INVESTIGATOR 563

FOR SALE: Pip Sail #127

The triumphs, trials and tribulations of this boat are sprinkled throughout this forum and far from being unhappy with Pip, its a case of my life has moved on and we need a bigger vessel to accommodate the growing brood of grandchildren, plus I have a plan to use my long-service leave to live aboard a boat full time. Quite simply, Pip is too small. As forum members will know Pip was cruised about three or four times a year, mostly at Gippsland Lakes, and I have had her out in 35 knots but most of the time things were much more relaxed.

She comes with a furling headsail, a mainsail which rolls around the boom, and code zero. These were made by Eastwind Sails in Gosford about two years ago. The running rigging has been sorted and the standing rigging is in good order. I have just put new antifoul on the bottom and given the rest of the hull a cut and polish. The rudder has been replaced but you can have the original one too. There are a couple of anchors, three fenders, a fender board, and a collection of mooring lines including the 'really long rope'. The motor is a four-year old Yamaha 8hp 2 stroke dual thrust and is absolutely reliable (it comes with a 25L tank for the 100:1 fuel).

Inside the boat is a near new electrical system which can be charged via mains or a solar panel. We put this panel in front of the mast. Our electrical system powers inside lights, navigation lights, the depth sounder and a cigarette lighter outlet which powers the devices (iPod, phone, Kindle). There are other circuits for the radio and GPS but these are handheld or don't exist. No radio and no GPS comes with the boat. There are cushions for the V berth but we use ours for our stuff. The quarter berths are super. The plastic boxes and eskies are not included in this deal neither are the lifejackets. However, you can have the flares and smoke signals and on-board tools used to rig the boat. There are a couple of hand-held plastic pumps, one small one large, to empty out the bilge.

One cabin window needs a bit more than the duct tape I have used to repair it.

Pip comes on a registered trailer and can be towed easily with a Falcodore.

I live near Shepparton, Victoria.

I want $11,000.00 for her.

After a restless night, this morning I decided to apply a process called repertory grid technique to compare the boats I was shown with other boats that I know well (Its a bit intellectual I know but it does sort out my thinking) and I determined that my current boat, Pip, along with the opportunity to crew for someone else in a larger boat, actually fits my sailing requirements very well right now.

The dealer, Tony Webster of Webster Marine, showed me four boats (Columbia 27, Crusader 26, Sunbird 25 and a Roberts 25), and during our discussion he made the point that too many people buy boats to fulfill a far off dream rather than looking seriously at what they will actually do with their boat 95% of the time. This idea really started to resonate with me because my reality is my boat has to spend 95% of its time waiting for me to use it, or to do maintenance on it, and that is more easily achieved in my shed with a small trailerable boat like Pip.

I think I was just a little bit in love with the idea of a little ship to go cruising in. If this was six months away then perhaps things might have worked out differently but honestly, its probably more like six years off. At this time, a keel boat, kept far from home, a six hour drive, would require far too many compromises of me as an owner.

So yesterday the boat dealer was a little voice of reason and I thank him for that. He also said the boat market is really really slow right now. It is a buyers market so very likely I had a little too much on Pip when I posted.

She's no longer [seriously] for sale.

Am I forgiven?

Peter

No problem!
Your experience is common. Feels a bit like having an affair, and then you realise how wonderful your wife really is.

I must confess to having recently eyed off Top Hat 25s, and still look at what's for sale. However, the reality is, a keelboat is a lot of work, and a serious cost to maintain. If you have the time to maintain and use a keelboat regularly then it can be a good solution. But when the wind howls, the rain buckets down, and your boat is alone on some mooring, you can lie in bed and worry. Also, most of us are time poor these days.

Our little Investigator 563 is in fact a mini keelboat, but has the big advantage that you can take it home. I spent the night on a Top Hat the other day, and sure it had standing headroom and heaps of stowage space, but the cockpit was no roomier than the Investigator, and my bunk on Yara is more comfortable. So we stay with the boat we know well, and have adapted to our needs, not to mention lavished dollars on.

I like Ian B's analogy, I too have had the occasional dalliance ..... with upgrading to a top-hat but came to the same conclusions as Ian. I'll stick with my I563 unless I plan to cross the pacific.

+1.

After owning a brute of a cruiser for 14 years I would not go to a keeler or another cruiser. Spritzig even moored is still an easy job to maintain.

To drift a bit. I have often thought what I will do if, make that when time space or health limit me to just one boat..... that is get rid of the 563 and the tender, the fishing canoe and the kayaks and other floating toys. I would go smaller of course , maybe something like a Cal14 which would give me sailboat but an easy to launch fishing boat with enough cabin to shelter from the rain , fit a portaloo and in a pinch do an overnight. I guess it all comes down to the 95% of your needs thing.

Webster's had an Investigator Tropic for sale - I don't know is part of Ken Sheppard's portfolio but it is small?

http://www.webstermarine.com.au/webster ... 4-6/126838