Boats you can Trailer

[Bigplumbs]

I am still doing my research for our next boat. We want to make the move to a 24 - 25 foot sports cruiser (4 birth) that we will trailer about 20 miles at the start of the season and 20 miles back as I have space at home to store it over the winter and I cant afford to pay marina fees. My budget is £33,000 as a top end including a trailer. I have a Discovery 2 so can tow up to 3.5T and I am old so no problem with a towing licence. I tow a lot of things so no real worry about the towing. I have a swinging mooring which is where it will be during the season

I have looked at Sealine S23's with KAD32 engines which will finish at the very top of my budget with the trailer. I know these are trailable

I am looking at a Chaparral Signature 240 with a V8 Petrol. Has anyone experience of towing these legally in the UK

also any other boats you think I should consider.

This is my current set up

Thanks in advance

Dennis

 

[Jim@sea]

I am still doing my research for our next boat. We want to make the move to a 24 - 25 foot sports cruiser (4 birth) that we will trailer about 20 miles at the start of the season and 20 miles back as I have space at home to store it over the winter and I cant afford to pay marina fees. My budget is £33,000 as a top end including a trailer. I have a Discovery 2 so can tow up to 3.5T and I am old so no problem with a towing licence. I tow a lot of things so no real worry about the towing. I have a swinging mooring which is where it will be during the season

I have looked at Sealine S23's with KAD32 engines which will finish at the very top of my budget with the trailer. I know these are trailable

I am looking at a Chaparral Signature 240 with a V8 Petrol. Has anyone experience of towing these legally in the UK

also any other boats you think I should consider.

This is my current set up

Thanks in advance

Dennis

 

[Jim@sea]

Although some of them are getting to be 20 years old I regret selling my 25ft Skibsplast Power Boat, It had a Yanmar 140 hp Diesel, shaft drive and towed like a dream. It would do 25 knots using very little diesel.
These are the sort of boats which should be manufactured today,
I imagine that today's boat manufacturers prefer Outboards purely because of Cash Flow. Build a boat with an inboard diesel and they part with £20,000 plus during construction, but build an outboard powered boat, the engine only needs fitting (and paid for) when the boat is sold.
(Sorry to digress)

 

[Bigplumbs]

Although some of them are getting to be 20 years old I regret selling my 25ft Skibsplast Power Boat, It had a Yanmar 140 hp Diesel, shaft drive and towed like a dream. It would do 25 knots using very little diesel.
These are the sort of boats which should be manufactured today,
I imagine that today's boat manufacturers prefer Outboards purely because of Cash Flow. Build a boat with an inboard diesel and they part with £20,000 plus during construction, but build an outboard powered boat, the engine only needs fitting (and paid for) when the boat is sold.
(Sorry to digress)

True and useful info about the Skibsplast. I will have a search

 

[russ]

I am still doing my research for our next boat. We want to make the move to a 24 - 25 foot sports cruiser (4 birth) that we will trailer about 20 miles at the start of the season and 20 miles back as I have space at home to store it over the winter and I cant afford to pay marina fees. My budget is £33,000 as a top end including a trailer. I have a Discovery 2 so can tow up to 3.5T and I am old so no problem with a towing licence. I tow a lot of things so no real worry about the towing. I have a swinging mooring which is where it will be during the season

I have looked at Sealine S23's with KAD32 engines which will finish at the very top of my budget with the trailer. I know these are trailable

I am looking at a Chaparral Signature 240 with a V8 Petrol. Has anyone experience of towing these legally in the UK

also any other boats you think I should consider.

This is my current set up

Thanks in advance

Dennis

Just had my, up for sale, Bayliner 265 Towed by a standard trailer to another cruising ground. Probably the largest boat you can legally tow on U.K. roads. Great boats for the money.

