Faeton 730 Sport

[Sheppy]

I wonder if anyone has any advice or experience with these boats? They seem to tick most of my 'next boat feature list' and I was very impressed with the one I've seen in the flesh. I'm considering putting in an offer on one but worry it's a little under powered with just a 4.3 190hp engine. She had far more gel crazing than I would imagine for a 2003 boat, and hope that's not indicative of the model in general?

There are quite a few in Spain, where they're built, and I'd consider buying one there and brining it back, but I guess that comes with its own set of problems. But as I say, I'm really looking for some first hand experience from previous/current owners regarding power to weight, running costs, build quality, handling etc.


Regards,

Sheppy

 

[BartW]

hi Sheppy,
our first real boat was the faeton 630 Sport,
and after 3 years using her we bought a Faeton 730 Sport
we had her only one year because we found another boat that suited us even better. That was a Karnic 2660 , she had a mid cabin, and twin diesel engine, and still trailable. 8 years later, We still have the Karnic.

we were very pleased with the Faëtons, my wife still refers to the 730 sometimes, she really liked that boat, they are in the league of Rothmans and Beneteau fisher style boat.
the finishing is rudimental and Utilitarian but solid, never noticed fundamental problems on these boats.
our main criteria for selecting that boat were:
-walkaround sportfisher model,
- inboard engine with outdrive
-easy acces to the swim platform (for divers)
-trailable.
the advantage of the 730 over the 630 was, a closed toilet compartment and more space.
we had a look at that 780, but that was too wide for normal trailering iirc.

in the 630 we had a 4.3 190 Hp, that was perfect,
in the 730 we had a 4.3 MPI 210Hp engine, and to be honest, that was on the limit, and slower acceleration then the 630,
so unless you don't care about acceleration and speed, I'm afraid a 4,3 190Hp in a 730 will be disappointingly slow, might even be struggling to go on the plane, ...
I considered upgrading her with a diesel engine, but I"m gladd I never did that, lots of hassle and cost that I would never recover.
At that time I was obsessed of having a diesel engine, so searching for a boat with a original diesel engine is / was the better option I think, If you also want diesel, have a look at Karnic2460 and 2660’s, they are around in Europe
but today can be done very good deals on new and powerfull V8 petrol engines, so in case you can get a good deal on a boat with a knackered engine, that would be a option aswell.
Our 730 was a 2004 boat, had a very nice custom bleu Canopy, 4.3 MPI 210Hp engine, and we sold her in Santanader, in case you come across her…

 

[Sheppy]

Thanks Bart,
Great info, just what I was looking for. They seemed to offer the EFI 190hp as standard so I guess it must have worked but I agree it seems a little low, the 220hp version makes more sense to me and offers only slightly less power than a carb based V8.

In the one I recently viewed, there was a certain amount of gel crazing where the pulpit section is formed onto the bow. I assume this is from either a heavy anchor banging in rough seas or from the lack of any snubber when on its swinging mooring, Did yours suffer from anything like this? Just trying to gauge whether it's a common weak area.
And how did yours handle rougher seas?

And good to know about the Karnic's, the 2250/2260 are also on my list but I do like the extra length and beam of the 730. They seem to have more storage than the Karnics too. Shame but they don't appear to have made an outboard version of the 730, twin 140's would have been near perfect as I'm not a huge fan in inboards these days.


Regards,
John

 

[BartW]

I didn't notice , nor remember any substantial or abnormal gelcrazing on the Faeton,
and IMO the Faëtons are slightly better then the Karnic, in
- GRP quality and smooth finishing
- The Karnic has more Gelcrazing, (but she's older and has been used much more)
- Finishing of covered spaces, such as the bilges, all surfaces painted and more smooth
- acces to hidden spaces, removeable floor lockers, ...
- overall finishing

all these boats have a good and similar see keeping,
the mediteranian can be rough and nasty, and all these yards around the med, have similar shaped deep V hulls to cope with that (I think)
never owned another boat to compare with, but guests on board have alway's been impressed by the seakeeping of our boats,
especially the 730 and the Karnic.

