{"id":381,"date":"2025-10-09T14:42:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=381"},"modified":"2025-10-09T14:42:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:42:39","slug":"buying-a-yacht-for-250000-5000000-inside-the-world-of-arc-sailors-buying-their-dream-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=381","title":{"rendered":"Buying a Yacht for \u00a3250,000-\u00a3500,0000: Inside the World of ARC Sailors Buying Their Dream Boat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is spending the kind of money you can buy a house for on a yacht actually the sensible option for taking a sabbatical? Will Bruton on purchasing a yacht for \u00a3250,000-\u00a3500,0000.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"This
This price point could see you set off on the ARC rally and a liveaboard adventure. Photo: James Mitchell\/WCC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The average house in the UK today costs around \u00a3290,000. But rather than buying a house, you could spend that money on a yacht<\/a> instead. While it might sound a silly comparison, the potential to cruise in comfort, at fast speeds, with most of the comforts of home, can be a big factor in making a cruising sabbatical happen \u2013 particularly when you\u2019re trying to recruit family to join you.<\/p>\n

\"John\n

John Boughton and crew did the ARC crossing on his Grand Soleil 50. Photo: ES Productions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Buying a Yacht for \u00a3250,000-\u00a3500,0000: Call to adventure<\/h2>\n

For many owners participating in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers<\/a>, the yacht they have bought to take part marks a turning point in their ownership journey, one where they\u2019ll live for an extended period of time afloat, rather than just holidays and weekends, crossing an ocean<\/a> for potentially three weeks or more.<\/p>\n

Some ARC<\/a> participants will go on to circumnavigate. Each owner has usually completed an extensive search to find a balance of performance, comfort and, of course, something within budget. \u201cThe fleet for the ARC<\/a> and ARC+ (which routes via Cape Verde) is pretty diverse,\u201d explains Rachel Hibberd from the World Cruising Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"John\n

John Boughton\u2019s Grand Soleil 50. Photo: John Boughton<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis year, which crosses in November, we have everything from a Contessa 32 from 1980 and a 1976 One Tonner, to newly launched Hanses, Oysters<\/a> and Nautitech catamarans. Pretty much every brand is represented within the fleet. The average size of yachts<\/a> has crept up slightly over the years and is now around 14 to 15 metres. The average age of yacht is around 20 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest changes over the years have been the increasing numbers of catamarans<\/a> and the number of new and one-year-old boats<\/a>. In terms of people, we also have more families sailing with young children and generally a slightly younger demographic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The\n

The Norton family bought their Oyster 56 to sail round the world on The Bluewater Rally. Photo: Sheila and Brian Norton<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At the larger end of the ARC fleet, yachts<\/a> worth well over \u00a32m can be seen, often new, but between \u00a3250,000 and \u00a3500,000 is a middle ground: comfortable mono- and multihull<\/a> yachts<\/a> that are well set up for an ocean crossing<\/a> with little compromise.<\/p>\n

Close to perfect?<\/h2>\n

John Boughton had owned three yachts<\/a> and already completed one ARC<\/a> crossing<\/a> when he bought his Grand Soleil<\/a> 50 in advance of the ARC 2024. His choice of boat was led by experience. \u201cWe had a 43ft Elan Impression the first time we did the ARC<\/a>. We wanted something that was faster and more comfortable than the Elan, but could also easily be handled by two once our ARC crew<\/a> (totalling four) left the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d owned two aft cockpit Moody yachts<\/a> in the past. I knew that while the aft cabins were big, the compromise of a centre cockpit<\/a> boat on outside space was a big one. Once you get somewhere warm, you spend much less time below deck and comfort on deck becomes more important. On the Elan we owned before, we ate perhaps three meals below deck throughout the whole season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Yachts\n

Photo: James Mitchell\/WCC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe looked at all sorts of deck saloons, also Oysters<\/a>, but we didn\u2019t quite have the budget for a larger one, which means the cockpit would have been quite tight on room,\u201d he explains. When it came to sailing, the Grand Soleil\u2019s<\/a> appeal was that she was fast for her size and also offered something Boughton insisted upon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t like in-mast furling, and she has a fully battened mainsail, which worked well for us. For downwind light winds we ran with an asymmetric only. This made things easier short-handed. We had a carbon pole but only used it for the genoa. Overall, I think the sailing configuration was something we really got right,\u201d explains Boughton. When it comes to things he would change, Boughton explains that there were only minor improvements to make. \u201cThe freezer was a cheaper model that used a lot of power, so we replaced that.<\/p>\n

We also upgraded the solar<\/a>, with additional panels we used only at anchor<\/a>. We considered fitting a generator and there have been some occasions in the Med where that could have been useful for some form of air-conditioning, but generally we haven\u2019t missed it.\u201d Following the ARC, Boughton had the yacht shipped back from the Caribbean and is shortly to list her for sale with Berthon.<\/p>\n

Article continues below\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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