Getting Started

[babylocked]

The dream has always been to own a raggie at some stage. However the new family and a SWMBO who’s only interested in sailing in warmer clime’s make me think that given a choice between a stinky or nothing the choice is simple. A decision made more palatable after browsing these forums, it’s not all sitting in marina’s drinking gin or screaming around at 40knots.
So the dream has been modified - a stinky I will be. I’ll need to employ the “softly, softly, catchy monkey approach”, so I’m after some advise on step 1 of the big plan.

Monies tight but so is spare time so initial questions:

Will £2000 buy me something to take the SWMBO and my 9mth old out on the Thames (Teddington area) safely?
It will need to be something more substantial than a dingy/inflatable for SWMBO to allow the “family” on it. Time is very precious so it can’t be a fixer up.
Am I being realistic if I allow £500 a year running costs?
Should I look at alternatives to buying? Are there any?


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[Guest]

£2000? I'm not sure. On the Thames, you won't need a deep V or loads of power, so possibly... <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk>http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk</A> lists a few at that price.

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[babylocked]

Thanks for the response and the link.

What should I be looking for? "deep V or loads of power" unfortunately means nothing to me I'm afraid.


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[Guest]

Deep V hulls are for high speed work at sea, where you need plenty of oomph. On the Thames, you can get away with a range of different hull types, as you will be restricted to 5 knots(?) or so. For the money, you could probably find a 20 foot plus river boat with a small (15-30hp) outboard that would suit a small family. Plenty of others here know the Thames and that style of boat better than I, though.

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[longjohnsilver]

I'd suggest something like a Shetland 535 or Microplus should be within your budget and big enuf for the family. You don't want or need a big engine for the Thames, 10 - 20 hp should do, providing Teddington isn't tidal. The link above is a good place to look or the mag boats and yachts under 20K. If you keep it on a trailer in the drive you could easily keep within your budget, unless of course you decide you want/need extras or a bigger boat..................

Don't forget the safety gear, lifejackets etc and you'll need to check on whether you need a licence, others on here will be able to better advise you on that.

Above all have fun and don't push the family into doing anything they're not comfortable with.

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[Forbsie]

Hi Luke.

My mooring charges for Eel Pie Island are £10/week for a 25 footer.. If you join Twickenham Yacht Club it is even cheaper. There are also a few boats down here for sale but need a fair bit of tidying up. A guy behind me on the slip bought a fair looking speedboat for £100 but needs an outboard. 3 days tidying/repairing and he's going to launch it again this weekend.

If you are based in Teddington or thereabouts and fancy a chat about it over a beer, PM me.

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[babylocked]

Thanks for the pointers - safety gear is something I'll need to add into the budget calculation.

The enjoyment of the family is key to this - time with them is precious and believe that this is a way for me to indulge my love of being on water whilst spending time with them.

Can anyone add anything else to the budget lists? Any ideas on costs?

Initial – boat, lifejackets

Ongoing – storage/mooring (don’t have a drive), fuel & oil, maintenance.


<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by babylocked on 29/05/2003 09:20 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[babylocked]

Thanks.

Do riverboats like most yachts spend the winter out of the water?

I'll drop you a PM, about the possibility of meeting up.

If my questions seem stupid please accept my apologies as I’m new to this and don’t want to make any assumptions.


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[boatone]

With your limited budget I wonder if you might consider a RIB (rigid inflatable) which has a solid fibreglass underbody with the usual inflated sides. It would have the advantage of portability so you could go almost anywhere with either a roof rack or trailer, no mooring fees or storage costs cos you can keep it at home. Perfectly safe for swmbo and youngsters. Outboard engine so easy to get serviced etc etc.
Just a thought but you would have access to a really wide range of boating waters!

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[Forbsie]

Most boats downriver from Teddington tend to stay in during winter due to the lack of hardstanding. In fact, most boats are never touched from one year to the other and this is something that you should keep in mind when deciding on what to get. Many people buy boats and then discover that there can be a lot of work attached to ownership that they are not prepared for. I was lucky and got my boat for free and have only had to spend the past year getting it fit for the river including every day, bar 6, since March.Then again, I have the excuse that I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

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[babylocked]

Thanks for the suggestion. The questions below are aimed at anyone.

