There’s no such thing as a free boat is an oft-repeated expression in the world of boat restoration and, sadly, it’s usually not far from the truth.

I’ve lost count of the number of ‘bargain’ boats I’ve been offered over my many years of sailing, many of which I’ve been sorely tempted to make an offer on.

But having brought three ‘oldies’ (including a 1950s woodie) back to life over the years I too have learned the hard way that the cost of returning a near wreck into a sound and seaworthy condition can often be way more than its end value – and that’s without factoring in my time.

That said, there’s no reason not to try if you’re passionate about boat craft and enjoy the restoration work as much as the sailing; just don’t get stuck in the restoration rut and forget your end goal.

With a budget of £20,000 you need to be very careful when choosing your project, so take along a knowledgeable friend to help you with your preliminary survey.

The most important (expensive) items to inspect carefully are hull condition (including hull/keel joint and keel bolts), sails, engine, rigging and electrics.

If you don’t think you’re up to doing much of the work yourself then I’d advise you to stop looking for a restoration project right now as getting the professionals in will blow your budget very quickly.

A major item such as an engine replacement could make the whole project untenable.

If this is the case but you like everything else about the boat then try a very low offer to compensate and be prepared to walk away.

Also, don’t be tempted to go too large. A big boat might look like value for money, but with it comes big bills.

Every extra foot could cost you a further £3,000 to restore, and up to £1,000 to moor when it’s finished.

A good trick when searching for a boat to restore is to find one you have to persuade the owner to part with.

If they are reluctant to sell or want your life history before they’ll consider passing her on, then there’s a good chance she’s been loved and cared for.

Be prepared to keep spending money, though, as boats of this era always need constant attention.

Note: guide prices mentioned in this article are for unrestored boats

Boats for restoring: 20-25ft LOA

Sailing yachts

The Tony Dixon-designed Copland Harrier is the moderately rare smaller sister to the Fox Terrier.

At just 20ft overall, she is surprising in many ways and well worth acquiring if you can find one.

Built in the Isle of Wight and not too dissimilar to David Thomas’ more well-known Hunter Medina, she also sports a ballasted lifting keel enabling her to be launched and retrieved to a single axle trailer single-handed, albeit slowly.

The Harrier is quick and agile, not unlike a large dinghy, and provides an exciting ride whether racing around the cans or cruising.

Her accommodation is rudimentary, but the two saloon bunks are long and comfy and there’s adequate locker space for most of your gear and a basic galley.

Your biggest task after buying one will probably be servicing the 350kg keel and its rather agricultural lifting mechanism.

The keel can wobble about in its housing if not maintained or even seize solid in the raised position if it has been left a long time fully retracted.

Engine power came from a 4-6hp 2-stroke outboard on a transom bracket, which is more than enough to get her buzzing along at hull speed thanks to her slippery hull.

Nowadays, these will have been replaced by more modern, quieter (but heavier) 4-stroke models.

If yours has the former, treat it kindly and give it a good service as these days their price is rising all the time due to their rarity.

• Guide price: £1,500-£3,000
• Alternatives: Vivacity 20, Hunter Sonata, Corribee

Newbridge boats were built in Dorset and Somerset in the 1970s and 80s, and one of its popular trailer-able cruisers was the Ventura 22.

Small in length, she had a surprisingly comfortable interior and good headroom compared to her predecessor, the Corribee 21.

Though open plan (apart from the private heads compartment), she has a galley, sink, fold-up chart table and plenty of stowage lockers, making her easily comfortable enough to live aboard for a week or two.

Easily recognised by her tall topsides and large coachroof, the Ventura was offered with a wide variety of keels, including fin, bilge, lifting and swinging centreboards.

Most, however, chose the bilge keel version.

She also had the benefit of an outboard motor well, which is more secure and helps keep the propeller submerged in choppy seas.

Try to buy one with a half-decent trailer, which opens up a whole world of inexpensive berthing/storing opportunities.

