Not counting our chickens yet but ...

(an apology, this blog post will doubtless repeat much of what I posted in the wee small hours but expanded and with piccies!)

... we have made and had accepted an offer on a fin keel Westerly 33 ketch.

Meet the probable new boat ...

Currently called "Sandpiper of Beaulieu", she's in Port Hamble Marina

She is in ready to sail away condition with decent sails (although the UV strip on the genoa urgently needs replacement) and a decent array of reasonably modern navigation equipment

As can be seen from the photo, she has a full cockpit tent which is in good, in fact as new, condition except, unfortunately, for the clear PVC windows on the sprayhood. One window has a split in it and all three are suffering from UV degradation. They'll have to be replaced asap, a fact which has been reflected in the price we've offered.

She's very tidy on deck with no obvious problems I can see. She has a telescopic whisker pole, a cruising chute with snuffer and wind vane self steering (as well as a prehistoric analogue autopilot!). I'm in two minds about the wind vane steering. I am not a big fan of carting a big lump of machinery around on the transom unless it's of real benefit and given that we don't make passages as such all that often, if at all, I'm dubious about it's usefulness. And it will doubtless get in the way of the planned hard dinghy with sailing rig on davits.

I'm given to understand that it's worth a bob or two though so if we decide we don't want it we'll sell it on and use the money for something of more use to us such as a modern autopilot integrated with the chart plotter or replacing the manual anchor windlass with a powered one.

The standing and running rigging is all relatively recent (less than 10 years old) and looks to be serviceable. The right things seem to be in the right places too which helps greatly.

There's not much else to say on deck. She's tidy, needing no more than routine annual maintenance type touching up and what have you to the woodwork etc.

Moving below decks, having rejected the aft cabin and walk through on the later Westerly Discus, we were pleased to find that as expected the aft cabin on the W33 does exactly what we need the space to do. It will sleep two guests in comfort and it's large enough and comfy enough for me to sit in that cabin to play my guitar etc. An added bonus is that infill boards and cushions have been made up to turn the entire aft cabin into a big double berth.

However, whilst the cushions themselves are in good condition, the cushion covers are not so great. That story is repeated in the saloon where the cushion covers are nearing the end of their useful life. Again, the cost of recovering the cushions has been taken into account in the offer price.

The main cabin is everything we wanted. We were concerned as to whether the smaller 'L' shaped galley would be big enough (the Discus we looked at had the optional larger 'U' galley with a smaller starboard settee) but in the flesh, as it were, we decided it's absolutely fine.

I like the chart table which is properly usable and quite comfortable to sit at.

The cooker is an older model but clean and it has flame failure devices. We are assured the fridge works but it will be tested before we finalise the deal

The saloon is spacious and comfortable with loads of storage and stowage. The port settee front pulls out and the settee back drops in to make up another double berth. Handy both for extra guests and also as a comfy lounging around watching telly bed

The woodwork is all OK as are the headlinings - the deckhead linings have been replaced with lined panels and the cabin side linings, whilst not perfect, are not too bad.

Jane and I were both comfortable with the space

 The heads is very usable however the boat currently lacks for hot water and therefore has no shower. The hot water situation is on the potential "to do" list, a debate is taking place over whether to fit a shower head or not. I think so, Jane thinks not. It will be done!

The headlining in the heads compartment will need attention though. However it's a small area and no great problem

The v-berth is big enough for us to be happy with it as our "master" cabin. Here too the headlining and also the upper side linings are in need of attention. We have ideas about how to judiciously partally refit this cabin based on the fit out on the other W33 we viewed yesterday morning. It involves partially replacing the shelves with cupboards and hiding away much of the tatty bit!

The stripy cushion covers aren't really us either but they'll be hidden by a fitted sheet most of the time so who cares? :)

As well as a lack of hot water, there is no heating. I'm actually happy about that because it means I can install a brand new Webasto from scratch with the ducting and vents where I want them rather than having to work around an existing installation

The engine is the original 42hp Mercedes OM646. It looks like what it is, a nearly 40 year old engine. However, there are no visible signs of any oil leaks or fuel leaks, the belts all look pretty new (indicating regular servicing) and we're assured it's a "good 'un". The proof will be in the sea trial in due course.

I'm not unhappy with the Merc engine, provided it appears to be a good runner, as they are highly regarded and all the parts are readily available at relatively reasonable prices. However, we will have in our back pocket the funds to re-engine at a later date if necessary.

And then there's the underwater bit ...

Yes, that's right. There's only one keel!

After a great deal of thought, we've decided that the (not inconsiderable) inconvenience of getting on and off our mud berth with a 5'5" draft and the need to be a little less cavalier with regard to flirting with the shallows is outweighed by the considerably better performance the fin keel will offer

Our plans over the next few years involve spending significant periods of each summer away from our home waters and a boat that will sail faster, go to windward better and make more progress in light winds has much to commend it

Added to which, it halves the number of potential keel problems by, well, half!

So to sum up, she's a pretty decent example of the class without too many of the usual faults. The things that need doing are all within my range of incompetence and within our overall budget too which helps. There are some quirks to the design which might not suit everyone, and indeed one or two minor niggles that aren't ideal from our point of view (although I have some ideas to resolve those) but overall she is ideal for our future plans

Of course, I must reiterate that this is all subject to the survey and sea trial which should be happening a week on Wednesday. If any significant problems come to light we'll be renegotiating or even pulling out.