New Boat Advice Appreciated

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UK2004

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Wanted a powerboat for a while growing up and recently went on a 40HP 16 foot rib on holiday, enjoyed it a lot but would like something faster and bigger. Have looked at a few boats and am not sure whether a 22 foot cuddy type boat is best or a 18 foot bowrider or 26 foot cruiser type. Not confident with going far out on it yet so will probably be just a couple of miles offshore but want something medium quick. Have seen some of the makers of these boats will put 8.1 litre 425hp on a 26 foot cruiser, would these feel pretty quick and maneuvaerable or is a smaller shallower boat better for out and out performance, when I used to read powerboat magazines I liked Baja but I am not sure there is ann official UK dealership for them?

Also what is the general routine for mooring the boat, is it left in the water all year round? Essex Marina is nearest to us for journey time in the car but Brighton and Southampton are within reach, what are those two like for restaurants and bars etc and nightlife, we are thinking if we really enjoy it of getting a flat for weekend use when we use the boat if wwe were moored in Brighton or Southampton. Do you pay a yearly mooring fee and your boat is ready for use whenever you wish? lso the seas around these three marinas will the type boats I am interested in be safe even if the weather turns a bit nasty?

I am going to book myself and fiancee on a course to do the Powerboat Level 2 program so we are ready for the boat but would be so grateful for advice on here, seen lots of eye catching boats, Chaparral, Sea Ray, Regal etc but not sure which type cruiser, cuddy, bow rider etc and what size for a comfortable ride. The RIB we went in was very uncomfortable and quite hair raising at top speed had to calm it down as it was jumping about and was a back breaker so want to purchase a boat that will be comfortable when the going gets tough.
 
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The RIB we went in was very uncomfortable and quite hair raising at top speed had to calm it down as it was jumping about and was a back breaker so want to purchase a boat that will be comfortable when the going gets tough.

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There is the rub. All of the really fast boats in that size will jump about some at high speed. The typical cruisers, etc, are more comfy, but they are also designed for lower speeds. Mind you, it is possible to have speed and comfort in the same boat, but then you will be up around the 35' size! So you need to settle on which is more important to you. Possibly get trial rides in more boats, of different types.

Kelly Cook
 
As you are close to Essex Boat Yards why not pop in and see what they have for sale? The people there are quite friendly and don't bite /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
We are in the proces of buying a brokerage boat through them and there are lots on display you can have a nose on.
I would go for a cruiser type so you can sleep on board and keep your beer cold in the fridge!
Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
The type of boat you go for really is down to you and the kind of boating you want to do. There is no perfect answer, and I am afraid everything is a compromise.

In terms of your questions, an 8.1 litre petrol engine in a 26 footer is nearly a race boat, and will be great fun but hairy, especially if the hull isn't 100% spot on. Mooring in a big marina is just a case of finding one with space and paying the fees, either yearly or most do a month direct debit arrangement to spread the cost.

The areas you mention (essex, eastbourn and brighton) are all open on the coast, and a fair distance to the next marina or anchorage. This is probably the biggest influence on the type of boat you buy. If you want to visit the next marina down the coast it is a a reasonable trip of probably over 90 minutes. With this in mind, I wouldn't go for an open bowrider - they are perfect for short hops to the beach or lake fun, but are not that well suited to longer trips in what can be bigger seas. Either a cuddy or a cruiser would suit better IMHO.

As for which boat or style, it is down to personal taste. In terms of a comfortable ride, it is all down to hull shape, and again there is no perfect boat, just ones that have advantages in different conditions. Most boat will feel good on a calm day in the sunshine - it is what happens when the going get rough that makes the noticable difference. It is all to do with the shape of the hull, and in rough weather a Deeper 'V' hull will cut through the water and be more comfortable. The trade off is a deep V boat has less volume inside, so the cabin space will be smaller over a boat with a shallower V and requires more HP to get up opn the plane. Because of this most manufacturers go for a modified V hull, deep at the front and flattening off towards the stern. The degree to which it flattens at the the stern also affects perfromance. The critical angle is the deadrise, which typically is anything from 16 degrees up to 24 degrees. It doesn't sound like a big difference, but the higher the number of the angle of the deadrise, the softer and more comfortable the ride will be in rough conditions. However, the higher the number, the more power the boat will need. Hull design can also affect drivability, with the level of grip in turns etc etc.