What is your main criterium for such a boat, is it the utility / fishing aspect, the trailability or the look that you like ?
not long ago NickH on this forum purchased a very beautifull American version of this type with OB.
the Americans have more of these models with outboards;

 

[BartW]

here's a link to NickH thread

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?380243-American-trailerable-sport-fishers

 

[Sheppy]

Thanks once again,

And so far I would agree with the build quality aspect, but time will tell when I secure one. It’s funny but for the next year or two I’m looking to go back to petrol, possibly LPG, but I feel my next boat after this will probably be a semi or displacement. I have even been considering a boat share with a Weymouth 32 but I don’t think that’s going to happen for a little while yet, so no point in waiting around.

Yes, I think it’s often overlooked that the Med can have some horrendous weather and the boats are made to withstand more than we get here, shame really as I think we miss out some excellent manufacturers.

It’s funny really, and although I’m not sure my perfect boat exists, well within my budget anyway, but the 730 comes pretty close. I like the clean simplicity of these boat, maintenance is easier, access to all areas really is fantastic – i.e. you don’t have to dissemble have the boat to get at simple stuff. And I do like and appreciate good design, and this boat seems to tick the boxes there too. It’s not the most attractive of boats but that’s often the compromise. I even like the fact the loo faces forward, simply because it gives you more height, but so many seem to miss the obvious these days. And of course the radar arch adds to the practicality albeit a little low.
Admittedly the cabin is quite small but I’ve never really got into overnighting anyway, but the cockpit area is large, spacious and uncluttered. So to answer your question I guess it’s the overall practicality of the design and the ability to trailer too. That said, I did really want an outboard, ideally twins, but hey, we often don’t get exactly what we want. And if the running gear is new enough, well then I guess I’m ok with that ...... at the moment anyway.

I did see that thread at the time and followed it with great interested. A Scout I think. It didn’t have a separate heads compartment and I don’t recall the cabin being very high at all thus probably somewhat restrictive on space given that I’m 6’5”. The Faeton, although not that roomy in beam or length, does have a very high roof and I can sit there without my head touching anywhere. Shame as I really liked the look of those Scouts too.

The other thing worth a note is that most of these boats I’ve come across, Karnic, Ranieri etc either have a standard twin seat setup or a larger bench seat with storage, sink etc but on the helm side meaning you have to share if you want the larger seat option. The Faeton has the same choices but they’ve put the larger seat with storage options etc, along with rear facing folderable seat, on the port side, so you still have two forward seats – best of both worlds. So yes, I think I’m a little smitten at the moment

John

 

[BartW]

The other thing worth a note is that most of these boats I’ve come across, Karnic, Ranieri etc either have a standard twin seat setup or a larger bench seat with storage, sink etc but on the helm side meaning you have to share if you want the larger seat option. The Faeton has the same choices but they’ve put the larger seat with storage options etc, along with rear facing folderable seat, on the port side, so you still have two forward seats – best of both worlds.

thats exactly the feature that my wife liked so much on the Faeton, and NOT on the Karnic !

the hight in the cabin, I never gave attention to that, so that was a Lucky coincidensce then on all our walkaround boats, I'm also 1,85m tall.

just one warning,
the boats I've seen had all Mercruisers with one single raw water cooling cirquit, and having read some story's on here, and the fact that both our Faëtons had major issues on the engines a few years after we sold them, I must point out that the condition of the cooling cirquit, or more particular the risers needs attention.
At the time I was looking at 4 to 5 year old boats, but you're looking at older boats iirc.
actually the 730 and 780 were replaced by newer models at some stage.

you're aware that the 730 is approx 2,68m wide (on its widest point)?
I knew that but that didn't hold me from trailing her to south Croatia and Sof ;-)