AQUADOR 26HT -advice pls, about to buy & boating w/ young kids

T

TommieDee

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IOM/ River Shannon
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I am an experienced river boater (brought up around boats on North Shannon and family always had displacement river boats, speedboats, sailing dingies etc). Have lived on the Isle of Man for years but have no real sea mobo experience -although i sail -crew- around the island on 34ft jeanneau. About to take the plunge to buy my first own boat. Looking at aquador 26ht which we saw at SIBS last year. Very impressed and appears to be a great first time buyers boat.

Looking at 2005 230hp KAD boat. Any advice on this boat and engine, how it would fare around irish sea lumpy conditions etc.

All advice greatly appreciated.

Also have young 2 yr old son and baby 2 on the way this month. As i was brought up on boats, i dont see this as problem. SWMBO (a keen boater but boating not in the blood) is a bit more cautious thinking young kids (ie under 3 or 4) on a boat on the sea is not a good idea. Does anyone have actual experience of motor boating on the sea with very young kids? Any advice?

Thanks
Tom
 
Our one went out from about 4months old. Opinions vary as to the best way to secure them, but we went with the pup in a carrycot method.

2 years old was a bit of a dodgy season in terms of being nervous, but now 3, and she loves it. "Daddy, go faster!".

Have to set the ground rules from the start (e.g. lifejackets when underway) and stick with them. Also, don't be too ambitious with the weather, or distant destinations at first - build em up gradually. This year, we even made it to France.

Also, we have plenty of stuff on board to make it less of an alien environment - books, toys, dressing up clothes etc. (but not felt tips or crayons!), even the laptop to play DVD's on a longer trip. 3 year old basically treats the boat as a floating Wendy House with it's own set of rules.

dv.
 
DV

Thanks for that. Very encouraging and honest reply (which will be more convincing to my good wife than the "yeah stick em in the anchor locker, they'll be fine" line!).

As for the Aq 26ht, it seems pretty safe with good enclosed cockpit and plenty of space for little ones down below. Would you agree?

Thanks
Tom
 
Not an expert on the Aquador, but it looks suitable. Earlier boats had things (like water system) as extras, so check the spec is what you want. A neighbour of ours had one. Only problem he had was that he was tall, stuck his head out of the sunroof when drving in a chop, and ended up getting a bit of a bump to the head.

For a boat with kids, it helps to have reasonably high gunwales and seat backs, plenty of storage space below, a way of securing the transom gate is essential. i.e. dont ever do THIS:

AQUADOR%2026HT%20LOOKING%20AFT%20LGE.jpg


Steps are a dodgy area: ours is now quite good at not falling into the cabin from the cockpit down the companionway steps, but it wasn't always that way. Also look at positioning of cooker, sharp edges and corners, enough space for one big person and one little person to be using the bathroom facilities... but mostly it's about good supervision.

dv.
 
I Tom,

We have boated with Babies through to young teenages and there is no problem. We put their lifejackets on when they get out of the car and take them off when they get back in (except for sleeping)

The Aquadors are Brilliant safe and secure sea boats. They will keep you safe and dry and perfect for the family!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: AQUADOR 26HT -advice pls, about to buy & boating w/ young kids

Hey Up! Welcome Tom D.
I think You have picked a good boat for the Island .
Good advice from S28 and Nautorius too.
My nippers were 3, 5 and 7 when We started on the Menai Straits in a 16.5 ft Dory with a cuddy.
What a great place to Boat the Island.
Plus You have some fellow Forumites to call on over there.
Drewtwos and Nautical spring to mind.
Lots of Isle of Man and Boaty experience to call on with these said Members.
Enjoy
Slane lhiat!
 
Re: AQUADOR 26HT -advice pls, about to buy & boating w/ young kids

Tom,
like Nautorius I also have an aquador (the open 23dc) which has been an absolutely brilliant first boat and seems fairly kiddy-safe. It's too small for a transom gate so no problem there (at SIBS I was quite surprised how flimsy some transom gates are..seems to me to be a key feature with kids (and in our case dog as well) on board). We have a nearly 3-year old who we have taken on the boat since he was a baby. Before they walk it is dead easy in a car seat securely wedged in somewhere. Now he is mobile it is of course lifejacket always. He loves the boat and when we are underway the motion nearly always makes him fall asleep which makes thing even easier!
Boating with kids is good fun (I have some older ones as well).
Cheers
Jon.
 
depends how much oomph you want.Aquadors ok, quite wide girth, and I forget if the cockpit/wheel house is all on one level? Some models are not, which paerhaps isnt good for unstable toddlers?
If you dont mind a more sedate speed, maybe Nimbus offer something you'd like. Very very succesful boats that hardly change which tells you how right they have got it. 260 or 280 maybe;plenty of second hand ones,
 
Not having seen one in person, it looks like a great boat. Nice quality and excellent use of space. Wonder if they'd supply it with a D6 370 :-)

One question, what's that weird dongley fibreglass/metal/wooden thingy hanging at the front of the cabin? Am assuming it's very clever and useful, otherwise I'd want as big an LCD as possible there.

Oh, and does anyone know if the 26 (or larger Aquadors) have genny and A/C options? A/C under the hardtop would be excellent in very hot climes.
 
Ahh...

