Motor boat advice for newbie please!

Paul, do you mind telling me what boat you have? I'm thinking of upgrading my Sea Ray and I find myself agreeing with the points you mentioned above!

I looked at a Merry Fisher 925 last week and really liked it.

Dave
 
panda9958 said:
Paul, do you mind telling me what boat you have? I'm thinking of upgrading my Sea Ray and I find myself agreeing with the points you mentioned above!

I looked at a Merry Fisher 925 last week and really liked it.

Dave
Click to expand...

Merry Fisher 805 Dave. The 925 is basically just a wee bit bigger, but has all the good points i mentioned :)
 
Ooooh dear what have I started on my first post on here?! :D

Really appreicate all this advice I am recieving guys. I have had a couple of private messages from people making suggestions and also suggesting other things.

I have never ever seen a semi displacement boat to be honest and just had a sports type cruiser in my mind, but with the advice given feel I need to view one (a good example) to help me sway one way or another though.

Just to clarify, our main use will be for playing in the Solent, trips from Portsmouth to the Isle Of Wight, Brighton etc with nice weekends away on board too (preferably without freezing too!).

Headroom is important, as is space down below. I guess the cockpit will be smaller on a semi displacement looking at pictures, but again until I do some more research and see some can't really comment on this further.

Will there be a notable difference in sea stability between a sports cruiser and semi displacement and the conditions which you can comfortably go out in? We have been researching and it seems the cruising speed for most sports diesels with the KAD32 is around 22 knots give or take a bit. Will it be much less on a semi displacement? I know they will weigh more but wouldn't want a massive engine thus raising the fuel and running costs.

Paul
 
Our S23 (KAD32) cruises quite comfortably at around 27 to 28 knots given the right conditions. She held a cruising speed of around 25 knots in about a 1m chop quite comfortably without any fuss and too much slamming, only really slamming when a wave occasionally took her onto the chine.

The boat is quite capable of taking more punishment than we would want to take and gave us the confidence that she would take more quite comfortably, but we wouldnt want to be out in seas much more than 1.5m in a chop. The swells where different and we would consider going in bigger swells in company. However as inland dwellers we dont get the oppurtunity to take her to sea very often:(
 
Paulportsmouth said:
Ooooh dear what have I started on my first post on here?! :D

Really appreicate all this advice I am recieving guys. I have had a couple of private messages from people making suggestions and also suggesting other things.

I have never ever seen a semi displacement boat to be honest and just had a sports type cruiser in my mind, but with the advice given feel I need to view one (a good example) to help me sway one way or another though.

Just to clarify, our main use will be for playing in the Solent, trips from Portsmouth to the Isle Of Wight, Brighton etc with nice weekends away on board too (preferably without freezing too!).

Headroom is important, as is space down below. I guess the cockpit will be smaller on a semi displacement looking at pictures, but again until I do some more research and see some can't really comment on this further.

Will there be a notable difference in sea stability between a sports cruiser and semi displacement and the conditions which you can comfortably go out in? We have been researching and it seems the cruising speed for most sports diesels with the KAD32 is around 22 knots give or take a bit. Will it be much less on a semi displacement? I know they will weigh more but wouldn't want a massive engine thus raising the fuel and running costs.

Paul
Click to expand...

The real difference between SD and planning boats is in the hull shape below the water. One will not necessarily be heavier or have more or less space than another, those will depend on the actual boat in question. In general term, SD will be a little slower and most likely use a little more fuel, it will have better seakeeping in a lot of conditions. It will depend on the exact boat of course.

Just as an example against something like the S23, my own boat is 27', is fitted with a 3.0 litre engine, and is shaft drive. She develops 200hp and will cruise all day at 16 to 18 knots, using about 25 litres an hour or 3 MPG average. When the S23 has had to slow down because of a bit of chop, we keep cruising. Seakeeping will be a touch better than the S23 in anything other than flat conditions and i'll sit at anchor much better, especially in any wind. I have more than enough headroom and i'm about 6'. I've added a couple of pics below.

I'm not knocking the S23, if it's the style of boat that you prefer and it ticks all of your boxes, then go for it.




Few more pics here : http://yfrog.com/bfp1020115jjx
 
Last edited:
PaulGooch said:
The real difference between SD and planning boats is in the hull shape below the water. One will not necessarily be heavier or have more or less space than another, those will depend on the actual boat in question. In general term, SD will be a little slower and most likely use a little more fuel, it will have better seakeeping in a lot of conditions. It will depend on the exact boat of course.

Just as an example against something like the S23, my own boat is 27', is fitted with a 3.0 litre engine, and is shaft drive. She develops 200hp and will cruise all day at 16 to 18 knots, using about 25 litres an hour or 3 MPG average. When the S23 has had to slow down because of a bit of chop, we keep cruising. Seakeeping will be a touch better than the S23 in anything other than flat conditions and i'll sit at anchor much better, especially in any wind. I have more than enough headroom and i'm about 6'. I've added a couple of pics below.

I'm not knocking the S23, if it's the style of boat that you prefer and it ticks all of your boxes, then go for it.
Click to expand...

Of course there is little i can argue with there.

In calmer conditions we get closer to 4.5 MPG at 28 knots, so will be moored up and in the pup by the time you arrive. In fact we get a fairly constant 4.5MPG from around 20 knots upwards, this does tail of when she falls of the plane below that speed though. So if the conditions dictate she cant plane you are better of slowing right down and plodding on at 6 knots in displacement mode.
 
CX54WEK said:
Of course there is little i can argue with there.
Click to expand...

You sure you're a girl ? :D

In calmer conditions we get closer to 4.5 MPG at 28 knots, so will be moored up and in the pup by the time you arrive. In fact we get a fairly constant 4.5MPG from around 20 knots upwards, this does tail of when she falls of the plane below that speed though. So if the conditions dictate she cant plane you are better of slowing right down and plodding on at 6 knots in displacement mode.
Click to expand...

Yup, in all seriousness, they are both different boats and it's all about finding the one that fits what you want to do best, and one that you like the look of. No real rights and wrongs.
 
Last edited:
PaulGooch said:
You sure you're a girl ? :D



Yup, in all seriousness, they are both different boats and it's all about finding the one that fits what you want to do best, and one that you like the look of. No real rights and wrongs.
Click to expand...

You are making me agree with you again. You have experience of this dont you?
 
Sportsboats definitely are better looking than a sports fisher, so that needs to be taken into account if you want to look good pulling into a marina. :)

But apart from the top speed there really is no comparison to be honest.

I think even girls can helm sports fishers now. ;)
 
ricky_s said:
Sportsboats definitely are better looking than a sports fisher, so that needs to be taken into account if you want to look good pulling into a marina. :)

But apart from the top speed there really is no comparison to be honest.

I think even girls can helm sports fishers now. ;)
Click to expand...

Girls can handle sports boats as well

<whispers> ask anyone in Brayford!!!!<stops whispering>
 
Sorry, couldnt resist:)

On a more serious note, we did feel that it was important that we could both handle the boat properly and safely at all speeds and in all circumstances should anything happen the other member of crew.
 
CX54WEK said:
Sorry, couldnt resist:)

On a more serious note, we did feel that it was important that we could both handle the boat properly and safely at all speeds and in all circumstances should anything happen the other member of crew.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, my partner and I both had training on ours to make sure she could get us back if for some reason I couldn't bring the boat back from sea but she rarely drives. I think she is just lazy. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

P
Suggest a Yacht please
2 3 4
Replies
73
Views
2K
Greenheart
Greenheart

Share this page

Top