Advice on buying a new boat

[harrys23]

I have a private mooring on the river wey with mooring for a 18-23 ft boat,I wish to upgrade to a small sports cruiser which I can use on the Wey/Thames and also take with a trailer to the Solent/Poole area which 2 people could overnight on.Any suggestions please?

 

[BrendanS]

Is there a ramp anywhere near you where you can get the boat off the river and onto trailer, and somewhere you can store the trailer close by?

 

[harrys23]

There is a ramp 2 miles away, I can store the trailer at my house

 

[BrendanS]

You'll need a boat which can get through the Thames boat safety scheme, and you'll probably want a planing boat if you want to go to sea from Poole unless just pottering around. Do you have any idea of usage from Poole onwards? Fishing, visiting local area, or just inside Poole harbour.


How big is towing capacity of your car, this might limit what you can tow reasonably.

Also budget you have for boat and or trailer?













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[alienzdive]

what is the thames boat safety scheme?

 

[gjgm]

as Brendan says, tow capacity and budget would help in advising. Personally, I m less convinced on the charm in sleeping overnight on a very small boat. Take a b+b with a bit more room instead, especially if the weather is a bit crap!!
What sort of sea experience do you have?

 

[bendyone]

A complete rip off for some small boat, ie 15 foot boat small cabin, no gas, no electrics, small outboatd. £120 to be told my fire ex is of the right type!

Ask on the Thames forum for more details.

 

[harrys23]

My current boat has a BSC,this is a requirement for the Wey and Thames. Towing capacity of car, not sure i have a 3.2 L Merc but will probably change to a 2.0 L Audi estate.
I would like to use the boat Poole/Solent area with possible trips to IOW. Sea experence limited planing on taking level 2 Power Boat course

 

[BrendanS]

Had a quick look at Audi specs. Audi estates are rated at towing capacities ofabout 1500-1800kg, or up to about 3900ilbs at the upper range. The unladen weight of a fairly typical 21' cuddy cabin is going to be over 3000lbs, not factoring in a full fuel tank, gear in the boat, and most especially not factoring in the trailer which can also weigh a considerable amount.

So 21' is going to be pretty much the largest cuddy you could trailer, and that will depend on the towing capacity of the actual car you get, and the weight of boat, trailer, and all the gear in it, which could be pretty marginal.

A decent 21' cuddy will cope fine with trips to IoW from Poole, and also sleep 2.

 

[whisper]

"Sleeping overnight on a very small boat" Pah!! Have you gone soft? Where's your sense of adventure and being close to nature?? /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif













Know what you mean /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[harrys23]

Brendan, Thank you for your advice, I have looked at Fletcher Faro or Sports Cruiser, prefabably with an 4 stroke outboard, any views on these boats and what size of outboard

 

[BrendanS]

I've no personal experience, but would certainly be suitable for river work and trailering. Might be a bit cramped for overnighting at that size, but as I said, no personal experience. For sea trips, something larger will allow you more latitude in suitable conditions to go out. 18' boats can cope fine in smoothish sea conditions, but even a couple of feet longer can allow you more comfort.

This is only a rule of thumb though, as the hull on my 21' provides happy cruising when some larger boats are getting wet and rough ride, so really need input from previous or present Faro users.