The purchase of the boat
Criteria: solid, stable, a dozen meters, draft not too large, equipped “Around the world”, can be operated with a reduced crew, well maintained and… not too expensive!
An aluminum dinghy would be perfect… but does not meet the cost criterion. We are therefore looking for a polyester sailboat from the early years 90.
We're starting to do some research. We read everything we find, Tests, Comparative, Articles, Blogs, Forums, Classifieds… Finally, we have a list of sailboat models that could meet our criteria.
Friday 24 May we were getting ready to spend the weekend at a friend's house in Lyon when they called us to cancel. The bags are ready. “Let's go to Brittany?” The next morning we are on the train. A quick look on the Internet, an Oceanis 430 from 1991 is offered for sale in Lorient. As soon as we arrived in St Brieuc, we jumped in my father's car and crossed Brittany.
In an icy wind, we discover a boat with a tired look, but well equipped. With the work to be done to refresh it, the price is too high. Hibiscus has spent most of her life chartering on the coasts of Europe and the West Indies in the hands of her owner and skipper. The current owner bought it a year ago and started preparing it for a round-the-world trip. But his plans changed and he decided to sell. He is motivated and lowers the price… We return to St Brieuc.
Hmm… The boat meets our criteria, but what work to rejuvenate it! Is it cosmetic or structural fatigue?? The seller is straightforward and friendly, The relationship is good and we trust him. We go back the next day… A final adjustment to the price… OK, We're going. But after an expert's opinion… A short tour on the pontoons, After a few discussions, there you have it, the name of an expert who comes up several times as “The best”.
Everything happens very quickly. Make an appointment with the expert, Hibiscus comes out of the water, Inspection by the expert, then its verdic. “No hesitation, The boat is solid, Fatigue is cosmetic and if I'm willing to put in a lot of work, It's a good deal.”
And this is, the 11 May 2009 we are the new owners of Hibiscus.