New boat for young family of 5, 50-100k

Deeboat

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Hi,

I have been reading this forum for a while and it appears it is a wealth of knowledge so I would really appreciate any advice for buying a new boat on the Thames.

we are a family of 5, kids 5,7 and 9. I have hired small day boats and we loved the time in the river, aside from minimal public moorings near us, Bourne end, Marlow it was a great day out.

I started looking at 50k budget but everything was too old and I will need to upskill as I have no mechanical background. So I upped to 100k and then all the boats i like are 120-150k

here are my thoughts far, any advice or wisdom is appreciated:

I saw a bay liner 285- plus side seems to be good space, downside is one petrol engine, not Volvo and comments on this forum called them bin liners, not as well made as sealine, fairline, princess etc but good value at 50k

I saw an astendoa 40 which looks really spacious, but assume it is Spanish so would have come over and maybe more a sea boat?

there is a sealine f48 at harleyford but seems too big for Thames. But love it

my requirements
I would like 5 berths or none at all andjust have a really good entertaining day boat
Ideally two engines if I get brave to take to south coast
Diesel as I read petrol is harder to find
Something that has space to entertain
Bow thruster seems to be a must for larger boat
Maybe 30-40ft
I was trying to find something that isn’t over 20 years old, but this may not matter?

any suggestions of what to be looking out for to get the best boat for my budget? Also, am I better finding one that has stayed in the river so there is minimal salt water corrosion?

I am sure my question will demonstrate my lack of knowledge so any graceful help is appreciated! I am looking at all marina website.
 

CLB

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Ideally two engines if I get brave to take to south coast Nothing wrong with one good engine on the coast.
Diesel as I read petrol is harder to find Petrol is OK in a single, gets very expensive with twins. Harder to come by, but not impossible.
Something that has space to entertain Space is relative. How many are you entertaining? Don't buy a boat for other people, they will make do when they visit.
Bow thruster seems to be a must for larger boat Bow thruster is good on any boat, sometimes even more so on smaller single engined boats
Maybe 30-40ft 30ft is ok for four, but you have an extra child so will really need to look closer to 40ft for the overnight accommodation
I was trying to find something that isn’t over 20 years old, but this may not matter? To be honest, some brand new boats are mechanical and electrical liabilities, while some old, well-maintained boats are good as gold. Don't worry about age.
 

[178529]

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Petrol boats are cheaper but of course you have to sell them as well. I think the practicality of petrol depends on whether your local marina supplies it or not.
 

[178529]

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I meant to also say that covid has resulted in that motor boats have been selling as people have been thinking what to do with their families during restrictive times. So it has been a bit of a sellers market for mobos. Whether that means the market will return to normal in 6 - 12 months and newbies will be left with a boat that is in a normal to sell market i.e. hard is a question to ask.
 

Deeboat

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Ideally two engines if I get brave to take to south coast Nothing wrong with one good engine on the coast.
Diesel as I read petrol is harder to find Petrol is OK in a single, gets very expensive with twins. Harder to come by, but not impossible.
Something that has space to entertain Space is relative. How many are you entertaining? Don't buy a boat for other people, they will make do when they visit.
Bow thruster seems to be a must for larger boat Bow thruster is good on any boat, sometimes even more so on smaller single engined boats
Maybe 30-40ft 30ft is ok for four, but you have an extra child so will really need to look closer to 40ft for the overnight accommodation
I was trying to find something that isn’t over 20 years old, but this may not matter? To be honest, some brand new boats are mechanical and electrical liabilities, while some old, well-maintained boats are good as gold. Don't worry about age.
Thank you! I visited a sealine 365 sports bridge today and i wanted the extra cabin, so looking at an s38 later, looking at an f43 too but I think that may be too expensive and big 125k.
 

kmatt

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Sealine S34 might be a good fit for you. If you can put the three kids in the aft cabin together they can get completely out of the way at bedtime. Aft cabin has an infill so makes a wide double, or two singles. If not, one, or two, of them can easily sleep in the galley area if you drop the table. Cheaper than a S37 or S38 and ticks all of your boxes, especially the space on deck for entertaining. Better internal layout IMHO than a Targa 34, and cheaper. We've run ours on the Thames for the last few years and it's been great.
 
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Clipper marine (Poole) have a Seaco 1100 for sale. Boat has a massive aft cabin with a single and double berth in there. It was originally a Thames boat. Twin diesel aswell
 

Deeboat

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Thanks I will take a look. I looked at a sealine F43. Had done 1800 hours, is that a lot? but was well maintained. Seems on the bigger end for the Thames but was the only boat I got in today and thought the whole family would love this.

Finding a mooring may be my biggest Challenge.

thanks for the tips still looking.
 

Deeboat

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Sealine S34 might be a good fit for you. If you can put the three kids in the aft cabin together they can get completely out of the way at bedtime. Aft cabin has an infill so makes a wide double, or two singles. If not, one, or two, of them can easily sleep in the galley area if you drop the table. Cheaper than a S37 or S38 and ticks all of your boxes, especially the space on deck for entertaining. Better internal layout IMHO than a Targa 34, and cheaper. We've run ours on the Thames for the last few years and it's been great.
Thank you, will take a look at this too!
 
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