Dateline Bounty Speedboat.

Alistairr

Alistairr

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Does anyone know anything about Dateline Speedboats, in particular this model which i'm told is the Bounty?

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Been offered this boat for £4k, its a 1988, with probably the origional engine, could that be a problem, is the boat over priced??

All opinions and views very much appreciated.

Cheers

Al.
 
Hi Al,

Datelines were well built boats. However they had a tendency to bounce off the waves. At £4k that it is silly money! Also will not give much protection as is quite low profile!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
It all depends on condition. I used to have a bikini (smaller cousin, and that was 25 years ago) . Great boat and I used to know loads of people with Bountys. There's nothing wrong with the hull but it's an old design. The Engine could be OK, but it's got some age, but it may be good for 90 hp for the next few years; or be clogged up and with low compression (roughly £1500 to rebuild). The most valuable piece of kit in that package is probably the trailer but the bearings might be shagged.

Sorry to be negative, but this is a 20 year old boat; It has very little residual value. If its been loved and maintained it may do very well ( but with a 90 its never going to be super fast; most of the ones I remember were inboard c 120 hp). Or it may be a bag of rubbish. For a comparison check Boatsandoutboards for similar bits of kit
 
I am just rebuilding a bounty at the mo (back to bare hull total rebuild job) as a personal project. They were built over a long time frame so maynot be imediatly comparable, not clearl how much they changed if at all. They had various engione options, outboard, inboard 3.0 mercruiser, 2.0l ford, and a jet drive of some description.

From what I can gather they were considered to be high qulaity deign / built boats, and with a 3.0 engine were quite fast to (cant wait to get my engine back in and try it :-) ).

I had seen that one you mention for sale, and thought it was a bit steep!

There are alot of boats around for 4k (although admitidly in my experience alot of them are junk requiring work); have a good look around at what else you can get for the money.

Anthony
 
Well thankyou everyone for your honest replies.
So census is, its a bit over priced? What would be a reasonable offer do you think? £2k?

We would quite like a 17-18' boat, reasonable nick, at a very low cost with decent ride, we are open to suggestions. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cheers

Al.
 
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Hi Al,

Datelines were well built boats. However they had a tendency to bounce off the waves. At £4k that it is silly money! Also will not give much protection as is quite low profile!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
What would you suggest then, Paul?

Cheers

Al.
 
Hi Al. imho you cant get better than a Fletcher for a safe family boat that performs well in a bit of sea. Had many of them in my early years of boating and they were all superb hulls. I had a Dateline Bikini about 23 years ago with the Ford 3 litre V6 coupled to a jet drive. It handled like an out of control skateboard. Only took it out once and swapped it for another Fletcher. I would look around for a Fletcher 17 GTS which usually had a 3 litre mercruiser. Good well built solid family boat capable of 40ish knots. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
How about this Fletcher from the Brum Boat Show? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

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Think it's an Arrowflyte 13 - When I was a member of Cannock Chase Boat Club there were a few fletcher boats much like the bounty, sort of 13 foot-ish and they go like the clappers!

Dont know how ideal they would be for Callum, tho...
 
Thanks for the pointer, Think fletchers are probably the best bet. but there are so many, its difficult to tell your Arrowbolts from your Arrowflytes!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Will do a search for a 17GTO, but i think most are to recent for me.

Feel free to point me in the direction of any good ones.

Cheers

Al.
 
If it's the sea then look at ribs; They are seriously superior to any sportsboats.

If it's Loch lomond then a Fletcher would be as good as anything. The engine will always be the decider. There are some older units that may seem attractice. You just need to try and sort the good from the crap.

Get a compression tester and use it. Have a good look at all the mechanicals. Try and check the leg oil. Hear it run. Get a test drive longer than 1 hour. Judge how it has been maintained. How safe do you feel?

Any budget boat is not going to have a service history worth anything; you just have to take a punt on what feels right.
 
Theres This for a start. Or This or maybe This Check out the boats and outboard site. Loads of that type for sale. If you see one that takes your fancy run it past us /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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For a twenty year old boat/engine, that is a bit steep.

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4k? Bit much I'd say... I think you could get more for your money...

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for £1550

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At £4k that it is silly money!

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Sorry to be negative, but this is a 20 year old boat; It has very little residual value.

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There are alot of boats around for 4k (although admitidly in my experience alot of them are junk requiring work); have a good look around at what else you can get for the money.

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imho you cant get better than a Fletcher for a safe family boat that performs well in a bit of sea.

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Al, what did I say to you last night? Take your time; look for a Fletcher if you can. Another fair comment is the option of a rib, but you have to take into account Callum and the seating layout on a rib. Bench seats are available on ribs, but not my first choice and tend to be only available on larger boats although Avon did do a version.

Have a look at these options:

Fletcher Arrow Flash 15 GTO

Fletcher Bravo 19

Fletcher Arrowstreak . This looks a good buy having read the specs in more detail!

Fletcher GTS 17


Just a selection of what I might go and look at. Take a suit case of cash with you, a set of flush muffs and a hose! You will find something, just don't rush in and buy the first boat you see. There are good boats out there and there are also shed loads where the seller is waiting for a keen sucker. Remember "Buyer Beware"
 
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