Bowrider or Cruiser

N

Nosealegsyet

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 May 2019
Messages
421
Location
Worthing West Sussex
Visit site
Im going to upgrade my boat, currently have a 5.5 metre cabin, its moored in Spain, and we haven't used the cabin once , only for storing life jackets etc.To me the cabins are pokey and claustrophobic , I would never get a good nights kip in them anyway. She will stay in Spain from September through May, and then the Summer Months I will bring her home, and tow her to different parts of the UK. So my next one, has to be trailable as this one is, maximum length of 7-7.5 metres.Im driving myself crazy not knowing which way to go. I love the bow riders, they are roomy and spacious, and would be ideal for Spain, but then I think when I bring her home for the Summer am I going to be sorry? Would I of wished I bought a cabin cruiser?The cabin cruiser would only be a protection from the weather I think, I cant imagine ever wanting to sleep on a boat, Is there something ive missed, is there an in-between that would suit all my needs. Thankyou
 
Bow riders are classic American boat style. Many of us probably started with one in the days when the pound was so strong (I miss those days) and lots were imported. So we have some experience, for a start, a bow rider is in essence an open boat. That means you have to be a little extra careful in the conditions in which you go out unless drainage is very good. To me that means outboard powered only, because inboard engine bow riders can sometimes only have a bilge pump to clear water and if you take a wave over the bow the pump may struggle.
You say the cabin is unusable but that is at 5.5m. At 7.5m you might find it’s a nice place to spend the night at anchor
 
Talking old money a 24 foot boat is a nice size offering you quite a lot of space, sleeping area, galley and a head what more would you need which is still trailable.
 
Bouba said:
Bow riders are classic American boat style. Many of us probably started with one in the days when the pound was so strong (I miss those days) and lots were imported. So we have some experience, for a start, a bow rider is in essence an open boat. That means you have to be a little extra careful in the conditions in which you go out unless drainage is very good. To me that means outboard powered only, because inboard engine bow riders can sometimes only have a bilge pump to clear water and if you take a wave over the bow the pump may struggle.
You say the cabin is unusable but that is at 5.5m. At 7.5m you might find it’s a nice place to spend the night at anchor
Click to expand...

yes maybe so
 
I have a 4.85m swedish centre consol bowrider. Been out in weather that I probably should not have been . Great little boat. The windscreen keeps the wind and waves off me in cold weather.
I've had two people wanting to buy it to take it to Spain.
I have a sailing boat if I need a cabin.
 
I had a 20ft bowrider (Mariah FS20) for several years. Used to keep her on the SOuth coast, and tow her to Spain every summer for 3 weeks. Was fabulous in Spain, chilling in a bay, and for water sports. . And was fabulous in the UK when the weather was perfect. Perfect meaning wind was an F1 or F2. As soon as you hit towards a strong F3, , those in the back got wet and the solent chop meant it got very uncomfortable. Lots of slamming.
In short, for the UK, we were very limited by weather. I now have a 25ft cruiser, single inboard engine, still with nice social area outside and sunbathing capability, but enclosed cockpit when I want, and it is perfect for the variable UK weather. Also, the deep V hull means I no longer care about the wind, F4 and F5 is perfectly fine now.
 
chillee said:
I had a 20ft bowrider (Mariah FS20) for several years. Used to keep her on the SOuth coast, and tow her to Spain every summer for 3 weeks. Was fabulous in Spain, chilling in a bay, and for water sports. . And was fabulous in the UK when the weather was perfect. Perfect meaning wind was an F1 or F2. As soon as you hit towards a strong F3, , those in the back got wet and the solent chop meant it got very uncomfortable. Lots of slamming.
In short, for the UK, we were very limited by weather. I now have a 25ft cruiser, single inboard engine, still with nice social area outside and sunbathing capability, but enclosed cockpit when I want, and it is perfect for the variable UK weather. Also, the deep V hull means I no longer care about the wind, F4 and F5 is perfectly fine now.
Click to expand...

Im quite comfortable with an F3, but one day on the Mar Menor it was an F4 and we got drenched, and it was quite spooky. May I ask what boat you drive now, thankyou
 
have to say, we caught in some pretty bad weather in spain too. Took quite some concentration getting home some afternoons.
I have a Hardy Seawings 254. Probably too heavy to tow to Spain unless you have a Range Rover.
 
