If you want to buy a used sailing yacht, you need: enough money, knowledge of the models, knowledge of how to do the job as a skipper and how to maintain the yacht and possibly repair it yourself (otherwise repairs are expensive).

Important criteria when choosing and buying a sailing yacht

If you want to buy a used sailing yacht, here are a few tips. First, get a general overview of the yacht. Then turn your eye to the details: are there scratches? On steel-hulled boats, for example, those would be no problem and easy to fix. But on polyester-hulled boats they are problematic. Small spots of rust are also a bad sign. Watch the condition of the teak deck too. Especially if you aren't using a surveyor, make sure the boat is hauled out of the water so you can inspect below the waterline. For example, blisters on the hull point to osmosis, which requires a costly repair. Then check the rudder as well by giving it a good shake. Also check all the zinc anodes; they are an indicator of the hull's condition.

Buy a used sailing yacht

Inside the boat, look at the paintwork, the water from the faucet and the drain, and the equipment (e.g. the refrigerator). Check the keel bolts for leaks or corrosion. Check the bilge pumps. Look out for any problems with the engine, its engine compartment and insulation. Check the electronics. Hoist the sails. Check the yacht's documentation and ask for an owner's manual. As a private buyer, make sure the VAT has been paid.

Types of sailing yachts

When you buy a used sailing yacht, you can choose between different models:

  • Keel yacht
  • Dinghy

Dinghies have a centerboard, so they can capsize but not sink, because even when swamped their hull has enough buoyancy. A keel yacht, on the other hand, cannot capsize, because its keel acts as a counterweight. Keel yachts can sink, though, because when swamped there is too little buoyancy. Exceptions are, for example, the unsinkable sailboats from the company Etap. Boats with a keel, that is, with ballast, are called sailing yachts, keel yachts, sailboats or sailing vessels. The term sailboat can also be used for sailing dinghies.

Buy a used sailing yacht

There are also the following models:

  • Mega yacht (sail)
  • Gulet
  • Motorsailer
  • Flat-bottom vessel
  • Sailing trimaran
  • Sailing catamaran
  • Sailboat hull
  • Traditional sailing ship
  • Sailing yacht

Prices and expenses for sailing yachts

If you want to buy a used sailing yacht and are looking for a low price, you can find one online for as little as $1,000, for example. A luxury yacht, on the other hand, costs over $50,000, and there is practically no upper price limit. Once you have managed to buy your used sailing yacht, the following fixed costs per year will arise, roughly: $3,000 berth; $500 crane fees, $2,000 repairs. You will travel to your own vessel more often: travel costs $1,000. There may also be expenses for insurance and taxes.