New Boat Decision

There is a Jeanneau Leader for sale at Cobbs Quay by the entrance on the left hand side. The cockpit on the Antares 30 is very safe and deep and the siding doors can open right up . The 2nd cabin has bunk beds much more suitable for children. Very safe and comfy boat.
 
Nigel52 said:
I am really not sure why more manufacturers don’t offer shaft driven boats in this size range. The new Viknes 10 is single shaft driven with best wishes & stern thrusters and is an ideal boat.
Click to expand...

It's because outboards are the future for most boats up to 35-40 ft.

Who would want single or twin sterndrives festering in saltwater? It's like having 2 or 4 engines to maintain.....
 
Hot Property said:
It's because outboards are the future for most boats up to 35-40 ft.

Who would want single or twin sterndrives festering in saltwater? It's like having 2 or 4 engines to maintain.....
Click to expand...
Sorry if this is a dumb question but exactly why are outboards “the future?”
Are there compelling reasons?
 
Compared to outdrives they are the future.

Unless you travel thousands of miles annually, the fuel cost penalty of diesel Vs petrol is mitigated by much lower and easier maintenance.

No fouling of underwater parts (except hull bracket which doesn't affect performance).

Modern efficient engines, wide choice of manufacturers.

If you are going to SIBS next month just have a look at what being offered by boatbuilders.

When I went last year the vast majority of propulsion on sub 35 ft boats were outboards.
 
Hot Property said:
Compared to outdrives they are the future.

Unless you travel thousands of miles annually, the fuel cost penalty of diesel Vs petrol is mitigated by much lower and easier maintenance.

No fouling of underwater parts (except hull bracket which doesn't affect performance).

Modern efficient engines, wide choice of manufacturers.

If you are going to SIBS next month just have a look at what being offered by boatbuilders.

When I went last year the vast majority of propulsion on sub 35 ft boats were outboards.
Click to expand...
Certainly the newer models of outboards are quieter and very reliable. Easy to manoeuvre Personally I think the Suzuki range are the best and beware of Mercruiser corrosion although they will replace bottom leg under their warranty. Outboards don't get build up of growth that effects performance and fuel economy and nice to have the propeller out the water when berthed. Cheaper to maintain than inboard and outdrive combined. However, 75% more expensive on fuel if using 60:40 diesel. Manufacturers fit them because easier and cheaper to fit. Personally though I still like shaft driven diesel powered propulsion.
 
Diesel is available beside the water in most places, petrol generally isn't. Not sure how you get several hundred l of petrol to an outboard powered boat. They tend to have a smaller range too so the problem arises more often!
 
Nigel52 said:
Certainly the newer models of outboards are quieter and very reliable. Easy to manoeuvre Personally I think the Suzuki range are the best and beware of Mercruiser corrosion although they will replace bottom leg under their warranty. Outboards don't get build up of growth that effects performance and fuel economy and nice to have the propeller out the water when berthed. Cheaper to maintain than inboard and outdrive combined. However, 75% more expensive on fuel if using 60:40 diesel. Manufacturers fit them because easier and cheaper to fit. Personally though I still like shaft driven diesel powered propulsion.
Click to expand...

It just depends on how many engine hours you do per year as I implied in my post.

A seasoned cruiser would benefit from diesel ( on shafts of course).

Others doing 50 hrs annually would be much better off with outboards.
A guy adjacent to my berth has his boat on the hard standing to repair his twin stern drive transom shields.

Ouch!
 
Outboards, I have noticed, are becoming more prevalent because boat companies are relatively lazy when it comes to design. So creating space for an inboard plus the necessary work for shaft drive or stern drive and then to fit it and plumb it up, is a headache and cost they dont need, especially when the outboard needs virtually no work at all to attach, a phone call to Mercury or Suzuki and a socket spanner set and away you are. Our USA cousins are of course in love with gasoline, because over there it's cheap and they associate it, perhaps, with powerful American cars, no offence meant, but they do.
 
Got to agree that outboards are cheap for the boat builder. In some cases I think boat building is going backwards in quality, design and sea comfort.
 
Nigel52 said:
Got to agree that outboards are cheap for the boat builder. In some cases I think boat building is going backwards in quality, design and sea comfort.
Click to expand...
Got to say Nigel, so far Ive noticed that there are about a million boat companies, all building the same boat.
 
There are also the space and noise elements to outboards too. More space onboard and less noise with them being out on the transom. Fewer holes in the hull to worry about too. I would suggest that when you include all the costs in running a boat, the extra cost of the petrol is not high.
I say all this as an owner of a 32ft boat with a diesel on a shaft and no intention of going down the outboard route for a boat that size.
i do have a 5.9m Yamarin with a 115 Yam on the back as well though, and I love the upsides of an outboard as mentioned above.
 
Farmer Piles said:
There are also the space and noise elements to outboards too. More space onboard and less noise with them being out on the transom. Fewer holes in the hull to worry about too. I would suggest that when you include all the costs in running a boat, the extra cost of the petrol is not high.
I say all this as an owner of a 32ft boat with a diesel on a shaft and no intention of going down the outboard route for a boat that size.
i do have a 5.9m Yamarin with a 115 Yam on the back as well though, and I love the upsides of an outboard as mentioned above.
Click to expand...
Not too sure I can agree with you there young man (old man/middle man tick where applicable). 32 to 36 foot boats will weigh about 7 tonnes, so you'll need two outboards of at least 250 hp each, and they will need to be big beefy beasts. They will also take up most of a 3' bathing platform rendering it useless re practical applications and you'll still pay £600 per year to moor said platform, so a 33 foot boat is actually now 30 feet of useable space I'd say.
 
Nigel52 said:
Just returned to the UK from France where I had a 23ft day boat with large o/b. This was after 40 plus years of sailing. Now living in Poole I need to get a 7.5m to 9.5m length overall boat with the following characteristics :
Length as above
Single engine diesel.
Cruising speed 14-25 knots
Maximum circa 25-30 Knots
Occasional overnighter or weekends.
Large cockpit for socialising
Indoor helm position for inclement weather.
Age no older than 2012

boats I like and have considered so far:
Aquador 28HT
Jeanneau Leader 29/30
Jeanneau NC9
Bavaria S29/S30 Sport
Sargo 25
Rhea 800
Wessex Marine Targa 28

As most will know there is a huge shortage of boats for sale in the UK and although boats are cheaper in the EU one has VAT and import issues now.

have others got views on other boats I should consider ? Many thanks.
Click to expand...
I'd add a beneteau antaris 30 to your list, Its my favorite at this size,

Single shaft deisel so super simple to maintain.
Inner helm totally usable - no need to go on the fly at all if the weather is bad,
I've had one out in a force 8 - really good sea boat.
Tram style seat backs make most of space inside and on fly.

Only downside is they really need a sternthruster. If it hasn't got one budget for it - I know who can fit one.
 
Last edited:
Elessar said:
I'd add a beneteau antaris 30 to your list, Its my favorite at this size,

Single shaft deisel so super simple to maintain.
Inner helm totally usable - no need to go on the fly at all if the weather is bad,
I've had one out in a force 8 - really good sea boat.
Tram style seat backs make most of space inside and on fly.

Only downside is they really need a sternthruster. If it hasn't got one budget for it - I know who can fit one.
Click to expand...
He's on his second boat already since this thread ended 4 years ago, until someone resurrected it.
 
One advantage with outdrives and diesels is that there is weight in the right place - low down.
Also there is usually more of a bathing platform.

But for sub-35ft boats used in moderate conditions, outboards have come a long way, requiring less maintenance and they are a lot more reliable than they used to be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top