Arnaud tells us:
I used to have a Daimio (7,00 m). But I wanted to change it for a bigger sailboat. I set my sights on a Aquila of the Jeanneau shipyard from 1980 that I bought 4,000 euros. For this very low price (the Aquila in good condition are rather negotiated around 10 000 euros), I got a sailboat in poor condition. But I made sure that the engine is good and that the sails don't need to be changed.
Keep a close eye on the sails and the engine
Indeed for the restoration, the engine and the sails are two big financial items if they have to be replaced. For the rest (hull, fittings, electricity, fittings...), everything can be repaired by oneself with reasonable budgets.
I also had the chance to buy a complete engine on LeBonCoin. For 300 euros, I got back the engine, the inverter, the wiring harness, the control panel, the shaft line and even the propeller. And icing on the cake, this engine came from an Aquila! I bought this Aquila in the dry and I hadn't been able to test the engine at that time. So it was an unknown on which I took some risks that this second hand engine partly made up for.
An "identical" renovation
For this Aquila, I wanted an "identical" renovation, i.e. without any major modifications, but with modern equipment.
The work took place during the two winters following the purchase. The first year, I worked on the hull and rigging, all exterior parts. The following year, I renovated the interior. It was the hull that required the most physical investment. Indeed, scraping off the many layers of antifouling (I noticed more than 10 successive colors in some places!) took some effort. But I'm a lover of sailing under sail and having a beautiful hull, smooth and clean is essential for me. So I chose quality products that offer a "baby skin" finish.
All the amenities listed
The second year, I attacked inside. I redid all the veneers and redid the Sapelli veneers on the partitions (before varnishing). Now it smells like new in this cabin. I also changed all the upholstery for good comfortable foam. The plumbing has been revised and modernized with pressurized water and a shower in the cockpit. Electricity has also been completely replaced.
On the electronic and electrical side, I didn't want to damage the wall by drilling holes to attach the appliances. I didn't want to touch the woodwork that I had just put back! So I made a wooden box that allows me to easily access all the connections. As I know the problem of bad contacts, I took the option of pulling a wire for each device in the boat. This way, there are no interruptions between the device and the electrical panel, no connections that could oxidize or disconnect. This assembly is possible because the boat is small and simple.
With an Advensea control unit, a VHF AIS and a Fusion device for music, I have every comfort. To keep the cold on board, I took all the insulation from the cooler and installed a cooling unit. A 220 V circuit is also in place to plug in when we're in port.
A controlled budget
In the end, this boat cost me 4,000 euros to buy plus 8,000 euros for the work. And it is like new (probably better than new...). It's my choice to look for a boat to renovate rather than to find one in good condition, which in any case will hold surprises for me afterwards. In terms of timing, it took me 2 x 4 months to renovate her, knowing that I'm on the move all week and only have my weekends and holidays to go to the yard. Getting her back in this condition in a short time was possible, as the Aquila is a simple sailing boat.
For the pleasure of family cruises
Since its purchase, we have already sailed more than 1200 miles, mainly in South Brittany (it is based in Locmiquélic) and as far as the iIe d'Yeu. The Aquila is a boat that works very well with respectable averages, even if the short ballast (1.45 m) penalizes her a little upwind in rough conditions, but she remains a pleasant and efficient boat for my taste. All the same, we made a peak at 11 knots under spinnaker! We're having a great time at sea with my wife and two children. Thus renovated, the Aquila is very comfortable for a family who wants to sail for a weekend or a week, with a controlled budget.