While they’re not really light enough for regular launching and recovering to the trailer, having the option to take her home for the winter can save a fortune, and make it easier to work on her.

• Guide price: £1,500-£3,000
• Alternatives: Anderson 22, Vivacity 24, Achilles 24

Motorboats

Designed by John Freeman and first launched in 1957, the Freeman 22/23 was a well built little GRP motor cruiser primarily intended for canal and river cruising, but more than capable in estuaries and inshore coastal trips in fine weather.

An upgrade to the MkII in 1964 gave more headroom, and then became the 23 in the 1970s.

These are more desirable but still available for a decent price, leaving enough from your £20,000 budget for a full refurb if necessary.

Inside, the Freeman 22 has standing headroom, large windows, a cosy dinette and a basic galley with hob, sink, limited worktop and stowage.

Sleeping for adults is limited to the forepeak, where two long bunks make a good size double with an infill.

There is also a private heads and a large hanging locker forward.

They were first fitted with a single, shaft-drive 35hp Ford Watermota petrol engine, although later models often had either a Perkins 4108 diesel engine or similar.

Obviously, you’d be better off choosing one with a more recent and more economical motor, which is likely as most of the 50-year-old engines will have either completely died by now or are difficult to find parts for.

Engine access under the companionway steps is reasonable, but tight.

The raised helm seat provides good visibility all around. There is a drinks fridge underneath and a comfy, full-width bench aft.

Despite her slightly dated looks, she’s a solidly-built cruiser with surprisingly comfortable accommodation for her size.

• Guide price: £5,000-£10,000
• Alternatives: Birchwood 22, Parker 24, Buckingham

Boats for restoring: 25 26-30ft LOA

Sailing yachts

With a pedigree dating back to the legendary Folkboat, the Sadler 26 makes an excellent cruising boat with impressive offshore credentials.

Though similar in shape to the 25, the 26 was beamier and had higher topsides to increase the headroom below.

She has an efficient, International Offshore Rule (IOR)-style hull shape with steeply rising sheer, fine bows and a pinched stern.

This, together with her stout masthead rig, makes her a dogged performer in most sea conditions.

A generous 42% ballast ratio means she remains stiff in a blow and the deep cockpit with high coamings keeps the crew dry and safe on a beat.

Most had bilge keels, though a few were made with fin keels. All had a transom-hung rudder with a full skeg, which gave her precise directional stability off the wind.

Like many Sadlers, the 26 was built using a double skin. It had an inner and outer hull bonded with a polyurethane foam sandwich between the two.

The increased buoyancy made her unsinkable, as proven by independent assessors who took one to sea and deliberately opened the seacocks without their hoses attached.

She stopped taking on water when it reached the bunktops and continued to make headway, albeit quite slowly!

The moulded inner liner not only increases the structural strength of the hull but also gives all the lockers and furniture a smooth, easy-to-clean gel coat surface.

Around 225 were built between 1982-1992 and well-maintained ones continue to command a good price.

• Guide price: £7,500-£12,500
• Alternatives: Westerly Centaur, Contessa 26, Kingfisher 26

A popular small family cruiser of the 1980s, the Hunter Horizon 26 is a more modern-looking yacht than some early 1970s budget boats and has a more spacious interior layout.

It is, however, likely to be a little more expensive.

She has a small coachroof, leaving ample clear deck space, and her cockpit is narrow but perfectly adequate for a crew of two or three or four for drinks with the tiller raised.

Her interior layout is open plan, light and airy, with a long, double-leaf saloon table and two long, comfortable settees.

She has a compact aft double cabin, a private heads compartment, a decent chart table and a modern, reasonably well-equipped galley.

They were easier to maintain and keep clean than some older boats, particularly the headlinings, which are known to fail on many older Westerlys and the like.

Like most David Thomas-designed small yachts, the Hunter Horizon 26 is an impressive performer, even with twin keels, which were his speciality.