Do they sit higher in the water than an inflatable? Are they more stable?

Had a look at RIBs on boatsandoutboards sub £3k they don’t seem to have proper seats which I’m guessing will make them dingies to SWMBO.

Do the sellers of new Small Boats/RIBs do test drives? I’m thinking that the best way to answer the above might be to give it a try.


<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by babylocked on 29/05/2003 17:19 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Guest]

Don't do it. Or at least, think carefully. RIBs are generally considered complete hooligans' tools, and are an utter blast, but are really meant for tearing around in. Seats tend to be of the 'sit astride and hang on for dear life' variety, so if SWMBO has visions of sedately meandering up the Thames with strawberries and bottle of Bolly, then a RIB definitely won't do...

It all depends on what you want to do, really. Bear in mind, small kids and boats at sea are no big deal - ours were on board from eight weeks old, with mother waterskiing off the back.

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[babylocked]

I’d noticed the phenomenon of unused boats even through we’ve only lived near the river for a year.
It’s annoying to someone in my position – shame there’s no way to take on someone’s running cost in return for use of there boat.
I’m trying to be realistic and include fixing things time in the equation – one of the reasons a fixa-upa is not a sensible proposition. I can imagine the satisfaction you must be getting from your Project but I just don’t have the dedication to take something like that on.


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[babylocked]

Your bang on about SWMBO's view of how things should be, so whilst I'll not rule RIBs out they sound like an unlikely candidate.

Nice to know that little ones and boats do mix.

See it as a couple of years doing day trips from Teddington, maybe the occasional weekend away using B&B's then moving on to something bigger (enough berths for family and a couple of friends) on the Thames, finally something capable of going cross channel in the Solent.


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[stamfordian]

Can recommend a Shetland 535 on your budget,used one last year for coastal trips/fishing,look for one with a good canopy though as these are expensive to replace,i had a 50hp on mine (the max rating for the hull)which would give you 26knots,but as others have said you wouldn,t need that power.Thier a very strong boat for thier size and you can easily trailer them with a family car.my kids asolutly loved it.

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[BarryH]

Good advise given by others. I'll just add that get something that will be easy to sell on when your looking to trade up. I bought a good sea boat with proven design, altho you see very few on the market, so not a popular boat and only appeals to a few buyers.

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[byron]

<font color=blue>You could buy a nice 13'6" Dory with outboard and trailer for less than £1,000.00p. You may find that it comes with Lifejackets which is the only safety equipment you will need on the Thames. Others suggesting craft like a Shetland 535 are giving sound advice. You will be able to take a leak and have a cuppa with one of these. Just remember speedboats are the easiest to buy but hardest to sell. Also if you are staying above Teddington you really don't need a great deal of power, in fact too large an outboard would be an handicap rather than an asset.

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[miket]

Take yourself to a couple of the main Thames Brokers/ marinas and see what's available. Bray Marine, Penton Hook, Val Wyatt's. All these will have everything from old and big to new and small, all within your price bracket.

You and your other half then decide which way to go.

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[babylocked]

Thanks to everyone for their input so far, more always welcome. Certainly given me lots to think about and stopped me wasting time looking at speed boats.

Small trailable cruiser along the lines of a Shetland looks most likely but I'll take a trip to some brokers as suggested before making a final decision.

I’ll not doubt be posting lots more stupid questions once the plan moves towards the stage of actually buying something.


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[Dave_Snelson]

Most Shetlands are a good first buy - the Shetland 535 always appears in roughly that price bracket.

Tough little boats, and with a 25 - 50Hp motor, will serve you well. Make sure the motors a good 'un.

To save you time, look on the net. Either go to google and type in Shetland 535, or try http://www.boats-for-sale.co.uk

Oh - and welcome aboard!

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