Jeanneau sunfast 52 1991
Posted by Dapper_Air_54@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 8 comments
Hello. Thank you for reading.
Would this be a boat be worth paying 130.000 us dollars for. Regarding its in decent condition.brand new sail. Brand new newmar engine. Rest is Said to be ready for Blue water cruising.
Im looking to buy the boat for crossing the Atlantic back and fourth east and west passage in 2026
We started learning the basics this year and will continue to train sailing navigating etc.
We are a group of six people doing this and the rare opportunity of this boat at this price came to us and we want to act on it.
Please give us an opinion on this boat, year and price.
Thank you kindly
55North12East@reddit
Likely. Generally speaking boats from the 80’s and 90’s were over-engineered compared to modern day cruisers.
I know the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 51 from the early 90’s is a very popular low cost blue water cruiser. The Sun Fast is a bit more racing - not making it bad a blue water cruising. Similar to the Beneteau Oceanis vs First. Both capable of ocean crossing.
Having just done the Atlantic circuit this year in a 30 years + 52 mono haul my strongest recommendation (besides learning to sail) is to take the whole boat apart and the assembly it again. And I mean completely take it apart. You must learn where every single bolt and nut is and you must learn everything about the electrical circuit. I removed ALL electrical, all wiring, fuses, switches and then build it all over. One bad connection made 20 years ago can set the boat on fire in a few minutes.
Dapper_Air_54@reddit (OP)
Oh man. It’s a huge boat. Im not even sure i could get that done by 2026 and the cost would definitely set us back since a complete rebuild is not in the budget. Thank you
twilightmoons@reddit
It's all about knowledge and safety.
You need to know your boat. Every inch of it. Not just where you stow things, but all the equipment mounted on and in it. If there is an emergency, you may need to feel your way to get to something.
Safety, because you need to be able to trust each part on it not to fail, because you made sure it would not fail.
artfully_rearranged@reddit
This is wisdom.
It's a reason people don't usually start with a 15-20 meter boat... There's a lot to learn with even the simplest ones. I just got a small trailerable sailboat with minimal systems and there are still so many things to learn how to fix and replace, so many surprises, so many hidden things that can break.
Fiberglass is very flammable, and boats want to sink. It's a fluke of physics that allows them to float in the first place. The ocean is dangerous, even the gentle wind is dangerous- if you were to get on the wrong side of a sheet when the wind shifts, it can take a limb off. There's an incredible amount of force in the wind caught in even an 8 meter sailboat's sails. Enough to send you through the air if you're careless. That's before we even get into storms.
Horse_Cock42069@reddit
Crossing an ocean on a 35yr old boat means just about everything should have been replaced at least once.
Decent-Party-9274@reddit
Look up boat values online or find a broker to do it for you.
Get a good survey of the boat. They should also help with value.
caeru1ean@reddit
Boats are usually cheap for a reason. Hire a good surveyor.
Or just go for it if you’re confident you all can fix it up the way you want it! Hard to say without seeing the ad at least
Dapper_Air_54@reddit (OP)
Thank you