First Boat

oGaryo

oGaryo

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Hi All... first post on the forum and it's a 'first boat' question which I suspect is asked aaaall the time /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Going to ask it all the same as I really do need some guidance on this one after doing 48hrs online research and finding there's more to this than meets the eye.


I'm looking for a power boat that has the following characteristics.

costs around £10K
good for river/sea
will be used for fishing & family weekends (2 adult, 2 kids)
needs to be economical as possible but still have a bit of umpf to give me a buzz
UK sourced so I can view before buying.. I live in Milton Keynes

A bit about me...... I'll be taking the RYA 2 course in due course and have sailed power boats (small ski boat) a couple of times on the broads + been a crew member on the Kodak Gold yacht (36ft from recollection) during Cowes week a few years back and have done some deep sea fishing on a mates boat.. I wouldn't say I'm entirely competent by any stretch of the imagination, hence the need for a course, but have lived by the sea for much of my younger years so know the potential dangers pretty much and have safety in the fore of my mind. I'll also be taking a skippered trip on a boat that I choose to make doubly sure I get on with her before partly with my hard earned

I've been looking at some late 90's and early 2000 20ft Bayliner Capri's online fitted with 3.0ltr inboard's and cuddy.... they seem to fit the bill from my novice viewpoint.

what do you experienced guys and ladies reckon? stay clear of the Bayliner's? are there any other boats that fit the spec above that I should be looking at?

I'll also need a little guidance on hidden cost too... e.g. river licence, typical insurance costs, typical dry dock costs in the UK, worthiness certs etc I'm a pretty competent mechanic so hopefully can carry out most maintenance activities myself (not bad for an office wholla /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif) but would also appreciate a view on that if I were to get someone else to carry out annual and ad hoc maintenance..

I'm not short of a bob or two but on the other hand, I don't want to find myself flushing money down the toilet by making bad decisions from the outset.. I'd prefer to take a more cautious approach until I know what I'm doing in a couple of years.

many thanks in advance for the advice and again, sorry for coming on here with a bunch of new boy type questions.

cheers Gary
 
Gary
when you say 'family weekends' do you mean staying aboard?
If so, the Bayliner isn't big enough-I know, I've got one!
In my (not particularly experienced) opinion, the 2052 is more a wakeboarding/skiing/beach picnic boat-if you want to go fishing (and overnighting) I think you need something with at least tea making facilities and a toilet, however, if you're not convinced, mine is for sale...or share?
 
Ditto, 2052 more of a ski boat, you might want to look at the Trophy series from Bayliner . should be able to get one within your budget.
 
Look at old shetlands. the family Four, Kestrel etc. The benefit is they are outboard so easier for towing. They have a cabin with decent facilities inside plus 2+2 berth!

Lots around within budget...having a trailer also minimises mooring costs.

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
if towing, you need to think about the capability of your car; you probably arent thinking of changing car just to tow a boat.
How old are the kids? Its not just their size(!), but also how long they will be entertained, especially if there isnt much room to play about on the boat. I think I m heading towards saying choose a boat for the few hours on the water, and take a Travelodge or whatever when needed, where you get space,a bathroom, some where warm and dry, a tv etc etc...
Trying to fit 4 onto a small boat for a w/end might be manageable once in glorious weather.. but that last last occured several decades ago !
On the boat.. most of the cost and potential costs are the engine, so take plenty of time to look over various layouts, and then look for a good service record. Think car repairs and then start multiplying if its anything to do with a boat.
Styles you might want to consider are the french type peche promenade, a small USA type sports cuddy or, as said elsewhere, a Shetland.
Look around where you might use the boat. If no one owns a sportsboat, for example, its probably a good indication its the wrong place to own one.
When you get a clearer idea of design and layout that suits what you want to do with the boat (and not what some else likes to do!), then you ll be better placed to narrow down the brands etc.
Bayliner have sold enormous numbers of boats. The earlier ones were a little light perhaps, but I dont think you need worry about anything over the last 10 years. Simple, mass produced boats, and plenty of people have had plenty of fun with them.
 
excellent advice... the car situation is that I have a company estate car and my wife has her hatch.. spookily enough, my wife's hatch has a greater towing capacity than mine so I've just bought a towbar for it rated to tow up to 1500KG (3300lbs) which I believe sees me alright for something like a 2052 according to the NADA website.

I'm starting to think that I'll not get anything big enough to have the cooker, loo and a half decent overnight accomodation without either changing the car or permanently mooring somewhere off the south coast which I'm guessing, would be expensive and somewhat restrictive.

For now, I'd much prefer to dry dock in Milton Keynes and have the flexibility tow the boat to where I fancy e.g. the broads, thames, great ouse, solent etc Futhermore, my sister owns a large caravan so that could be used in combination (joint trips out) or indeed, we have a 6 birth tent and as mentioned, hotel is always an option. I guess I can think about getting a larger boat and car at a later date once I'm sure owning a boat is for me.

Does that make sense with the transport options I have available to me? or am I wrong and there is a family sized boat that I should look at that is light enough to tow with a car?

btw.. would something like a 2052 be ok for jaunts overs to Cowes, Yarmouth harbour, Bucklers Hard etc assuming we launched from, say, Gosport?

thanks again for the prompt advice, really appreciated
 
sounds interesting regarding the sahre.. are you from the home counties area too?

thanks also to those suggesting other boats, I'll check out the weight to see if the car can handle them which at present, is a pretty big restriction on what I can and can't use as per my previous post. cheers Gary
 
[ QUOTE ]
Look at old shetlands. the family Four, Kestrel etc. The benefit is they are outboard so easier for towing. They have a cabin with decent facilities inside plus 2+2 berth!

