First boat in Australia: Advice appreciated

Ahoy everyone, from the newest member on the board.

I am looking to buy a cheap sailboat with which to explore Sydney Harbour, Rivers, etc. I've had probably 5-6 sailboats in Canada/USA over the years, ranging from 16 - 23 feet, and have only sailed on lakes/protected waters, and I'm happy to keep it that way for now. So I'm not looking for a bluewater boat.

I'm looking for recommendations for boats under $5,000 (No laughing!). I've got the time, money, and ability to maintain and repair (I'm a carpenter/handyman/OK mechanic), so I think it's realistic for what I want. Seems like Endeavour class boats can easily be had for this amount, and I'm happy to use an outboard.

I've got a wife and 2 year old boy. I just want to spend some time cruising around and being on the water with them, so speed and performance aren't a big thing. But it will need to be easy enough to sail solo. It would be nice to have a separate forward v birth to tuck the little fellow in at night, and we can stay up and play cards or whatever.

I've always liked swing keel boats because they can be beached. I wonder about these smaller boats with the fixed keels in and around Sydney...I will obviously grab charts, but is the water generally deep enough where a 1.5 draft isn't much of a concern? Rivers too?

Lastly, where should I moor this boat? I'm in Canterbury, sort of outer Inner West, so I could either do Botany/Gerorges River, or stick it somewhere around Hunters Hill/Gladesville where it seems reasonably easy to get a mooring. I also thought that it might be neat to keep it up around Brooklyn, as the thought of weekend gunkholing on the Hawkesbury and sort of getting away from the masses sounds great.

Many thanks for your thoughts and opinions, and happy sailing!

Welcome to the forum.
Kogarah Bay is the spiritual home of the Endeavour. Safe waterway, minimal traffic, plenty of access to your boat and moorings. But Botany Bay has limited places to go and stay on the boat overnight, especially limited protection from a Southerly or black nor'easter. And it is shallow, very shallow, in places. But one of the best places to just to get out and day sail.
Gladesville / Five Dock are exactly the opposite. Lots of traffic, car parking hassles, ferries that come from nowhere and on weekends it is like sailing in a washing machine. Not to mention those hoons in racing yachts and stink boats trying to run you over all the time. However, lots of places to go for a night stop, especially up the rivers towards Parramatta and beyond the Spit Bridge. Both rivers can be navigated up to the last bridge with plenty of water under the keel.
Endeavours, Tritons, pop top Sonatas and Coles all make great entry level boats for around the $5-10k mark. You will find that many Cole 23's have a swing keel, as do a number of other boats from that era. But unless you plan to get the boat out the water onto a trailer, a swing keel is not really needed .

Evergreen, have you considered a trailer sailer? Many with swing keels, you can keep it in your yard or on the street outside and you will be free to choose your waterway, use it as a caravan for longer journeys. A Careel 18 would be perfect.
Regards Greg

Yes, I have thought about that, and while it's not exactly ideal to be hauling a boat in and out of the water, it's a good thought. Actually, I suppose I could keep it on a mooring most of the time, in say Kogarah Bay, with the trailer at home, and then when I felt like sailing in new grounds, I could easily yank it out of the water. Good thinking. It'd be a heck of a lot cheaper to do maintenance on the boat too if I could do it in my driveway.

There's a fellow with what looks to be a nice old RL24 MK1 for sale up at Port Stephens for $3,000. Seems like good buying to me. Don't know if this site will let me post links, but here goes: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/port-stephens-area/sail-boats/sailing-boat-rl24-trailable/1169539928

Really, having a trailer sailer would take a lot of pressure off in some ways. And again, I'm just a Sunday cruiser kind of guy, so I'm not going to miss the performance of a bigger boat.

Thanks for the input!

Thanks to GYCCREWMAN too...I had noticed those Hoods and people seem to love them.

