How many on a boat?

Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

Chris_d said:
Yes I think NR was new to boating and bought some Spanish made pile of poo rather than a proper boat :)
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Correct. But it was nearly new, 35 hrs and I nearly got my money back!

It would have been good in another location... :ambivalence:
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

CX54WEK said:
Thankfully this process is not always the case.

Some of us manage to buy the "right" boat for us on the first attempt and have many happy years of boating, travelling many thousands of miles all without our stern drives dropping off or exploding.
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Young boat, single stern drive, and not issue free as I remember! :p
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

D12ty said:
Project 31? Anyone had one?, Any recommendations?

Here is an example - http://www.boatshop24.co.uk/inland-cruisers/marine-projects-ltd-project-31/117525

Thanks
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Mirage younger, brighter side (Probably) and as much space for less running costs. Those old boats may have really old engines and sterndrives. Both ticking time bombs IMHO...

Look at a Lytton 27, useful size, with Diesel!

http://www.tbsboats.com/boats-for-sale/lytton-discovery/
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

i really do like the Miarage in comparison, considerably more money than the Lytton in general, need to get onboard these boats to have a good look around, I'm not far from Penton Hook but currently on crutcheds after a minor op so may have to wait. What is the model down from a Mirage and above a Holiday, that'd prob be a happy medium in terms of cost?

Thanks in advance

WIthin 5 pages ive gone from wanting a 90s 23ft sports cruiser to a 30ft inland cruiser from the 1980s :D
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

D12ty said:
i really do like the Miarage in comparison, considerably more money than the Lytton in general, need to get onboard these boats to have a good look around, I'm not far from Penton Hook but currently on crutcheds after a minor op so may have to wait. What is the model down from a Mirage and above a Holiday, that'd prob be a happy medium in terms of cost?

Thanks in advance

WIthin 5 pages ive gone from wanting a 90s 23ft sports cruiser to a 30ft inland cruiser from the 1980s :D
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Have a look at a Birchwood 25. Not as spacious as the mirage but less money and you might find one with a Diesel engine in your price range. You can find a mirage in your price range but it would be a petrol engine, however you have said you are quite handy? You could re-engine it at a later date?
The P32 and project 31 I think are basically the same.
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

Whats the issue with the petrol engines? just the fuel consumption? Or is it something specific to that model?

will have a look at the Birchwood's now

Thanks
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

D12ty said:
Whats the issue with the petrol engines? just the fuel consumption? Or is it something specific to that model?

will have a look at the Birchwood's now

Thanks
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~This may come as a total shock but the UK climate does tend towards the damp and rainy. Most boat engine compartments are not well ventilated and when parked at a mooring 364 days of the year,do tend to be excellent condensation chambers.
Water and Electrikery do not mix.
Keeping older petrol engines going will be constant ongoing challenge.
Finding fuel will also be difficult and the attraction of lugging cans of stinky petrol around the county from the local supermarket does wane after a while.
From memory the habit of petrol engines stalling when you need them most,as you enter a lock and need to stop or refusing to start or when you want to leave,is less than endearing.
No bulk buying of WD40 will ever sort this either.:)
If you want a salutory tale of a sporty Fairline with an outdrive read Murvs tale of woe.
 
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Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

The Birchwoods Ford 'Sea Tiger' (Mk2 cortina crossflow) engine was good and spares are easily available for peanuts. It was a good unit, which was easy to tune for good running after a few minutes warming up from cold.

The Twin carb Volvo's are harder to get running sweetly because the carbs are all a bit old, and were never that good when new!

The Lytton I posted up has a good Perkins engine, also good for spares, and cheap to run with a Shaft drive, nearly as big as the Fairline but better than the Birchwood, a lot cheaper and with no Petrol engine or Sterndrive.

Of the three types, it ticks all the boxes.

While Oldgit is giving you straight information, some of it is dependant on where you are moored, for example Bray sells Petrol as well as Diesel, and you can pick it up from a few places up and downstream, meaning you can cruise from Oxford to London with no real fuel issues if you plan carefully.

