Complete Beginner - Help please!

[Eric_Cartman]

Hello all,

I'm a little apprehensive as this is my first ever posting - Doh! My username's only an hour old and already I've encountered problems updating my profile!

Briefly I'm 26 from Southampton and have next to no experience of motorboating yet I've been eager to take my first tentavie steps since age 3!

With the absense of a girlfriend (come on now - ahhhh...) I've decided to start some proper research to absorb every spare cent I earn! Despite the lack of experience I've a reasonable grasp of the basics and I'm looking for something along the lines of a Sealine 240 to start the ball rolling.

In your opinion would this be a suitable first craft? I'm mainly interested in cruising the Hampshire coast along with the odd visit to a Cowes establishment offering libation!

Also, could you offer any guidance regarding the likely maintenance costs of such a beast? You'd be surprised how difficult it is to find out.

Any help would be most gratefully received, enthusiasm alone won't get me afloat else!

Kind regards

James Robinson

PS. I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with a site called Pprune, but it looks remarkably like this! (or at least an aviation equivalent)

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[tcm]

hi james/eric

No girlfriend - very wise.

sealine 240 is fine - most boats available on the market are bought as 1st boats - there's no really unbelievably obvious "novice" range of boats, and then a whole load of other "higher grade" boats which look the same but cost 9 times as much, like perhaps in fishing gear, for example. Smaller ones are less of a financial burden, but larger ones handle more easily. Boats are all made in a similar fashion, theres a narrow range of engne manufacturers, and boats cost more or less depending on spec, quantity and quality of gear and fitout on board.

Out of interest - why that sort of boat? I mean, is there a reason why not a mental RIB which is more trailerable, for example? Or will the s240 attract loads of wimmin?







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[byron]

<font color=blue>You haven't lost your girlfriend you've dumped her for a more demanding one. The Sealine should suit you fine as a starter boat much better than the Coracle I started with.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[jfm]

Hi and welcome

Are you James or Eric?

Agree the other replies. As regards costs, if you keep it in a nice marina on S Coast it will be £3.5 to £4k per year. Engine service will be £500 pa. Lift out and antifoul will be £500 ish. Winterisation, greasing seacocks, other service items will be £500pa And you will likely wish to buy several £k of nav gear as the boat will not have that, if it's new. If second hand, it might.

Costs will be less if you diy some of it, the above are done-by-boatyard prices (I choose those words carefully)

Diesel will be praps 2mpg in that boat, and costs 30p ish per litre

All above are somewhat rough guesses, but ok +- 20%. Insurance £300ish

All worth every penny, imho.

It would be well worthwhile taking dayskipper practical. Sealine have a school on the hamble so might throw it in. It's a 4 day course and very worthwhile imho.

Good luck

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[Renegade_Master]

Oi traitor/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.suncoastmarine.co.uk>Sun Coast Sea School & Charter</A>

 

[ballena]

Hi there

Welcolme to the forum, it has been great help and fun for me

If you are looking for a boat, give John Kingsley at JayKay Marine a call or check out his website, he is really helpful and has a good selection of used boats.

I think that he had a Sealine 240. Dont be too frightened of single V8 5L or 5.7L installations, you should get 8 - 10 GPH cruising

Good luck

Paul R

<hr width=100% size=1>V8's rule!

 

[Guest]

I started out with Birchwood TS34 with outdrives bit big really .Something around 30 ft mark would be best a bit more sustantial for going to sea with. And should you not take to boating you should get back what you paid for boat if you keep to Fairline Princess or the better known makes,they are easier to sell.
Fancy forgetting about Sun Coast.Offering special deals at the moment to forum members.Certainly reccommend Day skipper & Helmsman VHF courses.Great fun too.

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[jfm]

where to do dayskipper

Ooops yes. SunCoast is quite right eric, the place to do dayskipper/ICC (which really would help you) is in the sun, not cold UK. So, see Suncoast's school. I would normally suggest avoiding med-based schools because your licence will be endorsed "non-tidal" which is a bit like having an auto-only drivers licence, but SunCoast's school is in the tidal part of the Med (very west) so does not have this problem, hence highly recommended.

"Dayskipper" by the way is not a woosy course and the word "day" is misleading. It teaches proper skippering, boat handling and coastal navigation, including a night passage.



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[neale]

Eric

If you have got the space at home, spend the first years mooring fee on a trailer and an old Range Rover/Land Rover and keep it there. This also helps when it comes to maintenance and servicing as it will be easier to diy when the boat is in your garden. You will also be £3k a year better of from year 2 onwards.

