First coastal cruise

My own experience was buying an 1970’s motor boat located on the Thames which I wanted to use on the Orwell/ East Coast. I decided to have it moved by road for several reasons, 1. not entirely sure the boat was seaworthy for a trip down the estuary and up the coast, 2. No working radio altho’ could have used a H/H. 3. Although I had done the trip to St Kat’s and back a few times I had never been on the Thames upstream of Tower Bridge. 4. I had no experience of a twin engine motor boats at all!
Very happy to have done that, once the boat was delivered we got various necessary jobs done over the winter and were then able to get used to a totally different boating experience in familiar waters.
 
Defo go by road
Is a S24 trailable?
Worst case the back of a low loader shouldn’t be to expensive for that distance
Ask around a few companies and, if you can, wait for a back load
That way you can enjoy your boat on the river while getting to know her and then take her to sea when you are ready and at your leisure
BTW nice boat!
 
Wow!
Thanks to all those who provided their constructive concerns and advice ??.
I’m now thinking of a different route given the pitfalls you have all kindly mentioned. The new plan is to take the boat from Ipswich up to Lowestoft and then inland waterways from there.
Is this a more doable route do you think? The boat has just had a full engine service and a full survey so all that is good. I’m planning to take her out for a day at the marina before we sail the next day. I’ll have a plan to consider the tidal streams/curves, will check the weather/wind forecast before we leave (and cancel if dodgy) and have safety kit to SOLAS and GPS & VHF onboard also.
 
Sneds said:
Defo go by road
Is a S24 trailable?
Worst case the back of a low loader shouldn’t be to expensive for that distance
Ask around a few companies and, if you can, wait for a back load
That way you can enjoy your boat on the river while getting to know her and then take her to sea when you are ready and at your leisure
BTW nice boat!
Click to expand...
Yes the S24 fits on a trailer and I believe there is a company where you can hire a trailer. An S23 owner did this to tour Scotland recently so worth posting a message on the Sealine forum.
 
Livingthedream said:
Wow!
Thanks to all those who provided their constructive concerns and advice ??.
I’m now thinking of a different route given the pitfalls you have all kindly mentioned. The new plan is to take the boat from Ipswich up to Lowestoft and then inland waterways from there.
Is this a more doable route do you think? The boat has just had a full engine service and a full survey so all that is good. I’m planning to take her out for a day at the marina before we sail the next day. I’ll have a plan to consider the tidal streams/curves, will check the weather/wind forecast before we leave (and cancel if dodgy) and have safety kit to SOLAS and GPS & VHF onboard also.
Click to expand...

You can do the Broads going in at Lowestoft or Gt Yarmouth but there is no inland waterway link to the Gt Ouse so you won’t get where you want to go unfortunately.
 
Greg2 said:
You can do the Broads going in at Lowestoft or Gt Yarmouth but there is no inland waterway link to the Gt Ouse so you won’t get where you want to go unfortunately.
Click to expand...
:) Quite right, I just tried this on Canal Planner too and it unsurprisingly provided the same answer. Picked St Ives as an example.
Canal Route Planner – CanalPlanAC

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If the OP wants an insight into delivering a new to them boat then the tale of the Trader delivery might be of interest. I recall the owner abandoned ship and left delivery to a couple of experienced mates. Have you considered taking along a delivery skipper as a trainer etc?
 
Plan C, leave the boat on the Orwell somewhere and explore the area, whilst learning how to "sail" at sea.

Wouldn't need much tuition to explore the Orwell, Stour, Deben and Walton Backwaters, but which time enough knowledge would have been gained to motor it to the Gt Ouse. The saving on road transport would offset marina fees.
 
ashtead said:
If the OP wants an insight into delivering a new to them boat then the tale of the Trader delivery might be of interest. I recall the owner abandoned ship and left delivery to a couple of experienced mates. Have you considered taking along a delivery skipper as a trainer etc?
Click to expand...
What a tale that was. There's quite a lot of reading in it!
Independence | Upadates & Cruising
 
PaulRainbow said:
Plan C, leave the boat on the Orwell somewhere and explore the area, whilst learning how to "sail" at sea.

Wouldn't need much tuition to explore the Orwell, Stour, Deben and Walton Backwaters, but which time enough knowledge would have been gained to motor it to the Gt Ouse. The saving on road transport would offset marina fees.
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The cost of road transport would nowhere near cover a season’s marina fees in the Orwell! Swinging mooring perhaps.
 
Leighb said:
The cost of road transport would nowhere near cover a season’s marina fees in the Orwell! Swinging mooring perhaps.
Click to expand...

I said offset, not cover and i didn't say for a whole season. It'll cost less than £1k to keep the boat in Ipswich, Shotley or SYH for three months. If, in that three months he can learn how to safely move the boat by sea and he gets to see the local rivers, it's really good value, IMO.

Just another option to consider.
 
stelican said:
Plan B put on truck after sailing to Norfolk broads
Click to expand...
Hi,

I sail mostly with flappy rags for power but I did do powerboat level 2 many years ago and have been going afloat all my life in anything from dinghies to 300 foot topsail schooners. I'm afraid I tend to agree with all the advice you have been given by others here but, I see that you are determined to make a sea passage and I like a bit of determination. Your plan B is not so bad - the coast between Harwich and Lowestoft is far more friendly than from Lowestoft to Kings Lynn. However, I would counsel mixing your plan B with some of the other advice on here. Take a week's holiday on your new boat on the Orwell, making trips up and down the Orwell and Stour,over to Titchmarsh marina in Walton Backwater and even up the Deben to Waldringfield or Woodbridge (taking care over the bar!). Ideally, do this with someone experienced on board or even takethe time to do a powerboat level 2 with someone like East Anglian Sea School:

East Anglian Sea School - Yacht Charter, RYA Suffolk Sailing School, Motor Boating, Power Boating, Dinghy Sailing, Levington, Ipswich

After this you would be clear what a passage to Lowestoft would involve, but I would still recommend having an experienced hand on board and, of course picking your weather. A truck from say Wroxham to the Great Ouse would not be a problem.

Do you have any mates with seagoing experience in small motor craft? My biggest concern would be the risk of getting fish trap lines round the prop in a single engine mobo with no sails.

Peter.
 
If you want to get used to sea trip moving it up to the broads can be done in civilised hops and from there you can get much easier access to sea than you will on the gt.ouse, after a season on the broads you should have enough confidence to take it round to kings lynn (I'd stop over in wells en-route) and the saved road trip will cover the broads toll and moorings.
As said before I'd want to be absolutely sure the fuel tank is clean before taking it out to sea, they can be perfect on calm water but a good chop will soon put you out of action.
Orwell to southwold is an easy trip, southwold to lowestoft/gt.yarmouth is a doddle, from there round it's much longer hops with no bolt holes and limited tidal access.
 
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