jhr
Well-known member
Being mindful of TCM’s recent promise to be nice to new posters, I’ve decided to risk picking the Forum’s collective brains.
So here’s my question. I’ve messed around in boats, both power and sail but usually other people’s, most of my life. I want to move beyond my current boating arrangements (aged Mirror dinghy with a Mariner 2hp o/b plus rag ‘n stick) into ownership of something more sophisticated, with an engine rather than an egg whisk. I’m looking for something second hand, of 6 – 8 metres, that will accommodate me and Mrs jhr plus our 2 kids (8 and 5) mostly for day trips with an occasional overnight stay – therefore probably cuddy cabin plus camper cover. I want reasonable performance, solid build and good seakeeping, though I have absolutely no intention of indulging in headbanging rough weather antics and would aim, mostly, to increase the overcrowding in the Solent with the odd fair weather foray to places like Poole. Not too old. Purchase budget (including any necessary re-equipping) of about £20K.
I guess this means (a) Petrol and (b) US mass market manufacturer. I like the look of the SeaRay 215. However, do they suffer from Binliner-type build quality/equipment decay? Are they reliable? (I am “mechanically challenged”) Am I being hopelessly over optimistic about getting a reasonable s/hand one for that money? Is it a good time to buy now, or should I wait for post LBS panic to set in among vendors? Any suggestions for an alternative to a SeaRay? Am I insane?
All comments gratefully received. Well, most, anyway.
P.S. The stupidest thing I ever did: Getting into the Mirror from a pontoon, the dinghy (moored at the bow only) slid away from me as I descended and then, with graceful inevitability followed the laws of physics by capsizing, dumping me in the water and immersing the outboard, which I’d just lowered into the boat. Back on the pontoon, I emptied my pockets, managing - with considerable skill - to drop the keys of my locked car into the water at the same time. Yes; I know they should have been attached to something.
I then spent an enjoyable few minutes diving down into cold, murky water and trying to find the keys by touch, which was about as successful as you might imagine. This was all considered hugely amusing by the assembled crowd of onlookers (it was at Bucklers Hard on a Bank Holiday afternoon….) Fortunately it was round about LWS and, amazingly, I managed to get the keys before they were dragged along the river bottom by the tide or buried in silt, by fishing with the Harbourmaster’s big magnet on a rope thingy. The outboard lived to fight another day.
I made an excuse and left.
So here’s my question. I’ve messed around in boats, both power and sail but usually other people’s, most of my life. I want to move beyond my current boating arrangements (aged Mirror dinghy with a Mariner 2hp o/b plus rag ‘n stick) into ownership of something more sophisticated, with an engine rather than an egg whisk. I’m looking for something second hand, of 6 – 8 metres, that will accommodate me and Mrs jhr plus our 2 kids (8 and 5) mostly for day trips with an occasional overnight stay – therefore probably cuddy cabin plus camper cover. I want reasonable performance, solid build and good seakeeping, though I have absolutely no intention of indulging in headbanging rough weather antics and would aim, mostly, to increase the overcrowding in the Solent with the odd fair weather foray to places like Poole. Not too old. Purchase budget (including any necessary re-equipping) of about £20K.
I guess this means (a) Petrol and (b) US mass market manufacturer. I like the look of the SeaRay 215. However, do they suffer from Binliner-type build quality/equipment decay? Are they reliable? (I am “mechanically challenged”) Am I being hopelessly over optimistic about getting a reasonable s/hand one for that money? Is it a good time to buy now, or should I wait for post LBS panic to set in among vendors? Any suggestions for an alternative to a SeaRay? Am I insane?
All comments gratefully received. Well, most, anyway.
P.S. The stupidest thing I ever did: Getting into the Mirror from a pontoon, the dinghy (moored at the bow only) slid away from me as I descended and then, with graceful inevitability followed the laws of physics by capsizing, dumping me in the water and immersing the outboard, which I’d just lowered into the boat. Back on the pontoon, I emptied my pockets, managing - with considerable skill - to drop the keys of my locked car into the water at the same time. Yes; I know they should have been attached to something.
I then spent an enjoyable few minutes diving down into cold, murky water and trying to find the keys by touch, which was about as successful as you might imagine. This was all considered hugely amusing by the assembled crowd of onlookers (it was at Bucklers Hard on a Bank Holiday afternoon….) Fortunately it was round about LWS and, amazingly, I managed to get the keys before they were dragged along the river bottom by the tide or buried in silt, by fishing with the Harbourmaster’s big magnet on a rope thingy. The outboard lived to fight another day.
I made an excuse and left.
