sailboatdata.com/sailboat/lotus-92

The right boat at the right price and I am chuffed.

The biggest little 30 footer around, quality built in NZ by Lotus Yachts in 1983 and designed by Alan Wright without compromise to any racing rules measurement system. A reasonably fine entry coming out to an 11 foot beam carried well aft to a beamy transom with transom hung rudder on a small skeg and flat underwater lines.

The lever arm between keel and rudder is huge making her very light on the helm and able to U turn in about her own length. The 11 foot beam and fairly high topsides gives her massive reserve buoyancy and allows for a very comfortable accommodation space.

These yachts wowed the audience at the Auckland Boat Show in the late 70s when they were released as being an ultimate luxury package in a performance 30 foot yacht.

She was listed at $34,900, make an offer and many thanks to Tony and Colin at Buyaboat, Marks Point Marina, Lake Macquarie for negotiating a substantially lower price for me. If you are looking at yachts or motor boats on Lake Macquarie, I recommend these guys and their after sales service is premium.

Cheers Cisco.

Thanks mate. Tsunami!! I hope not. I am winging it with insurance and just going with 3rd party property due to the excessive and costly requirements they want for comprehensive insurance.

Congrats mate! She lookso fine! sandwich make is going to be jealous (maybe) Enjoy her and send us pics of the first sail!

very nice and well done..

was she owned by Germans before judging by the colour scheme.

Looks the goods cisco ! Enjoy !!!

Nice one Cisco
Only problem I see its not a Kubota

Thanks guys.

@bubble7777
Yes, I bought her from a German couple but the guy pointed out they were also Aboriginal colours. So I suggested I might leave the colours alone so the brudders don't rip me off.

@Ramona
If the propeller gets replaced it will be with an expensive three blade feathering one. Certainly not a two blade flapper. The one that is on there was brand new in November last year so I need to get some use out of it first. Running the engine at 2500 rpm it pushed the yacht along at a good 6 knots by visual estimate.

@HG02
Before I go replacing the almost indestructible Yanmar 2 QM 15 with a three cylinder marinised Kubota, I will perform some of my marine engineering magic on it such as solid mounting it on hardwood blocks, get the injector pump precisely calibrated so the two elements deliver exactly the same amount of fuel each and replace the injector tips so there are no drippy injectors. That should smooth her out.

The Cavalier 28 in Sydney for $18,000 that I also had a look at, had a Kubota 2 cylinder low hours engine in it. We ran it and it was just as lumpy as the 2 cylinder Yanmar. Once you put the idle of the Yanmar up to 1100 rpm, it is fairly smooth.



As you can imagine I am really looking forward to the journey north just after Easter. I am having to nurse my son for two weeks after his tonsillectomy next Tuesday and there is some other prep work to be done for the trip too.

The absolute Gentleman Sailor, Have Fun is sailing to Bundaberg with me and I am working on Morning Bird to come all the way too. Three Seabreezers on the one boat!!! That will be a write up.

We will take plenty of photos and post interesting extracts from the log book. I don't know about posting while we are in passage. We will hug the coast fairly much but I am not sure about mobile internet range.

Any suggestions??

Good on ya Cisco,

Your internet and phone coverage is fairly good all the way up to your river.
I never have any trouble unless I get to far off shore, but you will be real close in to avoid the south current, so no worries.

Day hops or a straight sail to the Gold coast Cisco?

Any plans yet, remember it's a great opportunity to see places you might not get back too.

Well done Cisco,
More beam than the average Sydney flat,
Very tasty interior.

Just a few pics I took while I was at the lake tidying her up for a few days after I bought her.




This is my breakfast table at the park on the tip of Mark's Point overlooking the Lake. Breakfast consisted of a roast chicken and avocado sandwich washed down with Lavazza Qualita Oro plunger coffee. This was after leaving Bundaberg at 8 am the previous day and arriving at Lake Macquarie at 2 am.



My trusty and speedy (hope it did not get me too many speed camera fines) XH panel van in which I slept parked under a tree in front of the Belmont Golf Club for about 5 hours. These Ford panel vans are the ideal yachties car. You can carry a heap of gear in the back and still have room to sleep in the back.



This is the Avon Redcrest dinghy (you can actually row these ones) that I got off Gumtree in Sydney WITH a 4 hp Mercury for $300. Once I scored that I knew I was on a roll. Second Wind is the black mast and furler in the middle about 250 metres out.



Lake Macquarie Yacht Club. Schooners of Gold $4.90, main meals $30 and nice people. Showers and toilets and a good envy walk on the marina.



Here at the top of the hill you see the Gunyah Hotel on the Pacific Highway with great rooms for $70/night single, fantastic restaurant with meals from $16 and the BIAS chandlers right next door. How good is that??? Just out of the pic on the right over the van is the public toilet that is never locked and actually has dunny paper.



This is my first approach to Second Wind on my own in my own dinghy. I had a bit of wet moment in my pants just then.

Dezman said..

Congrats, and funny how you keep the final price secret !!! After such talk on the subject.

I haven't got a final price yet as I haven't finished spending money on it, as if that day will ever come.

It is a good boat at a good price and what it is worth because it sold on the day.

Congrats on your purchase Cisco, that must be a good feeling. Hope she brings you many years of enjoyment (and the odd bit of excitement).

If I had know you were around LMYC I would have come said hi. Then I could have invited you out to my boat so you could cast your experienced eye over her and tell me all the things I need to add to the never ending list of jobs. No hang on, on second thoughs maybe that's not such a good idea

Perhaps I will see you and 'Second Wind' out on the Lake before you take her north.

Cheers,

Matt

Looks good Cisco,
I will be sailing from the Gold Coast up to your way after Easter. I will keep an eye out for you

Real beauty ..Cisco
.. Fair winds, and at least an inch of water under your keel at all times. from Michael

Enjoy your New boat.

"There aren't many experiences more ripe with promise than buying a new boat" Don Casey

Fair winds & following seas!
Q.

MatM14 said..


If I had know you were around LMYC I would have come said hi. Then I could have invited you out to my boat so you could cast your experienced eye over her and tell me all the things I need to add to the never ending list of jobs. No hang on, on second thoughs maybe that's not such a good idea

Perhaps I will see you and 'Second Wind' out on the Lake before you take her north.

Cheers,

Matt

The trip down to buy her was quite intense and was really something one has to do solo and with sharp focus and no distractions.

I am committed here in Bundy for the next two weeks after which I will break away back to Lake Macquarie at my earliest opportunity and arrive back at the Lake during or just after Easter. There is a day or two's prep work I need to do on the yacht and if any locals could help it will be much appreciated. For instance a trip up the mast is needed to see if the tri light can be made to work again. There is an excellent bosun's chair onboard.

If anybody has a large pair of swaging pliers that would be real handy. The lifelines need to be replaced and the last 100 mm of the spare genoa halliard needs to be cut off and re-swaged.

The best thing would be to take her out on the Lake with some fellow Seabreezers onboard and put her through her paces. Heads up Lazzerae. You are back in town now aren't you??? The cockpit is huge and can seat at least half a dozen people.

PM me with available days, phone numbers etc and we will see what we can put together.