She is quick, agile, light on the helm and generally a pleasure to sail, including single-handed.

They came with a 6hp outboard engine in a cockpit well as standard, which was good for hull speed.

Alternatively, a 9hp Yanmar diesel engine was a popular option and produced enough electrical power for cruising needs such as a fridge.

A few were sold in kit form, though, and therefore might not necessarily be finished exactly as per the factory boat.

• Guide price: £7,000-£12,500
• Alternatives: Colvic Sailer 26, Halcyon 27, Albin Vega

A popular family cruising boat from the 1970s, the Macwester 27 offers a lot of bang for your buck, especially if you can find a reasonably well-maintained one.

Not dissimilar in design to the earlier 26, the 27 featured several notable improvements including more refined bilge keels, finer bow sections and a longer waterline, all of which greatly improved her sailing performance.

In 1975 a MkII version was introduced, in which her coachroof, decks and interior were updated, increasing the accommodation space.

Several years later the MkIII model had a further improved interior and new deck moulding.

Despite looking a little dated, the 27 is an enduring design. She looks like a ‘proper’ boat, with a nicely rising sheer line and bluff, overhanging bows.

Her cockpit is long and ideal for bracing feet on the seat opposite. With her tiller hinged up she’ll entertain six for sundowners and sailing with four is fine.

She is masthead rigged and her deck-stepped mast is mounted in a chunky, hinged tabernacle. Below, there is plenty of room for a small family to live on board for several weeks.

The saloon headroom is 1.85m/6ft 1in and the two 2m/6ft 7in-long settees make excellent sea berths.

There’s also plenty of stowage in deep lockers and bins below the seating.

• Guide price: £5,000-£10,000
• Alternatives: Kingfisher 26, Snapdragon 26, Sabre 27

Motorboats

Sportier and more modern looking than the Freeman marque, there are a good number of the Fairline Sunfury 26 to be found within a £20,000 budget.

These well-made boats are equally at home on the inland waterways or along the coast and offer good accommodation for their size plus a decent enough cockpit for relaxing at anchor with friends.

There’s also a fixed bathing platform and a long bench seat aft.

The helm station is raised and the reversible double bench seat is ideal for keeping the skipper company underway or adding to the cockpit seating when stationary.

Stepping below, the saloon is open plan, which makes it look spacious, bright and airy, and the headroom is very good.

Twin settees forward make useful guest berths and a good size double with the table/infill in place.

The galley has all you need to create a meal for four and the heads is fully enclosed.

The cosy aft cabin is accessed from the saloon and features a near full-width, transverse double berth under the wheelhouse.

Originally, they came with either twin Volvo AQ petrol or 130hp Volvo diesel engines, both with Volvo outdrives.

The Sunfury handles well at sea and can top out at up to 28 knots in flat water (depending on engines), with an economical cruising speed of around 16-18 knots.

• Guide price: £12,500-£18,000
• Alternatives: Freeman 26/27, Cleopatra 850, Elysian 27, Seamaster 27

Boats for restoring: 31-35ft LOA

Sailing yachts

One of the earliest all-GRP cruising yachts, the steadfast (Camper &) Nicholson 32 remains a stalwart of the low-cost blue water cruising yacht fraternity and can be seen the world over.

Hulls were moulded by Halmatic in Portsmouth and mainly fitted out by C&N in Gosport.

For strength, the hull, deck, bulkheads and furniture were bonded together.

Most have had osmosis in varying degrees over the years, so many will already have been peeled, dried and re-gelcoated. If not, this isn’t a reason for not considering one, so long as the cost of any remedial work is reflected in the price.

The marque went through 11 upgrades in its long life.

The MkIs had mahogany joinery and hand-built furniture. The MkII had aluminium spars.

Many more upgrades were included in the MkIII and MkIV yachts, including a cockpit sole engine hatch, U-bolt chainplates, aluminium windows and a teak interior.

