Hiring a Tiny Boat.

Mark-1

Mark-1

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This winter I've been watching Keep Turning Left & reading AC Stock & Roger Taylor.

All of this is giving me a powerful desire for some quality time on a small shoal draught boat that will take the ground.

It's a long shot (I doubt the economics would work) but is anyone aware of a Charter Outfit that might hire out something like Achilies/Hurley/Corribee/Voyager? Chichester/Solent area if poss.

(Yes, I have considered buying a Fantasie 19 for £1200 and setting fire to it after 4 days!!!)
 
what do you mean tiny?

are you suggesting that the super slug is tiny?

full crouching headroom, six foor 4in berths, separate heads. full standing headroom in the galley

what more could a man want - oh yes I forgot - microwave, second loo, power winch, bow thruster, self furling main, dinghy davits, generator


You know I geneuinly feel sorry for the depth challenged people who can only moore on the fringes of our wonderful rivers and estuaries rather than go up to explore them

and I think you should just put your megaship ashore for a summer, buy a small overnighter and learn what a wonderful place the solent and its creeks really are rather than the usual round of marinas either side of the solent.

Thats what I reckon anyway.

D
 
Sadly you are a few years too late. At one time I had a fleet of lift-keel Sonatas on charter but it didn't pay and I sold them off. I doubt there is anyone still doing it.

It would cost less to buy one and sell it afterwards if you plan to do it for any length of time.
 
arfa said:
These guys used top operate out of Northney marina in Chichester harbour and charter out small boats.

http://www.thetrailersailercentre.co.uk/about.asp

I say used to as I was down there yesterday and I don't think they are still operating out of there if at all. Might be worth a call ?
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That's exactly what I'm looking for Arfa, thanks.

I've dropped them a mail. Hopefully they're still running in some form or another.
 
It might be worth trying the mobile number as the home page for the website doesn't appear to be working. They were local and always very helpful.
 
I thought that to rent a boat out it had to be coded, hence have loads of stuff on that you don't really want or need on a 20 odd footer.

I looked at renting a boat on the Broads as an option to get about. I would certainly be interested in something like Kudu/The Slug/my old First 18 to try out some different sailing areas. Let us know if you have any joy with the Trailer Sailer folk.

Was in Preston this afternoon, a bloke was looking at Kudu, a good place to set off from and never look back.
 
aquaplane said:
I thought that to rent a boat out it had to be coded, hence have loads of stuff on that you don't really want or need on a 20 odd footer..
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I've been wondering about this. There is presumably a breakpoint minimum size for coding - a Mirror (for example) for rental does not require the same equipment as a 36 foot Beneteau. I've had a look at the MCA website and I can't find anything useful there ... only that coding applies to vessels below 12m LOA.

It's left me wondering ... could I charter out my 16' Hunter 490 on the same basis that I could rent out a 16' Wayfarer? And how about a 21' Westerly Jouster vs a 21' Drascombe?
 
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MarkieMarkMark said:
(Yes, I have considered buying a Fantasie 19 for £1200 and setting fire to it after 4 days!!!)
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What has the poor Fantasie done to deserve such a threat? I know it's cold out there but setting it alight seems a bit harsh.
I've had some great weekends away on mine, based in Poole, my cruising area is Weymouth to the solent; with as much time spent exploring the nooks and crannies of the harbour.

These guys have a selection of small cruisers for hire on the river Fal. http://www.mylorboathire.co.uk/boats2.html

What ever you get I can recommend shoal draft boats... Just don't torch it
 
Fantasie 19 said:
No argument with your excellent choice in boat, but why do you want to set it on fire??? :confused:
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PBrook & Fantasie 19.

A thousand pardons. That was a joke. Under no circumstance would I set fire to a viable boat, especially not one as excellent as a Fantasie 19. The only reason I used Fantasie 19 in my jest was that I'd seen one recently and it stuck in my mind as being a superb example of the kind of thing I'm asking about in this thread.

