A boat in father-son co-ownership
His first boat, a Flirt, François bought it with 2 friends. After 3 years of sailing together, life separated them and François had to decide to find another sailboat, as the Charentais tells us. "I was introduced to sailing on the Flirt. It was our training boat, but one of our friends left to study in Brittany, and the other to sail around the world. We had to part with it. My father and I wanted to find a boat together to prepare for his retirement. It was the right time."
The father and the son set a schedule of conditions in 2 points: a maximum budget of 15 000euros affordable to 2 and a size of 10 meters.
The Melody opportunity
While consulting the online ads, François came across a Melody from Jeanneau 16 000euros. The 10.25-meter monohull, on a mooring in Mortagne sur Gironde, is not too far from Cognac, his place of residence. He went to see it for the first time and met the 75 year old owner, who conceded that the boat had not sailed much in recent years.
Not very experienced, François called upon a friend in marine expertise training who came back with him. For him, the boat is interesting and negotiable, as there is some work to be done: the rudder needs to be redone, the cockpit seats as well, as well as the electronics which need to be changed. On the other hand, the genoa is almost new and the mainsail is in good condition. The engine has been rebuilt and has only 80 hours of operation.
François finally bought the boat for 12,000euros. He reinjected a few thousand euros into the boat to redo a rudder, change the wood of the cockpit seats, the aerials, but also repaint the interior of the saloon and give it a facelift.
A sailboat equipped for beautiful cruises
The Mélody, designed by the architect André Mauric, was built by the Jeanneau shipyard between 1976 and 1982, with a certain success, since 607 examples were launched. This racing-cruising yacht has a large draught of 1.90 meters and 2,900 kilos of ballast. With 75 m2 of upwind sail area, including only 25 m2 of mainsail, it displays a balance typical of its time.
On the accommodation side, the Breton bed at the front can accommodate two crew members, as can the aft cabin on the starboard side. With the saloon and its 4 potential berths thanks to the bunk beds, we can potentially sleep 4 on a Melody. François nevertheless moderates: "We usually sail between two and five or six at the most, because the cockpit is pretty small for the size of the boat."
A closet and toilet forward of the saloon, as well as a chart table on starboard and a galley on port side with a gimbaled gas stove and a cooler with compressor, complete the boat's facilities.
A reliable boat in all conditions
For François, the first quality of the Melody is its reliability and robustness. "We don't have any surprises. Even when we had a throttle problem and got to the dock a little fast, the boat didn't have anything."
Sailor, the sailboat is able to face strong weather conditions. François specifies : "With its large draught, the boat is stiff to the canvas. Her 6 tons mean that we are well secured, even in heavy seas. Its only disadvantage is downwind, where it rolls a little with its hull shape. She goes upwind well, even if she is a bit fiery, although we have corrected the rudder a bit."
Today, father and son do not regret their purchase!
