Write specifications and organize visits
After the expedition and the sailing part, it is now time to look for the ideal sailboat for a 4 years expedition around the world! To find the boat of his dreams, Victor has set himself a few criteria:
- A size between 10 and 12 m to accommodate at least 3 people on board at certain times
- A solid boat with a steel or aluminum hull
- Autonomy with solar panels and a wind turbine and water and fuel tanks of 300 L each
- A reasonable price: 37 000 euros maximum budget.
After defining the main criteria for his boat, he scoured the ad sites and selected 8 models between Brest and La Rochelle. But none of them caught his attention, the boats were too old and in too bad a condition.
Mukti, the sailboat of his dreams
He then resumed his research and found "Mukti", an amateur construction of 12 m hull length, built in 2008 with a steel hull and stainless steel deck. Another advantage, the boat is located in Yvelines, easier to go and see it when you live in Paris.
"This is far from the first boat I've seen on the internet, but it was the first one I visited. I had seen it just before leaving for my week-long road trip. At the time, I thought it was a bit big. It is impressive when dry" explains Victor.
But finally, the young man returns to see him and falls under his spell.
"It looks good. It was important for me to have a recognizable boat, because I am launching a media project and I need my boat to be easily recognizable. I had looked a lot at the Feeling boats, which are production boats, so they are more proven, with spare parts that are easy to find.
Mukti is a long distance boat like many were built in the 80's, like the Moitessier and Damien... It is a reliable and seaworthy boat, but not very fast, able to go to sea for several months without having to refuel. There are many boats like that on the second-hand market, but built between 1978 and 1984. The big advantage of my boat is that it was built recently, in 2008. It is a long distance boat in the philosophy of the 80's, but newer and more reliable. The layouts are evolutive and that was a big plus for me too.
The owner is a professional boilermaker and bought the hull from a Norman shipyard. He did all the interior fittings, the deck, the mast, the stainless steel welds... It's a "home-made" boat, but the work was done with a care and attention worthy of professional shipyards" says Victor.
Some modernization work and a big cleaning
Posted at 49,000 euros, Victor finally managed to negotiate a discount of 2,000 euros. The boat is in good condition, and Victor has done little work on it, as he explains:
"There's a tiller on the outside and a wheel on the inside. I added an autopilot on the hydraulics. I also changed the standing rigging. It was in good condition, but of a limited age. In view of my program, I don't want to take any risks. We changed the lights to LEDS, added electronics, changed the cables in place, cleaned the keel tank, performed some maintenance and did a big cleanup."
But it's an unpleasant surprise that awaits Victor afterwards... His boat is not in such good condition... To be discovered in a future episode.
