What to look for when searching for a top Hat

[stinno]

I will hopefully in the near future start looking at some top hats for sale.

Any tips on what to look for?

Common problems?

Outboard or Inboard?

advantages of the different Marks

Any comment would be much appreciated.

Chris Stinson.
Central Coast NSW

[peppercorn]

Three things that are important when buying a Top Hat.
1 It must be named Peppercorn.
2 Its owner must be David.
3 You must contact him now before someone else gets it.
David 0401 766 450

[Troppo]

Hi Chris,

I reckon the first step is to start looking, crawl over them, poke into the storage areas, sit on the seats and think about using it, and build up some ideas of what's out there. There are not all the same layout. In my opinion, after you have looked at a few and thought about them, you will start forming more of an idea on what you want. For example, Windchaser has the head under the v-berth and a thin hanging cupboard beside the table. That suits me better than the alternative arrangement where the head is beside the table. While this second arrangement provides for a proper room for the toilet, I like the extra space in the cabin and don't mind lifting the v-berth panel to access the porta potti. It isn't until ya go and check out a few boats that you will start to think things like, "Oh, this suits me better than the other one."

With outboard or inboard motor, my opinion is to get the best value. If you want inboard but you see the 'perfect' boat with outboard and excellent pricing, then get it or vice versa.

With any boat, there's heaps of things to check but the above is my 2 cents worth. Have fun!

Louis

[Phillip]

Chris,

Our members and I will tell you all sorts of things to look for but finally in the end......

Its down to one thing..... The boat must say to you...... Yes I'm yours!!

You will know what I mean when you find your Top Hat!

[bearmcnally]

Hi Chris

Buy a Mk 1, no worries !!!!
Remember the original fibreglass ones are the best and the prettiest .From a non bias Top Hat owner

Bear

[lockie]

Worth asking yourself - what do I intend doing with it?
Extended cruising or day sails, bay or ocean sailing, solo or with crew?
The answers will help you to better evaluate the options.

Good luck, Graeme

[bearmcnally]

Work out how much you want to spend ,as this will relate to what is required to spend and to make it seaworthy and that way you won't become a " Week-end Top Hat Restorer " All work no play upsets the first love of your life too ? .Yet there are some great buys out there at this present time at a low price that require a little care.
It also depends on how handy you are ?

If you search on previous posts you will find lots of information on buying a Top Hat .But beware there is a lot of misleading information too !

Cheers Bear

[DESIREMK1]

Hi Guys ,


If you find a Top Hat that you desire , though it is not exactly family friendly , would there be A great cost involved in carrying out the work yourself , in such areas as the cabin ??

Brad
DESIREMK1

[Shaun]

Gday Chris,
No unique problems with Top Hats as far as I know, except possibly the mast step is prone to rusting (fixable as is everything),
IB or OB....doesnt matter, as long as either is in good nick, both have their pros & cons, the cons of either are just inconvieniences.
Mk1's dont have a headliner which makes finding leaks easier

[Dolphin]

G'Day Chris,
You may find a boat with a bit of osmosis. This is not to be feared. I have included photos in the Gallery under Felicite to show you how bad it can look. Those blisters were deep but the hull is thick. That repair cost about $225 to fix professionally. If a surveyor found that he would recommend that 1000s of dollars should come off the price of the boat. You can use that to your advantage and others that don't understand the problem would walk away from it.

There will be the constant maintenance problems that need to be done on the boat from day one. If it looks a bit shabby you have to look past that, remember that the previous owner may have lost interest in it or has been unable to devote the attention to it that it needs. When we bought Felicite the head was off the diesel and there was 2inches of water on top of the cabin sole.

Doug Brooker surveyed my boat and he asked if I wanted to know how to enjoy boating? Make sure your wife enjoys it, was the answer. Take your wife along, or significant other, and listen to what they have to say also if you are in that situation.

You wont find the perfect boat but you will know when you see the right one.

Make sure it has a good engine in it. You don;t want something that is going to take all your time. You want something that you and your friends can enjoy from day one. It takes about 3 times as long to do work on the water than it does a handyman job at home.

Thaks for asking for advice. For what its worth.
Greg, enjoy your sailing.