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RS300 Buyer's Guide
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yellowwelly View Drop Down
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Joined: 24 May 13
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Posts: 2003 		Post Options Post Options   Quote yellowwelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: RS300 Buyer's Guide
    Posted: 07 Jan 14 at 11:09am
Originally posted by Kev M

I was having a chat with one of the other club members I was on duty with on Sunday about 300s and it wasn't encouraging.

He had one a while back and was all doom and gloom about hulls cracking, masts cracking and booms falling apart.  I knew about the leaky bit from Russ's post but didn't think that constituted full on cracking.

Apparently it's not advisable to buy any RS over five years old because they all have the same flaws.  I'm guessing the truth is somewhere in the middle which is fine, i just hate surprises and don't want to buy another boat that is going to cost me five hundred quid in repairs within twelve months again.

everyone's a expert down the club, on a forum....  we are all guilty.

So to add my two penneth of nonsensical crap, the RS300 is without doubt the nicest RS boat out there.  It is such a pure boat.  (Except maybe the 200 which pips it for girlfriend and wife potential)  

As for build quality, they are pretty damn solid, and bang for buck, still represent good value and a low depreciation level.  Really- compare them to a Solo of similar age.  

You could buy a boat for two or three grand, then spend another £200-£300 having it professionally overhauled with a bubble test/ cosmetic patch up, a good spruce up polish and a few new shiny bits  (mainsheet block, tiller extension, new toe straps etc).  Then you've got a boat in real terms which is worth way more than you just paid for it.  

Great boat, great class.... a seriously potent unstayed unarig nearly what, 20 years on?

I'm fairly tempted to get another one, or a Finn.  



 


Edited by yellowwelly - 07 Jan 14 at 11:16am
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Ruscoe View Drop Down
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Posts: 1514 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Ruscoe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 14 at 12:10pm
I think Kev, you need to take what your club mate says with a pinch of salt.  Lets not forget that the 300's, as James says are getting on a bit now (in the majority) so yes they may require a bit of TLC.  But to be honest, i would not let it put me off.  The boom is a wearable item, the leaks and bits are easily repaired at home, the sails last forever (white ones) pound for pound i don't think you would get much better value vs. smile factor.  To my mind i would just look at the boat as i have described in my first post and allow for any remedial work in the price.  You wont regret the purchase trust me!  Not only that, you can spend £2500 and the boat will be on the money in terms of fleet competitiveness.   No cheque book sailing like you get in other single handed fleets, where you need to worry about the latest Australian high module mast etc. 

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JimC View Drop Down
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Joined: 17 May 04
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Posts: 6660 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 14 at 12:22pm
Originally posted by Kev M

was all doom and gloom about hulls cracking


All well used gel coated boats get cracks in the gel coat in certain areas, and foot stomp places are top of the list. Its just inevitable and of no great concern. I've seen people get enormously troubled about this.

However its pretty easy to tell (by pressing on the boat nearby and observing the movement) whether a crack is just in gel coat, which is little more than cosmetic, or whether its actually anything to be concerned about and affects the structure further down. I've seen plenty of gel coat cracks in older 200s and 300s, but nothing I'd ever be concerned about if it were my boat. I've even seen a *very* well used 300 with areas of gel coat which had departed completely, but no sign that the underlying engineering structure was bad.

I don't know that its related to age so much as use, and in particular the force with which sailor's fairy footsteps have been hitting the deck.

Of course you could spend a "happy" week with a dremel and lots of protective clothing, grinding out all the gel coat cracks, infilling with new gel coat then sanding and polishing it back, but personally I'd rather go sailing.
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AlanH View Drop Down
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Posts: 84 		Post Options Post Options   Quote AlanH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 14 at 3:41pm
In case you haven't spotted it, a few boats have an A rig, which is a little smaller at 9.25 sq m. The common rig which everyone uses is the B rig, ie B for Big, which is 10 sq m. You want a B rig unless you're really small. Boats with A rigs are cheaper, but the mast is not the same as a B mast, so you can't just buy a boat with an A rig then try to put a B sail on it. Apart from its sailing virtues, the 300 is a joy to own, requiring virtually zero maintenance, and costing virtually nothing to run, and cheap to insure. White sails last for ever.
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about a boat View Drop Down
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Posts: 60 		Post Options Post Options   Quote about a boat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jan 14 at 2:30pm
A penny's worth. I have had more gear failure on my Phantom I have owned for six months than my 300 that I owned for 13 years. The 300 was probably a 1999 built boat and the Phantom was 2009 (and been lightly used!). OK loads are higher on moden day Phantom but go figure. For a good quality boat £3000 is not a lot of money and the 300 will last unless it has been abused. Get one, smile and enjoy.
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rb_stretch View Drop Down
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Posts: 742 		Post Options Post Options   Quote rb_stretch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jan 14 at 5:50pm
Originally posted by about a boat

A penny's worth. I have had more gear failure on my Phantom I have owned for six months than my 300 that I owned for 13 years. The 300 was probably a 1999 built boat and the Phantom was 2009 (and been lightly used!). OK loads are higher on moden day Phantom but go figure. For a good quality boat £3000 is not a lot of money and the 300 will last unless it has been abused. Get one, smile and enjoy.


I'm not sure that gear failure can necessarily be aimed at a boat that has complete freedom of choice about what gear you want to install or how you install it. If the boat was badly fitted (or refitted) out or the previous owner bodged some upgrades/replacements, it can hardly be the fault of the boat. A SMOD on the other hand, must use certain gear, so gear failure may possibly impact the reputation of the boat to a greater degree.

FWIW, there a lot of Phantoms out there raced by big, heavy people, so any actual gear design flaws (of which I'm not aware of any) would get ironed out pretty quickly.
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