First boat, advice please!

grey_dawn_breaking

grey_dawn_breaking

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Hi all, first post here, been reading with interest for a few months. . Looking to get onto the water in my own boat as soon as possible, and hoping to get some advice on a first boat to buy. Use case would be keeping it in or near Poole and taking it around to Studland Bay and other anchorages in the same area.

Criteria are:

- Sports cruiser
- 30k budget
- Accommodation for 2
- Seating for 6
- Not too old, looking at around 2005 onwards
- Enclosed heads

I have been looking out for Sealine s23/25s but they seem to be coming in a bit over budget at the moment as I have heard they are in very high demand currently.
Also looking at Rinker 260/270s, Bayliner 285, and Sea Ray 240. Hoping to get some more ideas and anyone's thoughts on whether these fit the bill, any other thoughts /advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
My only experience is with a petrol outboard engine (on the rib on my PB2 course) which was great, but I have heard diesel is cheaper to run, and believe most of the boast I've been looking at have diesel engines - no real preference at this stage.

And no, not towing on a trailer, planning to keep it in the marina.
 
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grey_dawn_breaking said:
Hi all, first post here, been reading with interest for a few months. . Looking to get onto the water in my own boat as soon as possible, and hoping to get some advice on a first boat to buy. Use case would be keeping it in or near Poole and taking it around to Studland Bay and other anchorages in the same area.

Criteria are:

- Sports cruiser
- 30k budget
- Accommodation for 2
- Seating for 6
- Not too old, looking at around 2005 onwards
- Enclosed heads

I have been looking out for Sealine s23/25s but they seem to be coming in a bit over budget at the moment as I have heard they are in very high demand currently.
Also looking at Rinker 260/270s, Bayliner 285, and Sea Ray 240. Hoping to get some more ideas and anyone's thoughts on whether these fit the bill, any other thoughts /advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Check out the websites below. Its where i started but im sure the more seasoned guys on here will have better knowledge than me 46-year-old boat virgin opens up about his big purchase - MBY

Buying a Boat | ABYA

boats.com - new and used boats for sale #everythingboats
Boats for sale - New and used Princess, Williams, Kawasaki, Parker, Fairline
Boats For Sale, Click Here To Sell Your Boat Today!
Boats for Sale: New and Used Boats and Outboards | Boatshop24
Boats for sale UK, used boats, new boat sales, free photo ads - Apollo Duck

(y)
 
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The two best days of owning your boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
The rest in between, shrug your shoulders, get a bigger wallet and enjoy it.
Use it for what you want, be that clocking up the miles or going down at the weekend read the paper and drink beer
 
in my opinion go for a diesel - this saves bringing jerry cans down the pontoon and topping up every time you want to sail out.
on your budget get a surveyor and a marine engineer in (volvopaul maybe lurking in your area) this may cost you around £800 - £1000 but better to spend that than get burned for a lot more.
do your research on the boat your looking at including spare parts for that model etc.
after you have purchased your craft invest in life jackets, vhf course and powerboat 2 course as a minimum.
you will also find youtube is your friend for boating tips from changing primary fuel filters to boating manouvres
learn on how to buy a boat i.e is it a private sale or brokered, contracts drawn up- and importantly builders and vat status certs along with proof of ownership.

jon
 
jon and michie said:
in my opinion go for a diesel - this saves bringing jerry cans down the pontoon and topping up every time you want to sail out.
on your budget get a surveyor and a marine engineer in (volvopaul maybe lurking in your area) this may cost you around £800 - £1000 but better to spend that than get burned for a lot more.
do your research on the boat your looking at including spare parts for that model etc.
after you have purchased your craft invest in life jackets, vhf course and powerboat 2 course as a minimum.
you will also find youtube is your friend for boating tips from changing primary fuel filters to boating manouvres
learn on how to buy a boat i.e is it a private sale or brokered, contracts drawn up- and importantly builders and vat status certs along with proof of ownership.

jon
Click to expand...
Thanks for this - makes good sense about diesel, just had the idea that an outboard would be easier to maintain and had been told that these are usually petrol, but bringing jerry cans to the pontoon definitely sounds less than ideal.

