Confused...

[benjenbav]

Thanks Elessar, I knew that additional confusion was a possibility but, after lurking for a while, thought that it would be good to get my own post out there and see what it would bring. To be fair, I've already got a lot of really good advice and it has helped, and so I'm grateful for the feedback of the contributors so far.

To your question about maintenance, many years ago, before I had an EV, and before that cars for which you needed a NASA computer to diagnose, I used to do my own maintenance on my cars and motorbikes: Oil changes, minor repairs, cleaning spark plugs, etc.

However, that was a long time ago and not a motorboat, but I am quite handy and will take one of the RYA Diesel engine maintenance courses, although I suspect that things such as properly maintaining outdrives (if that's what I end up buying) are best left to the professionals.

Thoughts to add to the confusion:

For engine maintenance, access to engine(s) is often a constraining factor particularly if age and bulk become factors. Particularly with twin set-ups in confined spaces various service items on one or other engine are likely to be difficult to get to and may have suffered past neglect.

Most people don’t get it right first time so it’s worth buying with an eye on how easy the type of boat you choose is to sell after a season or two to facilitate a move to your revised preference. Unlike cars you can’t readily trade in a boat bcs the dealers mostly (one or two exceptions) sell on brokerage rather than holding stock of pre-owned examples.

Handling - some of the types of boat you are looking at will benefit from bow thrusters. Old salts will tell you that, with experience, you can move a twin shaft vessel anywhere with great precision and no additional help. This is not untrue. But whilst you are getting that experience some boats are much easier to dock if you have something that will give the bows a little shove sideways in order to protect your grp.

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

Thoughts to add to the confusion:

For engine maintenance, access to engine(s) is often a constraining factor particularly if age and bulk become factors. Particularly with twin set-ups in confined spaces various service items on one or other engine are likely to be difficult to get to and may have suffered past neglect.

Most people don’t get it right first time so it’s worth buying with an eye on how easy the type of boat you choose is to sell after a season or two to facilitate a move to your revised preference. Unlike cars you can’t readily trade in a boat bcs the dealers mostly (one or two exceptions) sell on brokerage rather than holding stock of pre-owned examples.

Handling - some of the types of boat you are looking at will benefit from bow thrusters. Old salts will tell you that, with experience, you can move a twin shaft vessel anywhere with great precision and no additional help. This is not untrue. But whilst you are getting that experience it can on some boats be very helpful to have something that will give the bows a little shove sideways to help protect your grp.

Thank you benjenbav, that's good advice on both the resale opportunity and the bow thrusters.

It does seem that 'right first time' will be hard to achieve and so it's going to have to be best efforts and learn

 

[benjenbav]

Thank you benjenbav, that's good advice on both the resale opportunity and the bow thrusters.

It does seem that 'right first time' will be hard to achieve and so it's going to have to be best efforts and learn

We’ve all been there. Personally I enjoyed every minute of all the different boats I’ve had - despite going from sailing to planing mobo to semi-displacement.

There’s an oft-recited observation that the two best days of boat ownership are the day you buy and the day you sell. Nonsense! I was sad to see each of the boats I’ve owned go; and whilst I was always very excited to take delivery, the best times were actually using the boats.

 

[Elessar]

Thanks Elessar, I knew that additional confusion was a possibility but, after lurking for a while, thought that it would be good to get my own post out there and see what it would bring. To be fair, I've already got a lot of really good advice and it has helped, and so I'm grateful for the feedback of the contributors so far.

To your question about maintenance, many years ago, before I had an EV, and before that cars for which you needed a NASA computer to diagnose, I used to do my own maintenance on my cars and motorbikes: Oil changes, minor repairs, cleaning spark plugs, etc.

However, that was a long time ago and not a motorboat, but I am quite handy and will take one of the RYA Diesel engine maintenance courses, although I suspect that things such as properly maintaining outdrives (if that's what I end up buying) are best left to the professionals.

It’s not just the engines. Boats sit in a hostile environment and there is always something going wrong with the flippin things. Woodwork, electrical and general handy work.

I’m quite handy, my boat is local and I spend hours maintaining the boat.

Your willingness and ability to do such thing can impact the choice of a boat ie get one with outstanding things to do or not, and allow the choice of an older boat.

I’m quite capable of doing the oil changes but I let Colin Ryan do it because when he and Vicky come they don’t get the oil everywhere like I do!

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

It’s not just the engines. Boats sit in a hostile environment and there is always something going wrong with the flippin things. Woodwork, electrical and general handy work.

I’m quite handy, my boat is local and I spend hours maintaining the boat.

Your willingness and ability to do such thing can impact the choice of a boat ie get one with outstanding things to do or not, and allow the choice of an older boat.

I’m quite capable of doing the oil changes but I let Colin Ryan do it because when he and Vicky come they don’t get the oil everywhere like I do!

