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James723

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Hi All,

I'm a new member to the forum but have been browsing for a while. I've always wanted to own a motorboat and am now almost in a position where that could become a reality.

I'm looking for a day boat that will most probably be used on the Solent around Southampton, Bournemouth and Poole for general cruising, fishing and maybe some skiing. I originally intended to get a bowrider, around 22' - 24' and I have a budget of around £25k.

I have a few questions that hopefully some of you can answer:

  • I've read that bowriders aren't great for using on the sea, is this correct? Should I consider a cuddy cabin?
  • In terms of age, how significant is that with regards to boats? Obviously my budget won't permit something brand new but I'd hope to get something around 8 years old or newer, is this a reasonable target?
  • I've been looking at the likes of Doral, Bayliner, Four Winns and Sealine, are these good makes to look at or should I consider some others?
  • I also intend to do some of the RYA courses, are there any other courses worth doing or books worth investing in?

Thanks for your patience.

James
 
OK, as no-one else has stepped in...

The budget is fine, so that's the first bit out or the way; you'll have plenty of choice available.

Plenty of people have bowriders, and I have no axe to grind but personally would always go for a cuddy. There's a bit of shelter, somewhere to stow some gear and probably a toilet compartment, sink and maybe a small cooker.

Age isn't anywhere near as important as condition and service history.

The names you list are all fine, though doubtless you'll get loads of people with personal preferences. Go with what suits your needs best, but bear in mind none of these will make particularly good fishing boats. OK for drowning a few worms, but if you want half a dozen mates and some serious fishing, then you've got the wrong style of boat.

Start with RYA Pwoerboat 1 or 2 if you plan to trail the boat, or maybe Day Skipper if you intend to cruise more.

Good luck.
 
Firstly, welcome to the forum!

I'm with Wiggo in this one, a boat with a toilet and a bit of shelter is much more useable than an open boat. The makes you list should be fine, they're very popular. Course, if you're trailering it you'll have to consider weight.

When I was in your position I did Powerboat Level 2, it proved invaluable and will give you a good basic knowledge to build on.

Good luck with your search, look at as many boats as you can , look at different types which you have not yet considered, you may be surprised, then you can make an informed decision, don't jump in with an offer on the first one you see.
 
I know you're looking at second hand but I would suggest spend some time at Southampton Boat Show and have a good look at what's around. You can compare facilities and get on the boats and see how much space is available on different types.

From what you say I suspect if you bought a bowrider you'd be changing it pretty soon. A 21-23ft cuddy would be more practical. A porta potty is very handy if you're out for a while, especially for the ladies, us fellas can pee off the stern / bucket and chuckit.

If you're thinking of fishing bear in mind the mess, you will want removable carpets at least and not too much plush stuff about. Fish guts and plush do not mix very well.
 
Nowt wrong with a bow rider until the day you were out in the rain, or someone wanted to "go" and was a girlie for whom "over the side" was not really viable.

Its just me but you might want to think hard about the different requirements for a boat for serious fishing as opposed to a few mates knocking back tinnies for whom the occasional mackerel is more a bonus that the goal of the exercise. Serious fishing and comfortable cruising need quite a big boat to space them out.

Keep us posted.
 
I think you probably just need to narrow down what your priorities are. Many boats will do cruising, fishing and skiiing but I doubt you'll find one that is perfect for all three. For cruising you want good accommodation, galley and heads, for fishing a big uncluttered cockpit and for skiing a performance engine package.
 
A 22'-25' bowrider would make a great day-boat here in Spain - loads of lounging space for the size, you can go straight up a beach to pick up/drop off people from the bow and the bigger ones do have an enclosed toilet compartment. For the UK though, I really can't see the point, other than for a quick blast around the bay and back again. Much better to have something with a cuddy or even better a downstairs.

Quite a few boats in your price range on ebay right now which would do the job quite nicely.
 
Welcome James, I was pretty much in your position a couple of years ago (excludling the fishing!)
Don't completely rule out new as that's what I ended up buying after finding a "stock boat" and getting a good deal. I bought a beneteau Antares (fisher!!) and it proved a wonderful first boat. Have a look at them or the jeanneau think you'll be surprised what you can get for your budget.

Agree with all above a loo is a must!

Happy hunting.
 
Hi James,

Have you considered a rib? Budget is spot on for a nice 5 year old 6.5m, they are great for building confidence, both close quarters and out at sea. If you plan to tow they aren't too heavy (6.5m will tow behind a family sized car) decent speed without scary economy!

Ok so there isn't a loo.. but in my cuddy with a porta poti I think in 2 years it got used 2 or 3 times, all of the area's you mention have loads of places you can dive into for a quick pit stop! In fact I can't think of anywhere in the Solent that would be more than 10-15 minutes from an "accessible by boat toilet" in a rib!
A slightly different angle for you to consider coming from someone who has owned a 17ft lake ski boat which lasted 6 months in the Solent (pretending to be a submarine gets a bit boring after a while!) an 18ft bow rider a 21ft cuddy 25ft sports cruiser and now a 6.5m rib..

