1st Boat Recommendation’s please…

[Novice!]

Hi All,

New to all this (although have been studying the used market for the last few months) and would love some recommendations for my first boat please.

We are a family of 3, two adults (40) and an 8 year old old. Living the Solent, boat would be kept in a marina and most likely used for pottering around the South coast with hopefully the odd overnight here and there.

Budget is up to £50k but would be delighted if someone suggested something £30-40k that would do a good job!

Quite simply there is too much choice! So I’d like to know what is considered sensible.

Thanks in advance

Joe

 

[Seastoke]

Hi joe , you need to say if tou want diesel or petrol , aldo do you need speed . for towing toys .

 

[Novice!]

Hi joe , you need to say if tou want diesel or petrol , aldo do you need speed . for towing toys .

I guess the question is… do I want petrol or diesel? I don’t know - both are available in the marina I will be using. Same for inboard / outboard?? Guessing outboard are cheaper to service.

Dont need or particularly want speed, happy to bumble about (assuming that will save lots of fuel!).

 

[Meagain]

I would suggest, sit down and write out the things you want to do /enjoy ie do you want to fish, sit out in the sun! Be a fair weather boater, etc etc. This will help decide if you want an open boat / cuddy or a cabin or cabin with degree of sleeping. Do you want to get to a location or spend the time enjoying the journey ie planing boat with some speed vs displacement at 8 knots. Think about what you will enjoy doing first rather than a boat spec Or cost. It’s no good being cheap(ish) on fuel if the family gets bored on journeys and wants to get to a place.
you are right loads of choices out there and lots of peoples views on what is best, but that is best for them not necessarily for you.
we started out with an open (cuddy) day boat and now have a 35 foot version but we want to get to places quite quickly and enjoy the sunshine (when it comes!) Great for us but could hell for others.

 

[Jamie Dundee]

Antares 760, MF805, various Rodmans will all do as you describe in the 30/40k bracket. Sounds like you're after a peche promenade.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Sealine S24, 23 or S25 with a KAD 32 diesel engine

 

[Momac]

I think you would find a 25ft boat too small so I would suggest a Sealine S28 which might stretch your budget with prices as they have been recently. Maybe go older to a Sealine 310 Ambassador.
.Or a Princess 286 Riviera .

 

[julians]

Is this the bit where everyone recommends what they own?

 

[Dino]

Something like this Sealine would be a nice option Sealine 328 For Sale from TBS Boats
Twin diesel so good piece of mind at sea, two separate sleeping cabins so you can have somewhere to chill out when the 8 year old is in bed. Looks in good condition too.
Two other options would be a Fairline Corniche 31 or a Princess 35. These are closer to the top of your budget but offer good accommodation.
These are all older boats so condition will be very important.

 

[Novice!]

Thanks everyone - the Sealine’s were definitely one of the options on the list so maybe I’ll focus a little more on them initially.

 

[chillee]

in addition to the advice given above, also think about how you would likely want to spend your time while aboard. I have a 25ft 2 berth, which is great for my wife and I, but you will want imo a separate berth for your daughter, on mine she would have to sleep in the cockpit, which would not be great. Now, my wife and I , we like to laze about with our feet up in the sun, so for us the U shaped seating arrangement in my cockpit is ideal, I looked at some other boats which had bench seats facing each other, and that just does not give us the kind of layout we need to laze around with a glass of wine, a good book with our feet up.

Also think about access on and off the boat. If you think you would like to take a tender to get to a beach, or paddle boards, you might want a good size swim platform to make getting on and off much easier.
Many things to think about.

 

[chillee]

Re fuel type. With diesel in the UK, we are still allowed to use Red diesel so we get a significant tax break on this, and in general they tend to use less fuel. Diesel is my current preference anyway.

 

[Sianna]

Look at Nick Burnhams Aquaholic channel, we did and ended up with a Jeanneau Leader 805, sounds like it would fit your requirements too. They come up every so often and a good ones start around £35k - £40k
Ours is a diesel KAD43 powered model and it's relatively economical to run, big enough to sleep comfortably on, small enough for one to manage.

This one's a bit steep but gives you an idea. I'm based on the solent too if you want to have a look at one just let me know.

Jeanneau Leader 805 for sale in United Kingdom

 

[QBhoy]

Hi. A couple of years ago…I’d have said a sealine s28 or fairline targa. But these days for that money and under 50k…it would be a sealine s25 with Kad32 or D3 on a last of them model. Prices are that high now. I think there will be a high number of first time boat owners that will have to take a huge hit on value, should the prices return to normal anytime soon.

 

[Sianna]

Hi. A couple of years ago…I’d have said a sealine s28 or fairline targa. But these days for that money and under 50k…it would be a sealine s25 with Kad32 or D3 on a last of them model. Prices are that high now. I think there will be a high number of first time boat owners that will have to take a huge hit on value, should the prices return to normal anytime soon.

Yes, If the bubble does burst, but with VAT on boats outside the UK it limits the Markey and may keep the prices strong for a while.

 

[QBhoy]

Yes, If the bubble does burst, but with VAT on boats outside the UK it limits the Markey and may keep the prices strong for a while.

Could be right. No doubt. Not such a big deal for the guy that’s getting good money for the boat he or she already has when moving on…but a shame for the first time buyer. I’m aware of some guys who’ve recently paid over 50k for mid 2000’s bayliner 2855 petrol engine boats. They will be losing about 20k or close, should things return to normal. And likely at the same dealer they bought it from not so long before. But hey…the market is what it is. I’d think that 2 of my boats have at least doubled from what I paid for them years ago.

 

[Sianna]

Could be right. No doubt. Not such a big deal for the guy that’s getting good money for the boat he or she already has when moving on…but a shame for the first time buyer. I’m aware of some guys who’ve recently paid over 50k for mid 2000’s bayliner 2855 petrol engine boats. They will be losing about 20k or close, should things return to normal. And likely at the same dealer they bought it from not so long before. But hey…the market is what it is. I’d think that 2 of my boats have at least doubled from what I paid for them years ago.

We bought ours last July, just before the prices went silly and have been offered £20k more than we paid for it, not that I want to sell and anything that I would replace it with has gone up accordingly, it's been a silly year.

 

[GrahamHR]

A very, very biased indeed answer from me as I have one to sell. Four Winns 278 ( around 31 ft or thereabouts). 2009. D4-300 with around 60 hour use from new ( unsold for 5 years, then unused for 4 years as the marina where we need to keep a boat was destroyed by a storm; I doubt it'll be operational in the next 3 years). Full tank of diesel, so there shouldn't be any issues there. It'll reached 40 knots, has 2 cabins, proper toilet/ shower and the usual fridge, microwave, VHF, plotter, fishfinder etc. Great for family use, safe for fishing. Really, for us it was ideal but there is no way to use it anymore.

 

[ashtead]

Historically a Solent boat for pottering about in with an outboard might be a Shetland with an outboard for a family with one child -perfectly good for a run down to Poole etc-I guess it depends on your priorities ie is space more a priority than age etc but I would’ve tempted by a brand you can sell on easily as if family enjoys in a couple of years you will be trading up. It also depends on condition of what you find and your mechanical skills ? I would be asking a few brokers which brand is favoured but to my mind looking at a few owners fora would be a good source. Just be aware many brokers photos don’t reflect reality when you see the vessel. It’s also good idea to take an independent mate with some knowledge of boating to look over choices before paying out for a survey. You could just buy a Rib for a year and see how you like that?

 

[Novice!]

Flip & Graham - have messaged you both. Thanks, I’ve not considered either of those and they look promising