Is a Princess 33 (non-flybridge) a good choice for the French canals?

[NickLea]

Hello,

We are planning to do a slow trip down the French canals this summer and we are currently searching for something suitable to buy here in the UK.

We've seen a couple of nice Princess 33s that fit the bill but I was just wondering what else might be suitable. Does anyone here have any suggestions?

We're looking for something for two people with a budget of £30k ( we may be able to stretch to £35k).

What concerns me of course is the air draft. I've found it really quite difficult to get accurate figures on what the air draft is for different models. Is there anywhere to get hold of these figures easily?

For context, if it's helpful, the plan is to spend 10 or 12 weeks exploring France over the summer and ending up in the south of France. We would then either live aboard over the winter or rent an apartment for 6 months over the winter and then next year spend another couple of months slowly making our way back up the canals again.

So, I'd be really grateful for any suggestions as to other boats I should look out for that would be suitable for the French canals bearing in mind the air draft which, depending on the route we take looks as though the maximum is either 3.45m or 3.5m.

 

[Dino]

Do you plan to ship the boat to France or cross the Channel? A twin engine P33 would be fine for a Channel crossing in the right weather conditions. The only issue will be running twin engines on a canal.
A Princess 30DS is also well worth a look, especially a shaft drive version.
You might also find a Princess 37 without a flybridge.
The only other issue is having to drive inside all the time.

 

[Dino]

This might be a good option
https://motorboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/profile-33/548912

 

[volvopaul]

My late Dad bought one , the tale was that 3 individual men bought it new with not much idea about boats, sailed it from new across the channel entered the canals in the hope of getting to the med.
The lack of experience put paid to that as they must have hit the bottom trashing the props .

The boat was returned to Moodys at Swanwick and sold off to Jeff Elkins at Christchurch Dorset ,
I’d say you won’t go wrong with the Y hull version with a pair of plodding mermaids 80 hp is fine .
Take plenty of CAV fuel filters with you .
That trip is in my bucket list.

 

[CLB]

Take plenty of CAV fuel filters with you.

Or better still, change em for something like Racor, that you can change in seconds and be back underway without bleeding.

 

[Momac]

Do you plan to ship the boat to France or cross the Channel? A twin engine P33 would be fine for a Channel crossing in the right weather conditions. The only issue will be running twin engines on a canal.

There are loads of sea boats near us on the River Trent . What is the issue running a twin engined boat on the French canals?


There us a P33 moored near me. Other than radar and any other add on bits on top it doesn't look particularly tall. Some flybridge boats can do the French canals if you pick the appropriate route.

 

[Dino]

MartynG,
I probably should have explained that sentence a bit better. The lack of protection from a keel, possible greater draught and economy/low running speeds might be issues with running twins on a canal. But normally aspirated diesels are fine.

 

[jon and michie]

Absolutely brilliant - I hope you enjoy it.
Jon

 

[Momac]

MartynG,
I probably should have explained that sentence a bit better. The lack of protection from a keel, possible greater draught and economy/low running speeds might be issues with running twins on a canal. But normally aspirated diesels are fine.

I agree fuel economy is always going to be better with a single engine.
I don't worry about using my ka32s on the river. The engines gets a good burn a couple ir three trips a year.
French canals are on my wish list too.

 

[NickLea]

Do you plan to ship the boat to France or cross the Channel? A twin engine P33 would be fine for a Channel crossing in the right weather conditions. The only issue will be running twin engines on a canal.
A Princess 30DS is also well worth a look, especially a shaft drive version.
You might also find a Princess 37 without a flybridge.
The only other issue is having to drive inside all the time.

Thanks for that, but what is the issue with twin engines in a canal?

With having to drive inside all the time, that's down to needing to get under the bridges

 

[NickLea]

Absolutely brilliant - I hope you enjoy it.
Jon

Thank you. This is something we've been talking about for some time, but we've decided to do it this year now that I have just retired.

 

[NickLea]

That trip is in my bucket list.

Yes, it's been on ours for a while as well. We're rather excited to be getting around to doing it at last.