Just out of interest & for future reference: What specific faults should a buyer look for in an F19? In a lumpy sea does the outboard cavity make the cockpit wet? Are they trailer-able & are trailers available? How long are the berths? Is there an owner's club? Is there anything specific you feel lets them down?
 
I knew that.... we Fantasie 19 owners (although few in number) are blessed with a good sense of humour... some would say we have to be... :D

The estimable Phil (aka PBrook) is the guy to answer the question as he has done some serious sea miles in Jellybean already (something I plan to remedy this year), I would say however that based on my years use so far, in varying conditions, the open well is not a problem...I've not had any water come over into the cockpit. You can get a blank to fit in the bottom (I believe Foxcubs have a similar solution) but I leave my outboard in - which may dampen any wave action....

Trailerable?? "Yes, but...." I'd say - this is a heavy old boat, and getting mine on and off the trailer is a bit of a faff... if I was doing it regularly however, I'd be making some trailer adjustments (raised guide poles etc etc) which would make it easier... I leave mine on a drying mooring so it only goes on the trailer, and off the trailer, once a year...

Three berths below - full size at the back on each side - your legs go under the well - plus a third slightly smaller one forward on the port side - starboard side is sink & "galley"....

Headroom? About 4 feet I think, so definitely a crouch... :)

Owners club - yes - Phil has a web site he maintains, but membership is low (about a dozen+ in the UK plus a few in Europe) as it's a matter of getting the word around. If your keen, there's some technical information on the web site, plus a whole load more pictures etc. Worth visiting... you can Google on "Fantasie 19" and once you've found your way through the bra adverts you can find his site... :D (Alternatively, for less fun you can just go straight there.. www.freewebs.com/philbrook)

Anything specific that lets them down? Well this is my first boat, I love her dearly, so that's hard to come up with (!) My lack of experience in other boats doesn't help either... but I would say nothing major. When I sell Papillon it will be for something slightly bigger, not for any perceived lack of seaworthy'ness, just because it gives a little more room, and an increased cruising range.... for what I want to do at the moment though, she's perfect - mooching around in Chichester harbour, sailing solo (maybe with two or three if the kids come with me), day sails, occasional overnighters to the IoW, and gaining experience...

PS. £1200 is on the high side - she should be very good for that kind of money - mine cost me less than a grand c/w trailer, sails, roller reefing, an 4Hp outboard, she was ready to sail after a coat of anti foul - bought a new jib last year, but that was it....
 
We'll let you off :-) As the Fantasie is my first boat other than a handfull of dinghys it is hard for me to compare it with another boat of it's kind.
However here goes for what it's worth. The F19 is a remarkable safe feeling boat, the cockpit is generally dry and I've never had water coming up through the outboard well. The outboard well does create a tumbling motion which I suspect causes quite a lot of drag. Some boats come with a blanking piece which can be inserted when the engine is not in the well. I have been toying with the idea of adapting this blank to fit around the leg to reduce the swell.
The F19 was built in the days when GRP was layed really thick so they are quite strong. I have had the shroud plates pull the join between the hull and deck apart. This is apparently a common fault on many small cruisers but was to difficult to repair.
I wouldn't want to set off across the channel in a Fantasie 19 but they are great for inshore waters.
The F19 is generally not classed as a trailer sailer but I set mine up once a year and it takes about an hour to rig and get in the water and about the same to retrieve. I have just bought a purpose built SBS bilge keel trailer off Ebay for £410 so I do intend to take mine down to Cornwall or the East coast this year.
I regularly stay on mine for weekends, usually enlisting the help of a friend for trips to Weymouth or the Isle of Wight. Have a look at my website for more info.
To sum up a Fantasie I would say that the are excellent if you want to go sailing on a budget (Cheap to buy, £0 - £2000) Low mooring fees, cheap insurance, low berthing fees, over winter on the drive / front garden).
If I wanted something for going across the channel then I would probably be lookin at Hurley 22's or Anderson 22. Or I might just stick with my wee boat and hire a cruiser for extended sailing.
Mine will be in the water by the end of march if you wanted to come and have a day out on it.

Sorry, just noticed th eMylor link had already been posted.

Happy hunting

Phil
 
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