Lots around within budget...having a trailer also minimises mooring costs.

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Paul, just had a look at one on Boatyard and they're not massive.. do they have a cuddy larger than a 2052 then? The reason for keeping harping on about the 2052 is that I was think about me and the wife in the cuddy and the boys on the sun loungers.. one is 8ye and the other is 16ye (passed his PADI this year so he's interested in the boat too). cheers Gary
 
We had a Bayliner 1952 classic cuddy (19') for a couple of seasons and managed fine with the two of us and our then 10yr old daughter. In spring and summer it was very comfy cosy for me on the floor under the canopy. Cant see any reason why a cuddy wont work for you with two teenegers they will have great fun. We had more fun with that boat than any other before or since and I suspect ever will have. A great boat to start with and a fairly easy one to sell on in the future when and if you move up to a cruiser, also farily easy to tow.
Hope some or all of that helps.
Oh and welcoe to the forum.
Ian
 
[ QUOTE ]
We had a Bayliner 1952 classic cuddy (19') for a couple of seasons and managed fine with the two of us and our then 10yr old daughter. In spring and summer it was very comfy cosy for me on the floor under the canopy. Cant see any reason why a cuddy wont work for you with two teenegers they will have great fun. We had more fun with that boat than any other before or since and I suspect ever will have. A great boat to start with and a fairly easy one to sell on in the future when and if you move up to a cruiser, also farily easy to tow.
Hope some or all of that helps.
Oh and welcoe to the forum.
Ian

[/ QUOTE ]

that sounds just the job Ian... I've had a look at a 2003 version a moment ago and it looks spot on for what I need.... http://sportboats.apolloduck.co.uk/image.phtml?id=86749&image=1

will do some research on price etc to see if the asking price for this one is around the norm (£10k).. very promising and thanks for the warm welcome /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Hi Gary, welcome to the mad house!

Another boat you should look at is the Fletcher 19GTS, its good strong british built boat, with good accomodation, 2 berth cuddy, sink with water, stove and porta potti, also has full camper canvas, so as you can stay overnight if you want.
They are also very good sea boats.

I know someone on here who maybe putting a 2001 up for sale soon for around £10k-£11k. Very similar to this one: HERE!

Good luck with the search.

Cheers

Al.
 
Gary
Glad it helped, The cuddy is only small, you climb in a bit like a two man tent really but its cosy warm and great great fun. We allways refer to boating in a cuddy as camping rather than caravaning in a cruiser. Way way more fun to camp in fact we still do once a year just for the sheer fun of it, in fact if I had a cuddy as well as the cruiser I would use it a few times a year to tow somewere different and camp out. Its all about getting it all set up correctly. I made a kind of worktop for a makeshift galley that fitted to the left of the engine housing that we used for the camp stove etc .We were famous on our jetty for allways having a full breakfast prepared whilst most folk in cruisers walked up town to the cafe's.
For what its worth I think you are doing the right thing with that type of boat, and you have a bit of umph for a good blokey blast around. You mrs garry and the kids will have great fun.
If you need any further info re cuddy camping let me know /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Yep Al is right the fletcher 19 is also a great boat. In fact it may even be slightly roomier than the bayliner if I remeber correctly.
 
Hi Gary&wellcome
try a fletcher faro 19or a sealine 195,both very good boats for what you have in mind, regards m m1.
 
[ QUOTE ]
would something like a 2052 be ok for jaunts overs to Cowes, Yarmouth harbour, Bucklers Hard etc assuming we launched from, say, Gosport?

[/ QUOTE ]

The short answer is "yes". However, although it's sheltered, the Solent can be quite choppy, particularly with wind against tide, so I'd take it easy to start with - you don't want to frighten your crew. Waves look (and feel) far bigger from a small speedboat than they do from a 30ft yacht.

Alistair's suggestion of the Fletcher is an excellent one, imho.

If you have a tent and/or sister's caravan, you could stay at the Campsite next door to Mercury Marina on the Hamble and launch from there. The Solent's your oyster.... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
On the towing front don't forget that the manufacturers weight for the boat is dry without the "extras" like anchors water fenders, tool kit etc etc. Also don't underestimate the weight of the trailer which can easily add 500 kg oonto the load.

I doubt that your capacity of 1500 kg will take the sort of boat that you are looking at.
 
perfect Ian and Al, that Fletcher also looks tempting.. As for camping, my existing passion is carp fishing with my mates so I'm very used to camping a week at a time in France... I already have all the gear necessary such as 3 way cooler, cooking gear, 5 season sleeping bags etc etc I think I've got the general scope now, a big cruiser is out and I'm on the market for a cosy cuddy :-)

p.s. glad I found the forum
 
[ QUOTE ]
On the towing front don't forget that the manufacturers weight for the boat is dry without the "extras" like anchors water fenders, tool kit etc etc. Also don't underestimate the weight of the trailer which can easily add 500 kg oonto the load.

I doubt that your capacity of 1500 kg will take the sort of boat that you are looking at.

[/ QUOTE ]

thanks for the advice.. I think the best option in that case would be to take boat and trailer to a weighbridge and see what that tells me.. I'll certainly factor it in
 
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