Lookong for a 1st boat and could use

[Elessar]

Well I've finally done it. Bought a Sealine 240. Next week (weather permitting but looking good for Tues) hoping to move her from Southsea (actually the Eastney Cruising Assoc.) to Gosport Marina. Anyone else at Gosport Premier I can say hello to?

Excellent news. Gosport marina staff are super friendly and helpful in my experience.
I think you’ve made a great choice of boat. Send a pm to thanks mum on this forum. He has one, he a really nice bloke who gets loads of use out of his.

 

[Scubadoo]

Congratulations and I hope it all goes well for you, if you have any questions just ask away on here. Also have you joined the Sealine forum, a great bunch of people helping each other out with advice etc

Any pictures?

I will keep a look out for you in the Solent.

 

[DavidJ]

Congratulations and I hope it all goes well for you, if you have any questions just ask away on here. Also have you joined the Sealine forum, a great bunch of people helping each other out with advice etc

Any pictures?

I will keep a look out for you in the Solent.

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[Bigplumbs]

In contrary to QBhoy view, I currently own a S24 with a AD31 and I have done so for many years, simply because it is a great boat and performer. I find the AD31 engine with this boat a good match providing you understand the performance parameters of this set-up...mine is a heavy boat with cruising gear etc and with full tanks (water & fuel) will get onto the plane without any problems (or fussing about with trim tabs), it takes a little longer than say KAD32 but once the turbo kicks in it is away. Mine will happy cruise all day at 19/20knots and at the start of the season reaching just above 28 knots which reduces to about 25knots end of season (no different to many other boats due to fouling), and return on average 5mpg. The key thing is to ensure the AD31 is well maintained e.g. check the turbo as anything over say 10+ years on coastal waters will suffer from corrosion, hence losing power which will affect the S24 performance, irrespective how freely the fans blades spin, has the S24 you looked at had the turbo refurbished or replaced recently? If not, not a deal breaker just allow for the cost (£700ish-refurb to £2k-new?). As for the noise/conversation on the plane, all I can say we do have conversations with friends etc without a problem...but do note the earlier S240/S24 may not have the noise insulation on the engine hatch and mine also has carpet, so if the cockpit is bare grp and no insulation it might make a difference to noise level. As for headroom, when I looked at many 25ft sport cruisers before buying the S24, I found headroom and general layout had the edge. The value of the S24 with a AD31 was in the lower £20k mark a few years ago, but now like with most used boats has gone up in value, I noticed recently from £25k to £35k. I hope that helps, if you would like more info on the S240/S24 (also known as S230), just ask.

Oh and forgot to say, in my opinion, if I was looking for a replacement boat, I would rather stick to AD / KAD engines and not D3, simply because there is less to go wrong particularly with sensors in a marine environment, but the modern D3 will be more efficient and smoother.

Edit: Mine is the AD31 - 150hp in reference to Stelican's post.

Being an owner of a sealine S24 but with a KAD 32 I would agree with the above. I am 6ft 1 inch tall and a fat git and don't have any real issues down in the cabin

 

[Neil22]

First time out today. Not far, just moved from Southsea Marina to my berth at Gosport Marina. I've discovered that low speed helm response is, let's say, not overly precise, but practice, practice...
A good day for it for an almost novice - barely any wind until the last moment (of course! - think it's a law of nature) while manoeuvring into my berth. Glad I recently did the Powerboat 2 course so knew what to do and managed it fine. A bit like parallel parking - you do it perfectly when no one's watching.
(This pic was taken before we sorted the lines out.)

 

[mil1194]

First time out today. Not far, just moved from Southsea Marina to my berth at Gosport Marina. I've discovered that low speed helm response is, let's say, not overly precise, but practice, practice...
A good day for it for an almost novice - barely any wind until the last moment (of course! - think it's a law of nature) while manoeuvring into my berth. Glad I recently did the Powerboat 2 course so knew what to do and managed it fine. A bit like parallel parking - you do it perfectly when no one's watching.
(This pic was taken before we sorted the lines out.)
View attachment 146993

Excellent. It will all come with time and remember to enjoy it all.

 

[Elessar]

First time out today. Not far, just moved from Southsea Marina to my berth at Gosport Marina. I've discovered that low speed helm response is, let's say, not overly precise, but practice, practice...
A good day for it for an almost novice - barely any wind until the last moment (of course! - think it's a law of nature) while manoeuvring into my berth. Glad I recently did the Powerboat 2 course so knew what to do and managed it fine. A bit like parallel parking - you do it perfectly when no one's watching.
(This pic was taken before we sorted the lines out.)
View attachment 146993

Congrats. PB2 a good course for an out drive boat.
Do you have a bow thruster?
I’d recommend getting someone like Julie Proudfoot on board for a day or two she’ll teach you all the tricks.

 

[Elessar]

Congrats. PB2 a good course for an out drive boat.
Do you have a bow thruster?
Low speed helm response always poor in power boats. Don’t speed up to compensate. Spend 80% of time out of gear drifting, turn the wheel to where you need to move and give a second or two of throttle. The boat will move rapidly in the direction of the helm.
I’d recommend getting someone like Julie Proudfoot on board for a day or two she’ll teach you all the tricks.