 

[GrahamHR]

Four Winns 225, 245 with the 5.7 small block or 8.1 big block V8 Volvo Penta. SBS 3500 trailer, or better still an American "I" beam aluminium trailer converted to European 50 mm hitch and ( inferior) but legal drum brakes

 

[Bigplumbs]

Four Winns 225, 245 with the 5.7 small block or 8.1 big block V8 Volvo Penta. SBS 3500 trailer, or better still an American "I" beam aluminium trailer converted to European 50 mm hitch and ( inferior) but legal drum brakes

5.7 a small block. That is huge in my view Thanks for the information though

Dennis

 

[wipe_out]

As an alternative have you considered some of the pilot house boats? We have a Merry Fisher 695 on a trailer.. Up to 4 berths (6 if you have the cockpit enclosure and don't mind sleeping out there on the sun pad), enclosed head with holding tank and surprisingly good on fuel with the outboard.. Servicing also much better than our previous inboard boat.. Lots of spaces to hang out with the cockpit, the dinette, the convertible V berth and the fore deck..

Our setup..

 

[Bigplumbs]

As an alternative have you considered some of the pilot house boats? We have a Merry Fisher 695 on a trailer.. Up to 4 berths (6 if you have the cockpit enclosure and don't mind sleeping out there on the sun pad), enclosed head with holding tank and surprisingly good on fuel with the outboard.. Servicing also much better than our previous inboard boat.. Lots of spaces to hang out with the cockpit, the dinette, the convertible V berth and the fore deck..

Our setup..

I have considered those and they are very nice boats and an outboard is a great advantage. The only down side I see is I love to helm out in the open and feel the wind in my hair (What little I have left).

Does yours have a sun roof

Lovely set up by the way

Dennis

 

[Mr Googler]

Wind in your hair you say! Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[Bouba]

View attachment 64253

Wind in your hair you say! Sorry, couldn't resist

And I thought that Freeman no longer make boats

 

[wipe_out]

Does yours have a sun roof

Yes, we have the two side opening windows and the large opening sun roof..

I thought I would miss the "outside" feel but I really haven't and when you get an unexpected rain shower or the wind comes up all we have to do is walk inside and sit at the dinette till it passes.. No messing about getting the bimini up and the sides zipped in like we had to do previously..

 

[Bigplumbs]

Yes, we have the two side opening windows and the large opening sun roof..

I thought I would miss the "outside" feel but I really haven't and when you get an unexpected rain shower or the wind comes up all we have to do is walk inside and sit at the dinette till it passes.. No messing about getting the bimini up and the sides zipped in like we had to do previously..

What was your previous boat

Dennis

 

[wipe_out]

What was your previous boat

Dennis

A Larson Cabrio 254...

 

[rwoofer]

As a lifelong sailor myself, I mainly boat to get outdoors, but I have to agree the Merry Fisher concept does not make you feel like you are inside. Visibility is so good, that with sunroof, windows and doors open it is barely any different than being outside in good weather, but a world of difference when it turns for the worst. I have the MF645 which is the same as the 695 except for some mid-life changes.

 

[BartW]

just for inspiration,
this is our Karnic 2660 sport fisher, with twin inboard diesel (VP D3)
boat length is 8,5m !

picture is in Oban,
but we towed her from Belgium also to Cornwall, Sof, and Croatia,
Towcar is a Merc GL

 

[ashtonmarineservices]

Hi

some interesting boats here and I spend half my life on this types of boat so
skipblast . simply stunning build quality and handling
Merryfisher range: bling, but sorry have been in far better boats
Finnmaster boats are well worth a look but like all Scandinavian boats they hold their values v well
Karnic. Not a boat range I have spent much time with but in 1.5 m waves (ish) it felt ok. Not quite as smooth as some but up there and the build quality was better than average.
Draco: love them. put a smile on your face every time you go out but again you pay for that build quality

There are loads of others and if in no rush go the Dusseldorf boat show in Jan as they will all be there

Dave

 

[Boat2016]

just for inspiration,
this is our Karnic 2660 sport fisher, with twin inboard diesel (VP D3)
boat length is 8,5m !

picture is in Oban,
but we towed her from Belgium also to Cornwall, Sof, and Croatia,
Towcar is a Merc GL

What does that weigh? Not sure that would be road legal in uk with our towing limits

 

[BartW]

What does that weigh? Not sure that would be road legal in uk with our towing limits

"on paper" with no fuel, no water, and no stuff in the boat, it is 3500kg,
The alluminium Harbeck trailer, and the car are rated 3500kg towing weight

 

[Boat2016]

"on paper" with no fuel, no water, and no stuff in the boat, it is 3500kg,
The alluminium Harbeck trailer, and the car are rated 3500kg towing weight

Thanks