If you can afford the extra outlay, get a diesel. You will get most if not all of the extra outlay back when you sell it and have affordable cruising in the meantime. A petrol V8 will burn around 8-10 gph at cruising speed which equates to around £40 per hour. (I know, I've got one).

The 240 is a nice boat but don't overlook the cheaper American boats such as Bayliner. If you are not looking at staying on board then a RIB would be a great first boat.

Insurance around £350. The maintenance and servicing can be kept down to a minimum by DIY. If you are ok with basic car mechanics there shouldn't be anything to worry about if you get yourself a workshop manual.

Neale

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[tripleace]

look at

regal 233

Falcon

fairline holiday etc.


Be very careful when you buy and make sure you have all the paperwork.

That is you have the origibal invoices from manufacturer through to present day. If you do not have ALL the apperwork : don't BUY.

If you are going to boat with friends then trailer seems good idea.

In my opinion its to big to launch and recoevr on your own, especially within experience.

Strongly suggest a course of some type.

Don't forget the VHF : if buying an old boat with little experience a VHF even if handheld will keep you safer. You can request help and guidance if you get into a spot of bother.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boating-ads.co.uk> Triple Ace Link</A>

 

[NorthernWave]

Hi and welcome

You'll certainly not regret buying a boat.
I got my first boat of my own when I was 26 which was a Sea Ray 180 which is an 18 footer with single outdrive. I found it very easy to handle but did find myself limited by the size..... alot!! (story of my life!!)
So the following year I went for a Fletcher 238 which is a 25 foot Sports Cruiser (and it's for sale) with twin outdrives. A little harder to park than a single but had a much better range and was very seaworthy.
THEN.... Last august I went to a forty footer which is on shafts (no bow thruster) and I'm afraid to say (contradicting all thats been said by fellow MOBs) it is easily the easiest boat I have handled. We even wakeboard behind it!!

So my advice will be buy the sealine and maybe do a few courses to get you upto scratch.

Good to see a younger member as myself and the girlfriend (I met just after buying my first boat!!) feel like kids among the olds in the boating world!! )

If you do go for it give us a shout.

Chris

<hr width=100% size=1>Logged Sea Miles wanted for masters. Send PM if your on south coast and want skipper or crew.

 

[hlb]

Thought we had all agreed that bigger boats on shafts are much easier than smaller ones??

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Haydn

 

[Alistairr]

With the absence of a girlfriend, then you are probably enjoying a bachelors life style,

Why bother with a second home to clean('cause thats what some gin palaces are), go man and get yourself a sport cuddy, it gives you the best of both world, performance to enjoy and somewhere to bed down at the end of the day with whoever wherever!!
The ladies like them as well, my wife wanted a new cuddy rather than a cruiser, she didn't want to be a house wife at the weekends as well as during the week.


<hr width=100% size=1>CHEERS.

 

[tcm]

Re: ah but

notwithstanding all that, twould be v useful; to have training either on yer own boart, or (even better)on yer own boat taught by a sealine expert, hm?

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[Benny1]

I am only 27. So can echo your comments re age. (Not that they are all that old, despie their propensity to argue)

Ben

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[oldgit]

Us Argue ?..... Grrrrrrrrrrr NM.

Boats

<hr width=100% size=1>Oooh look its still not dark and its nearly 5pm

 

[petem]

In case you didn't realise this, with Petrol engines you pay normal tax and therefore 80p per litre. With Diesel you don't (it's like agricultural red diesel) and therefore it's 30p per litre. Small planing boats will typically do about 2 or 3 mpg.

The first question you should ask your self is 'do I want to sleep comfortably on board?'. If so then S240 (S24) fine and will be relatively easy to re-sell. If not then how about something like a Cranchi Turchese 24?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.FairlineOwnersClub.com>Fairline Owner's Club</A>

 

[Guest]

Before buying, do some crewing on boats which are of interest. But then maybe that's been done already.

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[Eric_Cartman]

Thank you for your words of wisdom!

In all honesty I've loved Sealine designs since the seeds of my interests were sown. I'd like a vessel that allows me to cruise reasonably comfortably, potentially capable of trips to France and such like, weekends away, etc.

Oh yes, and if it just so happens to attract those of a female gender - all the better!

Thanks once again

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[Eric_Cartman]

Hello all!

I must apologise for the delay in my reply, working night shifts has completely thrown my body clock!

Firstly may I thank you all for your replies - I have been truely overwhelmed. Furthermore how polite and patient you've all been!

I'm reassured that a diesel S240 will be suitable, and I'll take your advice regarding RYA training. And thank you Deckmaster for the idea of crewing as a taster. Fantastic idea - any offers!?

Forever in your collective debt

James Robinson (or Eric if you prefer)

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