When I first got a boat I loved the style of the American sports boats and used to wonder why someone would bother with a rib, now I've seen the light with a rib and think the opposite!

However if you do decide on a cuddy/bowrider have a look at the Monterey range, we had a diesel 218 cuddy which was a great boat and Southwater marine at Hamble point are first class :)

If you are interested in a rib then can recommend Ribeye, Balistic, Revenger and Cobra as places to start looking!

Finally, as others have said Powerboat L2 is a good course to start with!!

Good luck :D
 
Still miss that one, guess I should change the Avatar as she went 2 years ago!!

Oh and I classed that as a sportscruiser not a sports boat :D
 
There's Solent fishing...and then there's Solent fishing.

Pretty much any boat will let you take a few mackerel on a handline from around the Needles, and with a bit of care you'll go from hook to barbeque without any real mess or confusion.

But bringing a big conger aboard while anchored over a wreck needs plenty of clear cockpit space and a lot of cleaning up afterwards...you'll never entirely get rid of the smell and if you start pulling up squid you'll never entirely get rid of the ink stains either!
 
bumpy_the_dog said:
There's Solent fishing...and then there's Solent fishing.

Pretty much any boat will let you take a few mackerel on a handline from around the Needles, and with a bit of care you'll go from hook to barbeque without any real mess or confusion.

But bringing a big conger aboard while anchored over a wreck needs plenty of clear cockpit space and a lot of cleaning up afterwards...you'll never entirely get rid of the smell and if you start pulling up squid you'll never entirely get rid of the ink stains either!
Click to expand...

Agree with what you are saying, but you can contain the mess mostly by getting them quickly into bins.
If you have a selection of bins at home, depending on what sort of fishing you are doing on the day, ranging from large-ish buckets up to half or a third of a blue plastic 44 gallon drum with 1" rope handles drilled and knotted around the top, and the boat has a decent sized cockpit (with some seats removed?) or boarding platform (preferred location) to secure the bins to, you don't really need to get fish guts on much at all.
Always have a damp rag close and handy to wipe off any escaping bits before they dry, as long as the sides are high enough and the kids don't panic and drop them onto the cockpit carpet, you can keep the boat pretty clean.
 
As to the fishing, you can always do what I do, walk round the pontoon to your friendly pro fisherman get your chosen species and lie to the wife:D

newboat036.jpg
:D:D

Black bream, scaled, cleaned, butter,lemon zest, finely chopped spring onion, cracked pepper corns, salt, eggcup of muscadet, wrapped in foil, hot oven/grill/barby 10 mins

delicious:D

001.jpg


003-5.jpg
 
epervier said:
As to the fishing, you can always do what I do, walk round the pontoon to your friendly pro fisherman get your chosen species and lie to the wife:D
Click to expand...

What....and miss out on getting nailed by a fish spike or hook, throwing-up on a rolling sea and getting out of bed in the middle of the night, ready for a day-break start.....never! :D
 
Thanks for the replies guys and girls, this has been really helpful.

With the help of your replies and a bit more of my own research, I've decided a cuddy is probably the way to go. I want something a bit more sturdy than a bowrider that can handle the sea but I also want a bit of luxury/comfort which rules out the rib.

Fishing was also the lowest of my priorities, it's unlikely that I will do much fishing at all. General cruising and skiing etc are the higher priorities.

This may seem like a dumb question and will highlight just how new I am to boating! But how far would it be safe/achievable to go in a 23ft (ish) cuddy, is a trip to France possible? Or even further afield?

Thanks,
James
 
Every new boat owners dream is the pop down to the med for the weekend.

23' could cross the channel given the right weather but there aren't many that would want to do it and range in a small boat could be limiting.

Buy a well known brand with a ready resale market as it is unlikely you will know what your ideal boat is until you have changed it at least twice.
 
James723 said:
Thanks for the replies guys and girls, this has been really helpful.

With the help of your replies and a bit more of my own research, I've decided a cuddy is probably the way to go. I want something a bit more sturdy than a bowrider that can handle the sea but I also want a bit of luxury/comfort which rules out the rib.

Fishing was also the lowest of my priorities, it's unlikely that I will do much fishing at all. General cruising and skiing etc are the higher priorities.

This may seem like a dumb question and will highlight just how new I am to boating! But how far would it be safe/achievable to go in a 23ft (ish) cuddy, is a trip to France possible? Or even further afield?

Thanks, James
Click to expand...


Hi James, welcome to the forum... it's probably a good point to list what you want to do with the boat in priority order... whilst you say day boat, do you intend to stay overnight whilst cruising?... is it primarily a family thing (kids too?) or breaks away with the lads? you'll get a decent early yr2000 4 berth cruiser for the budget (still trailerable, just, if that's a must) so if a bit of comfort and the possibility of staying on the water for a weekend is attractive, you could go that route and skip the cuddy
 
We have had a bowrider for 3 years and have now sold it due to being caught in choppy seas when the weather turned. This can be a bit scary.

My advise is go for a covered bow - cuddy.

When i am better we will have a cuddy, style.

Good luck.:)
 
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