Of the boats you mention, Searay and Monterey offer very good packages around 22ft in cuddy form. Maxum are also worth considering. Larger than this and there are loads of good manufacturers all offering a balance between cost, quality and performance.

Welcome to the board, I hope you get a lot out of this place and it helps you buying and owning a boat as it does many others. I will always try to give genuine advice, but please be aware I do sell boats, so that might affect your opinion of what I have said - but i hope not.
 
You will either, get fed up with the "go faster notion" fairly quickly and give up boating altogether. Or settle down to enjoying being on the water and going places that are not accesible by other means.

Speed is relative. 500 MPH hardly feels fast in a jumbo jet, yet 10 MPH does, if sliding on your arse.
 
Don't wish to be a kill joy because I'd love a really fast powerboat myself, but you do realise an 8.1litre 425bhp petrol engine will use about 30gph at wot, thats about £150 an hour at waterside prices.
 
Ahem.
You start wondering if a 26' with 400+ hp would feel quick enough, asking if a smaller boat would be better 'for out and out performance'.
Then finally, you 'want to purchase a boat that will be comfortable when the going gets tough'.
Do you realize that these requests bring respectively to the following conclusions?
707-1_07_1_.jpg
38_lower.jpg
 
Many thanks for all the replies, very informative. As I say I'm new to the boating world so need to learn a lot. I popped over to Essex Boatyards two weeks ago but we arrived at 6:20pm on a Saturday and they had closed but had a look through hte fence and there wwere some boats that really caught my eye, when we looked at the marina a small bowrider about 18 foot was on the water and it suddenly looked rather small for going out to sea! Am a bit worried that if I just go down and say I want this, this and this from a boat they will sell me an inappropriate new one.

Safety is paramount so would the 8.1 litre engine be safer on a say 26 foot boat? I'm nto worried about fuel costs as a couple of trips a month it only works out at around £5000 a year for fuel. Thanks for the tip on the Baja dealer will contct them, really like their boats. Are there any books that teach you about different desgisn and what seas they are suitable for etc?

Also do any lakes allow high speeed boating anymore, I presume Windermere and Coniston which are ideal still have the 7mph speed limit?

Also what's the black cuddy in the above picture, looks very nice.
 
If safety is paramount a Baja doesn't look like the boat for you, a small light high performance lake boat?

It would be like saying "safety is paramount, so I bought a Lotus exige."

You'd buy a Landrover, which is probably a 6-7 metre rib.
Avon adventure, Ribeye or Bombadier are a couple of dependable brands.

I have a 20 ft Cuddy with an inboard v6 mercruiser. its a small older boat and has proved to us that we are into this boating lark and are now ready to move onto something bigger, newer and faster. We've found that we don't use the cuddy other than for storage so are looking for more deckspace on our next boat.

It is a wise idea to start smaller and move upwards, that way you'll have a much better idea of what you want. The family may impose things like an enclosed loo on you, which would require a 23ft+ boat.

Smaller boats are much easier to handle on the water and trailerable, this might be important to you, my 20ft boat can handle quite some weather.

Ribs don't offer much protection and aren't the best boat for fishing. A useful thing for beginners is that they are surrounded by a big rubber baloon, for bumping into things with.
 
Might be worth giving Peter Delbridge a ring at Boatshed (Hamble) - He owns a rib but is someone who I know would put you in touch with the right person to help you find what you need. His email is peter @ boatshedhamble.com tell him i put you in touch and he will help you out
 
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Also what's the black cuddy in the above picture, looks very nice.

[/ QUOTE ]It's a Performance - and the name says it all, really. It's a 25' which you can get with as much as 485hp. But as others said, if you're also concerned about safety, these boats/engines aren't exactly the biz. Same applies to Baja of course.
This is the best compromize if you want a fast (65kts) but safe boat imho. But that's actually a different league...
 
Those Linetti boats look lovely and the Performance 707 one in black, that link to best compromise didn't work.

We have decided to go to the Southampton Boat show in September so we can have a good look around and talk to some dealers. Does anyone know of any good hotels that are nearby as we are coming from London and will stay the weekend to check out the marina. Somewhere within walking distance of the boat show would be fantastic.
 
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that link to best compromise didn't work.

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Sorry but I just saw your post.
I can't understand what happened, probably a wrong cut and paste.
This is the boat I was talking about.
 
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