If I was to do it all again, I would have had a 20ft cuddy, where I could have sunpads on the roof of the cuddy. And a full canopy option for the cockpit. This way I could have made max use of the boat in Spain, just using the cuddy for the head and storage, and been able to keep dryer in the UK. Biggest worry I had with the bowrider was not burying the nose in a big swell. As she was not self draining, it could potentially be disastrous. With a cuddy, I think you are somewhat more protected from this issue .
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Im going to upgrade my boat, currently have a 5.5 metre cabin, its moored in Spain, and we haven't used the cabin once , only for storing life jackets etc.To me the cabins are pokey and claustrophobic , I would never get a good nights kip in them anyway. She will stay in Spain from September through May, and then the Summer Months I will bring her home, and tow her to different parts of the UK. So my next one, has to be trailable as this one is, maximum length of 7-7.5 metres.Im driving myself crazy not knowing which way to go. I love the bow riders, they are roomy and spacious, and would be ideal for Spain, but then I think when I bring her home for the Summer am I going to be sorry? Would I of wished I bought a cabin cruiser?The cabin cruiser would only be a protection from the weather I think, I cant imagine ever wanting to sleep on a boat, Is there something ive missed, is there an in-between that would suit all my needs. Thankyou
Click to expand...
have a look at the bayliners, bud i got a 2052 trophy inboard diesel and i love mine yes it s a 120 hp and goes pretty well ,,,mine is a hard top with a canvas entrance ,,but mine is a fishing boat not kitted out with all the singing and dancing gadgets lol
 
I would go for a cabin cruiser (sport cruiser), it gives you so much more when the weather is not perfect which is quite often in the UK. I had a open top boat and found it was quite limiting and people simply didn't want to get wet every time we went out. Your best bet is to have a look at various cruisers to see how you feel about it, have a look at the Sealine S23/S25 or the earlier S24, kind of the best example of a 25ft cabin cruiser.
 
Gunna throw a wildcard in here, Jeanneau Cap Camarat 755. It’s got good cockpit seating, a large sun pad area at the bow, small cabin with 2 berth & seperate heads compartment. Id imagine they’re easy to tow around aswell. Also having an outboard is good if you want to go into shallower waters etc
 
[181131] said:
Gunna throw a wildcard in here, Jeanneau Cap Camarat 755. It’s got good cockpit seating, a large sun pad area at the bow, small cabin with 2 berth & seperate heads compartment. Id imagine they’re easy to tow around aswell. Also having an outboard is good if you want to go into shallower waters etc
Click to expand...

Ive looked at this boat many times, and yes its a good boat, but I also like the Sea Ray Sunsport 230, doesn't anyone have any comments on that boat, there are hardly any for sale, ive only found a couple
 
chillee said:
I had a 20ft bowrider (Mariah FS20) for several years. Used to keep her on the SOuth coast, and tow her to Spain every summer for 3 weeks. Was fabulous in Spain, chilling in a bay, and for water sports. . And was fabulous in the UK when the weather was perfect. Perfect meaning wind was an F1 or F2. As soon as you hit towards a strong F3, , those in the back got wet and the solent chop meant it got very uncomfortable. Lots of slamming.
In short, for the UK, we were very limited by weather. I now have a 25ft cruiser, single inboard engine, still with nice social area outside and sunbathing capability, but enclosed cockpit when I want, and it is perfect for the variable UK weather. Also, the deep V hull means I no longer care about the wind, F4 and F5 is perfectly fine now.
Click to expand...

Yes I think this might be the best option, then as you say its suitable for all weathers.
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Ive looked at this boat many times, and yes its a good boat, but I also like the Sea Ray Sunsport 230, doesn't anyone have any comments on that boat, there are hardly any for sale, ive only found a couple
Click to expand...
Sea Ray are good boats, the Sunsport 230 has a lot of cockpit space, maybe for the UK I would go for a cabin cruiser as mentioned above, if you are towing a 24ft boat you will be looking at around 3.5t complete with trailer, so would need a vehicle capable of towing that, quite a few have a max towing capability of 3t, so a Land Rover Discovery, Defender or similar would be required. I think you will find that to have somewhere to get out of the bad weather with the ability to make a brew or cook and with the luxury of a toilet makes life a bit more comfortable. Good luck with your search!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

P
Suggest a Yacht please
2 3 4
Replies
73
Views
2K
Greenheart
Greenheart

Share this page

Top