Best time to buy a boat...and to say hi

[daz969w]

This is my first post...and would like to say hello. I have read alot of the threads on the forum and found some great information for myself being a novice. Just a thread to ask...when would be the best time to find a bargain. I am looking for a small boat... the Sea Ray 215 weekender would be ideal for my first... using it on Rivers and some canals. My share save finishes in December so looking at spending 20k. Would I be right in saying that winter time.

 

[Nautorius]

This is my first post...and would like to say hello. I have read alot of the threads on the forum and found some great information for myself being a novice. Just a thread to ask...when would be the best time to find a bargain. I am looking for a small boat... the Sea Ray 215 weekender would be ideal for my first... using it on Rivers and some canals. My share save finishes in December so looking at spending 20k. Would I be right in saying that winter time.

Firstly welcome and secondly sensible boat choice!

With the size of boat you are looking at, bargains are available all year. The key thing on the SeaRay 215 is condition of the engine and hatches in the Cuddy. If the hatches have been leaking the interior will need replacing and trying to stop a leak is pretty impossible! The engines are normally 5.0l or 5.7ltr Mercury Petrol. These, if looked after, are great. However boats like the Searay tend to sit around and not be used for large periods so definitely get her checked out and do a sea trial.

Sea Ray 215 are very Popular on Ebay so start your search there! Good luck

Paul

 

[Nautibusiness]

Despite popular belief, there really is no good or bad time to buy.
Boats of good value are selling very fast indeed.

The 215EC is a fabulous first "pocket" cruiser and is very capable.
You'll pick up a good one for about £15K.

Just as a comment, it may not be ideal for rivers and canals in as much as they tend to come with a 5 litre petrol engine designed for running fairly fast in open water. It will, of course, do the job, but a diesel cruiser may be better for running all day, everyday at tick over.

Look at something like a Fletcher 19 GTS in diesel. Just selling one right now and it is a fabulous little boat that will still get up and go when taken down to the briney.

 

[beyondtheblue]

My small cruiser as a 5.0Gi petrol engine and as said above the slowest it will go at tick over speed is 5mph, the last thing you want is to keep knocking it in/out of gear.

 

[moonraker 36]

My small cruiser as a 5.0Gi petrol engine and as said above the slowest it will go at tick over speed is 5mph, the last thing you want is to keep knocking it in/out of gear.

yep second that..
the 5.0l plus engine will also be runing a fairly large prop which can make quite abit of wash for canal work.
go for diesel (none turbo)for inland crusing, also diesel is easier to get from marina's.

 

[U4]

This is my first post...and would like to say hello. I have read alot of the threads on the forum and found some great information for myself being a novice. Just a thread to ask...when would be the best time to find a bargain. I am looking for a small boat... the Sea Ray 215 weekender would be ideal for my first... using it on Rivers and some canals. My share save finishes in December so looking at spending 20k. Would I be right in saying that winter time.

I had a searay 215EC as my first boat. Absolutly brilliant boat.

 

[daz969w]

petrol or diesel

Taken this from one of the threads that was posted sometime ago. Some say petrol and others say diesel for rivers


Plenty will argue against it but you are going to be running at low throttle settings on the non tidle Thames and diesels not only don't like it but complain by filling your cockpit with smoke and polishing the inside of the bores (Glazing), vibrating noisely and generaly weighing you down, petrols will be quiter, and remember you will spend most of your time sitting on top of them, will produce virtualy no smoke, will be lighter so the boat is more spritly, and are happy to run at tickover for months. the only downside for your use is that you will either have to pay a premium if you can find waterside petrol or take it to the boat in cans.



Would a smaller prop reduce the tick over speed to be able to use on rivers?

 

[Thepipdoc]

Welcome to the forum Daz.

Do yourself a big favour and if buying a boat with a Mercruiser engine, such as the Sea Ray, then pay particular attention to the exhaust risers and manifolds.
I have recently had first-hand experience of what can happen if the risers fail i.e. crack or block. In my case I was very fortunate and I didn't fry the engine but I've seen one this week where water has entered the engine block through the valves and the engine is almost certainly kaput.
I'm not mechanical enough to know if this is a problem parculiar to the Merc engine or not, but I guess someone on the forum will be able to advise?!
Having said that, in my case the risers were 12 years old and my ignorance was no saviour - I didn't realise the importance of the exhaust system on a boat and paid the consequences of the failure to understand it.
And yes I did have a survey prior to buying the boat which I now think was a complete waste of money. I should have taken along the mechanic that had maintained the boat for the previous 12 years. He had advised the risers should be changed but was ignored by the owner, but hindsight is a great virtue isn’t it?
Good luck anyway with whatever you buy.

