Is this a suitable boat?

[andyball]

It's steel, 11m x 3.8m x 1.05m, 12 tonnes,single 105hp diesel,

We'd rather like a boat with walk-round decks & 2 side doors & inside/outside steering (long story, but wife not v.mobile & otherwise has prob's moving about the boat....).

So clearly that's taken care of, but....we'd like to use it in the solent/south coast....up to F5 ?,maybe an occasional channel crossing. Currently, our 7m sports boat, even at 5 knots is too uncomfortable for her to spend long outside the harbour unless it's very calm,or she's wedged in the corner of the cabin to avoid being thrown about.

I know people use pedros,linnsens,stevens etc at sea, but what's your view?....are we mad?, will it move around much less ?, handle like a pig on stillts in any sort of swell? has anyone here tried it in something similar?


I appreciate it's not meant to be a "proper" sea boat, but those we like the layout of tend to be rather more expensive (aquastar 33 would otherwise be ok). Also aware that twin engines better etc,& expecting to have to clamp batteries (etc etc etc) down praps a flap on exhaust/gooseneck if not already there. Difficult to try it in waves as the boat is 80K from any sort of sea.

Wife tried mbm's sealine 37 at sbs, and thought (although conditions fairly good) that the way it dealt with wash etc made it seem likely that this would fit the bill:comfort -wise

Any thoughts/advice gratefully accepted...thanks in advance

 

[nickyg]

Andy
Looks nice .
Where is it . If you dont buy it i will !!
A friend of mine has a Stevens 1140 and we went out in The Wash and it was a lot better than mine . It didnt seem to move at all . Obviously the weight helps
Let me know how you go
Nick

 

[andyball]

Thanks nick, it's in Holland at the moment,with the ijsselmeer between it and the sea.

When you said the stevens was much better than yours, was that the Shetland 27 from your profile?

Thanks again.

 

[Guest]

"So clearly that's taken care of, but....we'd like to use it in the solent/south coast....up to
F5 ?,maybe an occasional channel crossing. Currently, our 7m sports boat, even at 5 knots
is too uncomfortable for her to spend long outside the harbour unless it's very calm,or she's
wedged in the corner of the cabin to avoid being thrown about."

If its too uncomfortable at 5 knts Andy then the steel boat in up to F5 whilst it may not be
slamming, will be tossed about and rolling every which way. I have a similar boat only GRP about 8-9 tons
and got caught in a F5-6 on the nose and although I dropped speed to about 8-9 knots we were still
leaving the tops of crests and slamming into troughs often with props out. Had to zig zig
Mine is semi dis but we had obviously slowed down to displacement speed.
I had her berthed at Brighton for a year, my wife came out twice when it was below F3. Anything
above and shes holding on and feeling sick. She refused to go out in anything by calm seas.

Also I was helping deliver a Trader 44 (about 20 tons) and was between Ramsgate & Dover into
3m high waves and even the Trader was being dropped into troughs. Whilst she was not unsafe its not
pleasant and you find yourself looking for the earliest shelter i.e Dover in this case.

"The Med has got me" (no not the Medway the other Med)

 

[hlb]

It's hard to be objective. Every ones different. Now Tutts gets sick if we stop for five minutes fishing. Yet she's fine when sloshing along with sea going over the fly bridge. Its hard to quantify rough. So much depends where you are and which way the wind and tide. There for F5 can be very rough or very smooth. Would think what you have in mind should be ok in most things. Might roll a bit though.

<font color=red> No one can force me to come here-----------
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Haydn

 

[andyball]

Thanks hlb & cneighbour, I should have said height/type of waves rather than wind strength I s'pose.

with present boat,at 5knots-lots of niceish days, wind 4-5 ,waves locally maybe 2' on top of some swell- no slamming, just pitching/rolling too painful for injured back for more than 20mins or so......just trying to guage what sort of improvement in motion we might gain by trading up.
Seasickness more an issue for me than her.....(Tutts sounds like me-fine when it's moving, just don't stop!).

 

[andyball]

Excuse me: trying again on a weekday, with more souls about.

 

[nickyg]

Yes it is a Shetland 27 .
I bought it last year & really pleased with it but now looking for something bigger similar to your photo or maybe a Broom.
Nick

 

[andyball]

We looked at 2 Brooms at Penton hook (I think), both were (to us) really pokey & ratty compared to even the (by dutch standards) over-priced steel boats there & at other thames brokers....all our personal view of course- there was a 30' and a 37' I think.