That is the really clever bit! The front opens up and those are the steps to walk out. Makes mooring a lot easier and safer! Same on the 23HT as well...and is it's best feature if you boat on the Thames!

Cheers

Paul
 
Aaah, thank you Nautorius!

Great idea.

I can't get a sense of perspective from the pics... do you clobber your head on it if sitting at the front of the V?
 
Hi - no experience of the Aquador - but we have two kids - youngest now 3 - was 2 when first started boating. Agree with advice from others on lifejackets. Make the rules - lifejackets always on when on boat, marina pontoons, water taxi, etc.
We found that an old car seat has been great for the youngest - attached a couple of eyes behind the cockpit seating and securely strapped the seat into the cockpit. Whenever we are on the move the youngest is in the 'car' seat with lifejacket. He's comfortable (usually falls asleep), can't 'bounce' out and more importantly we know where he is at all times !!.
Keep plenty of toys, books, games, DVD's on board to keep them entertained. Also agree about keeping journey time down so they don't get bored. Ours are both at the stage where they love it - even managed two weeks on holiday this summer round the south and east devon coast - even with with our 'bad' summer. Kids loved it !
 
I owned the 26DC model - identical to the hard top but with canvas. I can vouch that she is a very safe boat, I crossed the channel a number of times in her and once made a trip from Cherbourg to Jersey in quite big seas when many larger boats turned back. OK I had to slow to displacement speed but I never felt unsafe. Only downside of the boat is that she slams a lot travelling upwind. I found the KAD 43 marginal on power but very economical. It comes very well equipped with diesel fired heating and cooker, a true all weather/all season boat.
 
i think the aquador is great boat, but my experience with kids is that you want a flat cockpit floor, aquadors seem to have steps all over the place and when we trialled one with our toddler we couldnt get comfortable for fear of him falling over all the time.
 
thanks to all you Forumites for the very helpful replies.

reading all the replies, i have a couple of follow on Qs :-

1. (based on comments from SWMBO who has read the replies) - has anyone experience of boating with 2 kids under 3 yrs old? SWMBO wants to know how easy it is to keep them occupied when you arrive at destination (as travelling seems to be the easy bit - provided the weather doesnt turn!). Are you not just magnifying the stress of looking after them at home by cooping them up in a confined space?

2. what running costs (excluding mooring charges - which are thankfully nowhere near South Coast rates on the IOM) can I expect with Aquador 26HT (230hp KAD 43). Am thinking probably about £500 for engine service £600 for outdrive, £1000-1500 for insurance. Am I way off the mark? Fuel consumption seems pretty good on this boat.

Thanks
T
 
We cruised extensivly with our 2 children from birth (they are about three years apart.) on a 26ft then 28ft sportscruiser.

All the advice above is sound, lots of toys and a nice safe deep cockpit (The Aquador is ideal). I fitted seat belts and used them to secure babyseats. To be honest both of my kids used to fall asleep as soon as the V8 started up-of course that may not work with the tractor engine you are looking at

/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

We always picked cruising areas that suited the kids, but we did have the advantage of being able to trail our boat to different destinations. Give it a go, we have never regreted it.


Sorry cant help with the cost estimates, always had a gas guzzler on a trailer.
Mark
 
[ QUOTE ]

1. (based on comments from SWMBO who has read the replies) - has anyone experience of boating with 2 kids under 3 yrs old? SWMBO wants to know how easy it is to keep them occupied when you arrive at destination (as travelling seems to be the easy bit - provided the weather doesnt turn!). Are you not just magnifying the stress of looking after them at home by cooping them up in a confined space?


[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on the destinations you have available. I'm guessing it also depends on the children.

Around where we are, when we anchor at somewhere like Newtown Creek, the next step is to go in the tender and trundle up the river. Or explore the beach. Or walk across the marshy bits along the paths.

Yarmouth, ice creams in town, plus tender ride up the river, plus some time on the beach. I sometimes end up taking pup out while Mum has a break for a couple of hours.

... and so on, you get the idea ... It's normally the pup that calls time and says "can we go back to the big boat now".

dv.
 
Let me give you the other side of the story, my parents started boating when I was 10 months old and my brother wasn;t even a thought /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Siliar sized boat and I remeber times spent on board from I guess about 4 onwards. The best thing you can do is get them involved whenever you can. Sit the at the helm and put them on 'pot watch', get them helping out with fenders and, when a bit older, lines. My dad used to give us a 'wandering fender' - a small light fender on a line that was never going to protect anything, but danglinging it over the side made us feel like we were doind something.

Growing up with a boat in the family formed a large part of a pretty good child hood, and a lot of my very best memories from the early years are all based around what we did on the boat. Mum and Dad kept a few family favourite board games on board for evenings and wet afternoon, but crab lines and fishing gear provided hours of cheap entertainment around the marina in better weather. It was a wrench when they sold their last boat in 2003, even though I hadn't spent a long time on board in several years.

It will be one of the best things you can do with your kids, and these days when we seem to have so little time together as families it is the ideal opportunity to get everyone together. I think your choice of boat is a good one, and importantly is a managebale size as you may have to do a lot of the work yourself - just don;t forget to INVOLVE the kids. Oh, and resist the temptation to put a TV on board - if you do you might as well stay at home /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
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