Good advice needed to keep family relaxed!

I

ianhs

Member
Joined
18 Aug 2004
Messages
25
Location
West Sussex
Visit site
Help! I need some advice to keep the family happy! We have a Sealine S28, and when conditions are too rough to plane because she keeps slamming (I know it could just be poor helming on my part!), we throttle back and she rolls like a pig – which the family reeeeeaaaaaly don’t like. So, question is – is there a hull form / specific boat model which rolls less than others even at displacement speed? How much does gross weight/boat length affect this?
We will probably change our boat because of this. Speed is not important, but comfortable ride in poor conditions is essential. If thinking about specific boats, ideal would be 4 berth, c. 36-39 foot long and under £100k, so maybe 10-20 years old.
All advice really gratefully received.
Ianhs
 
ianhs said:
Help! I need some advice to keep the family happy! We have a Sealine S28, and when conditions are too rough to plane because she keeps slamming (I know it could just be poor helming on my part!), we throttle back and she rolls like a pig – which the family reeeeeaaaaaly don’t like. So, question is – is there a hull form / specific boat model which rolls less than others even at displacement speed? How much does gross weight/boat length affect this?
We will probably change our boat because of this. Speed is not important, but comfortable ride in poor conditions is essential. If thinking about specific boats, ideal would be 4 berth, c. 36-39 foot long and under £100k, so maybe 10-20 years old.
All advice really gratefully received.
Ianhs
Click to expand...

There is no substitute for size and mass to ensure a comfortable ride.We all start out with a desperate need for speed and a bit of bling and thats just fine and dandy for the skipper cos he is hanging on to the wheel with a big grin on his face,the family will usually be holding on for grim death.
Virtually anything you buy will be more stable than a light weight sports boat and your price bracket could get you something far more practical but still with good turn of speed,perhaps Nimbus (poss a bit small)or similar might do the trick.
 
I too experienced the same backlash from SWMBO and young children at the time....Never did understand why they all had white knuckles whilst crossing the solent in a Rinker 260 with the odd slam or three!

I moved up to a Targa 31 which had an oil tanker smooth ride in comparison to the lightweight Rinker but this also slammed occasionaly.

I think you need to look for a early 90's Targa 33/34/35 which should be comfortably under the £100k mark. They are sound boats if looked after and there is normally a reasonable choice of used boats on the market. This will give you a far superior ride and minimal slamming and keep SWMBO much happier !
All IMHO of course.
 
Think you mainly need a bigger heavier boat. But mainly one designed by Bernard Olsinkl ?? If I cant plain in my P35, which is very rare. I come down to ten knots and push water, 8 knots maybe, but no slower, else you start to loose command of direction.

At 8/10 knots she just sits down in the water, there is no roll. Mostly we just make tea and have a buttie.

But all seas are different, some times faster is better.
 
Oh Omega, you beat me to it...

But wait a minute, the OP has a sports cruiser, we need to lead him gently into the realms of semi displacement... he perhaps isn't ready for Lochin just yet.

I have taken a few peeps out in my Hardy that have been used to their planing hulls and been astonished at the fact even at 26ft my Hardy does not slam, she just cuts through. If pushed quickly enough in rough weather yes you can find big holes which gravity will create a bump... but not the slam, slam, slam of a planing hull....

so, my recommendation (and my next boat), a Hardy 36, it will use all your £100k budget... but these are the boats the RNLI have purchased to train in.... not a bad advert;

ok, so I have just had a look on google and the ones around at £99k have all disappeared but they will be back.... but here's one so you get the idea;

http://www.rightboat.com/Hardy-Commodore-36/boat-12098574/
 
Last edited:
Hello Omega and Firefly, Many thanks for advice. I've read that whilst Aquastars cut through beautifully, they can roll like pigs and are pretty wet. Do Aquastar, Aquabell, Lochin, Hardy etc roll a lot?
Thanks
Ianhs
 
Thanks to you all for advice. Without getting into a Fairline vs. Princess battle, any other views on the Targa 34/35 suggested by Crazy4557 in terms of ride?
Ianhs
 
Pretty much all planing hulls in this size are going to be uncomfortable in a blow, upwind. An S28 can be slowed right down to 15kts using full trim tabs, drives all the way down. If I drop off the plane, then I power back up to 10-12kts or so, else the rolling around all over the place. Not a fuel efficient way to travel, though.

