Is 19ft enough?

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chris7484

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Hi all

First time poster here but been a reader for a while! I currently have a 17ft Fletcher Sportsboat moored at Chichester Marina. When you get good weather its great as you can go out to sea and throw it for some good fun. Now I am more experienced I want to start going further out to sea and maybe taking the boat down to Southampton etc. The problem with the Fletcher is it is quite bumpy at sea and it is now unknown of for waves to come into the boat which feels a bit like a safety problem.

I am on a budget and ideally want to keep to something I can have on a trailer in the winter and tow behind a Range Rover Sport with a budget of about 15 - 20K for the boat. I have been looking at a 19 or 22 ft Fletcher sportcruiser similar to http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Motorboats/fletcher-22gts/66706#hmfsHb6vlb3DjwPA.97

My question is will a boat like this be big enough for sea use whilst still saying within a practical price range to own? Are there any alternatives to look at? Deck space is important to me and I am not bothered about a cuddy

Thanks for your help
 
We own a 22ft Regal 2250 and tow behind a Range Rover Sport. This is was a significant step up in terms of sea-handling from our Bayliner 185 bowrider. The original boat, being a bowrider, was more limited in the sea conditions that we would be comfortable in although we got good use out of it.

Being a Cuddy, the Regal has a higher bow which makes it more practical at sea than the bowrider. So I would consider a cuddy if I was you just for the improved freeboard. You can see our adventures here - www.sportsboat.org.uk

Martin
 
Thanks for the reply's so far. I think the feedback here is useful and I have always liked the idea of RIB's as I know they are sturdy at sea but always wondered about if they would be as comfortable. I think I need to trial some boats such as the ones mentioned above and a RIB to see what I prefer the feel of. I plan on attending Southampton boat show in September, do you know if I can phone through to dealers in advanced and book trails as I will be a serious buyer as opposed to someone there for the day out.
 
chris7484 said:
Hi all

First time poster here but been a reader for a while! I currently have a 17ft Fletcher Sportsboat moored at Chichester Marina. When you get good weather its great as you can go out to sea and throw it for some good fun. Now I am more experienced I want to start going further out to sea and maybe taking the boat down to Southampton etc. The problem with the Fletcher is it is quite bumpy at sea and it is now unknown of for waves to come into the boat which feels a bit like a safety problem.

I am on a budget and ideally want to keep to something I can have on a trailer in the winter and tow behind a Range Rover Sport with a budget of about 15 - 20K for the boat. I have been looking at a 19 or 22 ft Fletcher sportcruiser similar to http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Motorboats/fletcher-22gts/66706#hmfsHb6vlb3DjwPA.97

My question is will a boat like this be big enough for sea use whilst still saying within a practical price range to own? Are there any alternatives to look at? Deck space is important to me and I am not bothered about a cuddy

Thanks for your help
Click to expand...
Depends on your ambition, but having started where you are, then no, it is not big enough in the Solent, and especially from Chichester Bar.
Either a rib, or 23-24 ft.
Still, costs all go up, so bigger helps, but if you go up in size, go up more than 17to19ft.
 
Get the biggest you can afford and tow. The "two foot" disease will hit you immediately regardless so aim for big. Weight is a constraint for speed and trailer handling by a great advantage in seakeeping and comfort.

And do try to get an outboard setup if you're going to trailer it. MUCH better (operating) economy than sterndrive and easier to launch/recover.
 
sea ray 215 or 225 nice boat trailerable good sea keeping for size of boat with seperate toilet theres one advertised on here in the classifieds. about 23ft if you get the one with extended swim platform
 
Thanks all for the help, I think in answer to my question 19ft is not enough if I dont want a RIB. It looks like I need to look at 22ft or a RIB, going to be a busy day at the boat show :-)
 
A complicated question given your constraints, but at that size, just a few feet can matter. You want 21' minimum I suspect. You can go a long way in quite rough seas in that size, compared to 17 or 19'er

Why is deck size important? you really don't want more than 4 people in a boat of even 21' so forget parties of 10 people. A well designed boat will give you all you want for 4 people, and really, and cuddy better than bowrider even in solent if you want to get out in other than the calmest conditions.

It all really depends on the use you have planned.
 
We started in a 17ft Fletcher too and used within Portsmouth Harbour, with the odd trip over to the Isle of Wight. It was great fun, but very weather dependant. Being sat on the floor with your legs straight out meant that the waves didnt need to be that big before you felt very exposed.

We had your budget and upgraded to a 23ft Jeaneau Leader, which is a cuddy boat. This has significantly extended our use as we can now stay over for a night or two, but that aside, the helm position gives you much greater visibility and i prefer to stand too as i find it more comfortable.

We don't trailer though, so i can't comment on that aspect.
 
23 foot cuddy is towable....I had a Chapparral 23 sc that was brilliant, and you always felt safe in it...spent a lot of time driving ribs, but always felt I was on a rib rather than in one...I knew a few who had hooked and gone over the side of a rib pretty smartly......(with kill cord attached fortunately). If you are going to keep it at home, most of the american cuddys are 8'6" wide so make sure you have the space.....
 
chris7484 said:
Hi all

First time poster here but been a reader for a while! I currently have a 17ft Fletcher Sportsboat moored at Chichester Marina. When you get good weather its great as you can go out to sea and throw it for some good fun. Now I am more experienced I want to start going further out to sea and maybe taking the boat down to Southampton etc. The problem with the Fletcher is it is quite bumpy at sea and it is now unknown of for waves to come into the boat which feels a bit like a safety problem.