In 1966 the MkV had numerous enhancements to the engine compartment and a stainless steel fuel tank.

Further interior alterations, including a pull-out double, denoted the MkVI and MkVII yachts, while the MkVIIIs had all-new windows and hatches.

There was no MkIX, but the MkX underwent a major transformation to reflect modern styling.

The freeboard was raised 3in/75mm, the coachroof lowered, her cockpit enlarged, and the offset companionway moved to the centreline.

In 1977, Halmatic built another 40 MkXIs, introducing GRP furniture modules, a restyled galley, a quarter berth and optional wheel steering.

The only aspect that was never changed was the rig and sail plan. Production finally halted in 1981.

Her cockpit is spacious, but high coamings keep the spray out and crew in. The side decks are wide and handrails are well within reach.

Her teak-capped gunwales look smart and provide good foot bracing too. All were masthead rigged with a conservative sail plan.

The headsail was hanked-on initially, but a furling genoa was included later. Some also had the removable inner forestay option for rigging a storm jib.

Her well-balanced seakeeping qualities and comfortable motion were the result of her heavy displacement, long overhangs, long keel and 50% ballast ratio.

A mere 24ft waterline, broad shoulders and large keel means she isn’t particularly fast, especially in light airs, but she is stiff, relatively light on the helm and exhibits almost no leeway.

• Guide price: £7,500-£12,500
• Alternatives: Rival 32, Vancouver 32, Elizabethan 33

The first design team to go into production with a GRP yacht, Van de Stadt was famous for such legendary designs as the Trintella, Pionier, Excaliber, Invicta, Wing, Seal, Etap and many more classic cruising and racing yachts.

Produced from 1969, with the majority built by the Tyler Boat Co in Tunbridge, the Legend 34 is a typical 1970’s IOR-styled classic racer/cruiser.

Tyler-built boats were solidly constructed, with an emphasis on strength rather than lightness.

Her hull is 40mm thick around the keel and 25mm elsewhere. Longitudinal stringers further stiffened the hull but were known to delaminate sometimes in high-stress areas of the bilge.

Like all GRP boats of this era, they were also prone to a spot of osmosis, but nothing that couldn’t be sorted.

Though she’s heavy and has pinched ends, her underwater profile is sleek and her deeply-veed bows part the waves effortlessly, giving a reassuring motion.

Her high-aspect mainsail requires judicious use of the mainsheet in the gusts, though, and her powerful genoa needs reefing at around 16 knots true to keep her balanced to reduce weather helm.

In performance terms, she’s unlikely to win races these days, but still has the ability to surprise, and her high displacement hull provides useful momentum against a heavy sea, allowing her to make impressive passage times when it’s blowy.

If you like cosy, snug interiors and sparse but practical accommodation, this boat should appeal.

The toilet and washing facilities are functional rather than luxurious, so you might prefer to overnight in a marina when you have company.

The galley would cope with six hungry sailors, but you’d need to extend the worktop. The berths, though, are a reasonable size.

The saloon double measures 1.90m/6ft 3in long and the forward vee berth is also comfortable for two.

There is also plenty of stowage, though not all user-friendly.

The deep saloon lockers are excellent, but there’s little space for clothes other than under the bunks.

To sum up, the Legend 34 is a sturdily built classic that looks downright pretty from most angles.

Though her design is now somewhat dated, I’d be more than happy to chance a well-maintained example on a long ocean passage.

• Guide price: £5,000-£10,000
• Alternatives: Deb 33, UFO 34, Trapper 700

From Holman & Pye, designers of the famous Stella and Twister yachts, the Super Sovereign 35 is a traditional early 1970s cruiser built to cross oceans safely and comfortably.

With sweeping lines and proud overhangs, she’s a beautiful-looking classic yacht.

Moulded by Seaglass and fitted out by Uphams in Brixham, she was available either as a Bermudan sloop or a ketch-rigged cutter.