 

[moonraker 36]

hmm.. i have the benefit of owning a twin eng diesel boat + a 5.7l v8 petrol.
i wouldnt say the petrol engine was better for canal work as it would be on tick over all the time and would constantly be chocking the engine up.
and i wouldnt go for a big diesel engine boat for inland water use either..
if your going to be using it more on the rivers you should be able to use a little bit more throttle and either type of engine should be ok.
petrol =quiter, smoother
diesel = more econmical,less to go wrong.

p.s the 5.7l merc probley weights as much as one of my perkins 6354t, by the time youved added the riser's + the leg

 

[Kawasaki]

Wouldn't have thought a sports boat is ideal for rivers and canals
But then again you know what you want to achieve in said waters
Bit of skiing an stuff maybe?
Anyway
Was out in the sea in one Tuesday.
Hactually twas the second time on said vessel
Me Man had a few hours with me last year doing the Straits and stuff.
We went out in a fair chop over Caernarfon bar.
For a boat of that size, compared to other American ones I have helmed it coped very well.
When conditions allowed we ran at about 3500 to 4000 revs.
Gave a nice cruising speed of between 20 to 27kts pending on tide (runs a bit round ere!)and fuel consumption was very good imho.
But --- HEED Thepipedoc's comments.
Plus I agree with the first line of Nautibisness's post

 

[daz969w]

Would this be better for rivers / canals

If the 5ltr sea ray 215 is far too powerful for canals and rivers...would the sea ray 240 sundancer be a better buy and have been told the tickover speed for this boat is around 3mph . The reason I like these searays is the plush finishes with a great looking cockpit...I have looked at standard river boats and they look very tired and dated. I do not want to start ripping out and revamping. Hope you can help Cheers Daz

 

[Searush]

If used for slow speed river work - would an auxiliary O/B be sensible? Lots of sports boats used for fishing tend to carry a small trolling o/b for slow speed use.

Heck, I'm only a raggie so anything over 5kts (unless tide assisted) makes my nose bleed!

 

[Kawasaki]

Trouble is Searush, it's a bit akward to mountan auxilliary on some sports boats like the Searay 21
A bathing platform gets in the way on some.
daz969w, think about what you want to do with your boat and where you are using it.
Please inform us why you think a Searay sports boat is ideal for your first boat, apart from the luxurious fit out.

 

[daz969w]

Hi Kawasaki. I would like comfort for long weekends with the girlfriend for use on rivers and canals. I do not need the 5.0 ltr engine but the modern sporty look would be nice. I have looked at river and canal boats and have been given some ideas on the forum...but these boats look dated. do not want to gut the boat and revamp. If I could have the sea ray sundancer 240 with a smaller engine for rivers this would be perfect...but i think that i'm asking too much. I have been to look at canal/river cruisers and find they are very tired...all wood and old fashioned. hope I do not affend anybody. Could you give me some ideas Thanx Kawasaki / searush

 

[Boo2]

My share save finishes in December so looking at spending 20k. Would I be right in saying that winter time.

Hi Daz969w,

I'm in the same boat ( ) in that I've been looking for a sailing boat since last year. I've had my eyes on all the internet sales sites since then and istm that the best time was late August to early October. Sorry to say (from your pov) the worst time was from December and into March

Of course this year may be completely different but I'm hoping I'll find something this autumn...

Boo2

 

[colingr]

For my ten pennorth make sure you try any prospective boat out in the conditions that you anticipate using it. A sports boat designed to handle on the plane at speed may well not handle well on the river. They tend to blow about and not like going slow.

Also the engine might not like constant slow use.

 

[Nautibusiness]

For my ten pennorth make sure you try any prospective boat out in the conditions that you anticipate using it. A sports boat designed to handle on the plane at speed may well not handle well on the river. They tend to blow about and not like going slow.

Also the engine might not like constant slow use.

May not actually "fit" on many canals either.

It will slip and slide at slow speeds with the bow getting away from you from time to time.

Of course the OP may like the comfort and it WILL do the job requested, but it's a very inefficient use of space for an on the water caravan and it will be relatively difficult to handle compared with said caravans.

 

[beyondtheblue]

You also need to remember that the draft of a 240 sundancer is around 1mtr. (leg down) empty. By the time your fully loaded you need to be allowing for 1.2mtr at least. A narrow boat is around .7mtr draft. You dont want to be churning up river and canal debris with a £1000 stainless duoprop.

 

[daz969w]

Nautibuisness. Just looking at the Fletcher 19 gts sport cruiser...on the fletcher web site. British built, great looking , smaller engines for canals and rivers, good weekender, I was just showing the girlfriend and she loves it. THANX BUD PERFECT

 

[daz969w]

draft question

You also need to remember that the draft of a 240 sundancer is around 1mtr. (leg down) empty. By the time your fully loaded you need to be allowing for 1.2mtr at least. A narrow boat is around .7mtr draft. You dont want to be churning up river and canal debris with a £1000 stainless duoprop.

To keep the prop safe from fouling the bottom of a canal what would be a safe draft... leg down. The boat in question is a Fletcher 19 gts 1.7 ltr diesel

Hope this makes sense.novice here