My boat is at Drummoyne which is an ok spot. The harbour is busy but that can be a positive and a negative. The negatives are covered above except that it can also be expensive for slipping and maintenance.
The harbour is always interesting with things going on and to see, beautiful historic houses in Woolwich, the eastern suburbs waterfronts, lots of spots in Middle Harbour, Lane Cove River, the main harbour and Parramatta River for overnight stops.
I moved MB to the harbour at the end of 2016 after 11 years in Pittwater. Pittwater and Broken Bay are lovely but after you have sailed up and down Pittwater for 10 years it can be boring. I expect Botany Bay might be the same.

Thanks all, for the advice and suggestions.

I'm going to continue to keep an eye out. At this point in liking the look of the RL24. Seems that it's a rather capable little boat, it's got a decent cabin, swing keel, and is light enough for me to pull behind the family car.

I'll keep you posted.

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evergreen22 said..
Thanks all, for the advice and suggestions.

I'm going to continue to keep an eye out. At this point in liking the look of the RL24. Seems that it's a rather capable little boat, it's got a decent cabin, swing keel, and is light enough for me to pull behind the family car.

I'll keep you posted.

The rl24 is a great boat light ,very quick for age especially downwind with a fair amount of room BUT
they have their foibles. I would have one but not with a young family for cruising unless of course you are experienced.
Please read all you can on the stability and ability to right themselves etc.

Well, since no one has stepped in an stopped me, I have negotiated a deal with the seller of the Investigator, and will make the 2.75-hour drive tomorrow to collect it, pending a satisfactory inspection, of course.

The seller seems to be a genuinely nice guy who is asking quite a reasonable price. According to him, he bought it as a small project and his circumstances have changed. He says it's sound and just needs a cosmetic tidy up and a paint, which doesn't bother me at all. My neighbour has an empty block behind us and I'm sure that he'll let me work on it there for a slab of beer and the promise of a sail.

I like the fact that it's a light boat to tow, but sturdy, with the self-righting capacity of a bigger keel boat. I like that it's easy for one person to sail. I also like the fact that it's got the forward v berth that I can make into a little "bedroom" for the little guy. There is no galley presently, but I've got a wood shop and can fabricate something clever.

Now, I think I'll spend a couple of weekends on it (best case scenario) and then try to get a mooring for it in Kogarah Bay. I understand the process of applying with RMS, the waitlist, etc., but does anyone have suggestions about the cheapest way to secure a mooring? In one forum I read of a fellow that had found an abandoned tackle on his new site, contacted the previous owner, and they gave it to him. He had it serviced and was in business!

Thank you to you faithful few for reading along. I look forward to getting this boat on the water and hopefully meeting some of you!

Cheers mate, thanks for doing some background research. Truth be told, I didn't know they existed until this morning. I definitely tend to rush into things, and tend to get attached. But, having bought an old bomb 23' Macgregor in the USA that turned out to be a MASSIVE project that ultimately defeated me, I am now much more cautious and know what to look for. I'm pretty capable all around with fibreglass, carpentry, painting, fabrication, welding and so on, so I should be OK. Plus, having the little fellow now, I am very hesitant to take on any big projects, because I would just rather spend the time with my family.

There's loads of info on the Investigators (and of course, a dedicated website with a die hard following), and I've spend nearly half the day reading up on them. Not too many people can fault them.

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow!

Try Gumtree , there are a few at $3K and under without outboards that would fit the criteria and leave you a spare $2k to get yourself a brand new outboard.
I'd also add the Red Witch and Court 550 to your list, both companies made solid glass boats in the 70s & 80s in WA and were made to handle a trip to Rottnest Island and back.

To get your paw on a mooring block keep yer eyes on gumtree or ring around the mooring companies.
I bought one 750kg one on gumtree for $200 and a one tonne one off a thief called Bowline for $500 when l needed fast.

Sent you a private message.

Congratulations evergreen22.
Happy sailing

Sent you a message