Her hull is reinforced by stringers and frames, with bonded-in bulkheads and furniture.

She has a long keel with encapsulated lead ballast, cut away at the forefoot to improve manoeuvrability.

Her rudder pivots on the trailing edge of the keel, enclosing the propeller and protecting it from floating debris and lines.

Ketches can be easier to handle due to their smaller sails and the mizzen can be used with a staysail on the inner forestay to keep her balanced in heavy conditions.

Like all yachts of this era, she has a narrow beam and a pinched stern, restricting the accommodation.

However, the headroom is generous and the lavish teak woodwork is truly sumptuous.

She was a semi-custom boat within structural limitations, so rarely are two internal layouts the same.

The main choice is between a quarter berth or a deep cockpit locker.

Aft cabins were not possible with such a pinched, overhanging stern, and even the quarter berths were narrow.

Most layouts included a decent-sized galley and navigation station and a comfy saloon with long settees.

Though narrow-hulled, she has wide decks with teak-capped bulwarks and well-placed handrails, making getting about simple and safe.

Many were teak decked from new. Her cockpit is a little cramped due to the mizzen mast.

Under sail, she quickly settles into a leisurely gait and can be left to steer herself once the sails are trimmed.

She’s not the quickest yacht around, but when the weather blows up and others are running for cover she gets into her stride and will power on through the waves.

One owner told me: ‘In a Force 6 she tramps along nicely at 6-7 knots under full sail, when others are desperately reefing. I’d rather have it that way than be reefing in the slightest puff.’

• Guide price: £7,500-£15,000
• Alternatives: Nicholson 35, Barbican 35, She 36

Motorboats

Marine Projects’ Princess 32 was the first to carry the Princess name and proved to be an immensely popular family motorcruiser in the 1970s, with 650 being launched from the Plymouth yard in 10 years of production.

Her looks are classic and hardly dated although one might say she has more of the air of a riverboat about her.

That said, her spacious cockpit and open-backed wheelhouse provide a huge area for socialising when stationary.

Below, she has a well-appointed galley and spacious dinette that can be easily converted into a double guest berth.

The large windows provide loads of light and panoramic views of the outside.

Opposite the dinette is a single long settee, also suitable for an additional berth, plus there’s a roomy vee berth in the forecabin, giving a total of five berths in all.

Opposite the galley is a large heads compartment with plenty of elbow room for showering.

She came with a choice of single or twin, diesel or petrol engines from 120hp-170hp, depending on whether she was to be used on the inland waterways or at sea.

Though not designed for long ocean passages or particularly heavy seas, she’s a well-built, sound boat that can comfortably and safely make a Channel crossing in reasonable weather.

Though heavier, the diesels usually proved more reliable and, common to many other boats, the outdrives can be problematic (trim and reverse lock glitches were commonplace) if not meticulously maintained, so check their service history and go for a test sail before you commit.

Don’t expect her to be fast. Being a fairly heavy, semi-displacement yacht she has a comfortable cruising speed of around 8 knots, with a top speed of 12-14 knots, depending on engines.

• Guide price: £12,500-£18,000
• Alternatives: Seamaster 30, Project 31, Aquanaut 880

Common replacements with boats for restoring

Sailing yachts

Likely expensive worn items: sails, furling gear, engine, saildrives or shaft seals and cutless bearings, propellers, standing rigging, mast, boom end fittings, deck gear including blocks and winches, keel bolts, rudder bearings, navigation instruments and autopilot.

Motorboats

Likely expensive worn items: engines, transmissions and outdrives, propellers, trim tabs, steering gear.

Sail/Motor

Less expensive and more easily fixed problems: leaky deck fittings, hatches and windows, sagging deckhead linings, worn running rigging, peeling varnish and moisture stains, anodes, batteries, wiring, seacocks and general plumbing, stress cracking in the gel coat and brightwork.

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