Augustin's been sailing since he was a boy. With his parents on a wooden sailboat at the beginning and then cruises more or less offshore on his dad's Feeling 10.40. But then he started to study and still a student thanks to his first salary he was able to afford his own sailboat.
An offer at the bottom
Accustomed to wandering around construction sites or technical areas, he spots a Feeling 286 Special. This keelboat seems abandoned. At the nerve (when you're 20 years old, you're not afraid of anything...), he contacts the owner. Finding him wasn't easy, but via the mother, he finds the owner who hasn't paid the yard for 3 years. Finally the transaction ends up at 3000 euros.
For this price, in February 2017, he became the owner of Illusion, a very dilapidated sailboat with a broken porthole and whose equipment was partially stolen. On the other hand, the hull is sound and the rigging too.
Small salary that forces you to invent
Augustin negotiates to be able to stay at the building site and starts the renovation. Fortunately the boat is less than 15 km from his home and he can go there very regularly (the advantage of being a student...). But he doesn't have any more money in his pocket. As a result, between school hours, he takes a job at Décathlon which earns him 400 euros per month, which he reinvests entirely in his boat. Little by little, he renovated the interior by changing the coatings, which came off, especially in the aft cabin
A recalcitrant engine
But if Augustine took care to look at the condition of the sails when he bought them, knowing that he could not afford to replace them, he did not take into account the condition of the engine. The Volvo diesel 2001, which is housed under the saloon table, does not appear to be damaged. And yet, before the boat was launched, it was impossible to start it up again.
Augustine is not a mechanic at heart. But he'll get to it. He starts by rebuilding the diesel pump with the help of a local mechanic. Eventually, he realizes that the engine has to be taken out. He builds a hoist and lifts it to open the crankcase and change a pinion. In the end, this old diesel engine is back on the road.
4 months of work
Thanks to barter, he manages to find a cuddly hood that fits well. And in May 2017, less than 4 months after purchase, he can put it back in the water. This Feeling 286 Special sails well. Its sails are beautiful and Augustin takes pleasure with them for 2 months.
A budget finally too heavy
But this penniless student soon realizes that he cannot afford to maintain such a unit. Even to find the money for a berth. The maintenance budget is too heavy for him.
Added value for a new project
Augustin therefore decides to put this sailboat up for sale and to go in search of a smaller one. A buyer shows up in July and the sale is concluded at the end of July, allowing the new buyer to take advantage of the season. Augustin makes a capital gain that will allow him to invest a little more in his next boat.
To be continued..
