Buying my first boat - advice needed please?

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Andrew E

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Hi there,

I don't know much about boats, engines or sailing but I've always been obsessed with having my own boat. Recently I've come into a bit of money (not that much mind) and thought to myself, why don't I fullfill my childhood dream and buy myself a boat.

I've heard many people say that the day a man buys a boat is his happiest and saddest so this could be the worst decision of my life...

I live in the Southampton area so ideally I'd like to keep the boat somewhere in Southampton water (Hamble, Hythe etc) or possibly the Solent (Lymington etc) . I don't have any facilities to the store the boat at home and currently don't have a vehicle with a tow bar so ideally I would need the boat stored near the shore or at least have the marina facilities to launch the boat every summer. In terms of marina/mooring facilities, Hythe Marina village is lovely but I expect it's quite expensive so realistically I'd like somewhere relatively cheap, safe (behind a lock and key /pincode), somewhere with power/water facilities and as I said above a marina that could take my boat out of the water every winter and put into dry storage.

The sort of boat I'm looking for is a small cabin cruiser, around 20ft with enough space for 2 people to sleep for one night and deck space to entertain around 4 people (BBQs, fishing trips etc). I'm not particularly fussed about speed or engine size - I'd prefer it to be as fuel efficent as possible. My cost estimates for the boats I've looked at are around £50 an hour running costs - which scares me so if could find a 20fter that runs for less than £50 an hour I'd be a happy man!!

The furthest I'd take the boat is around the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth or perhaps into Poole Bay. To be honest we'll probably spend most of time just in the marina.

I've had a look at the Invader 210 Cuddy and the Fletcher 180 sports cruiser (all early 1990, late 1980s). All very nice boats but a little bit over my budget which is around 4.5k (but could stretch if i found something a little more expensive).

I've posted this as I just need some general advice on what steps to take, places to see boats in the Southampton area and what to look out for when buying a boat? I'm not from a boating family and none of my friends or work colleagues have boats so I'm just after some advice really.

Thanks very much :)
 
Just giving this a bump as I think the OP has fallen victim to the delayed registration gremlin.

Can't really answer the queries but, £50 an hour?! I could motor for about two days on that sort of budget.
Suggest you consider displacement hulls and small 4 stroke engines, if you're worried about fuel costs.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Given the sort of boat you think you're looking for, you might do better asking this question on the motorboat forum, elsewhere on ybw.com.
Click to expand...


his mind is open

provided he does not need a planing boat then a small yacht would be cheaper and the view from the cockpit is great - most of the places he wants to potter around he will not be able to use a planing hull

Dylan
 
Last edited:
Mavanier said:
Just giving this a bump as I think the OP has fallen victim to the delayed registration gremlin.

Can't really answer the queries but, £50 an hour?! I could motor for about two days on that sort of budget.
Suggest you consider displacement hulls and small 4 stroke engines, if you're worried about fuel costs.
Click to expand...

I agree. My Sadler 29/VP2002 diesel costs about £2 per hour in fuel when motoring. The O.P.isn't interested in speed or engine size but wants to keep running costs low.
 
Welcome to the forum. Have a look for a Corribee or something similar. It's a 21' sailing yacht. It'll take you pretty much anywhere you want to go and you won't need much fuel or an expensive mooring.

Best advice is to find a sailing club or put a notice up on the forum in the crew seeking/wanted section. There are folk who will teach you to sail, but you also need to learn the 'rules of the road'. Even better, see if you can find a local RYA school which can give you a beginner's course.

Good luck. Go for it.
 
If you are set on a cabin cruiser it might be best to put this question to the motor boat men, on that forum. They will have all the options at their fingertips and be up to date with costs.

Most of the horrific running costs are clocked up by large engines pushing big boats at planing speeds. You ought to be able to toddle along, at modest speed, on almost anything and not break the bank. A sailing boat with stowed sails is just a cabin cruiser so, if the idea interests you, a small sailing yacht might suit. The cockpit might be smaller than you would want and finding one smart enough for entertaining might be a challenge - depending on the money available of course.
 
Although I am a totally committed sailor, I also keep a 26 ft motorsailer (for which read motorboat) in Milford Haven. It has not had a great deal of use so far but I would be amazed and horrified if it cost £50 per hour to run. We chug along at 5 knots driven by a 2.5 litre BMC diesel which I would think might consume somewhere between 1 and 2 gallons per hour.

The boat is a 1973 Colvic Northerner, comfortable for four people with a good galley, heads and a nice wheelhouse. We have spent loads of time doing her up, all we need now is some nice winter weather to use her in. Our budget was bigger than yours but there are plenty of older boats around.
 