Thanks Elessar,

Yes, I'd actually enjoy doing some of the general maintenance on the overall boat. I'm not one for sitting around too much

 

[Elessar]

Handling - some of the types of boat you are looking at will benefit from bow thrusters. Old salts will tell you that, with experience, you can move a twin shaft vessel anywhere with great precision and no additional help. This is not untrue. But whilst you are getting that experience some boats are much easier to dock if you have something that will give the bows a little shove sideways in order to protect your grp.

It is untrue. You need a bow thruster to move the boat sideways or hold it it side on up into the wind even with twin shafts.

You can move the rear of the boat left and right easily with twin shafts. That causes the boat to rotate.
Add bow thruster and the whole boat can be made to move sideways.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I think 32ft is too small, within no time you'll wish you went bigger.

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

I think 32ft is too small, within no time you'll wish you went bigger.

Thanks PaulRainbow, I'm getting that impression and, even though I accept I'll probably end up changing my boat at some point, I'd like to get 4-5 years out of it before I do.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks PaulRainbow, I'm getting that impression and, even though I accept I'll probably end up changing my boat at some point, I'd like to get 4-5 years out of it before I do.

I would look at 36-40ft. If you can find one, a Broom 36 has good accommodation for its size.

 

[DavidJ]

I would look at 36-40ft. If you can find one, a Broom 36 has good accommodation for its size.

By amazing coincidence I looked up Broom 36 and got this from a posting by @Elessar in 2012

According to my next berth neighbour, a broom 36 uses 2.5 times more diesel than my sealine 37. Yes it's heavier and more spacious, but even so that's a huge differential.
There is something I like about brooms though, and my wife loves them.

 

[ST840]

@Suffolk_Newbie have you considered one of these?

2011 Jeanneau Merry Fisher 10 Flybridge for sale - YachtWorld

Excellent engine, and shaft driven for hassle free ownership and maintenance! It's the boat I'd buy if I had the £££'s.

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

@Suffolk_Newbie have you considered one of these?

2011 Jeanneau Merry Fisher 10 Flybridge for sale - YachtWorld

Excellent engine, and shaft driven for hassle free ownership and maintenance! It's the boat I'd buy if I had the £££'s.

Thank you @ST840 , that's a nice boat and not one that I had considered. The bow and stern thrusters are a nice addition and it seems to have been well looked after.

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

By amazing coincidence I looked up Broom 36 and got this from a posting by @Elessar in 2012

According to my next berth neighbour, a broom 36 uses 2.5 times more diesel than my sealine 37. Yes it's heavier and more spacious, but even so that's a huge differential.
There is something I like about brooms though, and my wife loves them.

@DavidJ That's quite some additional fuel and would normally be a reason not to consider Broom but I agree with your wife that there's something about them!

 

[DavidJ]

@DavidJ That's quite some additional fuel and would normally be a reason not to consider Broom but I agree with your wife that there's something about them!

If you do go down the Broom route get more information on engine size. Many had engines just for inland waterways but you would need sufficient to take advantage of the semi-displacement capabilities.
ps The quote was from @Elessar and his wife’s Broom opinion. My wife thinks they are ugly.

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

If you do go down the Broom route get more information on engine size. Many had engines just for inland waterways but you would need sufficient to take advantage of the semi-displacement capabilities.
ps The quote was from @Elessar and his wife’s Broom opinion. My wife thinks they are ugly.

@DavidJ yes, that's good advice and I noted that there are a number powered solely for river use only. I misunderstood on the quote and so it looks like your wife and I disagree!

 

[Greg2]

Having owned both Brooms and sports cruisers with outdrives I am not sure that the fuel burn differential is of that magnitude. Working on the assumption that both are operated with a mixture of displacement and cruising speed I reckon we used to get 1.5 to 1.7 nautical miles per gallon from our Fairline Targa 35 (Volvo Penta KAD42s at 230hp) and 1.0 to 1.1 nmpg from our Broom 41 (Perkins M300ti at 300 hp). Both planing hulls. Semi-displacement hulls are less efficient and I think our Hardy is very inefficient if we push on but we don’t and that was the plan when we bought it.

Given that Suffolk_Newbie plans to spend most of his time inland fuel burn at displacement speeds is likely to be very similar and certainly not a deciding factor imho

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

Thank you to all who've contributed to this thus far. It really has been helpful and has relieved some of the low-level anxiety that I'd built up through reading a mishmash of threads over the past couple of months.

 

[Sunny265]

Adagio 40 Sundeck LBC 8679861 – Burton Waters Boat Sales

have you seen this one?

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

Adagio 40 Sundeck LBC 8679861 – Burton Waters Boat Sales

have you seen this one?

@Sunny265 thanks for this link but I'm afraid that SWMBO was not a fan

 

[Sunny265]

@Sunny265 thanks for this link but I'm afraid that SWMBO was not a fan

Okay, my missus is the same, form over function…