Will definitely go for a survey, I will have a good look around but there'll be loads I don't know to look out for, so will go for the best survey I can get, hopefully can do a sea trial too.

I actually took my powerboat level 2 course recently so at least know the basics of safety, navigation, tides, berthing etc.
 
Going to be hard to meet all the criteria in one boat, particularly with todays inflated prices. Personally I would drop the age limit and look for something a bit older but well maintained. Go diesel, for sure.

What I would be looking for: Fairline Targa 27, Princess 266 or 286 or a Sealine 290
 
Alicatt said:
The Bayliner 285 or the slightly older 2855 is just a little too big to be towed in the UK with a car licence and they normally came with a petrol engine, though there are a few that have been refitted with diesels.

I like the look of the 2855 and it's layout slightly more than the 285
Click to expand...
Thanks, I certainly do like the cabin layout of the 2855 but they are a little older than I think I'd feel confident with - if I were able to find a well maintained one at a good price could definitely be an option. Towing it shouldn't be an issue - will be keeping in the marina / on a dry stack.
 
Ferris said:
What about a Jeanneau 805? Nic Burnham picked one over the competition as its a bit bigger, beamier and had bigger engine options. Bit big to tow however. Here's his channel on it, plenty of info:

MY BOAT - 'Smuggler's Blues 2' - YouTube

Edit specifically: MY OWN BOAT : Jeanneau Leader 805 Full Tour - YouTube
Click to expand...
I really like them (and am a big fan of the channel) but they're a bit out of budget and seem maybe quite inflated in price at the moment, I'm still keeping an eye out (and you inspired me to send off an enquiry about one in spain!).
 
madabouttheboat said:
Going to be hard to meet all the criteria in one boat, particularly with todays inflated prices. Personally I would drop the age limit and look for something a bit older but well maintained. Go diesel, for sure.

What I would be looking for: Fairline Targa 27, Princess 266 or 286 or a Sealine 290
Click to expand...
That makes sense, there is a fairline targa 27 that came on very recently at £33k but as a 1989 boat I would just worry about stuff going wrong with it. Whilst I'd love to be able to spend more time on board and work on the boat more, I'm only going to be able to get down at weekends and will want to make the most out of it when I do, so the more issues that need solving in the first year or two the harder it will be to enjoy it.
 
Update - have identified an s23 and also an s25 to view this weekend. Any advice about what to look out for on these, are the 170HP kad23s powerful enough? Any owners with experience of these as a first boat? Also any recommendations for marine engineers / surveyors in the Norfolk area?

Thanks for all the advice so far!
 
Defo choose diesel, marina petrol is 50% more £££££
Me, I’d choose a single engine as cheaper to maintain than two!Sooner have one well maintained engine and leg than two neglected ones!
I’d buy British over Bayliner, but Doral and Maxum are rated well.
Good luck and enjoy your search, take your time and don’t rush in!
If you loose one, the next one will be better!
 
grey_dawn_breaking said:
Update - have identified an s23 and also an s25 to view this weekend. Any advice about what to look out for on these, are the 170HP kad23s powerful enough? Any owners with experience of these as a first boat? Also any recommendations for marine engineers / surveyors in the Norfolk area?

Thanks for all the advice so far!
Click to expand...

These videos might help....




 
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grey_dawn_breaking said:
Update - have identified an s23 and also an s25 to view this weekend. Any advice about what to look out for on these, are the 170HP kad23s powerful enough? Any owners with experience of these as a first boat? Also any recommendations for marine engineers / surveyors in the Norfolk area?

Thanks for all the advice so far!
Click to expand...
That would be a KAD32 if it is 170HP
Should be ok on a 25ft cruiser.
But if you want to go out with 6 people I think you might struggle a bit.

I have a 25ft Hardy Seawings with AD31p - This is the same engine as the Kad32 without the supercharger (150HP)
4 heavy adults is a struggle. 3 is fine.
I'm not talking about getting out of the hole onto the plane, but just she has to work very hard to maintain a reasonable planning speed.
The extra HP of the Kad32 and the supercharger should help somewhat though.
The 805 you mentioned had over 200HP, I think about 230
 
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