Help needed to choose new 42 Flybridge

Look at fuel costs

Lots of very good advice here - another vote from me for shaft drive. A shock for many new motor boaters is the eyewatering fuel consumption. Not sure why but just about every boat below 50 foot seems to do around 1 nautical mile per gallon of diesel (for the tecchies - please don't shoot me down - it's just to give OP a rough idea) and that is a surprise for many.
 
You are in a great position to be in buying from 3 very good manufactures of British boats. Why buy new when you should get some very deals from nearly new Fairlines or Princess boats with all the extras that you will have to pay more for on new boats.(Fairline for me)
David
 
The big change is, that in the past, boats would always keep there value, almost indefinitely, you could even make a profit out of them.

But thats all gone now. Yes there are some that can afford a new boat and a few that can afford a boat a few years old. But after that, not many can afford the upkeep or fuel.

Going back to the other point. I've always had a Princess, and found it could always cope with whatever, sea or harbour we went into. Big lockers for ropes and fenders, even room for a spare anchor and a couple of spare props.

Now, and I am no expert on other boats. But if you just want to go, marina to marina, or marina and back again.Then it wont matter much that Sealine has changed your locker room into a bedroom. Maybe thats OK.

On the other hand there are marinas most any place now and the difficulty is avoiding them.:eek:
 
Suzie Q said:
Hi

Looking at purchasing our first boat. I have no boating experience and hubby has done some sailing with a friend.
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Suzie Q............. hmmmm !

Is it just me but I cant help thinking of the other Suzie Q in leather ?:eek: It must be my age :)

lfpeduoha4welepa.jpg


Tom :)
 
My vote would be for Fairline but that is because I have had 8 of them in the last 9 years. A few things you might wish to consider:-

1. As this is your first boat, are you likely to upgrade it at some point - Essex Boat yards have a great part exchange scheme.

2. The Squadron 42 Tender Launch system is truly excellent - far better than any Passerelle system on the Princess.

Have you been out in the Princess and Fairline yet? Worth it to make sure you are happy with the ride, noise etc.

Good luck

Andrew
 
Re 2, not much use for getting ashore though stern too is it? One day the boat might go to the Med and then it is another £10k for a passerelle whereas a passerelle to start with may not be perfect but does 2 jobs very well as opposed to a lifter that does just one job. Princesses don't date like the other brands either, they evolve gently. The others change design and become old fashioned quickly IMO......not good for residual I would imagine? Part of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey. That has to be a plus too for Princess I think. All nice boats though.
 
emibel98 said:
Re 2, not much use for getting ashore though stern too is it? One day the boat might go to the Med and then it is another £10k for a passerelle whereas a passerelle to start with may not be perfect but does 2 jobs very well as opposed to a lifter that does just one job. Princesses don't date like the other brands either, they evolve gently. The others change design and become old fashioned quickly IMO......not good for residual I would imagine? Part of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey. That has to be a plus too for Princess I think. All nice boats though.
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Yeah but why pay for a passerelle at all if you don't actually need one? (The OP suggested UK with occasional trips to Jersey/France).

Cheers
Jimmy
 
Versatility? How much is the Fairline tender lifter? If similar to a passerelle that does 2 jobs does that not make more sense? I haven't used them but the passerelle can't be that bad lifting a tender can it?
 
Choosing!

Hi how are you,
We were in the same position a while ago, so off we went to the boatshow with pretty much deposit ready. But it's not really a fair comparison as both the princess and sealine are bigger boats by about 3 feet! And with all 3 using similar sized engines obviously pushing bigger is going to mean a heavier fuel bill.
We thought that the princess was ok but dated although they have upgraded things the layout is still the same and princess seem like they have some catching up to do. Also with sealine very light and airy but with all that glass it's surely going to suffer the greenhouse effect and a job to keep clean!
As regards build quality the princess and Fairline have great hulls and good seakeeping but the sealine is of a lighter build and can be quite noisy we found, also since then we've met friends that have had issues with sealine themselves, one was leaky windows and poor fittings and they got such a poor backup service that they are now changing brands also another friend bought a used sealine only to find that the hull had a recall on it! Not some thing you want when spending a substantial amount of money!
So we went for something that was stylish, quality and practical as we spend most weekends summer/winter on our boat and on all accounts the Fairline won hands down, the double access doors we've found to be great especially if you have a rib on the back an you visit a marina not knowing which side you'll be berthed when stern too. Something the other brands don't have, also everybody loves the tender launch and reversible rear facing seat, 2 great design features for Fairline.
Next became purchase and this was made painless by the guys at Essex boatyards they made us feel more friends rather than just another customer, they understood we were spending our hard earned cash and wanted a quality product and service in return! which I must add we got and still get today, we part exchanged our Monterey250 which we got a good deal on and the deal was done hassle free I don't believe we would have been able to do this with either sealine or princess, they will sell a boat for you on brokerage but what if it doesn't sell by the time ya new ones ready?? Something worth considering!
I hope this helps with your decision, it's just my honest opinion about a position we found ourselves in when choosing a new boat!

A very happy and proud FAIRLINE SQUADRON 42 owner.
 
emibel98 said:
Versatility? How much is the Fairline tender lifter? If similar to a passerelle that does 2 jobs does that not make more sense? I haven't used them but the passerelle can't be that bad lifting a tender can it?
Click to expand...

When it was launched in 2010 at the Southampton boat show I have a figure of circa £30 something thousand pounds for the launch system which would put it significantly more than a passerelle.

The passerelle works well as a tender launch and recovery system, it also has the benefit of being able to deposit your tender onto the pontoon or lift it into the air for maintenance work (and retrieve from the pontoon as well).

I can't vouch for its main job of getting on and off as in all the years I've had a boat with one I've never actually got on or off using it for that purpose!

My other concern for water immersed launching systems is how well they fare after a few seasons in the salty drink.

Henry :)
 
I have to say I went through several of the same thoughts myself when
buying a boat.

Here is what made my decision.

I knew two owners in the marina . One had a sealine T50, the other
a Fairline Squadron 55.

They were both coming back from the Isle of Man in a Force 6.

By admission of the Sealine owner , the Fairline maintained around
16+ knots, he himself had to come down to 7-8 knots for a very
uncomfortable journey.

When they got back into port in the Sealine there were panels
hanging off, and the owner was wrecked.

By comparison the Fairline was fine just like a regular day at
the office.

This was a huge factor when I bought and sailed my Fairline Squadron 58 down
to Mallorca last year, the boat really stood the test of the sea
in all conditions.

Just my two cents... but Fairline's quality and after service (esp from
Essex boat yards) is something I would consider very strongly.

BL
 
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