Dateline BIkini replacing inboard or newer boat

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eshroom

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Hi all,

First post to get your opinions.

I am loving the dateline bikini, it is a beautiful little retro boat. I have found a couple of excellent models that I am interested in, they are very cheap but appear to be in excellent condition. The only thing holding me back is the age of the inboards. The 3 litre ford essex v6 is 35-40 years old! Looked after or not, that is one heck of an old engine.

If it were to die, would it be worth my while replacing with a newer inboard and would this be possible/cost-effective? Or am I looking at silly (£5-10k +) money?

I am keen to get a small 4-5 seater, light and fast. Should I scrap the idea of getting a bikini and go for something newer? Any suggestions?

I am tempted by this bikini......

Many thanks in advance for any responses!
 
Firstly, welcome to the forum. I personally don't have any knowledge of the boat you describe, but others on here probably will. I would be surprised if you cannot find spares for the Kent engine. There are many stalwarts keeping old Capri's going. So you might try a classic Ford website or forum. You might also try Lancing Marine. They have traditionally marinised Ford engines, and might either have the parts you need, or know where to source. Good luck. :)
 
i would go for a more modern boat with a mercruiser or volvo engine in.
If you are going down this route and have no ideas about boats take someone knowledgable with you and pay particular attention to the flooring.if it shows any soft spots in the wood.RUN!!!!!!
it may be a good process to have a look around marinas that will take you out if your a potential buyer but aviod bidding on unseen boats on ebay unless you view and test them first.
All boats eat into your finances and if your of a mechanical mind and can service and winterize a boat every year yourself this will save big money.
 
So after much much searching, I have found two very different boats that have caught my eye.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360766385898?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

and

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300991317680

Am I right in thinking that the 135hp Glastron will be almost as fast and have a similar cruising speed to the 75hp ring? The Glastron's engine is a lot older (1998 vs 2006) and is inboard, is this a massive issue - these engines are apparently "bomb-proof". The Ring is also a fresh-water boat.

Both boats could do with coming down in price a bit, does anyone have any idea if the asking prices are fair or what they should be priced at instead?

Thanks!
 
both boats don't state whether their trailers are braked and working.the condition and the hulls including the floors as stated in my earlier post should be checked over.speed will be more in the ring but at the expense of stability compared to the glastron.depends if you want speed or to have better watersports where the glastron would be the better choice.I would not bid on a boat that I've never seen as theres too much which can be hidden from the untrained eye.
 
dingdongs said:
both boats don't state whether their trailers are braked and working.the condition and the hulls including the floors as stated in my earlier post should be checked over.speed will be more in the ring but at the expense of stability compared to the glastron.depends if you want speed or to have better watersports where the glastron would be the better choice.I would not bid on a boat that I've never seen as theres too much which can be hidden from the untrained eye.
Click to expand...

Ive had a marshan 19 (similar to a ring) with a 150hp on the back, also a glastron with an 3.0l inboard,
totally different boats, if you want to take swimbo out go for the glastron, if its your mates and dont mind getting up with a bad back on a monday morning go for the ring. Theres some footage of my old marshan on youtube, look up marshan 19, and you will understand what i mean. Great fun thou.
 
Sishoe said:
Ive had a marshan 19 (similar to a ring) with a 150hp on the back, also a glastron with an 3.0l inboard,
totally different boats, if you want to take swimbo out go for the glastron, if its your mates and dont mind getting up with a bad back on a monday morning go for the ring. Theres some footage of my old marshan on youtube, look up marshan 19, and you will understand what i mean. Great fun thou.
Click to expand...

+1

Apart from that you should consider the differences between i/o and outboard. And of course 2 stroke vs. 4 stroke.

Depends on how you use/store the boat (risk of theft..) but my preference for a boat that size would be a 4-stroke outboard of no less than 75-80% of the max rated hp for the boat. Will give you lower Total Cost of Ownership, I'm certain (alone the cost of maintenance on a sterndrive will push figures).

Top speed is interesting mostly for promotion. Plenty of power in a power boat is fun, you just do not get enough time with flat water ;)
 
As stated above, these boats are very different from each other. The Glastron is a leisure orientated package, lots of room to get a few people on board, comfortable and stable. It will do around 40kts, which will feel quick to a newbie, but it isnt a rocket ship. Great for days out in the lakes, watersports etc. From experience you can have 6 or 7 onboard and it wont feel overly cramped. Its got enough power to pull skiers, ringo's, wakeboards etc. The Mercruiser is the standard engine for this kind of boat and is a very good package with very few known issues, but its a 15 year old boat. The engine could easily run for another 10 years with no more than standard servicing or it could expire in a cloud of smoke the first time you use it. This is true of any engine, even the outboard on the Ring.

The Ring is basically a raceboat with a nice interior, it will feel much much smaller inside, 4 people onboard and you will be tripping over each other. It has a deep V hull which gives much better handling if it gets rough and will run at about 40kts as well (depending on prop). You can use it for watersports as well, but you will need to prop it down significantly. IMHO this boat is underpowered for what it is, I would be looking for at least 90hp on a 16ft race hull.

Price is always difficult with used boats, so much depends on condition. However the Glastron is about as cheap as I have seen for that model, I dont know much about the price of the Ring, but the guys over on Boatmad are the experts for that type of boat.

Go and have a look at the boats and see what you like, both seem to be decent starter boats.
 
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