New plugs, ignition leads etc will keep most of them running fine, but be aware the Volvo's which have a very very good engine, also have Sterndrives and expensive parts. The Sea tiger doesn't have either, nor will the Lytton with it's robust little Perkins.

I had a Birchwood, and it was great. I also had a Broom 30 with a Perkins 4108 and it too was great. I'm not sure I would recommend a Volvo powered petrol despite the fact I can easily maintain one myself as it's a standard Volvo 244 engine!

The Lytton has to be worth a look, moor it at Bray and you'll be right in the middle of all the action and with a good club to join once you get sick of carting your mates around...which you will :p
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

I did tap out a lengthy post this morning, but deleted it as it was turning into my usual outdrive rant!

Suffice to say, all top advice above, diesel on shaft is the way to go if buying (relatively speaking) on a budget :)
In my limited experience, don't be put off by the anticipated running costs of a larger boat either. Our first "economical" little Fairline holiday cost me around £100 per mile in the first Year with the constant lift-outs and repairs, not to mention the anguish and frustration of missing out on so many club cruises due to yet another outdrive problem (OK, I'll stop now ;) )
Although the "new" boat on shafts is nearly twice the size and is powered by 2 X 6 litre turbo diesels, the actual cost per mile is a fraction of the fairline holiday. Although, we have spent an awful lot more on fuel this Year due to the thing just constantly working time after time after time :) :) :)

Good luck!


EDIT: If you get really bored, you can search though my old threads when I started out, lots of good advice and boat recommendations in them as well as my experience with an elderly Volvo 270
 
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Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

Ive read a few of your threads Murv:ambivalence: You've certainly been through the wars! Seems like diesel and stern is the safe way to go.

I'm going to try and get aboard these boats and get a feel for them.

thanks for all the good advice and let me know if you come up with any more suggested boats
 
Chris_d said:
I think you will find the 12 persons has no basis in law at all its just a local byelaw, have a read of this thread.
Click to expand...
Tosh.
International Law.
The 12-passenger limit is the product of an international convention that defines the line between a private pleasure vessel and a passenger vessel; it delineates private use versus commercial use and determines the subsequent statutes that must be followed. “Unless your yacht is certified as SOLAS and is operating as a licensed commercial vessel, there is absolutely no wiggle room with the twelve-passenger limit,” says Yacht Management Specialist Lynette Hendry.
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

thanks for all the good advice and let me know if you come up with any more suggested boats
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Just to ring one last post from this thread......
Most asking prices in the brokers ads in your price bracket (and mine) are works of fiction that would put Harry Potter and J RR Tolkien to shame.
Once apon a time...a long long time ago you could buy a boat and sell it for more or less what you paid for it.
You would die of old age by the time some of the older members of the boating community ran out of tales of buying boat and making a profit when trading up to bigger boat..
That was yesterday.
Buyers are making offers on boats that reflect todays market.
Not going to suggest percentages but offers of half the asking price would not be out of the question.:)
Provided you have got the cojones a boat that is twice your budget could be out there.
Me being a seller at the moment,if somebody offered me 50% of my asking price,it is not a problem and simply would be unable to accept the offer,however somebody out there may not be able to refuse.
Its all down to the cruel horrid world of market forces :)
 
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Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

D12ty said:
Ive read a few of your threads Murv:ambivalence: You've certainly been through the wars! Seems like diesel and stern is the safe way to go.

I'm going to try and get aboard these boats and get a feel for them.

thanks for all the good advice and let me know if you come up with any more suggested boats
Click to expand...


While you first thoughts may be of a dated dusty musty interior, bear in mind with a good scrub up, perhaps some new (Or washed and dyed!) curtains and matching cushions along with a bit of oil or wax on the wood (Never furniture polish as it promotes Black spots!) most of the decent boats will look and smell quite pleasant, and once your own possessions are inside very homely too.

It can be staggering how a 30 year old boat can look with a £600 professional polish, £400 new Antifoul and coloured boot line along with a good hood clean! Theres nothing quite as attractive as a real nice old Freeman/Birchwood/Broom etc that has been thus fettled bobbing along the river! So much more attractive than a three year old Bayliner in local terms.

