Hi - Could I ask your advice?

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Naughtylus

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Firstly, thank you for looking in.

I'm starting to plan my first boat purchase which I can use on the Thames, but also get across to and spend time in the Northern Med' with.

I have frequently helped crew friends' boats on the Thames but I have never owned my own boat and have nobody to ask for advice about it, or general seafaring.
Guessing that getting into coastal waters will be a rather different proposition again.

I have plenty of time to prepare - I reckon up to five years, if necessary.
I've an initial idea of buying a (small?) 10 - 15m boat in which I can have some fun with comfortable accommodation; 2 - 3 double cabins (to sleep up to six).

I need to learn how to handle it safely, but still be able to enjoy it and have some fun, together with everything else about boating around the Med'; maybe around the U.K. and across to Eire.

Where I need help from you is to learn what I don't know and where to begin looking to put that right.
Apologies if my first post here seems rather vague, but that's my problem.
I'd like to rectify it before trying to move on.

Thank you in advance for all and any information or advice.

Brgs
Adrian
 
Hello and welcome.

You could do a lot worse than going out on an RYA course for powerboating to both get a feel for a boat at sea and to enable you to ask as many questions as you wish and get well informed answers. There are 2 contributors here that come to mind that may be able to help i.e. they are long established instructors, Powerskipper and Solitaire. Maybe send them a PM as initial contact and take it from there.

Another alternative is to find someone who is prepared to take you out on their boat. But then you are dependent on their experience/competence.

Of the two I'd initially recommend the former route.

Good luck with it, and let us know how you get on. As an aside, I don't think too many on here would consider a 10-15m boat small, particularly as a first boat!
 
I started on the river with a 25ft boat. I would say it was a sound plan in terms of learning boat handling skills.

I now have 33ft boat . I do know of people who started on this size and they are still alive after some scary experiences . I found the change up in size fairly easy after a few years with the 25ft boat . Easier than I expected as the change also involved twin engines which makes boat handling considerably easier. But also free of drama due to the skills I had learned on the smaller boat.

I know of others who have gone in too big and seem scared to death by their own boats .
So I still say for a novice it's wise not to go in too big.

However if you want a 33ft boat with two double cabins and can sleep 3 couples if the saloon is used it would fit the description of a Sealine 330 Statesman or the later but identical F33 .
 
What is your budget? Sorry to be direct, but this will help to steer in the right girection. Are you going to use the non tidal Thames? If yes, this will restrict the air draft, so something like a Sealine 34 or 37 might work?
 
He is a salesman, so his aim is to sell you a boat... but we had some very useful advice from Dominic at TBS boat sales at Bray Marina.

We spent 5 years looking around the London and Southampton boat shows - GREAT fun! Knowing that you WILL buy at some stage, but you are not buying yet. ALSO HIRE boats - not necessarily where you will be motoring in the future, but elsewhere to get a sense of what you want (once you have your own boat, you wont hire anymore). So a holiday on the Norfolk Broads, Shanon (Ireland), canals, Loch Lomond, etc. will keep you interested and help you identify types of things you want.

Trying to find something that is big enough to spend 2 or 3 weeks on, small enough to get under bridges, suitable for estuary use, and suitable for non-tidal Thames... Spend time looking!!
 
Lovely feedback, thanks everyone.
Please keep it coming.

More info an answers for above questions;

Thanks LongJohn', I am aiming to familiarise myself with the RYA course, but not sure how much/little to do.
They seem to be modular and sequenced - not a problem, probably just throwing me off a bit as I have no owning experience.
Doubtless the contributors you listed might have some further guidance for me on that.

I'm 56, recently retired.
No immediate family, but looking to have the occasional company of my Brother's family and a large circle of friends.
Timewise, I've given myself probably more than I will need and it's still flexible.
I'm thinking maybe five to ten years, or earlier.
If I go early then I would be focussing on Thames useage, then near coastal, before venturing across the channel.

Yes, I can see the sense of including the saloon as a cabin and have looked at 10m boats with that option.
I'm close to Penton and Shepperton marinas and am familiar with Harleyford, often passing Bray.
Purchasing budget will be £150 - £200k (allow for inflation).

I am planning a full relocation to the coast in ten years (Devon/Dorset), so the Thames will be mostly off the radar then.

Sorry if I seem to be asking about all this too early; I was a Project Manager and it's just the way I work.
Hope this helps and thanks again.

Kind regards
Adrian
 
Surely one of the first questions is where are you going to keep it and have you investigated the availability and cost of a convenient mooring?
 
