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Here is

How It Works

The 4 steps to you Perfect Boat Match

STEP 1

Call for your situation

First you book a call. In this call I ask you questions about your plans, budget, crew, region, if you want a ready-to-go or a project boat and what boats you have in mind. Also  if there are questions you've never got a real answer to – bring them. I'll answer them.

STEP 2

Preparing the video (Evaluation)

This isn't a generic boat model list. I look for actual boats that match your plans and situation - Real listings that you could visit. That's why it takes me 1-2 days instead of giving you a generic recommendation in the call.

STEP 3

Recording the video

Once I found good listings, I record a video where I go through each listing and tell you why I can recommend each boat. I talk about the price, what I'd pay for, the potential redflags. In one of the next section you will see in detail everything I cover in the boat match.

STEP 4

Your Perfect Boat Match is ready

Once I'm done, you will get the video of your Perfect Boat Match, together with a PDF summary to read and also all the boat listing links I showed in the video. From your call to the final Boat Match it usually takes 2-3 days.

What I'm going to cover in your Perfect Boat Match

The Perfect Boat Match isn't just a list of boat models - it covers everything you need to know to find your actual boat:

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3-5+ Boat Listings 

Real boats, for sale right now - At least 3, usually more. Each one picked for your plans, situation, budget and who's sailing with you. Also if you have boats you have an eye on, I will look for those too and give you my thoughts on them.

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A Straight Check On What You Believe

In almost every match I've done, the direction people came in with made sense. So this isn't about telling you you're wrong - it's about the details. If a boat you've fallen for or a rule you've picked up along the way won't work for what you're planning, I'll tell you before it costs you. And if your instinct is right, you'll know that too, and can stop second-guessing it.

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Where these boats actually are

Often the reason you haven't found it isn't the boat - it's the market. Open catamarans for example barely sell in the UK. That doesn't mean you have to buy abroad. It just means you'll know what's out there before you decide. Sometimes it's a country over and you sail it home. Sometimes it's worth leaving the boat where you bought it. And sometimes the best option really is twenty minutes away - you'll know either way.

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The actual budget

For each boat I tell you the purchase, refit and monthly cost. Not the 10% refit / yearly rule - the real figures. This rule can work, but not on every boat.

And if you're still weighing up a ready-to-go boat against a project, you'll know which makes more sense at your budget.

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What I'd Actually Pay

Asking price versus what I'd offer, and why. That gap is usually 15-30 percent. On a 50 grand boat, that's 7-15k that you could save.

And in nearly every match I've done, there were boats below the budget the person came in with. I'm not here to talk you into a bigger boat.

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The Red Flag List

One person I spoke to had viewed 2 boats that both turned out to need a full electrical refit.

That's why I'll tell you for each boat what I'd look at before you view it - engine, rigging, systems. And where a model has a known weak spot, like balsa-cored decks on older Catalinas or bulkheads on some Lagoons, you'll hear about it too - and wether it's a reason to walk away or just something to check.

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Ask me your upcoming questions

Something unclear once you've watched it? Found another listing you'd like my take on, or anything else that came up? Just message me and I'll help you work it out.

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Why I can help you

You might only know me as the sailor from UK who sails around the world on his boat Elixir...

...but that's only one part of my story. I stepped onto my first boat at age 4. Since then in the last 26 years I:

- â  ⁠sailed 40.000 offshore miles
- had 6 ocean crossings
- ⁠⁠worked on 15 different boats
- got my ⁠⁠Commercial Yachtmaster
- became a Qualified marine engineer
- ⁠⁠took 50 Crew members across oceans
- got the ⁠⁠AEC 1 & 2 Engineering Tickets
- was the winner of yachtsman of the year and young voyager of the year award
- ⁠⁠got mentioned in different magazines like BBC, Soundings etc. 

...so I'm not the first time on the water, sharing it on Social Media. Boats are my life and based on the previous Boat Matches I did, I know I can help you.

What happens if none of the boats feel right?

If your match doesn't include at least three real boats inside your budget or the boats don't feel right, just tell me and I'll do a second one. Usually it takes me 1-2 days to record the video, so you have your result as soon as possible.

Why only 12 Boat Matches per week?

I research and record every match myself. I don't want to send you a generic boat list. That's why I can currently only make 12 a week, and why the button and calendar disappears when they're gone.

Who is the Perfect Boat Match for?

You're not just buying a boat - for most people I talk to, it's their next home. And it's something you'll do once, maybe twice in your life. So even if you've been sailing for years, it's completely normal to not have every answer yet.

The Perfect Boat Match is for you if you're planning to buy a boat and…

  • you've been searching for months, maybe years, and still haven't found the one

  • the boat you want just doesn't seem to be for sale where you are
  • you're not sure your budget stretches to the boat you actually want

  • you're not sure whether a ready-to-go boat or a project makes more sense at your budget
  • you don't know what the boat will really cost once it's yours - refit and monthly - so it's hard to know how much to spend on the boat itself

  • you're worried about missing something at a viewing that costs you later

  • you have questions nobody's given you a straight answer to - and they'd change what you buy


Here is what other's said about their Boat Match

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"Your thoughts are really helpful and I've got a much better idea of what to look for"

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"I didn't think that blue water cruisers are so affordable and never considered to look in Mexico for a boat as a top option"

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"Thanks so much for this analysis, this is awesome. I really like the C&C 36"

Worst Case Of Your Boat Match

The downside is being right.

The boats you had in mind fit your plans and your budget - and now you know it for sure. You've got real listings, the numbers behind them and my honest take on each one. You stop second-guessing and can start viewing.

In practice

Not every point will apply to you. But in a typical Boat Match, at least 3 of these 7 come up — and often more.

Best Case Of Your Boat Match

7 things you might walk away with.

Boats well below your budget

With money left for the refit and your first season.

You find out your budget is already enough

No need to keep saving before you start.

A boat you'd never have considered

That fits you just as well as the ones you had in mind, or better.

A better boat than you thought you could afford

For the same money.

Good boats in places you hadn't looked

Sometimes just a country over.

A costly mistake caught before you make it

Not after you've already bought the boat.

A boat that's ready-to-go for less than you expected

So any work you do is by choice, not necessity.

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