Choosing a Speedboat - Advice Sought

[TLX]

I'm new here and hope you can help.

I have a 31ft sailing sloop and enjoy doing it quietly. However I have two fast growing children (9 and 14) and I remember the few times that I enjoyed water skiing when I was younger. So, I'm thinking of starting out with a s/hand boat to see if I like it. Budget is up to £6K.

What makes a good speedboat (I've looked at boatsandoutboards.com and there's more than you can shake a stick at) so how to choose?
What is a good way of determining amount of power needed (size/power ratio?)?
Is an inboard engine, e.g. Mercruiser, better than outboard? Pros and cons?
Are there any maintenance or insurance aspects that I may be unaware of?
Might I tire of an open speedboat quickly and should look for a cuddy instead?
What are the things/makes/features to look for, and also to steer clear of?

I live in Hertfordshire and would expect to use it on the East coast in rivers and estuaries, e.g. Crouch, Blackwater. Are there any inland locations that would also be suitable?

I have a 4x4 and have owned a 1300kg trailer sailer so I'm familiar with towing/launching/recovery.

Many thanks in advance.

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[duncan]

in no particular order...........
(1) open/cuddy/dory/etc are all going to be the smae on a small boat - the cuddy just ends up as storage below around 18/19ft. You are not likely to be weekending the 4 of you on the boat.
(2) finding somewhwere to enjoy the smaller boat with skis in that area is not that easy - lots and lots of speed restrictions if the water is calm and sheltered. I gave up on the lower Medway - it really wasn't fun.
(3) OBs have come on a lot and later models are very reliable. In 6 years neither a 5yr old merc 90 or a new merc 175 missed a beat.
My suggestion would be to get a nice little rib with a good engine - say a 4m with around 25hp - it will pull the kids (and you if you are either fit or under 15 stone!) on skis easily and be easy to handle/launch etc Also pull ringo etc, and , most importantly, you can tow it as a tender etc when holidaying with the main boat. The youngsters will learn their handling with the luxury of all round fendering.
Just my view...........
this craft for example http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F20796 the perfect 2x2. <hr width=100% size=1>

 

[PhilF]

Rib good Idea, but 40 HP more like it for skiing with 4 up.


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[ipw]

i agree my yam 380 rib has a mariner 20hp and 4 up could pull a ring but couldnt pull a skier

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[ipw]

i agree, my yam 380 rib has a mariner 20hp and 4 up could pull a ring but couldnt pull a skier i would say 40 hp min.

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[sjw]

To ski safely for your location i would suggest a 15 ft speedboat (fletcher etc) with a minimum of 60Hp outboard take a British Water Ski Ski Boat Drivers Award course (beside the ovbious safety it also gives you a discount on insurance) Get a professional to instruct the children for their first lesson and wear helmets when there are more than two people in a ringo.

Hope this helps

Simon

BWS instructor

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[oldgit]

Most of my boats had 55-75 hp engines suzuki/merc.would recomend at least 70hp plus ish for 4 x peeps in boat.Need it be said to stay away from the 90% of old rubbish which lurks in the s/h outboard market.
Curiously enough best bargains I found (twice)came from london locations.
Previous owners go to Leysdown for day and see ski-ing. Like idea buy new boat use once er do not like this......and boat never moves agin for 12 months until flogged off to make space (always stored in front garden).

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[TLX]

Thanks for the advice so far.

So, on my budget, how does one tell whether it is part of the '...90% rubbish on the second hand market...'?

There appear to be plenty of old Fletchers or similar, some with large inboards, that would appear to suit my needs. Are these any good?

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[Jim44]

If you are looking at an Outboard then I would say minium 70HP and the smallest inboards are 3.0l or 135HP. Both these will pull a ski without a problem, upto about 16ft for the outboard and 19ft for the inboard.

I bought a 1990 Bayliner 1850 bowrider, seats in the front, with the 3.0l inboard at the begining of the year for the similar reasons to you, other boat to big/not suitable for skiing. It has done everthing that I need, has plenty of room and can pull a skier with out a problem all for under 5k

Personally I would always go for an inboard, I dont know if this is beacuse when we had outboard boats, that were alot cheap I admit, they never started and you could never be sure you would actually get the boat going. All my Mercruiser engine have been very good, a 1989 5.7, 2001 5.0 and know the 1990 3.0l.

My only other advise would be to look for a reasonable sized boat, min 17ft remebering that friends will want to come along to and if only 4 can go out at once it can be a pain.






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[franktheseadog]

at least 70 hp, preferably more, 15 foot, avoid sea rays (as bits tend to fall off them) unless you can get one cheap, buy it from southern europe as uk brokers prices too high.

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[oldgit]

First look at boat interior.Will give good quick idea of condition of ALL boat.We do not want ripped seats and corners of trim hanging off with faded patches everywhere.If Ok get the clam shell off and look at engine.Needs to be sparkly clean with all paint still present on heads of bolts and screws,mebbe still got info stickers still on assorted bits.Got nice galvanised original trailer so much the better,means the first owner had a few quid to spend.
One owner hardly used boats do exist out there and can be bought for no more money than a well used multi owner dog.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Kids & Waterskiing....That to me spells RIB. 5.5M with upwards of 70HP, and make it outboard, as they easier to service. In my opinion you shouldn't look for a compromise because compromises do nothing particularly good.

Assumedly, you will be keeping your sloop, so you already have a boat with cabin. Never mind the kids - you'll enjoy it also!

Good luck.

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[ArthurWood]

Min 19ft with min 165hp I/O. Under 19ft you will not have room to swing a cat, let alone have four adults and kit aboard and poss a friend or two. Under 165hp w/4 up you'll have prob getting skier up and you will certainly be unable to get 2 skiers up together.

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[Dave1258]

Have a look at boatTEST.com they have archives of sports boats on video, that might help in making a choice.
Best of luck Dave

<hr width=100% size=1>If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying.

 

[Kevin]

one big advantage of an outboard is that you can change engines easily ( unbolt one and bolt the other on) so you can move up to larger engines as you get more experienced or want more power as usage dictates! It also allows you to start with say a 2 stroke for example ( for ultimate power to weight ratio) but can allow the change to a 4 stroke ( noise reduction and economy).

cant go wrong with fletchers ( pre early 90's) built like tanks and designed to take anything thrown at them.

Kevin


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[Kevin]

Only problem with boattest.com is that they are sponsered by the manufacturers so impartiality may not be there.

Kevin

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[sailbadthesinner]

i think a rib def
we have what is essentially lake boat
so whereas we can find flat water getting to it in a blow is a bit of a mission and very wet
min 70hp we get up not trouble with a johnson 70 b
i would not buy a big inboard as they are heavier to tow and man handle as they tend to be bigger boats and our friends with inboards have had gearboxes and seals go on them with is slow to get fixed (in our area )
a rib is a great addition you can ski or just for a blast


<hr width=100% size=1>I thought it was the London International Guinness Show with a Boat tent

 

[Kevin]

Ribs are definitly a good 'compromise' boat between performance, safety and room and ideal as a family fun boat. But IMHO be aware that unlike 'ribites' might have you believe they are not the fail -safe boat that they are often reported to be, just as much care has to be taken as with any boat. Also dont be misled into thinking the traditional grp sportsboat is nothing more than a flat water boat, a well designed deep v sportsboat can handle the rough water as good if not better than anything.

kevin

 

[Planty]

Try: http://www.jdpower.com/cc/boats/boatratings.jsp, only for American boats but quite informative and you are able to define which type of boat you are thinking of. Paul

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