 

[Greg2]

I agree fuel economy is always going to be better with a single engine.
I don't worry about using my ka32s on the river. The engines gets a good burn a couple ir three trips a year.
French canals are on my wish list too.

Also far better manouvreability with twins, which can be very helpful in locks etc. Plenty of twin engined boats do it - better with a keel but if not just a bit of care close in to banks.

 

[oldgit]

The P33 would be an ideal choice (not the only) for those wanting to do this type of trip on a budget.
For the amount of money you are looking to spend you could almost certainly get something a bit more modern.
Due to age of boat, 1975-1987 the condition will vary wildly, from much loved and well maintained beauties down to piles of damp smelly heaps of **** , curiously the asking prices do not always indicate what you are about to look at.Best of bunch was later Mk11.Prices seem to start from 15 K up to around 25K anything over that is exceptional or very optimistic indeed. Over 500 built.
Personally would insist of diesels/shafts and under no circumstances petrol, engines varied from 80HP to 130HP.
As for Y or V hulls if your are going to hit a rock then that little keel is not going to help much, slightly better at slow speeds but would not base a purchase on it. Twins much easier to handle.
Think Tom Cunliffe had one and took it all over the shop.
Things to check for.Everthing. Especially the windows which will leak if not watched, a wet bunk is front cabin no fun due to that big flat pair of windows.Look for staining of wood and fabrics.
As for airdraft. We could, by stripping everything off wheel house roof get under (with care) Cannon Bridge at Tonbridge on River Medway. 2.5M.
Fuel consumption. My log shows on inland waterways such as the Thames at the mandatory 8Kms speed limit my boat with 2 x 130HP AQD engines managed around 1 - 1.5 GPH.
We eventually logged up over 2.500 hours on our boat.

 

[blampied]

Have you looked at the Aquastar 33 or 38.
A good cross over boat that’s good at sea as well as rivers.
Air draft on the Aquastar 33 is low enough for any bridge on the French canal network.
We have a33 we have been living comfortably on for the past 6 years,
We travelled from Jersey up the channel then the Seine to Paris, through France, to the Med. three years in the Med all the French and Spanish Med coasts as well as touching on Gibraltar, Morocco, Italy and Monaco before returning to Jersey via Canal du Midi and up the French Atlantic coast.

We will be setting off once again from Jersey next month, planning to go back through the French canals, via Paris and end up back in the Med for this winter.

If you planning on staying on the boat in South of France over winter?
We had the same plan 6 years ago, until we found.
In winter the south coast of France, overnight can be a lot colder than south coast of UK.
The Alps one side and Pyrenees the other act like a funnel, cold air falling off the mountains makes for very cold nights.
For over winter comfort head for Spain, Barcelona or south of is where you need to be. (And Spain is a lot cheaper)
You will have all winter while freezing your nads off, to regret not budgeting an extra week to go further south.

From the South of France even at displacement speed doing short thirty mile port to port hops it’s not going to take more than a week to reach Barcelona. (Port Forum on the outskirts of Barcelona was reasonably priced for overwinter).
Even better for guaranteed great weather budget a couple of weeks more and keep coast hopping until you reach Cartagena, great prices, best overwinter stop I ever made. We were in T-shirt’s the whole winter.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Ferris]

An option would be a Broom European 35. Aft cabin with a double bed gives another living space and could be more 'livable' and is within budget. Probably better examples out there than this too.
https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/broom-35-european/593827

 

[NickLea]

Thank you everybody who has replied.

I've tried to reply to a number of you but my replies seem to have disappeared (I'm a new user here)

I'll try replying again later today.

 

[oldgit]

The Broom has got much more interior space and the company never sunk to the level of fitting legs.
Brooms do hold there price well and suspect would be a more sensible choice for long term living especially with that aft cabin.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Lots of Dutch boats very suitable for the canal network and set up for very comfortable live aboard usage. The channel crossing maybe slightly less so but if you bought in the Netherlands you're sorted.

 

[NBs]

Twins with good maneuverability, bad for your propellers are not protected, canals can be tree trunks and any trash, the speed at which you drive in land water can be a problem and twins drive too cold and cause glazing of cylinders and carbon.

NBs