giraglia to a virtual waypoint 20 miles further to the northwest. The switch kept the fleet from having to round the island in potentially treacherous conditions, which are forecast to include thunderstorms and gale force winds.

The dismal forecast kept its promise when a sudden wind squall with winds reaching 70 knots sent Team Amaala skipper Alan Roura on deck to reduce sail (in his underpants!).

Roura commented that he has never experienced such heavy swells in the Mediterranean Sea before, and that maintaining the speed of the boat was of a lower priority than securing the sails to prevent them from being displaced from the deck of the boat.

“It was beautiful. We really enjoyed it so much,” he said after the finish, in typical good humour. “We love it when it’s stormy like this. Until the end we were in the game and that’s a good feeling. We were last, but not by so much!”

When is the Ocean Race Europe Leg 4?

The fleet will set off for Ocean Race Europe Leg 4 on 31 August for a 600 nautical mile sprint to Genoa, Italy, which hosted the Grand Finale of the first inaugural Ocean Race Europe in 2021.

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If you enjoyed this recap of the Ocean Race Europe Leg 3….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.