Orion,
I mean the
upmost respect as I say this, I do not think the Santorin and adding upgrades
is a good plan. You are looking to purchase an Amel and make significant
investments and changes. Just the lithium upgrade along is going to cost US$15,000+,
Aircon is another US$10,000+ etc (assuming you have an electrical system that can
handle the load or you’ll have to make major changes). Have you considered the
cost of ownership while making these upgrades. They will all take considerable time.
You will also need an electrician knowledgeable of Amel’s unique floating
ground system (a very rare find). Why not buy the SM that already has this
stuff. I think you can easily find a well kept Amel in this price range (maybe
a tad more). Also keep in mind, in three years when you sell the SM, it will
sell for more than the Santorin giving you your extra money back.
The best advice
I received when purchasing Cream Puff was from Bill Rouse who told me not to
change anything for a year. This was very sound advice that prove invaluable.
We sailed the eastern USA for the first year of our cruising getting to know our
Amel. Only then did we make a couple of changes. We added an arch and solar. We
have tried to keep all systems on our vessel as close to the original design as
possible. We learned very quickly about the level of detailed thought that went
into the vessel design.
There is a very
good string in this group regarding lithium upgrades. You will find it is not
as easy as it sounds. You will also need to change alternators, battery chargers,
regulators etc. These are major expensive components for a three year plan. Why
not just install good quality batteries. Even if you change them all out midway,
this is still 20% of the cost of the upgrade. A good set of Firefly batteries will
last more than three years, again 1/3 the cost. I can see adding lithium for a
ten year plan, but not a three.
I see you make
no mention of a washer/dryer. Perhaps the most valuable piece of equipment on
our boat is the washer/dryer. We have learned in our travels how doing laundry
is a major pain. I can’t imagine cruising full-time without a washer/dryer.
This sure has made life on anchor a lot more comfortable.
I think your
idea of breaking even on upgrades you make to a vessel is a little myopic. All
the upgrades will do is sell the vessel faster when it goes to market. You will
never recoup monies spent on a boat. If you try, you’ll own the boat longer
than planned.
My advice,
either buy the Santorin and sail it as is. Or, buy the SM and sail it as is.
The SM will offer more comforts and in my opinion is easier to sail.
This is just my
2¢, I’m sure others will disagree. But, I’d love to see their viewpoints also.
With best
regards,
Mark
Skipper
Sailing Vessel
- Cream Puff - SM2K - #275
Currently
cruising - Vista Mar, Panama
www.creampuff.us
Good evening everyone,
After many months of struggling between the Super Maramu and the Santorin, we
have settled on the Santorin to do a circumnavigation. In the end the main
reasons was cost and time. We considered the possibility that a
circumnavigation would take three years, in which all likelyhood we would never
use the boat again once we had finished. While the SM is the perfect boat for
us (if there is such a thing in yachting), the expenses involved to get the
boat up to scratch before we even set sail (let alone the cost of the boat) we
found hard to justify for a three year trip. So our next option is the
Santorin, in which we think we can modify the galley (to include washing
machine and extra bench space), modify the portside seating, add air con to the
aft cabin, possibly build a solar arch and install lithium batteries, plus
standard antifouling paint/servicing/other minor modifications for under $300k
AUD(including the purchase of the boat. Any thoughts on this scenario and its
feasibility would be most appreciated.
Regarding the Santorin, I have a few burning questions that i haven't been able
to source the information for. Does the Santorin have:
- Freezer under salon seating?
- Any aircon? ( and is there space to install aircon units in aft/forward
cabins and salon?)
- Is the Santorin 12V or 24V, and what is the advantage of having 24V compared
with 12V?
- If I install the lithium batteries in the passageway, is it possible to fit a
small generator in the engine room and do I need one? ( If I have lithium
batteries and solar arch, I figure I may only have to turn on the main engine
once a day to help charge the batteries with the lithium batteries holding
enough power to run aircon in aft cabin during the evening).
I understand purchasing a yacht I would most likely not make any money when it
came time to sell, though in this case i would hope to break even especially if
we went to the trouble of doing these modifications to the Santorin that future
buyers would appreciate. The only thing bugging me is whether the total cost
involved with such an enterprise would be mostly recovered or I am throwing
good money after bad and could perhaps be better off spending more to buy an SM
with less headache.
Again thoughts and recommendations greatly appreciated.
Kindest regards
Orion
