Sunstar 18 sailing boat. The Sunstar was designed by Arthur Howard, who also designed the famous Leisure 17. The Sunstar 18 is almost identical to the Leisure 17 except for being a foot longer with an updated interior and cockpit. Bluebottle 18 is in good condition for its age and is in ready to sail condition. We've had it for 2 years as our first boat and have had plenty of adventures around the coast of Essex and exploring all the little creeks of the River Crouch and Roach.
For such a small yacht it sails really nicely and is easy to handle up beyond 20 knots of wind. Ideal first boat and comes with everything needed to get on the water. Comes with a jib and mainsail. Both are in good condition and are still fairly crisp and keep a good shape. Last year I had two reefing points installed (it previously had roller reefing) which works nicely.
Also comes with a few fenders, a 5kg Bruce anchor, couple of mooring lines, depth sounder, battery charged by solar panel, internal light and a boat hook. Presently has a 5hp British Seagull Silver Century Plus, which is remarkably reliable, and generally starts within a couple of pulls, even after sitting for a month. Although not the most refined engine, it's bullet proof and has served us well on some really long motors against a strong ebb tide. The boat is a bit stuffy, as you might expect of its age, but is mechanically in good condition. The only notable bad point is that the front windows tend to leak a bit of water in heavy rain.
It's been like this the whole time we've owned it and it hasn't caused us any issues. At the moment there's a bit of duct tape around the front windows to prevent leaks. It's currently on a mooring next to Hullbridge on the River Crouch in Essex. The mooring belongs to the Up River Yacht Club which is about the cheapest mooring on the east coast. The mooring is around £150 for the year, plus membership costs.
This really is about the cheapest way to into sailing. The only reason we're selling is as we're moving up north. Happy to answer any questions or chat about the boat - drop me a PM and I'll send you my number. If you happen to live locally you can easily walk to the boat at low tide from the Up River Yacht Club slipway in Hullbridge. I've also got a tender/rowing boat for sale at the club if required.
Please only bid if you're serious. £50 non-returnable immediate deposit required.
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