buying Rodman 800

S

Sea Lion

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Hi All

thinking of buying a 2004 Rodman 800 with single volvo 300 (285hp)/ having looked through the previous posts on the boat, build quality looks good but most discussions have been about boats with twins rather then a single engine.

i like the idea of a single, will be cheaper to run and shouldn't be too much difference in speeds? does anyone have experience of the boat with a single? is 28' too small for a flybridge (does it cause stability issues?).

i would be trading up from a ocqueteau 615, of the competition (B760, MF 805) the rodman looks the best as it actually has a door to the forward cabin which seems useful with two small children to get to sleep, although the cabin is probably smaller then the b760 and the flybridge

any advice on what i should look out for and general comments on the boats greatly appreciated

thanks
 
Sea Lion said:
Hi All

thinking of buying a 2004 Rodman 800 with single volvo 300 (285hp)/ having looked through the previous posts on the boat, build quality looks good but most discussions have been about boats with twins rather then a single engine.

i like the idea of a single, will be cheaper to run and shouldn't be too much difference in speeds? does anyone have experience of the boat with a single? is 28' too small for a flybridge (does it cause stability issues?).

i would be trading up from a ocqueteau 615, of the competition (B760, MF 805) the rodman looks the best as it actually has a door to the forward cabin which seems useful with two small children to get to sleep, although the cabin is probably smaller then the b760 and the flybridge

any advice on what i should look out for and general comments on the boats greatly appreciated

thanks
Click to expand...

Can't help you with the specifics of the model, but our Benny 9 series is similar size with single engine. The twin v single engine topic has been done to death many times on here, a search should show you the past threads. Personally I prefer the single.
Yes, cabin door will be a blessing, flybridge is useable but you don't want to be up there in anything much above flat calm.
Happy hunting! :)
 
I have an Astinor 840 Flybridge with single Yanmar 250.

Very, very similar boat. Rodman is built on the other side of the ria to Astinor.

Top speed is only 20 knots. With 170 twins I've been told you'd get 26 knots. Very happy with stability but at high speed (which I rarely ever do) there is a little bit of engine torque, which can make her lean slightly to one side.

Great sea handling. Mine came through a F8 on a 13 hour passage from Milford Haven to Cork fine. It looked and felt like a F12 but the hull handled it well.
 
Rodman alternative

We looked at the Rodmans and liked them but ended up going for an Ocqueteau 900 (now 975) as it had two double cabins (rather than the single in the 840) and twin nanni 175 on shafts which, IMHO make it feel more "planted" than our old 805 for similar money.

I am about to put ours on the market as we are looking to go bigger again -the family just keeps on growing... so if interested pm me!
 
Rodmans are very good sea boats, heavily built and very solid. They can be quite a wet ride, but are stable in the water. Twins give you more performance and plant you even more solidly in the water, but access to the twin motors on an 800 is VERY tight. The single should give a bit more room down there. As philiz says, you will probably need to hold on tight on the FB in anything lumpy, but all smaller FBs can suffer from that. Overall I think they are very capable package. But like every boat, it finally depands on how she has been cared for. I looked at a 2004 model (as did another forumite) a couple of years back and it was a dog, having been imported from Spain and used as Charter. But, a good surveyor and engine man will pick up these issues and are well worth the money.

Have fun.
 
Blackfeather said:
No, no ,no noooooooooooooooooooooo


Coming back from Cherbourg. Drizabone.....


http://www.ybw.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=12189&stc=1&d=1308588812
Click to expand...

Ok maybe not in those conditions but in a bit of a bit of swell I have witnessed a fair bit water over bow. This was in an 800 and 1040. Not a problem at all, but more than you get on other similar boats I thought. If you have one, and this is not your experience, then fair comment. Just offering the OP what I have seen.
 
thanks for all the comments. from what i am hearing and researched a rodman should be a good boat to go for. when i looked round i did like the feel of the boat and it felt very well put together, no all i need to do is sell my Ocqueteau 615!
 
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