Help For Buying A Wayfarer
If you are looking at a well-built and well-designed sailing dinghy, the Wayfarer is your boat. The Wayfarer is also extremely versatile. She provides a challenge to the expert who wishes to push her to the limits. Frank Dye, for instance, is known around the world for his Wayfarer exploits, which include Wayfarer “Cruises” from the north of Scotland to Norway and to Iceland! Yet the Wayfarer is forgiving and robust enough to tolerate the learning experiences of the beginner. With the introduction of the Hartley Mark IV Wayfarer in the UK in 2007 and in North America in 2011, the Wayfarer has been transformed into modern craft.
NEW
If you have decide to go with a new Hartley Mark IV, this version now comes with a fully sealed and self-drain cockpit with outboard scuppers and transom flaps on both sides to quickly drain away water at all times. Sealed buoyancy compartments ensure greater safety, especially during and after a capsize. The uncluttered deck configuration provides a more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing seating and hiking surface. The modern spinnaker chute system enables the spinnaker to be raised and lowered with incredible ease, while the option of an asymmetric spinnaker gives cruising and training boats a wider choice of sail options. As a buyer all you have to decide is if you wish to race, cruise, day sail or train people how to sail. All you will need is a PFD and a body of water to go for your first sail.
USED BOATS
Again, it’s good to decide what type of sailing you wish to do (racing, cruising, day sailing or training). Another decision to make is whether you wish a wood or a GRP boat. Wayfarers have gone through many subtle changes over the years. But the boat was still built to Ian Proctor’s original 1957 design. The changes talked about come from his plus and minus tolerances that allowed the boat to be built from kits.
A Guide to used Wayfarers in North America.
Note dates, sail numbers and estimate values are close estimates from information from the web.
1958 – 1966 Sail #s 1 – 1176 all wood Mark 1s made in the UK or kits in North America. Approximate Value $500 – $4800
1965 – 1974 Sail #s 1158 – 3874 Wood Mark still made in UK and by kit. First GRP Boats made in UK.
1966 – 1969 Various builders build GRP MK I’s in North America GRP MK I’s 1965 – 1969 Approximate Value $500 – $2800
1970 – 1992 Abbott MK I’s Approximate Value $500 – $2900 1973 Sail # MK II’s sail # 3907 and up, built in UK Approximate Value $500 – $3200
1973 – 2006 Sail # 7579 and up Abbott MK III’s Built in North America only. Note: In 1992 Abbott started stiffening MK III’s on request these boats would be better racers. Approximate Value $500 – $3800
1990 Last wood kits sold.
1991 S Plus MK I’s Sail # 9022 to 10505 built UK only. These are the first GRP boats to be as stiff as the wood MK I’s. To my knowledge, there are no boats in North America. Approximate Value $3500 – $6800
1980’s to 1994 MK1’s wood Porter boats. Only one in North America
These are the first wood boats to start taking advantage of the plus and minus dimensions on Proctor’s plans. The last wood Wayfarer Built 1994. Approximate Value $8500 – $13500
2007 up MK IV Cruiser sail #’s 10506 up. Approximate Value $9500 – $13500 2007 up MK IV Racer sail #’s 10506 up. Approximate Value $12500 – $16500
What to look for: “All used boats should have their buoyancy tested.”
Wood MK 1
If you plan to purchase a wood MK 1, you have to pay close attention to the chimes, as well as the tabernacle, centerboard case, shroud plates and transom. Please remember, the boat you are buying is 35 to 55 years old. If you are not familiar with wood boats, I would recommend you talk to one of the woody experts. In the USA you can find Dick Harrington or Jim Heffernan on the USWA website. In Canada, I would recommend Kit Wallace or Hans Gottschling; both can be found on the CWA web site. When it comes to rigging and other gear, it will be the same as the GRP boats.
GRP Boats
There are a lot of old, fiberglass Wayfarers still sailing that are in decent shape. You can check the list above to get an idea of how old the boat is, It would be important to get an idea of how much use this boat has gotten. Sometimes you find one that has been sitting in a garage for 10 to 20 years and is like new. Besides the hull condition, type of spars and condition of the sails is important. Seldon Mast and 5-sided Boom section are the best. The Silver Proctor mast and 5 sided boom are a good runner up. Anything else needs to be viewed with suspicion. Original sails from ’72 will be total garbage and new sails are going to cost you $1200 to $2000–so recently purchased new sails (5 years or less) is a big bonus. The hull. If the boat has been raced, look for areas where there may have been collision damage (fiberglass with slightly different shade, etc.). Look along the keel fore and aft to see that the curvature is fair (no humps or sags which indicate hogging – boat was stored improperly or overloaded on the trailer). Remove the floor boards and check for cracks (separation) along the floor beams (cross beams that support the floor as well as the boat’s bottom). Check along the lower inside edge of the side deck for any cracking or splitting. The centerboard is often badly neglected (hidden inside the trunk). Get under the boat and try to take a look; if you can slip the boat back a ways on the trailer, drop the board down. Look for rot, severe checking and cracking. Likewise, check out the rudder as this is another problem area. Spongy and weak floor boards will need to be replaced. Pay close attention to the tabernacle, centerboard case, shroud plates and transom. The original ’72 English running gear (blocks) is far outdated– updated Harken gear is a plus, as are replacement sheets and halyards. A boat that has seen racing will have a wire jib luff which, as far as I am concerned, is no longer an option but a must, halyard and tensioning gear (magic box or highfield lever mounted on the mast, most boats use cascades now) and will have the jib sheet fairleads and tracks mounted on the forward seats as opposed to the side decks. Unless you plan to race, a spinnaker is not something you’ll use much. An older boat still rigged from the 60’s or 70’s will add up the dollars quickly to get her ready for racing. If you wish to save some money, it helps to get a boat that has recently been used for the same type of sailing you wish to do. A boat with very old rigging could cost anywhere from $1200 to $3500 to rig out for racing. For more information, e-mail me at marc27732b@gmail.com
& Don’t send out your brother to check out that “barn find”. You might find yourself owning a boat that has a huge split between the cockpit and the aft storage compartment.