While you'll be sitting on an antiquated power unit, bear in mind they are 100% mechanical so suffer none of the horror stories of latest generation Electronics (You might get a blown fuse or poor connection, several even, but not a £300 control unit which needs £200 worth of plug in diagnostics to find...)

Find a straight tidy boat and look after it, you'll get lots of fun for under £14K... :encouragement:
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

No Regrets said:
While you first thoughts may be of a dated dusty musty interior, bear in mind with a good scrub up, perhaps some new (Or washed and dyed!) curtains and matching cushions along with a bit of oil or wax on the wood (Never furniture polish as it promotes Black spots!) most of the decent boats will look and smell quite pleasant, and once your own possessions are inside very homely too.

It can be staggering how a 30 year old boat can look with a £600 professional polish, £400 new Antifoul and coloured boot line along with a good hood clean! Theres nothing quite as attractive as a real nice old Freeman/Birchwood/Broom etc that has been thus fettled bobbing along the river! So much more attractive than a three year old Bayliner in local terms.

While you'll be sitting on an antiquated power unit, bear in mind they are 100% mechanical so suffer none of the horror stories of latest generation Electronics (You might get a blown fuse or poor connection, several even, but not a £300 control unit which needs £200 worth of plug in diagnostics to find...)

Find a straight tidy boat and look after it, you'll get lots of fun for under £14K... :encouragement:
Click to expand...

Really good advice, this.
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

oldgit said:
Just to ring one last post from this thread......
Most asking prices in the brokers ads in your price bracket (and mine) are works of fiction that would put Harry Potter and J RR Tolkien to shame.
Once apon a time...a long long time ago you could buy a boat and sell it for more or less what you paid for it.
You would die of old age by the time some of the older members of the boating community ran out of tales of buying boat and making a profit when trading up to bigger boat..
That was yesterday.
Buyers are making offers on boats that reflect todays market.
Not going to suggest percentages but offers of half the asking price would not be out of the question.:)
Provided you have got the cojones a boat that is twice your budget could be out there.
Me being a seller at the moment,if somebody offered me 50% of my asking price,it is not a problem and simply would be unable to accept the offer,however somebody out there may not be able to refuse.
Its all down to the cruel horrid world of market forces :)
Click to expand...

Think the op wants to be boating sometime soon,not years down the line,offer 50% on a decent boat and someone else will be buying it every time!
Be sure to let us all know when one of your fabled half price deals happens on a decent boat and not a minger :)
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

Flynnbarr said:
Be sure to let us all know when one of your fabled half price deals happens on a decent boat and not a minger :)
Click to expand...

Obviously not all of us are in the fortunate financial position of not needing to get the best possible deal and the market welcomes such lucrative customers .
Many have to simply buy a boat with the meagre funds available to us at the time..
When buying ,you need to lead the deal from the start.
We are talking smaller cheaper craft here not 100K boats,probably a "as seen and lying" l, no survey.
Buyers need to lead the negocitions from the start. Making a offer of 10% or 5% less than asking price has instantly limited your options,you can never go down.
Previous canny buyers have probably offered less and the owner or broker is certainly not going to advise you of the fact.
A very low offer can set the tone of the deal,you may well get outraged incomprehension :) from the seller, any broker however will be very familiar with this tactic.Your next offer will be up.
As for any examples,suspect that many people on this forum have bought themselves nice boats well under the original asking price by making a cheeky offer and then walking away.
From memory three of the best deals on the nicest boats,sub 40ft Flybridge Fairlines were curiously all on the Thames. :)
You should try it sometime. :)
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

I've tried,God I've tried,but the owner lives in cloud cuckoo land,doesn't acknowledge market forces and refuses to negotiate :)
 
Re: A truth that must be whispered....................

There is rather nice P37 in Windsor Race Course at the moment, a "cheeky "offer was made .......and rejected. :)
To be honest have no idea what the state of the market is on the Thames.
The latest additions to the RCC fleet amount to
One from Devon
One from Norfolk
One from the Solent.
Two from a river adjacent to the Medway which shall remain nameless.
 
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