buddy13
New Member
Hello comrades 
I am very happy to ultimately taking the plunge and joining this forum. For some years I have been reading a lot of interesting posts and also do buy a Motorboat monthly magazine issue (to drool over all the goodness) every now and then :encouragement:...
I am a 35 year old Mechanical Engineer from Malta (small EU island South of Sicily). I have been into all things having an Engine strapped to them since I was a little kid, but boats and motorbikes take the cake. My uncle had (still has) a 24 ft. Coronet Weekender which I truly adored (as seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r84A-lYUPg ).
Those days in late May, helping him get it ready for its launch are still clearly imprinted in my mind. I would feel so proud to see it float off the trailer and hear the engines fire for the first time early June. It had a pair of Volvo Penta AQ 171 fitted to single prop outdrives.
A couple years ago I could finally afford to buy my own first boat. A second hand, locally built, sundeck 20 footer with a 115hp Yamaha four stroke.
Link to model here : http://www.buccaneerboatsltd.com/page.asp?id=5&productid=198C
Me and my girlfriend have clocked over 150 hours during this short period, so we are enjoying it in anger
. We use it for spearfishing (me), offshore trolling, bottom fishing, scuba diving and overnighting (yes...in that cramped, claustrophobic cabin). So you can see that we want our boat to be versatile and practical 
.
We enjoy boating so much that we are thinking of getting something more substantial. Mind you, we don't afford anything too expensive or something with high running costs. I still want to be able to trailer it, so must be in the 22 to 25 foot range, with a weight of 3.5 Tons. I have made a short list of what it has to have and what is nice to have...
Must haves:
- Marine WC
- Vee berth
- Deep Vee hull
- Single engine outboard or Diesel inboard (shaft or stern drive)
- Bathing platform
- Cruises effortlessly at 20 knots or better
- Plenty of storage
- Solid/heavy hull construction
Nice to haves:
- Reverse Chines
- Foam filled construction hull
- Carolina Flared bow
- Small galley (microwave, small fridge & hob)
- 10 years old or better
I certainly don't care for Teak finishes and passarelles, I'd rather spend my hard earned on a solidly engineered boat that can take me 20 miles offshore and safely get us in if the sea picks up without notice . Our island suffers from heady winds and the sea is always notoriously choppy, so a soft strong hull is a must. I have been looking at used boats for some time now.
Some models I looked at are Benetaeu Antares 8 & Quicksilver 755 weekender but with all the practicality they promise, I prefer an open rather than enclosed cabin for our hot climate and strict summer use.
We even considering a larger Walkaround such as the Eolo 750 day or a Galia 700 WA, but we would certainly like to have more headroom in the cabin and a helm which uses most of the width of the boat.
The one boat I found which promises to meet my 'all around' needs is a Drago 660. But going by the fuel tank size & max hp allowable I don't think that sea worthiness is one of the boats strong points.
The dream boat that gets my heart pumping whenever I look at her is the Albemarle Express 25, with its Armstrong mounted outboards, flared bow and elevated helm. It is however, notoriously expensive and extremely hard to find within the EU
.
To be honest, with my budget (35K Euro max.), I am still undecided on a good enough boat to replace my humble 20 footer
.
What do you think of the choices above and more so, do you have recommendations for good boats that in your opinion would nicely fulfill my criteria?
Thanks for letting me join this nice community :encouragement:!
I am very happy to ultimately taking the plunge and joining this forum. For some years I have been reading a lot of interesting posts and also do buy a Motorboat monthly magazine issue (to drool over all the goodness) every now and then :encouragement:...
I am a 35 year old Mechanical Engineer from Malta (small EU island South of Sicily). I have been into all things having an Engine strapped to them since I was a little kid, but boats and motorbikes take the cake. My uncle had (still has) a 24 ft. Coronet Weekender which I truly adored (as seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r84A-lYUPg ).
Those days in late May, helping him get it ready for its launch are still clearly imprinted in my mind. I would feel so proud to see it float off the trailer and hear the engines fire for the first time early June. It had a pair of Volvo Penta AQ 171 fitted to single prop outdrives.
A couple years ago I could finally afford to buy my own first boat. A second hand, locally built, sundeck 20 footer with a 115hp Yamaha four stroke.
Link to model here : http://www.buccaneerboatsltd.com/page.asp?id=5&productid=198C
Me and my girlfriend have clocked over 150 hours during this short period, so we are enjoying it in anger
. We use it for spearfishing (me), offshore trolling, bottom fishing, scuba diving and overnighting (yes...in that cramped, claustrophobic cabin). So you can see that we want our boat to be versatile and practical .We enjoy boating so much that we are thinking of getting something more substantial. Mind you, we don't afford anything too expensive or something with high running costs. I still want to be able to trailer it, so must be in the 22 to 25 foot range, with a weight of 3.5 Tons. I have made a short list of what it has to have and what is nice to have
...Must haves:
- Marine WC
- Vee berth
- Deep Vee hull
- Single engine outboard or Diesel inboard (shaft or stern drive)
- Bathing platform
- Cruises effortlessly at 20 knots or better
- Plenty of storage
- Solid/heavy hull construction
Nice to haves:
- Reverse Chines
- Foam filled construction hull
- Carolina Flared bow
- Small galley (microwave, small fridge & hob)
- 10 years old or better
I certainly don't care for Teak finishes and passarelles, I'd rather spend my hard earned on a solidly engineered boat that can take me 20 miles offshore and safely get us in if the sea picks up without notice . Our island suffers from heady winds and the sea is always notoriously choppy, so a soft strong hull is a must. I have been looking at used boats for some time now.
Some models I looked at are Benetaeu Antares 8 & Quicksilver 755 weekender but with all the practicality they promise, I prefer an open rather than enclosed cabin for our hot climate and strict summer use.
We even considering a larger Walkaround such as the Eolo 750 day or a Galia 700 WA, but we would certainly like to have more headroom in the cabin and a helm which uses most of the width of the boat.
The one boat I found which promises to meet my 'all around' needs is a Drago 660. But going by the fuel tank size & max hp allowable I don't think that sea worthiness is one of the boats strong points.
The dream boat that gets my heart pumping whenever I look at her is the Albemarle Express 25, with its Armstrong mounted outboards, flared bow and elevated helm. It is however, notoriously expensive and extremely hard to find within the EU
. To be honest, with my budget (35K Euro max.), I am still undecided on a good enough boat to replace my humble 20 footer
.What do you think of the choices above and more so, do you have recommendations for good boats that in your opinion would nicely fulfill my criteria?
Thanks for letting me join this nice community :encouragement:!
