Boat sold - £75k tops on new one - any ideas?

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Overdraught

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So, offer subject to survey on mine. Have the winter to find a bargain but could use some help in shortlisting.

Requirements:

4 berth
Diesel (single or twin)
30-34'
£75k tops
No older than 2000

Short list so far is:

Targa 30
Bavaria 29/32
Sea Ray 315

possibly S28

Any comments on these or other suggestions? I want something that looks good in sports cruiser style, cruises at 25-28 knots, with decent track record.

We are family of 4 (2 x children 7 & 5) based in Poole and are hoping to cruise south coast and further afield to CI's etc.

Any owners of these out there or something else that fits the bill?

cheers
Adam
 
If you're willing to go a little older for more space how about this ? . There are also some others for £85k but maybe an end of season bargain to be had if you haggled.
 
Your suggested crusing speed is quite high.

My S28 will cruise at 22-24kts on flat water.

Alternatives would be the Bavaria 32, Targa 30, probably not the Sea Ray. Also look at Doral.

dv.
 
If you go older you can get a lot more boat for your money. I think condition is more the issue, as opposed to age, with boats.
You will be snug with four on a 28 footer and it won't take the seas as well as something a bit bigger. For the money you are thinking of spending there are a lot of mid-90's 34-37 footers around e.g Targas, Sunseekers etc
 
Adam

We have the SeaRay 315 with a single KAD 44 & bow thruster, great family boat. We only cruse at about 20-22knots (easy on the fuel!) but can hit 30 knots flat out fully loaded.

Marina Marbella did some cracking deals on some new in 2005/6 boats with the KAD 300, if you could pick one of those up second hand for your budget you would have a super boat that was still new enough not to give trouble.

We are based in Hamble, PM me if you want to have a look at a 315 close up.
 
you might want to give serious thought to single or twin. For mainly Solent cruising, I d definitely go for a single, but older boats will probably be set up with that English demand for twins.
With 4 of you, I d take a hard look at the Targa 29 rather than the 30; always seemed a step backwards to me. Sorry to anyone who has one, but I thought the Prestancia had all the handling of a bathtub. Wallowed about all over the place.
Have a look at Cranchi; not the greatest finish available but some not bad thought out boats. Just depends if the styling suits you though. What do the Montereys cost? They seem well thought of.
 
Like Greg says, age is not that relevant, but condition is. A 1997 boat with 1000hrs on the engines is likely to be a better proposition than a 2002 boat with 100hrs. A boat that does 100 hours a year is likely to have had far more effort and money spent on maintenance, and likely to give you less trouble than on that does 20 a year. Older means bigger, and while that means more in mooring fees, it also means better accomodation and better seakeeping.

We moved out of a Targa 29 when our kids were 7 and 9 because it was just too small for prolonged use.
 
IMHO, this is a bit of an old wives tale. The fact is that the market equates low hours with a higher price and vice versa just like cars. Whilst I might agree that engines benefit from regular use, it does mean that all the other components on the boat have had similar use so, on a 1000hr boat, all the other oily bits and domestic equipment will have had 1000hrs use as well which means that those bits are closer to having to be replaced. Then the interior furnishings are also likely to show 1000hrs use as well which means grubby carpets and upholstery and renewing those is not cheap
Personally I would go for a pristine low hours boat every time always providing a detailed mechanical and engine survey checks out rather than a well used high hours boat even if it's been well cared for.
 
Hi,

Does yours have black covers and teak cockpit? We spent some time over at Port Hamble a couple of weeks ago and were admiring one on the same pontoon as us. A friend also has a 315 and we really like them. Its a toss up between a separate cabin or a dinette?

There are a few 315's around and the prices are very attractive so still in the mix
 
Merry Fisher 925 perhaps?

There is so much choice in that price range, I would suggest trying out as many boats as possible, maybe forumites could take you for trips and you can get a feel for different boats?

As we sell Jeanneaus I can arrange a trip on a 925 Merry Fisher if you would like, but will struggle with anything else pretty new for that price.

We do however have a Cranchi 30 from 2003 I think coming in within budget which i could arrange for you to see.

With looking at boats that recent the Southampton Boat Show is a good place to look at all the new boats, which possible will not be significantly different from those a few years old in terms of layout and fit out.

Good luck with your search, if you would like any specific help please drop me a PM.

Ben
 
Thanks to you all for your thoughts.

I'm trying to go for 29-30' minimum and although bigger is better for sea handling, I've been very happy with my 26' Sea Ray so anything longer, wider and heavier should be an improvement.

The reason for wanting a post 2000 boat is partly aesthetics, which might sound shallow but some of the Sunseekers and earlier Targa's from mid nineties are very angular and to my mind look dated.

I'm less concerned about hours but would be worried at approaching 1000, not because I don't think the engines can cope, but more about the market perception than anything else. Not all buyers would be as enlightened as some on this forum.

I will take a look at a Cranchi and a Gobbi and have a happy few months viewing! The Fairline is right up there at moment but will trawl the boat show for some other inspiration

Adam
 
For that budget a Targa 30 has go to be the boat. There have been some nice 2000/2001 models around with the lux pack and blue hull for around £75-80k - Essex boatyards have a couple I think, plus some other boats in the price range.

You could always go new of course. The new Bayliner 300 looks like a cracking boat, nicely styled and in the last 3 or 4 years they have really work on the quality of materials used and the internal fit and finish has much improved. With the dollar weak, if you deal hard I reckon a diesel boat could be had for close to your budget.

275.jpg


bayliner_300_innen.jpg
 
It's probably top of my list.

You're quite a pro-Bavaria man Jez, would you take a T30 over a Bav 32 Sport? Bav's on market at about £85k, so could be a stretch

Would look at a Bayliner but not usre I could spend £75 big ones on one...would I always be justifying and explaining that Bayliners really are good boats.....?
 
You are right, I am a pro-Bavaria man and I think they build very nice boats. The 32 has always split my opinion a bit. The mid cabin is huge (they always are on Bavs) and I liked the permanent forward berth meaning no-one is a sleep on your saloon when you have four on board - even if it is a hop in bunk.

I never felt the cockpit was the best design, they changed it from the earlier 300 Sport and I felt for the worse. The advantage of the 32 is that you will be able to get the later D series of engines, which are much more efficient than the KAD series as they or direct injection with better engine management. It is a bigger, newer, more spacius boat than the T30, but not as good looking. In terms of performance, Bavaria know how to build hulls and there is no problems on that front. Definitely worth strong consideration - you will either really like the cabin layout or it wont work for you at all.

KNow what you mean about the Bayliner - I guess they still have a stigma attached to them which is a shame, becuase they are really rather good now. I guess they are the Skoda of the seas, great product but some just wont on principle /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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