Go for an rya powerboat level 2, then do day skipper theory, then do powerboat intermediate. Go for a sea school that can undertake your training on their own motorboat. Many will offer rib based training which is great but as you want a motorboat at the end of it, just start there.

Having done those courses, you will be well prepared and have plenty of time to ask questions from people in the know.

If you can get a bit of sea or river time as well it all helps build experience and confidence prior to purchasing your own boat. When I started out I did my level 2 then got involved with a sailing club doing safety boat cover. A great learning ground for boat handling and obviously helpful to the club. Members would rather go sailing than sit in a rubber boat freezing their........you get the idea.

Good luck with it! All IMHO of course.
 
Welcome. I too would disagree with the advice to be too restrictive on the size of your first boat. In my experience many boat owners start by buying too small and are quickly back in the market for something larger and lose money on the way. Most important - have the right training behind you. There are a host of RYA Courses and also "trainers" who will take you out to gain the handling experience. Don't allow anyone to deride river boaters, imho handling at sea can be much easier than close quarter handling on the river! I started with a 38 ft which met mine and the family needs at the time and have then gone larger as the family (and friends) have grown and needs have changed. Look at the boats on offer, see what would work for you. One head or two? Galley? Outside grill? Is accomodation necessary, if so for how many, or are you looking more for day entertaining? Good luck.
 
Hi - and Welcome to this forum.

Although my boating experience has been since I was very little, I think I have achieved much of what you are seeking.

I retired early (under 50).
I had been dinghy sailing for most of my life but not done much long distance "big boat" sailing.
At the time, we lived in Berkshire - probably your neck of the woods.
My wife doesn't much like boats.
In order to do it together, she suggested that we should have a power boat that she could help to handle.
So at (just over) the age of 50, we bought a 51 foot motor boat and kept it on the River Hamble.
I didn't do any RYA courses at the time - experience is what you need to get.
I'm afraid I'm a believer of the statement "if you can - you do - if you can't - you teach".
That said, the instructors mentioned above are excellent and don't fall into that category.
Anyway, back to my experience.
After a year or so with our 51 footer, I decided to sit down and do a Yachtmaster - finishing off with the practical and examination in the Med (close to Gibraltar).
During the next two years, we cruised the whole of the English Channel - remember time isn't an issue - I was retired.
We then moved to the West Country (Devon) and at the same time signed up for a berth in the Med (Sant Carles - mid way between Barcelona and Valencia).
We bought a 20m berth so the 51 footer had to go and we managed to squeeze the extra budget for a new 20m Princess.
A highlight of my life was building/spec'ing this boat, taking delivery and then sailing her out to the Med on her own bottom.
That was 8 years ago - and we haven't looked back.
We still have the Princess and she is still taking us to places we haven't been before.

I don't know how serious you think you are (most people are always a bit apprehensive) but my advice is "go with your feelings".
You may think that your budget is small but that sum will go a long way and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
A serious point though - IMO (In My Opinion) when you get a boat into the Med, it "shrinks" and because it is a "home from home" space will be all important.
For that reason, I recommend a flybridge boat which naturally has more accommodation.

And as far as the Med is concerned, it isn't as expensive as you might think.
We keep our 20 Princess in Sant Carles Marina for less that the cost of our old 15m Sealine on the River Hamble.
And, IMO, the Med is the place to be.

So, if you have the Med in focus, I wouldn't bother with the Thames - get yourself down to the Solent - talk to Powerskipper and Solitaire from these forums and get boating on the sea.
When you are ready, let me know and I will be very happy to introduce you to Sant Carles Marina.

Just as an appertiser, here is a video I made of friends from Sant Carles Marina meeting this autumn in Mallorca.



And a full screen link here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LPNoX7cI7Y&t=68s



Good Luck
 
With that budget, IF you are looking at a new boat, then I would look at the English Harbour 29. If you go for an up to 10-year-old boat, then 30 to 33ft would be good. Maybe an NC11?? Although, if you are not used to powerboating, the planning hull may be uncomfortable at speed on the estuary crossings.
 
Thanks again everyone.
This is all giving me plenty of things to think about and an idea of how much I need to think about.

@ Hurricane
Very interesting info about the Med'.
I had been thinking that 'living' over there for longer periods of time might be more restrictive.
I guess it all depends on where you go and how you're set up.
I am familiar with the Eastern edge of Berks as I spend most of my spare time around Marlow, Goring, Wallingford, and Benson areas.

I'm probably not going after a new boat, though I can imagine the pleasure of helping in the design and choosing your own fittings..
Hopefully I will have a better sense of direction closer to the time and my choices will have inflated by then as well.

