First river cruiser, no real experience, asking for trouble?

Murv said:
Thank you all, really appreciate the help from all and the wealth of advice I've had by pm, thank you all very much.
However, my head hurts now and I think I'll just upgrade the caravan instead :D

OK, I have one final question that I hope you can shed some light on.

If I moor on the non-tidal stretch, and go out for a quick spin and then break down I'll just think bugger.
I can then drop anchor and either slot the electric outboard on or call a very nice man to come and rescue me.
Or, if it really came to it, I could paddle the thing back.

If the same thing happens on the tidal stretch, I could slot the seagull on the back and hope for the best I guess but if that were to fail I'd be in big trouble.
Plus, there's the risk of going aground, hitting an old wreck or something plus all the commercial traffic going up and down. It just seems (to someone who's never done it) far more risky? OK, I could go out with someone else but it would massively cut down the impulsive early morning trips that I enjoy out on my little dingy.
Would I not need to study navigation laws and get used to charts and plotting and whatever else sea going skippers need to do?
Or, am I way off the mark?
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You are not wrong the Tideway is for experienced boaters only, you will love the non-tidal in the summer, much less stressful :)
 
Would I not need to study navigation laws and get used to charts and plotting and whatever else sea going skippers need to do?
Or, am I way off the mark?



The commercial traffic regretably amounts to about one or two boats a week now and running into some nice soft Medway mud is infinately preferable to hitting the pride and joy of some be-blazered owner be it a vast Fairline 42 or Broom 50 in Bray lock.As for navigation skills on the tidal bit of the river,you still have a bank to bounce off abet just a bit further apart than at Henley.We do actually have charts on my boat,most of which have little pictures of Dragons on them and most boats will have a nice SatNav bolted onto the dash if you look carefully.
Anywho the Swale on your doorstep is narrower than some parts of the Thamesand with considerably less NO MOORING signs.
 
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Deefor said:
Nope. Was on it soon after it was re-engined. Owner looked at re-propping but all the companies he spoke to came back saying what was fitted was the right prop.

Just noticed that there's another Fairline Holiday at <£10k on the Medway (Boatshop 24), even has a derv lump ;).
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I would be gutted if i had just fitted the engine and it only did 6/8 knots:eek:


Lynall
 
lynall said:
I would be gutted if i had just fitted the engine and it only did 6/8 knots:eek:


Lynall
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The trouble is its a planing hull and fairly short, so it can only do up to about 7-8knts then it needs to be planing at 17knts+, it will not operate at any speed inbetween. It will need probably 150hp to get it planing but only 50hp to achieve 7-8knots, so if the engine hp is inbetween it is just wasted hp and money, rule of thumb is 60hp/ton to achieve planing speeds with a clean hull, reckon a Fairline holiday will weigh 2.5tons.
 
Do you guys have zebra mussels on the Thames?

I picked this up off a Broads orientated forum:
Currently at the moment Zebra muscles are causing major problems to stern drives & outboards, especially in some 'still water' places like Ranworth etc. Several drives & outboards have even been found to be too costly to repair, due to the major issues caused when the zebra muscles grow & live inside the drives.

The above was written by a respected marine engineer and begs the question 'are stern-drives suitable for river use', especially for beginners?
 
Marine growth of this sort has been commented on before,it occurs when the boat is not used for seriously long periods of time....simple answer...use the blimming thing.
Although has have heard of cases of crustations completly knackering O/Ds in USA
www.yachtsurvey.com have not heard of it over here.
Doubt if growth rates are fast enough.
 
Penton Hooker said:
I note that since my condemnation of stern-drives no one has come to their defense, I wonder why!

I'm glad that the original poster has withdrawn from that first potential purchase. Get the right boat and it will hold its value.

I have watched small stern-drives going slowly along the river like crabs, the keel-less, rudderless hulls unable to hold their course.

If a good boat is outside of budget then I would hang on until the budget is greater.
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My boat has two sterndrives, as long as you are not stupid and reverse into the bank they are fine, you just have to remember they are there.

You get far more control with sterdrives and you can reverse out of the mooring (into deep water), where many with shafts would struggle to keep control.

With the engines at the rear the floor of the wheelshelter is lower and you dont have to climb up and down to get in the cabin which makes the boat more comfotable.

Mine does not wander like many do but it does have two long keels underneath.

But shafts are simple and effective and I think the OP should look for a seamaster 27 with shaft drive and diesel engine, it is a perfect starter boat and many buy them as a first boat and stick with them,
but if he is on a waterway with reasonable depth and finds a boat he likes with legs, go for it. after all there are many boats with legs and if they are as bad as stated here no-one would have bought them new would they.
 
