A starter yacht for a beginner

MOST of us have dreamed of buying a yacht and turning our back on the problems of everyday life. Turning that dream into reality can seem so easy during a visit to a boat show, a showroom or a marina.

The shiny yacht hulls gleam invitingly, the masts tower overhead majestically - and big discounts are sometimes on offer.

But buying a boat is probably the second biggest outlay - after your house - you will ever make.

So before signing away huge sums of cash on a boat that might be unsuitable, you must ask yourself some serious questions. Then, armed with the answers, you can set about tracking down your dream boat.

First, what type of sailing have you in mind? Open-ocean sailing requires a bigger, better-equipped  deep-keeled yacht. But such a boat would be unsuitable for exploring shallow inshore waters. Similarly, a large family might be looking for a boat with lots of berths, while a sailing couple would prefer an airier open plan layout.

Correctly defining your priorities is immensely helpful in focusing your choices. There is no such thing as the all-purpose boat - so you need to choose one that suits your needs. Prices vary with the type and size and can range from the cost of a new sports car up to millions for a superyacht.

Researching through sailing magazines and the internet are excellent ways of seeing what is available within your price range. They regularly feature boat tests, in which a particular vessel is put through its paces, almost invariably by a professional yachting journalist. Perhaps even more insightful are the cruising accounts submitted by amateur yachties whose pleasures and problems arose from actual experiences. You can also obtain past sea trials and product tests on request.

Make certain you are buying from a reputable dealer or boat builder who is a member of the British Marine Federation. And ask for details of the deposit and stage payments required.

You might want to consider Sailing World magazine's Boat of the Year winners for 2008. They include the Laser SB3, built by Performance Sailcraft Europe (http://www.lasersailing.com/) which won overall honours, while the winner for the Best Offshore One-Design went to the Club Swan 42, built at Hamble, Hampshire, by Nautor's Swan.

One of the many reasonably-priced yachts making a big impact at this year's London Boat Show was the Southerly 32, built by Northshore Yachts at Chichester, West Sussex. This sleek but robust six-berth yacht, featuring a unique swing keel, sells for  £127,000.