Our first boat with a roof to keep the rain out was a 35 year old, 19 foot Caprice which we bought off ebay not so many years ago for £250 plus another £200 for a second hand outboard. It floated, didn't let much rain in and cost virtually nothing to run. So, it really can be done for very little if you are on a tight budget.

A retired friend of ours, with no previous sailing experience of any kind, lashed out the princely sum of £1000 for a 21 footer last autumn and is having a fantastic time renovating it from a berth in the marina - though his view of renovation does seem to involve a lot of sitting in the cockpit with a glass of wine and some olives.
 
Andrew E said:
Hi there,

I live in the Southampton area so ideally I'd like to keep the boat somewhere in Southampton water (Hamble, Hythe etc) or possibly the Solent (Lymington etc) . I don't have any facilities to the store the boat at home and currently don't have a vehicle with a tow bar so ideally I would need the boat stored near the shore or at least have the marina facilities to launch the boat every summer. In terms of marina/mooring facilities, Hythe Marina village is lovely but I expect it's quite expensive so realistically I'd like somewhere relatively cheap, safe (behind a lock and key /pincode), somewhere with power/water facilities and as I said above a marina that could take my boat out of the water every winter and put into dry storage.
Click to expand...

Before you start looking for boats I'd search around and find out what you would need to pay for what you've specified above. I wouldn't want to put you off but that may just prove a deal breaker.
 
alahol2 said:
Before you start looking for boats I'd search around and find out what you would need to pay for what you've specified above. I wouldn't want to put you off but that may just prove a deal breaker.
Click to expand...

+1

You can get a quote for Premier Marinas here: http://www.premiermarinas.com/pages/12_month_berthing_quote

If you don't mind travelling a little further and sitting on the mud at low water, there are much cheaper options such as Quay Lane Boatyard, Gosport: http://www.quaylaneboatyard.co.uk/fees_and_charges.htm

Swinging moorings can offer an economical alternative - particularly if they dry and you join a club.

Your choice of mooring may restrict your choice of boats so, in your position, I'd look at mooring options first.
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks very much for your replies. Really helpful :) It's certainly got me thinking about a yacht, especially because of the lower fuel costs however we've got our minds set on a cuddy and I think now I've told the kids they've got their hearts set on waterskiing behind it (not that I'm going to let that happen in the sea ;)

In the next couple of weeks we're going to price berthings and dry stacks etc and see what the best option is. If it works out too expensive I'm tempted to buy a cheap 4x4 (no more a few hundred pounds) and store the boat elsewhere and launch from a public slipway.

Hope you don't mind but I've posted this on the motorboat forum.

Thanks again,
 
Do not buy a project if you want to enjoy being on the water! Something in need of cosmetic tidying maybe ok. Plenty of boats for sale. Bide your time. Keep looking. And buy what you fall in love wth
 
Hi Andrew

Can I make a suggestion......don't buy a boat.........well not yet.
I cant gauge your experience but it seems to me that you dont know what you want so you need to get yourself around those that have been there before.
I cant speak about motorboats but come and have a sail with Ashdown Sailing Club. There are different types of sailing boats all based in the Solent area and you can experience what it is like to sail, speak to people who have been through the decision making process and also learn what to do (and not to do). There is no substitute for experience.

I am sure that there must be other clubs based around motorboats.

I hope this helps. PM me if you would like some more info. Include you phone number if you would like a call. In the meantime the website is www.ashdownsailing.org.uk

Gerry www.sadler32forsale.com

Oh and BTW this post is meant to be helpful, not a plug to try and sell you my boat!....honest!..... I refer to my first sentence.
 
Cost of running a boat. I calculated that over many years my little 21ft sail boat has cost around the 10squid per hour of sailing to own it.
Now this includes club membership, Insurance on boat, registration of boat 100squid per year (NA to you) trailer registration/insurance, mooring registration 300squid per year then all the replacement sails paint etc over 30 years.
All this is predicated on 80 to100 hrs per year actual sailing. Does not include fuel. To pay someone to do some of the work would increase that dramatically.
The point is these costs are all fixed to own the boat and it costs in my case very little difference whether I sail it or not.
With a motor boat well yes it will cost for fuel but that is still a small part of overall costs.
The kind of boat you have in mind are extremely popular around here. Always kept on a trailer at home. Towed to a public ramp with a big car (more common here) and probably mostly used very little. Still a lot of fun. good luck olewill
 
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