Hello and advice needed please

NeilT said:
Congratulations !!
Take one newbie add a healthy dose of sarcasm and ridicule and what do we get .................................. welcome to the Thames forum - Way to go guys, well done !
If a 255 fits his needs help him find a good one, if he can't afford diesels don't take the pi55 out of him.
I asked all the same questions 2 months ago and got some "ribbing" but nothing like this.
Come on, chill out a bit or do you really not want newbies on your river?

Puts on flack jacket and heads for cover .............................
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Neil,
(laugh) no worries. We often come across these keyboard warrior types, its what they do, I'm told that its a form of bullying to make up for frustrations in other areas of their (usually tiny) live's.
I have yet to meet the man that is as comfortable with this "tone" face to face, these guys probably fit that category - precisely.
Take care fella
Roy
 
CX54WEK said:
Some of us dont actually moor on the Thames so it makes no odds to us, we just offer advice to all and sundry. The advice does however stay the same each and every time this topic crops up. You should know you have just been through the same process.

Twin petrol engined sea boats do not make good river cruisers.
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Yes I've just been through it and bought twin petrols and according to some it's going to be a disaster. (usual suspects)
I have also had plenty of support from others.
I think we should just agree we don't all like the same boat, what suits you probably wont suit me and it's my risk to take. But when my plans include crossing the channel next season the Targa's the best for me in my budget.
 
ras8963 said:
Neil,
(laugh) no worries. We often come across these keyboard warrior types, its what they do, I'm told that its a form of bullying to make up for frustrations in other areas of their (usually tiny) live's.
I have yet to meet the man that is as comfortable with this "tone" face to face, these guys probably fit that category - precisely.
Take care fella
Roy
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I'm sure CX54WK will be along to correct you shortly, I don't know if she has a tiny one:D:D
 
NeilT said:
Yes I've just been through it and bought twin petrols and according to some it's going to be a disaster. (usual suspects)
I have also had plenty of support from others.
I think we should just agree we don't all like the same boat, what suits you probably wont suit me and it's my risk to take. But when my plans include crossing the channel next season the Targa's the best for me in my budget.
Click to expand...

I hope you are able to get a second mortgage for the fuel for that channel crossing, you will certainly need it:D

This of course you will also find out after running your new boat for a few months. River use uses no where near as much fuel as coastal use. Be warned.
 
ras8963 said:
Thanks for the kind advice put sensibly and in a polite way. To be frank we are at no more than 50/50 on the petrol boat, however the decision to walk is difficult as we dont seem able to find a boat that provides the accomodation in the way the 255 does. We have ruled out other 255's even with diesels simply due to the condition /presentation. We may recommence our search / uplift our budget by £10k but thankfully we know an awful lot more about boats than we did a month ago.
If you know anyone that wants to offload a twin engined diesel with 2 cabins and a decent entertaining area perhaps you might let me know..
Thanks again for the advice...
Roy
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Have you seen this one?

http://uk.yachtworld.com/boats/1989/Sealine-255-2249513/United-Kingdom
 
jecuk said:
Won't be needed. Based on this thread he will be lucky to see Christmas as the combination of LED lighting and petrol inevitably explodes. ;)
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Excellent, that will then mean one less petrol sea boat for first time river cruising buyers to fall foul of.:D

In all seriousness though there has been some sound advice offered on this topic, both here and numerous times before. It will be interesting to hear from these newbies in say six months and see just how these boats and their fuel consumption have lived up to their expectations in that time. Maybe you can prove some of us wrong:)
 
CX54WEK said:
Excellent, that will then mean one less petrol sea boat for first time river cruising buyers to fall foul of.:D

In all seriousness though there has been some sound advice offered on this topic, both here and numerous times before. It will be interesting to hear from these newbies in say six months and see just how these boats and their fuel consumption have lived up to their expectations in that time. Maybe you can prove some of us wrong:)
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So it's excellent to see others blow up ???
Nice !
 
CX54WEK said:
I hope you are able to get a second mortgage for the fuel for that channel crossing, you will certainly need it:D

This of course you will also find out after running your new boat for a few months. River use uses no where near as much fuel as coastal use. Be warned.
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I would ask you not to speculate on how much I have in the bank please !
 
Hi Roy and welcome.


You should buy the boat you feel happy with but remember a boat with a hull designed for the sea will always be less controlable at river speeds. You should also be aware that plenty of sports boats with planing hulls are used every weekend on the Thames so it can't be that difficult can it?

The petrol versus diesel issue is not so straight forward.
If you intend to do most of your cruising inland, then dont ignore petrol.
Petrol is available at various locations along the Thames and with carefull planning, should avoid the need for cans.
If you are looking at 20 year old boats, then a 20 year old diesel engine is generally a noisey, smokey and smelly old thing, despite what the diesel snobs may say.
A 20 year old petrol engine will generally be far easier and cheaper to rebuild than a 20 year old diesel engine.
Petrol boats do not explode on their own but the fuel vapour will. Therefore regular maintenance and very regular inspections is a must.
If you dont know what you're doing, get it looked at by a proffesional and find out what you need to check yourself and do so on a very regular basis.
Petrol boats do not smell of petrol unless there is a leak. A smell of petrol is a warning and should be taken seriously rather than be expected as some have said on here.
You should also have a bilge blower to evacute fumes which will give you an early indication of problems.

As for resale, you bought for less than a diesel equivalent and you will sell for less, but dont think it will necessarily be harder to sell. My last boat with twin petrols sold in three weeks and a few diesel equivalents are still for sale 18 months later. I suspect this has something to do with the 10K (or 30%) price difference.

My last point is people I've known with petrol engined boats have been more aware of boat safety and maintenace than SOME with diesels. This is very useful as there is also the gas system to keep an eye on.

Good luck with your choice and remember that whilst this forum is a great place for advice, some of it is given by folks with little or no experience, which makes me wonder why they comment at all??
 
Ahem...

Our 30 year old Perkins 4.108 (Taxi engine!) is extremely smooth and quiet in the Broom, and apart from a little puff at cold start, leaves no smoke either.

There are some nasty old things around mind you, I think a particular Volvo series was guilty of smoking like a steam train...
 
I'm sure that in the end Roy will get the boat that suits him and so long as he has a good time and enjoys it safely I'd chalk it up as a win!
Anyway I'll be out on the river next week so to those I havn't alienated say hi n pop over for a beer or buttie depending on yr poison.
To those I have - fair winds anyway :)
N
 
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No Regrets said:
Ahem...

Our 30 year old Perkins 4.108 (Taxi engine!) is extremely smooth and quiet in the Broom, and apart from a little puff at cold start, leaves no smoke either.

There are some nasty old things around mind you, I think a particular Volvo series was guilty of smoking like a steam train...
Click to expand...

My old 4.108s were noisy and left a trail of black smoke and black water marks on the transom. That said they always ran and never had any other problems. The modern diesels are infinitely better however.
 
NeilT said:
I would ask you not to speculate on how much I have in the bank please !
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Fair play to you if you have a spare £2-£3k to burn in fuel for one channel crossing, thats one hell of a lot of booze to be wasing though:D

(These figures are not exagerated either, something you will find out in time. There is a reason petrol boats become yo-yo boats. How many owners has yours had this far?)
 
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