I am on a budget and ideally want to keep to something I can have on a trailer in the winter and tow behind a Range Rover Sport with a budget of about 15 - 20K for the boat. I have been looking at a 19 or 22 ft Fletcher sportcruiser similar to http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Motorboats/fletcher-22gts/66706#hmfsHb6vlb3DjwPA.97

My question is will a boat like this be big enough for sea use whilst still saying within a practical price range to own? Are there any alternatives to look at? Deck space is important to me and I am not bothered about a cuddy

Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

It's funny how many times this subject has arisen this year especially about Solent weather. We have been discussing this very thing on our forum with some of us looking at upgrading 19-21 ft sportsboats to 24 ft and above, its a very tricky subject.
As regards the sea keeping of the Fletcher I can vouch that a similar boat to yours held its own in very lumpy conditions last year when a few of us went on a Round the Island trip.
Mlines new boat is a great size and shape and I agree with him about the cuddy. Also dpb used to have a Bayliner cuddy which was towable, as I recall that was a superb boat with a 3.0l Mercruiser , I've got a video of it somewhere, pretty fast too. I think I've got some pictures of a Karnic in full flight as well.
 
We have a Fletcher 19 GTS and are Solent based. She's our first boat and this is our third season with her.

Loads of people have been complaining of the wind preventing them from getting out this season, but for us, we've been out pretty much every weekend bar one over the last three months. This proves one of two things... 1. The boat can handle it, or 2. the people on here are all wimps :)

I won't pretend it's always been dry and comfortable, but it's coped without scaring us... even getting caught out in a F6 gusting F7 wind over tide... well that did scare us a bit (but that's some of the fun in my opinion!).

Would we go to a bigger boat if we could afford to? Probably yes... But it'd have to be a fair bit bigger. One thing about the Fletchers is their narrow beam gives them a nice sharp v-hull, so they're great in choppier waters. As you start to look at some of the bigger cuddy boats (especially the US ones), they tend to be much beamier for their added length, which will sort of cancel out the see-keeping benefits of going bigger. Furthermore, we were rafted up against a 25' Monterey this weekend, and we actually had a higher freeboard! The 22GTS really is a notch up, too, so I should imagine it's a fantastic sea boat.

Here is an on board video from the other weekend. The GoPro makes everything look flat and calm, but it was actually F5 that day and a fair bit of swell/chop... it was very wet, but one of the best times I've had on the boat!
 
annageek said:
This proves one of two things... 1. The boat can handle it, or 2. the people on here are all wimps
Click to expand...
LOL, it actually proves both, I guess.
Btw, considering that you joined less than one year ago, you rumbled us all PDQ...! :D
 
Hi All,

I'm new here but wanted to add my 2 pennysworth to the discussion which will hopefully help.

We were the Fletcher 19 that went round the Island last year in "lumpy conditions" - off St Catherines point the lobster bouys were being submerged by the tide and the swell was probably 2-3 meters high at various times. We have the GTO version of the Fletcher Sports Cruiser which is outboard powered. We did manage to scoop a big green wave and this actually filled the cockpit up to the lip where it enters the cuddy!! I just lifted the bow using the trim and the self draining cockpit did its magic in a couple of minutes. After that trip, I have no hesitation/doubts about it's sea-keeping qualities - Anna is correct that you may get a bit wet if the weather is poor but you won't ever feel vulnerable!

Years ago I had a 16 foot Mustang which we used extensively in the Solent and towed to the West Country etc. Great fun but weather conditions always dictated the times we could go out.

So years later I hankered after a bigger boat with a cuddy which would give:-

Better protection/sea keeping in much heavier seas
Somewhere to keep all the kit we inevitably carry around with us (beer, wine, food, wine etc.)
Higher freeboard - this is a key advantage of the Fletcher - when I tootle down the river to the Solent and spend most of the time standing up, the driving position is good for this and you do seem to tower above bigger cuddys.
Outboard powered - we only have a 75 merc on the back but this will allow us to cruise at 22 kts with 4 up and tops out at around 25/27 kts depending on load. Fuel consumption is excellent (relative term I know). I have calculated it at around 4MPG. We used about 60 litres round the island whereas others use upwards of 127 litres I recall...

Would I upgrade the Fletcher - probably not, as I know it is a slippery slope with costs rising exponentially. I wouldn't have more fun or visit other places either. I can also tow the boat behind a family saloon with ease if I wanted to.

I would fit a slightly bigger engine given the choice - 115hp is probably the optimum but the conversion cost means that I will just look out for one on the market IF one becomes available.

I hope this helps you with your decision!
 
BrendanS said:
A complicated question given your constraints, but at that size, just a few feet can matter. You want 21' minimum I suspect. You can go a long way in quite rough seas in that size, compared to 17 or 19'er

Why is deck size important? you really don't want more than 4 people in a boat of even 21' so forget parties of 10 people. A well designed boat will give you all you want for 4 people, and really, and cuddy better than bowrider even in solent if you want to get out in other than the calmest conditions.

It all really depends on the use you have planned.
Click to expand...


Tell that to the Spanish and Italians. !! They cram an extrordinary number of people and always seem happy !
 
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