Day Boat, Pocket Sailing Boat Or Mini River Cruiser

This is a lovely example of a YM Senior. Originally hand built and designed for coastal and estuary sailing, I bought her in 2015 and used her as a river day boat with the occasional night away. Good Points: She is a very pretty little boat and receives lots of comments, very unique indeed. I anti-fouled and repainted her only in March this year, using international yacht paint which I am told is the best and longest wearing. Solid hull, I don’t know a lot about building boats but when repainting this year I had a few comments from people that do know their stuff about how well built the hull is.

She cuts very nicely through the water and leaves hardly any wake behind. Because she is a sailing boat there is a metal retractable keel you just pull up and down. This I have found makes manoeuvring even when windy, really easy (while other boats are being pushed about into the trees!) She is really a day boat but accommodation is okay for 2 for a cosy night away. Foam pieces have been cut to fit covered in waterproof material, which make two surprisingly comfortable single beds. Inside there are two useful cupboards/side tables offering a little extra storage, place for a lamp and gas stove/kettle to make a cuppa when on board.

Areas for improvement: As a wooden boat when you first put her in the water for a few hours she leaks a little bit. This is more of a constant dribble than a leak and seals itself when the boards get wet. I have all the sailing gear that came with her, but have never rigged her up as a sailing boat, so although it all looks in fair condition to me, I can’t guarantee the condition of the rigging. The trailer included in the sale is really is only suitable for launching and moving her around the yard. The previous owner tried to reinforce the cross bar, but personally I wouldn't want to tow her using it.

Of course, the new buyer may be more confident than me, or know more about trailers and think it’s okay at their risk. Note: The winch on the trailer however is in great shape. I replaced it only last year, so getting her in and out on the existing trailer is no problem. The mast, which is very tall, is stored 5 mins drive away and will fit on when towed away, but as I don’t want to tow her, the buyer would need to pick this up separately when collecting the boat. Summary: I have had a wonderful time on this little boat and for what I wanted, which was a fun river boat to go up and down on and enjoy the sunshine, she has been absolutely perfect and much more attractive than anything else in the small boat price bracket.

I am confident that she could be easily rigged up for sailing if required and would make a great coastal/estuary/lake day sailor, which is what she was designed for and probably what she wants to go back to. Reason for selling = I wanted something bigger so I’ve bought a narrowboat. Note: Engine: I wasn’t planning to sell Kismet this year so bought a brand new 6hp Marina outboard which has had under 10hrs of use. I will be selling this on E-bay separately so there is no engine included in this sale.