My first boat - buying tomorrow fingers crossed (advice pls)

[TonyBerkshire]

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to boating.
We started out like you with an open 14ft boat and growing family plus dog. Only lasted a couple of years.
Now have a 42 ft money pit. But love it !
If starting on the Thames why not give Bisham Abbey RYA a call. They have an excellent beginners boat handling course and you can use your own boat.

I have heard that once you are hooked into boating... everyone is always going bigger... bigger... bigger... oh dear.

Thanks shall give them a call.

 

[TonyBerkshire]

The darker colour below the waterline is the antifoul coating. Where there is some missing etc is where it would appear it has been in sea use. When stood for a period barnacles and other sea growth can attach to it. Boats in seawater are generally pulled out of the water maybe once a year to have the hull jetwashed and the growth scraped off. At that point it looks like yours does. At some point you’ll want to run some green frog tape where the line is now, rough up/key up the old surface below the waterline with some wet and dry, clean with fresh water and when dry re-apply some antifouling.

With regards to your daughters ‘decorating’ the boat, I reckon they can do whatever they like so long as they clean it ?

Thanks for the tip and will do this.

ps: the girls want big vinyl stickers on the outside!!!

 

[limecc]

So not using your own experience as I said

So it's not possible to learn from others? That's the point of a forum.

I'm not saying they are a bad cover. See my picture, I have a Ducksback cover for my centre console. The material is very thin and would chafe around corners of it were a full cover. There's a reason why they are £85. No way will it last as long as my PVC, hard wearing as a rib tube. Same stuff. I'm very happy with my cover, you are with yours. Let the reader decide.

 

[Croftie]

Now I now need to find: -

1) a reputable marine engineer in near Driffield
2) an RYA powerboat trainer and figure out which level training I need?

1) Covers Yorkshire
York Marina

 

[Bigplumbs]

So it's not possible to learn from others? That's the point of a forum.

I'm not saying they are a bad cover. See my picture, I have a Ducksback cover for my centre console. The material is very thin and would chafe around corners of it were a full cover. There's a reason why they are £85. No way will it last as long as my PVC, hard wearing as a rib tube. Same stuff. I'm very happy with my cover, you are with yours. Let the reader decide.

My advice was based on several years of having Ducksback and many of them.......... Yours was based on Zero use of using ducks back covers. Yes lets let the reader decide...... As for chafing with ducks back it does not happen. It does with heavy covers and often the chafing is on the boat

 

[markc]

I have a Ducksback cover on my RIB (after the custom one blew away in a Mistral). It was just supposed to be a temp solution, but after sitting on my bathing platform for 3 seasons, it has held up remarkably well, for for the few quid it cost, it's amazing value for money.

 

[Bigplumbs]

I have a Ducksback cover on my RIB (after the custom one blew away in a Mistral). It was just supposed to be a temp solution, but after sitting on my bathing platform for 3 seasons, it has held up remarkably well, for for the few quid it cost, it's amazing value for money.

Quite........ How did a chocolate sweet blow away your original cover

 

[paradave]

Bigplumbs is possibly the most argumentative person I’ve met! ?

 

[colhel]

For the more expensive boats, the usual process is you pay a deposit, have it surveyed, re-negotiate price/ reject if necessary, sea trial, renegotiate/ reject if necessary, pay balance, exchange paperwork and take ownership. This whole process can take days, weeks or months.
When you buy a small boat, a lot of these safeguards are impractical as they can take too long and add significant percentage to the overall cost. I think I'm right in saying that until money has changed hands a surveyors/mechanics hands are tied as to far he/she can delve into things as in effect you've employed someone to check somebody else's property.
A quite complicated and nerve racking process where luck can play a major part.

 

[Bigplumbs]

For the more expensive boats, the usual process is you pay a deposit, have it surveyed, re-negotiate price/ reject if necessary, sea trial, renegotiate/ reject if necessary, pay balance, exchange paperwork and take ownership. This whole process can take days, weeks or months.
When you buy a small boat, a lot of these safeguards are impractical as they can take too long and add significant percentage to the overall cost. I think I'm right in saying that until money has changed hands a surveyors/mechanics hands are tied as to far he/she can delve into things as in effect you've employed someone to check somebody else's property.
A quite complicated and nerve racking process where luck can play a major part.