"if they are as bad as stated here no-one would have bought them new would they.#

err does anyone else remember buying from new

Soda thingies to make fizzy drinks from syrups
George Foreman grills
Foot spas with bubbles
Flared trousers
Austin Allegros
Those little rubber strips that allow static to leave you car
Whale song tapes
Anything with the word "New and Improved" in the title
 
oldgit;3887653 err does anyone else remember buying from new Soda thingies to make fizzy drinks from syrups George Foreman grills Foot spas with bubbles Flared trousers Austin Allegros Those little rubber strips that allow static to leave you car Whale song tapes Anything with the word "New and Improved" in the title[/QUOTE said:
No never bought any of them, are they all in your garage:D

Did buy one of those useless syphon cleaning things from the Boatshow once though, you can have it for your collection if you like;)
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Many thanks all, sorry for my lack of response, it's been hectic at work.
Anyway, going to look at another Seamaster tomorrow, it has the dreaded sterndrive (an Enfield unit) but is fitted with a diesel engine.
It's up for an absolute giveaway price as the owners need to shift it ASAP due to personal circumstances.
However, we are not committing to anything just yet, everyone is perfectly clear that we're just going for a nose around.

Just want to offer huge thanks to "oldgit" who has been incredibly helpful with advice through pm.

Will keep you all posted...
 
Every last one plus heaps more ! Grrrrr

"No never bought any of them, are they all in your garage:D




Not me ..tighter than a ????...however if you would to have a word with SWMBO
 
Murv said:
Many thanks all, sorry for my lack of response, it's been hectic at work.
Anyway, going to look at another Seamaster tomorrow, it has the dreaded sterndrive (an Enfield unit) but is fitted with a diesel engine.
It's up for an absolute giveaway price as the owners need to shift it ASAP due to personal circumstances.
However, we are not committing to anything just yet, everyone is perfectly clear that we're just going for a nose around.

Just want to offer huge thanks to "oldgit" who has been incredibly helpful with advice through pm.

Will keep you all posted...
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Remember, a 'Giveaway price' is fine, but a broken sterndrive during the following months, especially an obsolete unit, may make it an expensive boat!! :eek:
 
The give away price might/probably does reflect the Enfield stern-drive, not the most highly regarded pieces of engineering, especially in their dotage.
 
Old out-drives are all over ebay, bearings can be bought from many sources, any half respectable car mechanic can mend them why run away from a cheap boat because people that don't know are scared of old out-drives. I have two volvo 100 out-drives on my boat that date back to the mid sixties, the bellows are easy to get, cheap, only one, no hydraulics no real problems at all, I bought a spare one for £100. I have spent ,in the eight years I have had the boat, less than £300 including bellows and oil. I spend approx £1.50 for the oil seals on the prop shaft, these are the only troublesome part, being attacked by nylon fishing line. My friend has shaft drive boat, he now has to cut a hole in his new deck because the shaft bearing under the deck has collapsed, another has a problem with the shaft seal that is going to cost because the reason for the problem is the cutlas bearing is loose in the keel, expensive? Nothing is perfect, but some things are not as bad as you would be led to believe. Just as an aside, my outdrive can totally collapse and even fall off and the boat wont leak which is more than can be said for a shaft.
 
Thanks all :)

The Seamaster was cheap as the owner had been made redundant.
It was a nice boat, needed a bit done inside but as it was cheap, that was fine.
Felt pretty awful looking over it though as there were a few tears from the owners as they clearly didn't want to sell it.

Anyway, on the way home after saying we'd think about it, the marina owner phoned to say that they'd changed their minds and just couldn't part with it.
To be perfectly honest I was happy about that, they were clearly very attched to it and I'm glad that they're keeping their boat :)
They were a lovely couple and I'm looking forward to seeing them out and about on the river.

So, we are looking at another one today, a Shetland Black Prince which although very pretty, is probably going to be too small.
If so, we're going to go for the Fairline which I've negotiated the price even further on to make it viable.
That has a Volve 270 outdrive, recently serviced with receipts, and from what I can make out by Googling is a generally reliable unit and, more importantly, relatively easy to repair.
I think (from my position as nothing sweet FA about anything) that the point made above about outdrives being repairable is a good one.
We're on a very tight budget, and so are looking at old vessels. I imagine it's unrealistic to expect to buy anything in our price range (unless recently fitted with a brand new leg) that can be virtually guaranteed to need no repair for the first couple of Years.

Shaft drives are very thin on the ground (I've been searching hard!) and although I'm sure we could wait it out and get one, I like the idea of the increased maneuverability that seems to come with an outdrive.

Thanks once again for your thoughts, will keep you all posted

cheers,
Chris
 
"Thanks once again for your thoughts, will keep you all posted "


Good luck and keep looking for a good one.

They are out there.

The more boats you look at,the easier it will be to spot something that has been loved.
Thats the boat for you and it will be one you will not begrudge spending a few quid on to keep it up to scratch yourself.
May well lead you to realise a boat you previously dismissed was in fact OK.
Once boats start to go downhill it is very difficult to arrest the decline.
 
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