Penton Marina (near my base) has been very accommodating, giving me full access even knowing that I won't be spending for a long time.
I have been able to look over some which interest me, among which are (given purely as examples):-
Fairline's Phantom 42;
Sealine's S330 and F450.

But these are just conveniently local to me and I probably don't even know about the one I'll pick in the end yet.

Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to feed me all this info., with your own thoughts.
I really do appreciate it and it's all very useful to me.
 
Hi, I would say to you, go do a helmsman course, no prior knowledge required, its a 2 day course that is normally done on a boat over 10m, it is 2 days of boat handling and will give you a good understanding of how a boat moves etc, it also will let you start to decide what kind of boating you want to do. if you enjoy it , look at doing day skipper theory and then the practical. this will give you most of what you need to do sea going boating, for inland waterways there is a short test that is an add on to the ICC which the dayskipper practical will give you. you will then be able to either charter boats or have a very good idea of what you want to do.
You can then decide what side or kind of boating you want to do. I am a boating instructor and have helped loads of people start boating . so know that this can help you on the right track.
regards size of boat, you can learn on any size of boat.
 
Might want to pop over to the Thames forum for suggestions,as you have indicated you may well start off you boating there.
There are a couple of well regarded instruction outfits on the river.
As to size of boat,whatever the arguments of starting with a small or larger vessel on the coast, the size of a boat can present real difficulties on the Thames.
Although you marina will allocate you berth suitable for you size of boat,there will be problems finding space outside on the riverbank for a 15M boat on any busy weekend,you need to think about getting under under bridges as well.
Pointless buying any boat which confines you to a short bit of the navigation.
 
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Some excellent advice on here. For my tenpeneth whatever you buy will likely turn out not to be the best boat for you, so for this reason try to buy something that can easily be sold on. This means sticking with well known makes AND models.

This means doing suitable research including asking more questions on here and also the PBO forum too.

I would avoid anything that has been for sale for more than one season, if it is difficult for the current owner to sell then it will likely be difficult for you later.

Oh yes when you come to consider making an offer on the boat of your dreams have a cold shower to wake you up that morning, and no rose tinted specs to be worn that day. Making offers and negotiating requires a steely nerve as you will likely be dealing with sugar coated, but hard nosed professional salesmen. No price is too low and you cannot insult any vendor, by such a suggestion. There are always three prices involved when a boat is for sale - obviously the Asking Price, but then there is the Smile Price - the price a seller really wants and will walk away with a broad grin, then finally the Cry price - similar to the smile price in a way, but shall we say lower. Your task is to determine the last, and this is never easy.

Also have your running shoes on and be prepared to use them, there are always plenty more boats out there, and always more than there are buyers.

As buyer always remember you are in the strongest position, so read the 'Standard' terms offered and if you don't like them add a few deletions and amendments. Broker's won't like this but you are still the buyer.
 
No price is too low and you cannot insult any vendor, by such a suggestion. There are always three prices involved when a boat is for sale - obviously the Asking Price, but then there is the Smile Price - the price a seller really wants and will walk away with a broad grin, then finally the Cry price - similar to the smile price in a way, but shall we say lower. Your task is to determine the last, and this is never easy.
I would avoid anything that has been for sale for more than one season,...
Click to expand...

Excellent advice.
However many boats remain unsold simply due to very optimistic asking prices.
A quick look at the interweb will product boats that have been on the market for years with no movement on price.
At some point the owner will accept an offer but by then you will be long gone !
 
We bought a Princess 435 as our retirement project in 2002.
It was our first boat and so we had to have instruction from Day 1. We did our Day Skipper practical on our own boat, and then followed that up by months and months of boat handling practice in and around the marina (on the Medway), often with an experienced pal with us for confidence. Driving a 13m boat on twin shafts is quite logical, but with the air draft and a breeze there is a lot that can go wrong quite quickly and you do need to get some experience early on. I cannot emphasise enough the need for knowledge, research and experience if you are going to sea.
We spent three years preparing for our Med trip, delaying by a year at one point as we felt we were not ready. When we set off, it was our retirement trip so we took a whole summer, stopping wherevever we wanted and not moving if we were not happy with the weather or sea state. An experienced and confident skipper could do it in a couple of weeks, but it wouldn’t be much fun, in my view.
We have had years of enjoyment from ours, and never regretted it for a minute. But an old boat is a lot of work, and will always cost more than you expect. If I were starting again, I’d buy another ten year old boat, not a 25 year old.
Have fun.
 
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