Quite correct and at the moment with boats selling so quick the Process ought to be:

Find a Boat
Go look at it quickly with someone that knows about boats if possible
If you like it Pay for it and take it home

I would say at the moment this is true for anything up to £20,000

 

[Nito]

I don’t think you really need a survey per se on this type of boat, but a good once over with someone with half a clue to make sure it isn’t a complete shitter or hiding any glaringly dangerous defects. There’s nothing there that someone hands on and practical would particularly struggle with. Ensure everything is working as it should be. A bit awkward to hear it running on a trailer I guess, what are the chances that the owner has a nice big water container to immerse the leg in or one that they’d admit to having?! I guess you could use muffs for that and a hose, do people buying these trailer boats usually check that? Not sure how happy I would be buying something I can’t see run.

I watched someone view a boat that was in the boatyard, the owner fired the inboard engine up with no raw water cooling at all. It had been in the yard for about 5 months getting anti fouled and cleaned etc. They bought it. First time out the turbo failed, thing is nothing but trouble. I did suggest he might want to change the impeller soon too once I heard from him that he’d bought it.

 

[Nito]

Tony,

Most boat owners are fairly passionate about them I’d like to think. I would pick the owners brains as much as you can. Once he starts talking freely the advice will be gold.

No one knows that boat better than him, if he can show you/talk you through operating/shut down procedures etc it’ll give you a good insight into how he has used/treated it and some valuable information and advice for you going forward provided he’s not a complete tool that is, I’m sure you’ll come to a conclusion about him soon enough!

I would ‘t want to buy anything really without dealing with the owner. I much prefer buying vehicles privately than through a dealer, chatting with the owner can yield a lot of clues and tell you a lot about what to expect from your purchase imho and goes a long way to indicate if your invest is sound!

How exciting!!

 

[colhel]

I don’t think you really need a survey per se on this type of boat, but a good once over with someone with half a clue to make sure it isn’t a complete shitter or hiding any glaringly dangerous defects. There’s nothing there that someone hands on and practical would particularly struggle with. Ensure everything is working as it should be. A bit awkward to hear it running on a trailer I guess, what are the chances that the owner has a nice big water container to immerse the leg in or one that they’d admit to having?! I guess you could use muffs for that and a hose, do people buying these trailer boats usually check that? Not sure how happy I would be buying something I can’t see run.

I watched someone view a boat that was in the boatyard, the owner fired the inboard engine up with no raw water cooling at all. It had been in the yard for about 5 months getting anti fouled and cleaned etc. They bought it. First time out the turbo failed, thing is nothing but trouble. I did suggest he might want to change the impeller soon too once I heard from him that he’d bought it.

Yes that's the point I was trying to make.
On a higher priced boat there's more safeguards that can be put in place (but even then issues can be missed).
Maybe on a smaller boat like @TonyBerkshire is buying, you have to get the owner on side and let you carry out as many checks as you can.

 

[Nito]

Quite, the owner should be happy and able to demonstrate everything working imho!

 

[Seastoke]

Bigplumbs is possibly the most argumentative person I’ve met! ?

Oh no he Isn’t.

 

[hinch]

Drat !!!

What area do you take your boat out in? I'm going to get a marine boat specialist carry our a survey before I part with the cash though. Do you know any? I called one today but he is booked up for a whole month and didn't really want to wait that long.

i was based out of hull now i've moved to grimsby so estuary and north sea for me.

for surveyor i used this guy Marine Surveyors, Boat Surveys, Yacht Surveys, Boat Safety Certificate (BSS) Scheme Examiner, UK he's local

 

[Bigplumbs]

Bigplumbs is possibly the most argumentative person I’ve met! ?

But you have never met me so you got that wrong...... Is this the 5 minute argument you are after of the full half hour

 

[Bigplumbs]

As for running up on a trailer with an inboard. This is perfectly doable on muffs. This is what I did when I sold mine earlier this year. You can get a feel for how it runs and see if it is pumping water

 

[stelican]

As for running up on a trailer with an inboard. This is perfectly doable on muffs. This is what I did when I sold mine earlier this year. You can get a feel for how it runs and see if it is pumping water

Big Plum breaks his own golden rule, He admits selling one of his boats

 

[stelican]

Big Plum breaks his own golden rule, He admits selling one of his boats

Sorry my mistake he was only selling the muffs.