 

[Bouba]

First time out today. Not far, just moved from Southsea Marina to my berth at Gosport Marina. I've discovered that low speed helm response is, let's say, not overly precise, but practice, practice...
A good day for it for an almost novice - barely any wind until the last moment (of course! - think it's a law of nature) while manoeuvring into my berth. Glad I recently did the Powerboat 2 course so knew what to do and managed it fine. A bit like parallel parking - you do it perfectly when no one's watching.
(This pic was taken before we sorted the lines out.)
View attachment 146993

Only three things matter with a powerboat....wind, wind and wind....take time before you enter the harbor to see where the wind is blowing, how it will affect your boat and how you are going to use the wind to help you get to your berth. Look at every wind direction as a benefit, if the wind is blowing you onto your pontoon, good, it means it will park the boat for me....if the wind is blowing you off your pontoon, good, it will stop me crashing into it. And have a backup plan...like a visitor berth that is easier to get to. In all honesty, after 25 years, I don’t bother going out if it’s going to be too windy when I return.
All the fun of boating happens after you have left your port and after you have tied up...those few minutes parking and close quarter manœuvring are stressful so accept it...and eventually no boat expert on earth will be as good as you in getting in and out of your own place in the port??

 

[Elessar]

Only three things matter with a powerboat....wind, wind and wind....take time before you enter the harbor to see where the wind is blowing, how it will affect your boat and how you are going to use the wind to help you get to your berth. Look at every wind direction as a benefit, if the wind is blowing you onto your pontoon, good, it means it will park the boat for me....if the wind is blowing you off your pontoon, good, it will stop me crashing into it. And have a backup plan...like a visitor berth that is easier to get to. In all honesty, after 25 years, I don’t bother going out if it’s going to be too windy when I return.
All the fun of boating happens after you have left your port and after you have tied up...those few minutes parking and close quarter manœuvring are stressful so accept it...and eventually no boat expert on earth will be as good as you in getting in and out of your own place in the port??

Mostly good advice.

But I don’t find mooring the least bit stressful.
Even if it’s windy. Or the tide is running like it does in the hamble or Itchen. Or I’m in an unfamiliar berth. Or I’m using an unfamiliar boat. Or I’m single handled.
If you had someone like Julie on board for a few days you wouldn’t find it stressful either.

(If it’s not too windy, I’ll berth my boat and tie it up single handed without putting my drink down. )

 

[DavidJ]

Watching people mooring is always an interesting (self righteous ) pastime but the mistake I see over and over again is that people get nicely within reach of the berth then try to finish off like parking a car with often poor results.
My advice FWIW is to get within reach then let the crew (SHMBO) do the work with maybe a little jab of the throttle or bow thruster to help.

 

[Elessar]

Watching people mooring is always an interesting (self righteous ) pastime but the mistake I see over and over again is that people get nicely within reach of the berth then try to finish off like parking a car with often poor results.
My advice FWIW is to get within reach then let the crew (SHMBO) do the work with maybe a little jab of the throttle or bow thruster to help.

Yes it is. As soon as I hear the revving of engines or a bow thruster being caned I know there is going to be some marina entertainment! Less is more.

As for crew they are a help but don’t let them rely on the yottie affection for leaping off the boat and wrangling it to a halt.
Tie up before getting off!

I note you are in the med. I do find Med mooring more difficult, maybe because I do it fairly infrequently.

I did take my current boat into Antibes single handed when it was new to me - and one gearbox didn’t go into reverse when I bought it either . To add to the pressure it was only 2 away from JFM’s boat! It still didn’t need any rushing or stress. Just a plan in my head. Which by the way was to temporarily make fast to the boat alongside mid cleat to mid cleat. Then I had all
the time in the world to sort the bow lines etc.

Like the OP did (he’s a pro already) tie up temporarily to control the boat, then tie up properly at your leisure.

 

[Bouba]

If you have a mid cleat then that is your friend….mine is one step from the helm…it will secure the boat along side unlike the stern or bow cleat which without both connected can make the boat go all squirly

 

[Elessar]

Just found the pictures!

On arrival my spot (green arrow) and red arrow is JFMs boat. I’m single handed but still not so stressed that I don’t take pictures.

Second pic once tied up.

 

[Sianna]

Congrats on the purchase, PB2 is a good course but experience on your own boat is key. Our leader 805 is single engined without a bow and I took more than a few trips to get comfortable when mooring.

I always drop the canopy, or at least the sides, this significantly reduces windage on the boat when mooring and makes that process more comfortable. Plus use a lasso line from the centre cleat to get the initial control on the boat.

 

[DavidJ]

Our Med mooring is a little unusual in that it’s between two posts.
Once your bum is in it’s quite easy. I have no idea why some prefer to go nose in.

 

[Elessar]

Our Med mooring is a little unusual in that it’s between two posts.
Once your bum is in it’s quite easy. I have no idea why some prefer to go nose in.

Looks nice where is it?

Ive only done a mooring like that in one place and that was Bourne end on the Thames.

I think Scandinavia does it that way but I’ve never sailed there.

 

[oldgit]

As you climb up the poverty ladder to a bigger boat and you will ! , it does get easier to moor.
Look forward to your next posts agonising about what to get next and why do you need to find double the money every time you want to buy a couple of extra feet of boat.

 

[Bouba]

As you climb up the poverty ladder to a bigger boat and you will ! , it does get easier to moor.
Look forward to your next posts agonising about what to get next and why do you need to find double the money every time you want to buy a couple of extra feet of boat.

Why didn’t you tell me all this before I got into penury ?‍?

 

[DavidJ]

Looks nice where is it?

Ive only done a mooring like that in one place and that was Bourne end on the Thames.

I think Scandinavia does it that way but I’ve never sailed there.

It’s Empuriabrava, Costa Brava. Just where the Pyrenees dips it’s toe in the sea. Its a massive canal complex of 5000 moorings but as in the pic you are only aware of your little bit.
UNTIL AUGUST !!! where it’s a traffic jam of boats.
Rest of the year is fine and with a resident population it doesn’t die in the winter like some marinas.
There are prittier secluded bits with lovely homes (not mine)