Dutch01527
Well-known member
I have a 28ft Dehler sailing boat in Cardiff. Absolutely love it and have spent a lot of time and money on upgrades. However, it is becoming clear that the characteristics of the upper Bristol Channel mean that a sailing boat is proving to be somewhat limiting to my needs and therefore time spent on the water.
My available time is usually limited to 2 to 3 day slots. In addition my wife is not a sailor but enjoys being on the water if the conditions and timings are right. She tends to enjoy mini cruises to somewhere nice where we can go out to dinner and sightsee a bit. She also likes her creature comforts and inviting friends to join us. The issues with our current set up are:
1) Tides dictate the agenda. Leaving at 4.00am or arriving back at 22.00 hrs is not an issue for me but does not suit her / guests
2) A 2 day, 1 night trip is severely limited in destinations available. Portishead and Porlock are the two we use most but would like more variety
3) The small physical space on the boat is not ideal, especially with guests
4) Moving my current boat to somewhere like Plymouth or Dartmouth would turn a 1.5 hour journey from home into 3-4 hours - not ideal for a mini break
Despite my affection for my boat and enjoying sailing I am wondering if a motor boat would suit us better at this stage of our life. Something like a sea going, 33-39 foot, twin diesel engine cruiser with aft cabin/heads for guests. Cruising speed c.14 knots. I would have to live with the fuel and maintenance costs. What I really need is two boats - sailing for fun, motor for convenience but that is not really practical. I thought about one of the boat share schemes but they were all Solent based and the boats were too big for single handed use easily.
Opinions anyone? Any flaws in my thinking?
My available time is usually limited to 2 to 3 day slots. In addition my wife is not a sailor but enjoys being on the water if the conditions and timings are right. She tends to enjoy mini cruises to somewhere nice where we can go out to dinner and sightsee a bit. She also likes her creature comforts and inviting friends to join us. The issues with our current set up are:
1) Tides dictate the agenda. Leaving at 4.00am or arriving back at 22.00 hrs is not an issue for me but does not suit her / guests
2) A 2 day, 1 night trip is severely limited in destinations available. Portishead and Porlock are the two we use most but would like more variety
3) The small physical space on the boat is not ideal, especially with guests
4) Moving my current boat to somewhere like Plymouth or Dartmouth would turn a 1.5 hour journey from home into 3-4 hours - not ideal for a mini break
Despite my affection for my boat and enjoying sailing I am wondering if a motor boat would suit us better at this stage of our life. Something like a sea going, 33-39 foot, twin diesel engine cruiser with aft cabin/heads for guests. Cruising speed c.14 knots. I would have to live with the fuel and maintenance costs. What I really need is two boats - sailing for fun, motor for convenience but that is not really practical. I thought about one of the boat share schemes but they were all Solent based and the boats were too big for single handed use easily.
Opinions anyone? Any flaws in my thinking?