10K on a trailer?

[CrawfW]

Rambling intro​

A couple of months ago, i made the move from long-term lurker to fantasist, asking questions about boats that could rapidly cross the Channel. The comments on here were hugely appreciated - they played an important role in sustaining my sanity during lock-down!

Time passes, and i think i have now identified a more achievable first-step towards realizing those dreams. One that my partner would support.

The actual question​

So, the aim is to find something which could be trailer-ed around (~ 15 miles, big 4x4 with winch), motor in safety at up-to 15 knots, and (!) cost under 10K. And have a cuddy/wheel-house. Does such a thing exist?

The ideal would seem to be a Merry Fisher, but even a Quicksilver or obscure 90s Beneteau seems more like 15K.

The closest i have come to finding something like this is a Colvic Seaworker, with a big-ish engine and the planing hull. These seem hard to find though, with adverts that aren't terribly clear about the hull form.

Am i right in thinking there are no planing Island Plastics, which are otherwise better-built?

Describing the "mission" in more detail, trailering comes about because there is all-tide access near me at Bridport , but i live too far away to have any chance of getting a mooring there. The idea would be to launch there, and generally bimble Exe-wards for a day out. But sometimes, and this is where the need for speed comes about, take a weekend down to Brixham/Dartmouth and onwards. Getting to these places at 5 knots is unlikely to appeal to my crew........

Digression​

At the risk of drifting in my own thread, am i right in thinking that i should be looking online for boats? Having more experience with cars, all the best deals i have done on these have come about from talking to people at shows. Is there such a scene for boats?!

For all that there are threads on this forum about wildly under-offering - doing a deal - i have been going on the basis of sticking to "list"....

Any (non-devastating!) comments hugely appreciated - and naivety regretted !!​

 

[Rappey]

This is lacking trailer but close to your max.
Hardy Pilot 20 | eBay

 

[Hot Property]

This would fit the bill. Handles like a much bigger boat and has the more powerful engine and trailer.

I had the outboard version of this with only 75 hp on and 2 up she could do 27 knots in a calm sea. Swmbo was not amused when I sold her!!!!

Fletcher - 19GTS Sportcruiser in Pembrokeshire, Wales | Boats and Outboards

 

[QBhoy]

You might get a Fletcher 19 GTS or GTO for about that. Great hull and a cuddy.

 

[longjohnsilver]

You’ll almost certainly soon get fed up of launching and recovering any decent sized boat. Why not look for a mooring, maybe the Axe, or the Exe. A Channel Islands 22 is probably within your budget, with a 140hp diesel you’ll cruise at 14kts, so Dartmouth is only an hour and a half away. A great little boat, I had one for almost 10 years and only sold it to get the 32’ version.

 

[CLB]

Does your budget include the trailer? That is circa £2k worth of the package (assuming secondhand trailer), so you are really looking at a boat of around £8k. Trailering biggish boats is not much fun. I have done it with boats up to 25ft and most of the time my trailer sat empty at home and the boat was left on the water as it was too much hassle. It gets easier under 19ft or so, but then you are restricting what the boat is capable of. Going rapidly across the channel in a 25 footer is easily doable. Doing it in an 18-19ft boat becomes a little more challenging. Not impossible, just not as easy. If you want something a bit more all-weatherish, and with accommodation that you could 'really' use, I would look at Hardy boats. Fletcher 19's are great little boats, but staying on one for more than the very occasional night won't be ideal. Hardy 18 or Pilot would be good, but you would need to get one with the right engine to meet your speed requirements. Many of the ones for sale have little outboards but they can take something bigger to give a decent cruising speed. If you forego the trailing bit, then a 25 would be nice.

Boat Search Results | TheYachtMarket

For something a bit sportier and quicker, but still reasonable easy to trail and stay onboard for a few days, I would look at The Sealine 19 / 195 / 200 / 190 / 210. They are all basically the same boat, just variations on the model. 215 / 218 / 220 are also trailerable, just, and possibly in budget ex trailer.

A word of warning when looking online for a boat. There are scam websites out there. Don't part with any money until you have seen the boat in person and satisfied yourself that it is a real deal. (there was a piece in the latest issue of Motorboat Owner about this, so its happening right now)

 

[gordmac]

15kn is more semi displacement than planing. For your budget probably an older outboard speedboat type thing or maybe fishing boat style. Easy to concentrate on the boat but an old, tired trailer can be a nightmare.