For a major upgrade in "not spilling the tea in a blow" I would be looking at something like a Broom 38/39. Have a look at the hull shape in a yard, if you can. The bow section has a very deep V to slice through the waves, which flattens off rapidly towards the rear to be almost flat, which generates lift and reduces the rolling around.

Also check that you're going to be happy with:
- Fuel consumption (an S28 will seem positvely frugal by comparison).
- The image associated with Brooms (net curtains and Bone China tea set) (runs for cover and ducks :))
 
Last edited:
ianhs said:
Hello Omega and Firefly, Many thanks for advice. I've read that whilst Aquastars cut through beautifully, they can roll like pigs and are pretty wet. Do Aquastar, Aquabell, Lochin, Hardy etc roll a lot?
Thanks
Ianhs
Click to expand...
anything will roll given the conditions, if you want NO ROLL suggest a drilling rig
 
Off the plane

Nobody has suggested this but rather than purchase a different boat try retrofiting Mente Attitude correction system. http://www.mente-marine.com/ I fitted them last year as my S25 is very sensitive to keep level and instead of juggling with trim tabs the Mente system now does it automatically. As an added bonus it now planes at a much lower speed about 13 knots. Look around this forum for other views.
 
new boat

Hi ianhs, i would stick with a planing boat as i think they give you the best of all worlds,as i understand it some of the newer sealines with (Manerfelt) hulls are very good sea boats & to avery one else yes i did just say that & i am not p-----d,you will notice an earth moving difference from 28 ft to 37ft,my boat (a 34 ft targa)can be used in all three modes depending on conditions,every time i say to the wife isn't this great we have three boats in one,it takes a little practice with the use of tabs & drives but given time one can make even quite bad conditions quite bearable,there is a nice T 37 @ berthons i noticed the other day,hope you find what your looking for regards mm1.
 
ianhs said:
Hello Omega and Firefly, Many thanks for advice. I've read that whilst Aquastars cut through beautifully, they can roll like pigs and are pretty wet. Do Aquastar, Aquabell, Lochin, Hardy etc roll a lot?
Thanks
Ianhs
Click to expand...

Yes, Aquastars of that size do roll like pigs and are, indeed, pretty wet. But they are excellent sea boats.

I think that, once you get used to the rolling, you feel very secure. It has to be said that that is not a view unanimously held amongst the adult members of my family though. :D

I do carry plenty of spare wiper blades.
 
if you get chance,look at moonraker 36(350).
massive aft cabin,twin toilet+shower's.
and imho a very good sea boat.
20-22knts flatout around 16-18knts cruise but will cruise at this speed in a heavy sea.
 
Well the famous Solent chop is going to cause some banging about, but get a Solent tides book and you can see that A-B might lead you straight through the chop, but some small diversions can take you through calmer water. Also consider the tide and wind forecasts-sometimes it makes more sense to plan your day so you DONT spend an hour bashing your way home-ie head the other way to start with if the wind is picking up later.
All powerboats will slam at some point;some more weight,some more length and a finer V hull will help.
Oh and you are trimming the tabs/leg in,yes,to get the bow to cut into the waves, rather than hitting the flatter mid-hull?
 
ianhs said:
Thanks to you all for advice. Without getting into a Fairline vs. Princess battle, any other views on the Targa 34/35 suggested by Crazy4557 in terms of ride?
Ianhs
Click to expand...

Our last boat was a Broom with a semi-displacement hull. Whilst it dealt well with all conditions, in a beam sea it rolled as do all semi-displacement hulls. I love the Hardy 36 and it will handle seas well but I know it rolls with anything on the beam so I haven't convinced the family it is the way to go.

We switched to a Targa 35 and we plane in most conditions. Like most planing hulls head seas of a certain size can make it necessary to slow down but the family have been very happy with her and it has been a great boat. PM sent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top